24. Diesel
24
DIESEL
T he guys left after two days. It was great seeing Isaac and Levi, and he loved that they came for a surprise visit—even if they didn’t come to see him specifically—but he couldn’t help the feeling of disappointment every time the guys went off on their own for a little “alone time.”
He couldn’t blame them though. Being apart from the guys they loved had made them all extra horny. So rather than host an orgy at which no one shared, it was probably for the best that they went to their own private rooms to get naked and sweaty.
“What’s got your panties in a bunch?” Zero asked, walking into the living room in only a pair of loose-fitting shorts. He did that a lot. Diesel was starting to wonder if the man was peacocking. Or just had an aversion to wearing a shirt and underwear. Not that he minded, but still.
“Huh? Oh, um, nothing. Just thinking of the guys.”
“Isaac and Levi?” Diesel nodded. “Yeah, it was nice meeting them. They seem like really cool guys.”
Zero flopped down on the couch next to him. His thigh pressed up against his. It was a three-seater couch, and both were over six feet. Well, Diesel was six feet, and the retired wannabe straight-boy next to him was a head taller than that.
“Oh, good. You’re both in here,” Chase muttered walking into the living room from the kitchen holding his tablet. “We got some intel.”
Diesel sat up, noting that Zero didn’t move or budge. His leg was still firmly pressed up against his.
“What did you find, boss?” Zero asked, folding his arms across his chest.
Was he flexing his biceps? Diesel tried not to pay attention to the soft, smooth skin that was not pressing up against his arm.
Unfortunately, Diesel’s dick took notice.
Why didn’t he bust a nut this morning?
Chase took a seat in the armchair across from the couch.
“Marc was able to hack into the doc’s email and noticed a reservation for tomorrow night at a seedy motel two hours outside the city.”
“Do we know what he’s doing out there?” Zero asked, shifting his body forward and resting his arms on his knees.
“Anytime a man with money books a room at a shady motel in the middle of nowhere, you know he’s up to no good,” Diesel noted.
He’d met enough closeted rich dudes who took him back to their motels to party and fuck, before returning to their wives and families. Seedy motels were where secret deals were made and sinful pleasures were kept.
“Diesel’s right. Nobody asks questions at motels. Most know to keep their eyes down and their noses where they belong. When I was on the police force, anytime we were searching for a criminal on the run, ninety percent of the time, we found them at a motel,” Chase explained.
“Okay, so what do you need us to do?” Zero asked, eyes laser-focused on his boss.
“I’m sending you two to follow Dr. Baasch and see what he’s up to. Perhaps this will be the clue that we need. Marc and I are still trying to gather further info on this party going on. I don’t like going in blind, so hopefully, we can find out more.”
“Sounds good, boss.” Zero nodded.
“You’re following too close,” Diesel noted, taking a bite into the monster sandwich he had purchased when they stopped to fill up at a gas station.
Zero glared at him from the corner of his eye. If he could smother a man with just a gaze, Diesel would be on his way up to those pearly gates this very minute.
Oh, who are you kidding? With the life you’ve led, you’d be on your way down to meet the man in black and all the monsters and party goblins he’s got waiting for you down there.
“I know how to follow a man.”
“You sure? Cus to me, it looks like you know how to make a guy aware that you are stalking his ass.”
Diesel was getting a kick out of busting Zero’s balls. The man was so uptight and taking this undercover, secret spy bullshit way too seriously. Christ! He was even wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap on his head.
That’s because it’s summer, jackass. The shades keep the sun out of his eyes, and the ball cap keeps the man from getting sunstroke.
In a car?
Yes, in a car. Were you always this stupid? No wonder your family fucked you over so easily , that nasty voice inside his head said.
“Shut up and eat your nasty gas station sandwich. Who even buys food at a gas station?” Zero’s eyes were hidden from Diesel’s view, but the horrified lips on his face said all he needed to know.
“Hungry men do. You going to question what every burly truck driver eats? The men have balls the size of your head. I think they know what they’re doing.”
Diesel took another chomp at his sandwich as they continued their drive, following their target. Twenty minutes later, their target pulled into the motel parking lot.
Zero parked their car across the lot, backing into the space so they had a perfect line of sight of the doctor.
They watched as the man grabbed his black overnight bag and headed into the main office to check in.
Fifteen minutes later, they were watching the shady doc unlock his motel room door and head inside.
This was going to be fun.
Two hours later, they were still sitting outside the motel, watching a closed door, praying for some kind of movement.
Diesel’s stomach began to gurgle.
He shifted in his seat, trying his best to act normal and not let on that he wasn’t feeling the greatest. Perhaps that sandwich wasn’t the best thing to consume, especially when on a stakeout.
Using the back of his hand, he swiped at the sweat that was beginning to form off his forehead.
“Dude, you feeling okay?” Zero asked, lowering his binoculars and twisting his face in concern. His soft brown eyes grazed over him, checking him out from head to toe.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Mind your business.”
“Honestly, man, you don’t look so hot.”
“I’m—” He had no time to finish his sentence.
Diesel shoved open the passenger-side door and bent his body out as best he could. He had no time to move or position himself to minimize the damage. The next thing he knew, he was throwing up along the side of the car.
He had no control. Every time he thought he was done, another wave hit him. His stomach continued to curse him as his throat cried out in pain. His brain switched itself off and abandoned him, leaving him to deal with all of his shame and disgrace.
He was so fucking embarrassed.
“Here, use this,” Zero whispered, crouching down next to him, his foot barely missing a puddle of his own disgrace.
The car door was open as Diesel braced himself between the door and the side of the car.
Blindly, Diesel reached for whatever it was that Zero was trying to pass him.
It was some tissues.
Grateful, he took the tissues and began wiping his mouth.
Fuck, he hated his life. Between being found passed out in a drug den by Matteo and now puking his brains out in front of Zero, he felt like the biggest piece of trash alive.
“Thanks,” was all he could think of to say.
“Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Diesel wasn’t going anywhere. He still felt nauseous, and his mouth tasted like trash. Oh, great. Now his stomach was starting to cramp. Could this night get any worse?
After God knows how long, Zero finally returned to the scene of Diesel’s self-imposed humiliation.
“Here, come with me.” He reached into the car and wrapped his arms around Diesel’s chest, helping to lift him from the front seat.
His body was warm and gentle, taking on most of Diesel’s weight in order to support him on his feet.
Talk about a sad sight. Worthless stripper-druggy can’t even stand on his own two feet. God, he was pathetic.
“What? Where are we going?”
“Inside. I got us a room,” Zero explained, leading them toward a room on the far side of the motel.
The motel was L-shaped, so they could still monitor the doctor’s room if they chose to. Well, Zero could, but Diesel wasn’t so sure that he could remain standing for very much longer.
Once inside, Zero helped him to the bathroom and sat him down on the edge of the bathtub.
“I’ll be back in just a sec.”
Zero vanished into the bedroom, leaving him wondering if he had left him there to die. Diesel wouldn’t blame him. Nobody wanted to watch a man throw up their guts and then have to carry their sorry ass around.
Go on, run. Leave me here to die alone. We all end up alone in the end anyway.
“Here,” Zero said, entering the bathroom and startling the shit out of Diesel. The man was holding up a toothbrush in one hand and a travel-size bottle of mouthwash in the other. “Thought you might want to brush your teeth.”
Confused, Diesel stared at him for a moment. That was… thoughtful. He was just going to rinse his mouth out with nasty motel tap water, but hey, brushing his teeth with actual toothpaste was even better.
Wait. Toothpaste. He didn’t see any in his hand.
“Oh,” Zero blurted before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a travel-size tube of toothpaste.
Jesus. The man thought of it all.
“Umm, thanks,” Diesel whispered, struggling to stand up from the tub. He was still embarrassed as fuck, but the feeling of death was helping to push that feeling of embarrassment back to the side.
Within seconds, Zero was by his side, helping him over to the sink and then holding him up as he slowly brushed his teeth.
As he moved the brush back and forth in his mouth, Diesel’s eyes drifted to Zero, who was staring at his body with a look of concern.
Was he… worried about him?
But why? He had been nothing but an asshole to him since the day they met. Okay, fine, so he sucked his dick and cuddled with him the other night and maybe showed him a bit of kindness here and there. But seriously, most guys would have walked away and let him deal with his shit on his own.
Once Diesel was done, Zero helped him to the bed and stripped him down to his underwear.
“I take it you probably don’t want to rest in soiled clothing,” Zero explained.
Fuck. Just another thing to add to his humiliation. He couldn’t even puke right without getting some shit on his shirt and jeans.
Zero tucked him in bed and placed a trash can next to the nightstand.
“Just in case you can’t make it to the toilet.”
Diesel tried to smile, but his face and body hurt too much. He was exhausted, and his stomach felt like it was having a boxing match with his organs.
“Fuck. I’m sorry, man,” Diesel whispered, eyes glancing up at Zero.
He felt horrible. Not only was he embarrassed as shit, but he had also fucked up their stakeout. Who knows what they missed while he was busy throwing up his liver and kidneys?
“None of that,” Zero said, tucking Diesel in like he was five years old.
“What about the doc?”
Zero looked over his shoulder and shrugged.
“The only thing that matters right now is you getting better. Food poisoning can be dangerous.” He began walking toward the door. “I’m just going to grab some water and ginger ale. Can’t have you getting dehydrated on me.”
Diesel tried to laugh but was interrupted by another wave of nausea coupled with intense stomach pains. Fuck his life. He jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him as he entered.
This was not going to be pretty.
“I’ll be back in a few,” he heard Zero shout from the other side of the door.
His mind disconnected from his body as the demon from gas station hell ripped apart his body. He was never eating food from a gas station again.
He eventually emerged from the bathroom, drained and ready to die.
“Here, let me help you,” Zero offered, wrapping his arm around his shoulders and guiding him back into bed.
Diesel was too exhausted to argue or be embarrassed. He closed his eyes and wished for death to take him.
Grown men don’t do well with being sick.
“Get some rest. I’ll be here if you need me,” Diesel heard Zero say as he pulled the bed sheet up over his chest. His body was starting to sweat and shiver at the same time… because… of course.