Chapter Four #2
about, but moved to the armory and quickly restocked, grabbing ammo
for his sidearm and his rifle. When he stepped out, both men were
still in position. “I’ll take the high ground. I am of more use at
a distance with my rifle.”
Nick nodded, reaching into his bag and
pulling out a comms device. “Stay on channel 8. The three of us
will be the only ones on that channel. As much as it turns my
stomach to think so, I am of the opinion that we’ve been
betrayed.”
Sam felt sick to his stomach and
enraged beyond belief at that thought. Among the three of them,
they took out the four armed insurgents who had come armed with
photos of the men in that South West bunker. All in all the
operation had been a success. The loss of life was unacceptable for
Sam, but that would always be the case.
It was an hour after they had the
situation under control, that Sam got the opportunity to take care
of the wound in Nick’s shoulder. Aiden had stood by, Deefer a
familiar shadow at his side, while Sam got what he would need
together. Sam knew he hadn’t imagined the tension in the room, but
he had no idea how to fix it. Ignoring both men, Sam got to work
cleaning the wound before putting in the sutures.
“I just don’t see why you
didn’t glue the damn thing?” Nick asked, and there was no missing
the frustration in his voice.
“Forgive Nick, Sam,” Aiden
said dryly. “He hates needles like you wouldn’t
believe.”
Nick waved his hand dismissively. “I’m
just saying that glue is fast and an acceptable alternative that I
have had on multiple occasions, so why can’t we use it in this
case?”
Sam shot a quick glance at his patient
before returning his eyes to the curved needle in his hand. “Glue
is a great alternative, but you can’t use it on areas where the
wounds will stretch or move. Not to mention this isn’t just a
graze, this was a gunshot, and it’s deep. The muscles were damaged.
Glue is not acceptable in this situation.” Sam waited a second then
added, “But for children, we would most definitely work with the
glue.”
There was a beat of silence, and then
Aiden’s rich baritone laugh filled the tent that Nick had secured
as his quarters. “God, Sam, you’ve only just met Nick and you’ve
got his number. When it comes to needles, my man is very much a
child.”
Nick growled. “Shut up, Aiden. I am as
manly as they come. And that was cold, Sam, really fucking
cold.”
Sam would have normally thrown a
comment back, but his mind was still reeling from the comment that
Nick was Aiden’s man. Oh, sure, Sam had caught that vibe from the
two men a couple of times that day, but this was the first time
either of them had admitted it out loud.
“Sam.” Nick’s tone was
serious, and Sam looked up. “I think you are going to have to move
in order to finish up with my shoulder.” When Sam simply blinked
stupidly up at him, Nick sighed. “Does it freak you out that Aiden
and I are together?”
Sam shook his head immediately. “No!
Not at all. You’re both really hot!” Sam closed his eyes for a
moment in mortification. “I apologize. That was inappropriate. It
would be pretty fucking hypocritical of me if it did.”
Aiden stepped up closer to the bunk
Nick was sitting on. “Yeah, I thought you might feel the same way,
and I can assure you the hotness description applies to you as
well.”
Sam blushed, refusing to meet the
man’s gaze as he finished off the last suture and tied it off, not
really knowing how to answer that, so he remained
silent.
Nick moved and flexed his shoulder.
“Thanks, Sam. That feels … well, like shit if I’m honest, but
thanks anyway.”
Sam packed up his med kit, and despite
the fact that he was looking down, he had the feeling Nick and
Aiden were communicating somehow above him.
“Sam, this is going to
seem very forward of me,” Aiden finally asked. “But, was there a
spark of attraction for you and the two of us at any point
today?”
Sam shot up from his chair and moved
to the other side of the tent, zipping his kit closed. “What? No! I
didn’t put the moves on either of you—” Sam stopped when Nick held
up a hand.
“That’s not what Aiden
asked, Sam. At any point today, did you feel anything for me or
Aiden, or hell, hopefully both of us?”
Sam felt like he was in one of those
impossible situations. Damned if he did, and damned if he didn’t.
How the hell did he answer that?
“It’s okay if the answer
is yes,” Aiden said in a calm voice. “There was a definite
attraction from my part. And Nick looks at you like he looks at me,
so that’s pretty much a given, too.”
Sam swallowed hard. “What the hell are
you asking me here?”
The two men in front of him shared a
quick look. “It’s fairly simple,” Aiden continued. “What we want to
know is if you were open to perhaps getting to know us a little
better. Perhaps seeing where that might take us. This,” Aden
gestured among the three of them, “feels really important to me,
and I would love to see how this chapter might play
out.”
“Chapter? Like this is
some kind of book?” Sam sneered. As always, when he felt cornered
he came out angry and swinging. “I guess if it’s a sex scene
between three men, it’s a what, gay erotic romance?”
A strange look flickered across
Aiden’s face, and that got Sam’s ire up even further. “So, let me
guess, this is something the two of you do on a regular basis. You
look for a third character in your erotic book of life, to what,
spice things up a little? Well, fuck you. Leave me the hell out of
it. I refuse to be a passing character in your chapter.” Sam glared
at Aiden before he left the tent and walked off toward the
temporary barracks.
He was due to head back to Bravo team
at the end of the week, and he couldn’t fucking wait. No one in his
team had ever put him second. He was an equal member of the team,
and he had value, and fuck anyone who thought otherwise.