Chapter Five
After finishing a private session, Zeus headed for the bar to grab some water.
He left his shirt off and wore a leather band around his arm, signaling he would deal with the pups tonight.
The moment he cleared the door into the club area, a sea of leather headed his way, barreling through the crowd.
Zeus made a motion for all of them to drop to their knees.
The moment they obeyed—one by one—he accepted their leashes.
Zeus praised them as he attached the leashes to each collar.
“Such good boys. It’s time for a water break.
” With the leashes in hand, he made his way to the bar.
It was slow going with six people crawling through the club.
Zeus was a patient guy. He was in no rush.
Unless a request came in—and they always did—Zeus didn’t have another private session tonight.
He needed to keep his vast variety of customers happy.
At the bar, Sonny passed him a glass of ice water and prepared water bowls for the pups. Zeus set a bowl on the floor.
“Don’t fight.” Zeus had to bring out his stern voice as two men shouldered each other to get the first drink. “There’s plenty for everyone. Don’t make me put you in doggy timeout.”
One man licked the other’s face in apology while the rest sat on their heels, patiently waiting their turn.
Zeus set the rest of the bowls on the floor. “Don’t make a mess. Only good boys get treats.”
Zeus drank his water, watching the pups drink and play.
When he finished his glass, he put the bowls on the bar and reclaimed the leashes.
“Let’s go.” He led the pack to opposite side of the club to an area meant for pets.
Zeus opened the gate and removed their leashes, setting them free to play.
Once he had the gate closed again, he grabbed a box of dog toys and dumped it on the floor for them.
“Go wild, but no fighting.” Zeus hardened his voice.
“You don’t want to get in trouble. That I can promise you. ”
“Is it okay if we talk?”
Zeus glanced over, ready to blast whoever thought they could interrupt him when it was clearly pet night. It was Shadow.
Zeus softened. “Hey. Twice in one day. Is it Christmas?” The heavy flirtation was out of his control, as usual. “Where’s my brother?”
Shadow made a dismissive motion. “He’s up front working on getting us a private room.”
Zeus moved to head that way. “I’ll make sure you get one.”
Shadow stepped into his path. He twisted his fingers, looking nervous. “I need to talk to you about Tracker.”
Nothing could have frozen Zeus faster. “What about him? Is everything okay?” He knew he should have asked Tracker to come to work with him tonight. Zeus couldn’t give him too much alone time to think before Zeus won him.
Shadow waved his hands. “Everything is fine. I just find myself incapable of staying out of this.”
Damn. Zeus had hoped he would have more time before Tracker’s brothers stepped in.
“Okay. Say what you came to say, then.” He didn’t mean to sound so defensive, but he was.
“As long as you understand I won’t tolerate anyone stepping between Tracker and me.
You’ve found your happiness. Don’t try to take it from someone else who’s never known it. ”
Shadow never broke eye contact. He didn’t look offended. “It’s not that. Tracker deserves all the happiness I saw in him today.”
Zeus had meant himself, but obviously Tracker too, so he wouldn’t correct Shadow.
Shadow took an audibly deep breath. He took Zeus’ arm and pulled him into the back corner where it was a bit quieter. “Here’s the thing. I sent Tracker up here last night, because he needs to see what you do. I don’t want Tracker to get his heart broken when he realizes what goes on here.”
Zeus understood somewhat where Shadow was coming from, but not completely. “You say that as if I’m fucking everyone every night. If anyone should know that’s not what happens here, it’s you. And what made you send him here in the first place? Did he say something to you?”
Shadow pinched the spot between his eyes.
“I know you’re not selling your body, for fuck’s sake.
” He dropped his hand. Zeus realized Shadow was sincerely worried.
“It’s just that I think Tracker feels more for you than he realizes.
He’s a genius and a total badass. But he also has a sweet soul that’s untainted, and I don’t want to see that break.
I don’t want to watch the happiness bleed from him when he sees you with people begging you for more.
You making them come without ever touching them.
You and I know it’s all business, but does he?
I see the way you look at him. It’s obvious you care deeply for him.
I don’t even know what I’m asking here, but don’t break him, okay? ”
Zeus dipped his chin. Shadow wasn’t wrong. Tracker had self-esteem issues. It was very possible he would see Zeus in action and withdraw his heart from the situation. Unfortunately, that was something to address sooner rather than later.
“I’ll take care of it and make sure he knows everything. His feelings come first.”
A small smile touched Shadow’s lips. “I never thought I’d see the day you’d fall in love. He’s perfect for you, though.”
Zeus couldn’t help but smile. “I never thought I’d see the day I found anything real.” Zeus shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s different. He brings me peace.” His smile slipped. “It’s terrifying to think I might be everything except his peace and happiness.”
Shadow patted his chest. “You’ve got this. Seeing how much you love him, how could you fail?”
In a million ways, he supposed, but he didn’t argue.
Ridge appeared. “Hey, Triplet.”
Zeus laughed. It felt so odd to have a genuine family, but in a good way. “Hey. Were you able to get a room?”
“Yep.” He squeezed Shadow’s shoulders. “But we have to go now if we want our full time.”
Zeus waved them away. “Don’t let me keep you from your fun. I have pups to feed.”
With a wave, Shadow and Ridge walked away, leaving Zeus with his thoughts. He couldn’t let this fester. Zeus had to know Tracker wouldn’t walk away from him over this club. He couldn’t lose this place, but Zeus didn’t know what he would do if he lost Tracker. Definitely nothing good.
Are we no longer friends?
1CEOofGenius_ATLAS
Sorry! I’ve been busy. How have you been?
1_bottomless_data_base
Missing you. You really dropped from the planet. I thought about tracking your phone.
1CEOofGenius_ATLAS
Tracker stared at the screen. His brothers and he always knew each other’s locations.
As attracted as Tracker was to Atlas’s mind, he didn’t like the idea of the guy tracking him.
That was the kind of shit the Russian government did.
While Kuznetsov was dead, and Tracker felt pretty certain they were no longer being stalked, trauma ran deep.
He didn’t like the way Atlas’ message made him feel hunted again.
Tracker pushed away from the computer and stood.
Maybe he would find something real to do tonight.
He stared into space trying to think of what he could do.
Maybe one of his brothers would want to go to the movies or something.
He hadn’t realized how long he had been lost in thought until the next ding sounded.
Damn. Are you mad at me again? You keep going silent.
1CEOofGenius_ATLAS
For a while now, Tracker had been desperate for conversation that wasn’t about work or family, and Atlas had always felt so familiar to him.
He had let his guard down and ignored the red flags.
Why was Atlas so demanding of immediate responses or was Tracker a bad friend?
Tracker had sent countless messages over the last two years without a single expectation of Atlas answering him until he could.
Now he had to respond, or Atlas accused him of anger—as if Tracker manipulated him with slow responses.
Yet Tracker always waited for him. He lived on Atlas' schedule just so they could have a chance to talk. Maybe a night with Zeus had ripped off a blindfold. His loneliness had made him vulnerable. Now he didn’t know what to do.
It was possible he overthought things. But there was a bad feeling in his gut, and Tracker wanted to act.
The desire to go into beast mode and lock down Atlas’ ability to reach him in any way was heavy.
Tracker might be a mess when it came to relationships, but he wasn’t weak.
He would be damned if Atlas got that thought in his head.
His gaze slid toward the huge monitor where Atlas’ messages still stared at him. Tracker sat.
I know I’ve always been at your beck and call, but it might surprise you to know I’m also a real person.
You’re not chatting with AI. I’m supposed to be your friend.
Not just some program you open when you’re bored with whatever you have in your life.
I don’t sit here waiting for crumbs of your time.
I have a life. When you decide to drop the manipulative bullshit, and treat my time with the same respect as I treat yours, we’ll talk again. For now, I have other plans.
1_bottomless_data_base
His phone chimed, startling the hell out of Tracker. He checked the face.
Zeus: Would you do me a favor? Will you come to the club? It’s important to me.
Tracker immediately shot to his feet. He headed for the door.
Tracker: On my way.
As Tracker climbed into his car, a sense of peace settled over him.
A weight lifted he hadn’t realized he carried.
He had been so desperate to hold on to his secret friendship that he hadn’t noticed it was killing him.
No wonder he had gotten pitiful enough for Zeus to offer to sleep with him.
Tracker snorted. Truth be told, he didn’t even care that was how he had ended up having the greatest night of his life. He had no regrets.