Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
JACK
The next few hours passed in a blur.
We’d been interrupted by the others before Arlo had had a chance to respond to my declaration, but he’d insisted on me accompanying him to the cabin, so that had to be a good sign…right?
Fuck if I knew. But I wasn’t passing up the opportunity. It’d almost killed me to not insist I go in the first place. Thanks to my time overseas, I knew better than most just how unhinged humans could become if they were obsessed with something.
I trusted my partners though. Arlo had almost been abducted under their watch, but even if I hadn’t been there, I was confident they’d never have made it as far as Smith’s vehicle.
I went almost dizzy with relief when Arlo confidently announced to the room that I’d be the one going with him to the cabin.
I wasn’t going to have to sit at home wondering how he was doing.
Wasn’t going to be pacing my empty house panicking that Smith had managed to track him down and evade the others.
No, I was going to be with Arlo. I’d protect him with my life if that was what it took.
As for all the other stuff? That depended on Arlo. If he wanted to have the conversation I’d asked for, then we’d do that. But if he wasn’t ready? I’d wait.
God knew he’d spent enough time waiting for me. It was my turn now.
It hadn’t taken long for us to assemble what we needed. Luca, Ollie and Will headed to the local supermarket to pick up supplies. Alex went to my place to pack me a bag, while Kai and Silas helped Arlo pack his.
Not having a time frame for how long we’d need to be there made it tricky to know how much to bring, but according to Corey, the cabin was fully equipped with all mod-cons.
We could do our washing, so we’d have clean clothes.
Will would know what food to get that would last the longest, so we’d be okay there.
If push came to shove, we agreed that Corey would bring us more supplies. Other than that though, no one else would even know the location to ensure it remained as secure as possible.
While everyone was preparing, Corey sat down and sketched out the cabin floorplan for me. Using his pencil, he marked the coverage supplied by every camera and where the blind spots were. Fortunately, there were few.
“Right here is a bookcase,” he told me, his voice dropping low. “In an emergency, press the spine of The Great Escape. The whole shelf will open. There’s a crawl space in there. It’s too small for you, but Arlo should fit without an issue.”
That was fine. If the fucker happened to turn up, I wouldn’t be hiding from him.
I’d be hunting him.
It eased my mind to know there was somewhere Arlo could hide if necessary. Fuck, I hated that it was something we even needed to consider. Just who did this prick think he was?
Before long, my car was loaded with our bags and supplies. I’d been awake for over twenty-four hours at this point, but my body was used to that. Driving wouldn’t be a problem. Arlo could sleep in the car if he wanted, but from the wide-eyed look he was wearing, he too was far from wanting to rest.
Alex had been over the vehicle with a fine-tooth comb before declaring it free of tracking devices. I hadn’t been expecting them to find any, but we weren’t taking any chances.
None of them had said anything, but I could tell just from the set of their jaws that they were pissed that Smith had managed to wriggle past them.
They weren’t going to let him do it again.
Arlo’s friends were hugging him goodbye, worry evident in their eyes and from their insistence that he text them frequently.
I stood by his door, waiting silently for him to be ready. Like the other guards, my eyes were sweeping the street, looking for any signs that we were being watched.
Luca broke away from Arlo and approached me. To my surprise, he drew me into a rough hug.
“You’ll protect him, yeah?”
I patted his back, unsure how to react to this unexpected show of affection. Luca and I had been paired for years, but unlike with Arlo, I’d been able to maintain a professional working relationship with him. “With my life.”
I went to draw back, but Luca held tight as he whispered a further instruction. “Don’t break his heart, Jack. Not again.”
It felt like a knife twisted in my chest, but I also felt strangely relieved. Luca knew what had happened, which meant Arlo had confided in him. I was happy about that, that he’d felt comfortable enough to open up to the others.
“I won’t,” I said, just as fiercely as my first promise. “Arlo is safe with me, in every possible sense.”
Luca pulled back, nodding curtly. “Good.”
There was a final round of goodbyes, and then we were tucking ourselves into the car. As we pulled away from the waving crowd, I couldn’t help but notice Arlo watching them in his wing mirror, his eyes misty.
Reaching across, I lightly touched his knee. “You okay?”
His head turned as he frowned down at my fingers on his leg. Fuck. Did he not want me touching him?
I started to pull away, but Arlo’s hand came to rest on top, pinning mine in place. I held my breath. This touch was the closest we’d been in months. Years, even.
God, I’d missed it. Missed him. So fucking much.
Arlo silently laced his fingers through mine, his hand trembling slightly. He didn’t look at me, focusing instead on his friends, who were vanishing into the distance as our wheels rolled along the road.
But his hand stayed where it was, never letting go.
We’d just crossed the Severn bridge when the screen in my car lit up with an incoming call from an unknown number.
I hit the answer button on my steering wheel. “Stokes.”
“That’s a bizarre way to answer your phone.”
Arlo’s lips twitched as he looked at me curiously. Our hands were still entwined, not having parted for a second. Thank fuck for automatic cars.
I frowned. The voice was super familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. “Excuse me?”
“Personally I would’ve gone with, ‘hi,’ ‘hello,’ or even ‘this is Jack.’ But just saying your surname? Dude, that’s fucking weird.”
The sarcastic lilt to his words had the penny dropping. “River?”
“The one and only,” he drawled. “Saw your boy had some trouble on the news, so I thought I’d check in.”
Of course the press had jumped on the story.
“How’d you get my number?”
“I have my ways and means.” He chuckled. “Anyway, your boy okay?”
I glanced over at Arlo, a smile tugging at my lips as I saw his blush. “He’s okay. I’m with him now. Isn’t checking in going a bit above and beyond for a bartender?”
“I’m a man of many talents. Which is actually the reason I’m calling…Do you need any help?”
Arlo and I exchanged a confused glance. “Help?”
“With your little friend. The one who touched what he shouldn’t have. I take it the police have been useless.”
“They have.” Arlo sighed. “Worse than useless, actually, but that’s to be expected.”
“He speaks!” River crowed. “Aw, you sound super cute. I can tell why Jack’s obsessed.”
I growled, which only made River laugh. “Calm down, you big lug. You already know my hands are full of more than I can handle.”
Arlo was smirking at me, and I knew this little display would be discussed when the call was done.
“Anyway, you might say that Mori and I and our…friends, we have special skill sets. We don’t offer them out to everyone, but I like you.
You remind me of my Mori with your scowling face and refusal to see what’s right in front of you.
So, if you’d like the cunt to disappear, just say the word and we’ll make it happen. ”
My mouth opened and closed like a fish. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Don’t overthink it. It’s just another service I can offer you, like the way I pour your whisky just right. I can also dispose of bad guys. Quite successfully, if I do say so myself. Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve had any fun, so it’d be a pleasure.”
My brows flew up at the casual way River spoke. What the fuck? Was The Closet a front for the Mafia or something? “Ah, look. It’s a kind offer, but…”
“But moral compass blah, blah, blah.” River sighed. “Mori said you’d say that. Well the offer’s there if you need it. You’ve got my number now, don’t hesitate to use it. Anything you need—stalking, scaring the shit out of him, bit of torture before unaliving…whatever might come up.”
Arlo was gaping at the screen, looking positively alarmed.
“I think we’ll be okay. I’ve got a handle on it. But thanks.”
“Ah, gotcha.” River’s tone was easy. “You want the chance to kill the fucker yourself. Totally get that. I’d do the same in your shoes. If you change your mind or need help getting rid of the body then just shout!”
There were several low beeps, telling me the call had been cut off, followed by a ringing silence.
Eventually, Arlo found his voice. “So…you been hanging out with the Mafia recently?”
“Seems that way,” I said, giving a disbelieving laugh. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
“Me either,” he admitted, biting his lip. “Also can’t believe he called me ‘your boy.’ I did wonder if he meant someone else, but when he started talking about Smith…”
“You know it’s you. It’s always been you, Arlo. Even if I couldn’t see it myself, everyone else could.”
Arlo’s hand started trembling again. Flipping my hand so my palm was against his, I squeezed. “We don’t have to talk about this now. It can wait.”
“I don’t think I can wait though,” Arlo said, the tremble travelling from his hands to his voice. “What did you mean when you said you want another chance? Like, do you want to be my guard? My friend? Or something…more?”
I stayed silent for a moment as I wondered how honest I should be. Would it scare him off to know I wanted everything?
“I need to know,” Arlo whispered. “I can’t go into this blind, Jack, I just can’t. My heart won’t survive you breaking it again.”
My fears went up in smoke. Lifting Arlo’s hand still clasped in mine, I kissed the back of it.
“All of it, Arlo. I want it all. I want to be your friend, your lover, your boyfriend. I’ll be whatever you want me to be, and I’ll be grateful for just being allowed back in your life.
Everything you want to give me, I’ll kneel at your feet and fucking thank you for your generosity. You deserve nothing less, Arlo.”