Chapter 35 Rafael
RAFAEL
SEVENTY-TWO HOURS later, we finally emerged from our bubble, only for the Kings to request our presence later that afternoon.
Our presence. Not just Alessio’s, but mine as well, at some secret location they wouldn’t give the address to, which sounded more than a little ominous to me.
“Should I be scared?” I said as we walked down Madison Avenue, our hands brushing against each other every few steps.
The church had made the announcement of my stepping down, but Alessio and I weren’t rushing into PDA on the streets of Manhattan just yet.
There needed to be an adjustment period, and Alessio was the one who’d suggested giving parishioners time, especially when out in public.
Just one of the infinite reasons to love him, and I found myself smiling as I glanced at him.
His hair was still a little damp and wavy but drying fast in the sun.
It was a beautiful day, the weather was perfect, my man was perfect, and I was feeling pretty perfect too.
Maybe it was the high of my new life, one I hadn’t imagined for myself.
There were still loose ends to tie up and decisions to make regarding what came next, but Archbishop De Vecchi had recommended taking leave temporarily to make sure this was truly what I wanted.
I didn’t need more time to figure it out…it was.
“You’re looking far too happy for someone about to walk into the lion’s den,” Alessio said. His eyes were hidden away behind a pair of dark sunglasses, but there was a tilt to his mouth.
“Nah, your brothers aren’t too scary.”
“You’ve only known them behind a partition.”
“Well, that has to change eventually, right?” I nodded at the phone he held, a map on the screen. “Have you figured out where we’re going?”
“Looks like their trackers are all clustered together about a block from here.” His phone dinged, and he smirked. “Aaand they just sent the address. Ha. Too late, fuckers.”
“Do they not realize you track them?”
“Oh, they do. I’m sure they’re expecting us any minute.”
“So, uh…” We stopped at the crosswalk briefly before continuing. “Do I get one?”
“One what?” It took him a second to realize what I meant. “A tracker?”
“Yeah. You have one, right?”
“I do…”
“Then don’t you want to track me?” I teased. “Since you like to keep tabs on my whereabouts?”
He stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk, lowering his glasses, leveling those dark eyes on me. “Why? Do you plan on leaving my bed?”
“Never.”
A spark of arousal flickered in his gaze, and for a second I thought he’d shove me back against the building and kiss me. I would’ve let him, too, but then a whistle pierced the air, followed by someone shouting, “Get a room!”
Alessio cursed under his breath, while I glanced over to see who the culprit was. Lachlan was leaning half out of a door, a wolfish grin on his face.
“It’s—” I started, but Alessio shook his head.
“Lachlan the shit. I know.” He shoved his sunglasses back on, and we headed toward his friend. “We’ll finish this conversation later.”
“In bed,” I agreed, which made him groan in frustration.
The sign above Lachlan’s head was too neon, too loud, too not at all a place Alessio and his brothers would go. This had to be a fake-out.
“Father Vitale, looking good without the collar,” Lachlan said.
“Rafael,” I corrected him. “Good to see you.”
“It is, isn’t it?” He grinned at Alessio and then checked his watch. “Figured you would’ve tracked us twenty minutes ago.”
“I did. We were busy.” Alessio gestured for me to enter first and then knocked into Lachlan’s shoulder as we passed.
Inside, the entire group waited in the escape room’s colorful lobby, looking entirely out of place even with all of them wearing casual clothes—something else I’d never seen. They’d always worn suits for their late-night visits, but I had to admit that this was a nice change of pace.
Even as one by one, they all turned in our direction, their laughs and conversation coming to an abrupt halt at seeing the two of us together.
Their half of the room went dead silent, until Alessio muttered, “Fuck it,” and reached for my hand. A couple of jaws dropped, and Benoit made the motion of literally picking his up off the floor. “You all know Rafael,” Alessio said, giving my fingers a squeeze. “Don’t make it fucking weird.”
King didn’t miss a beat then, stepping forward and extending his hand to me. “It’s good to see you in the daylight. And you’ve dragged Alessio out of his cave, so that’s an accomplishment.”
“You make it sound like we’re vampires.” Alessio rolled his eyes, but I smiled and shook King’s hand.
“Thanks for inviting us out.”
“He said us,” Benoit stage-whispered. “And oh my God, they’re holding hands.”
“Maybe don’t say God,” Theo said.
“Merde.”
“Maybe don’t say that either.”
Alessio groaned. “Hey, assholes. We’re not zoo animals.”
“Your hair begs to differ,” Lachlan said, which earned him a choice finger from my guy.
Lucien, smooth and unbothered as always, walked up after King, a soft expression on his face as he looked between the two of us. “Always a pleasure, father.”
I shook his hand warmly, while Alessio still held tight to my other. “Call me Rafael, please.”
“Right, sorry. Rafael.” Lucien let out a small laugh. “That’s going to take some getting used to, but King’s right. We’re glad you’re here.”
I smiled back at him, his charm always infectious, especially with the newlywed glow about him. “Thank you, Lucien.”
The others greeted me then, and by the time the line got to Shep, he leaned in and said, “Blink twice if he kidnapped you. I’m great with extractions.”
Alessio’s “Fuck off” had the group laughing, and I figured now was a good time to ask what we were doing at an escape room, of all places.
“Consider this your introduction to our world and what we do,” Shep said, waggling his brows beneath the bill of his hat.
Actually, Theo was wearing one too, and I was reminded that these were two of the most recognizable men in the world. It had never occurred to me, having only seen them in private, that they’d want to keep a low profile when they ventured out in the world, but it made sense.
“Come on, this is nothing,” Lachlan grumbled. “A five-year-old would be able to unlock these rooms.”
King leveled a smirk in his direction. “You’re begging for a bet. You go a second over time and I will never let you forget it.”
“You’re on.”
“All right, all right,” Alessio said, “let’s get this over with.”
“Can’t.” Lucien pointed to one of the screens in the corner, where “Brenda’s Birthday Squad” still commandeered all of the rooms at forty-two minutes and counting. “The limit’s an hour, though, so it won’t be much longer.”
Shep let out a low whistle. “Damn, they’re fighting for their lives in there.”
“Well now, as we have time,” Theo said, his eyes full of wicked mischief, “I think it’s only fair that, since the rest of us had to spill dirty details about our love lives, we should get yours now too.”
“Absolutely the fuck not,” Alessio replied.
Theo wasn’t deterred, turning his attention on me with Benoit sidled up beside him, just as interested. “I’m dying to know how long this has been going on. Were you secretly making out in the confessional all this time?”
Alessio opened his mouth, surely about to say something he’d regret, and I clapped my hand over his lips and said, “The lattice doesn’t open.”
“Well, there goes one fantasy,” Theo told Shep, his husband winking in return. “What about how it happened? Did Alessio confess his undying love? Because we all saw it, even though he never admitted it.”
“Actually…” I looked at Alessio, who arched a brow at me. “Yes.”
There was heartbeat of silence, and then, “Wait, really?”
“Really. Showed up on my doorstep and everything.”
“After you showed up on mine,” Alessio pointed out.
“Oh, now that is interesting,” Theo said. “You couldn’t resist Alessio’s charms, is that it, fath— Rafael?”
Alessio glared in his direction, but I leaned in to kiss his cheek, recapturing his attention. “Actually, that’s exactly it. He’s been charming me since we were boys, and let’s just say his game only improved as an adult.”
Wolf whistles exploded all around us, to the point I thought we might be thrown out.
But I was too busy looking at Alessio to care.
His eyes had softened, and a wide smile replaced the tight line that had been there seconds before.
The pure joy that flashed across his face made my entire being light up.
For years he’d played second fiddle to my calling, to my purpose, waiting in the shadows for someone to publicly claim him and love him out loud, and as I stood there in this lobby surrounded by his brothers, I wanted to give that to him.
I didn’t want any more doubts between us.
No more lingering thoughts of what-if-he-changes-his-mind.
I’d loved Alessio since the moment I met him, and while our paths might’ve veered off course for a moment there, we’d found our way back.
“Damn,” Lachlan said. “I knew it. It’s like you’re star-crossed lovers or fated mates.”
Alessio scoffed and glanced at his closest friend. “You didn’t know shit.”
“I knew that you two kiss—”
“King’s party?” the lady behind the desk interrupted Lachlan, which was a shame, because what he was about to say, I wouldn’t have minded hearing. I’d suspected Lachlan knew something that day we all ran into each other at the coffee shop, and now he’d pretty much confirmed it.
As we headed toward the open door, the guys up ahead started ribbing each other on how fast each of them would be able to break out of the room, throwing down time challenges that sounded impossible considering the sign in the lobby had read, The most difficult escape room in the country.
But I was more than aware of whom I was dealing with, and it wasn’t an everyday, “normal” crowd of men. I was about to step into a vault-like space with a group of guys who could likely break their way into Fort Knox and just as easily escape.
I’d spent years hearing their confessions through a screen, learning about them in pieces.
I knew each of them were highly skilled in different ways that helped better our nation, and in turn, the world.
I’d heard regret here, and guilt there, admissions never meant for the ears of casual acquaintances, ones that were supposed to stay hidden in the dark.
But seeing them like this—casual, loud, teasing, and obviously close—was enlightening.
It was exciting learning about this part of Alessio’s life.
I wanted to see him among his brothers. To learn how to be a part of his world.
It had been so long since I’d been around others like this, as anyone other than a devoted minister.
I was having to change lenses. But this was a whole new adventure, one I was looking forward to taking, as I started to understand the way they all fit into each other’s lives.
I only hoped that I, too, could find a place there.
Alessio’s brow furrowed as he leaned in by my ear. “Are you okay? We can leave.”
“No, I’m fine,” I said, and moved with him off to the side of the room, noticing the way he scanned it like a laser. “This is all just a bit…strange.”
He snorted. “They are, aren’t they?”
I chuckled and ran my hand down his arm, his muscles flexing beneath my touch. “They are, but they’re also wonderful. They’re your family, your brothers, and I’m so happy to be here with you today. With them.”
That had a smile splitting Alessio’s lips as he dropped his forehead to mine. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, don’t get too comfortable with them.”
“Why’s that?”
The door to the escape room slammed shut and a lock followed, and as a bright red timer flashed up in the corner, Alessio threw down his own challenge.
“Five minutes or less,” he shouted before crushing my lips in a hard, fast kiss. “Then I’m taking you the fuck home.”
And what do you know?
We were free in four.