Chapter Forty-Three
White Ravens
Gage
Gage walked back into headquarters with Scar close enough to bump his shoulder.
The villa was still fresh on his skin, the salt air, the quiet, the memory of Scar’s tongue, and his finger inside his…
“What are you thinking about over there, hmm?”
Gage smiled, wondering how many people were going to see right through him today while he tried to work.
“Okay. How are we supposed to get married when we legally don’t exist?”
Scar stopped in the middle of the hall and pulled him into his arms.
“What did couples do centuries ago? Before there were licenses and state regulations for marriage?”
Gage’s brows rose.
“Marriage was a covenant between two people, recognized by the community they lived in. They had a public ceremony…then.” Scar kissed him with heat before he whispered against the shell of his ear, “Then they consummated.”
Gage moaned quietly. “Don’t give me a hard-on right now.”
But he liked that idea. Scar was right. In biblical times, that was exactly how it was done.
Gage’s smiled. “When, where?”
“Soon.”
“Are we going on a honeymoon?” Gage pressed. “Are we even having one? Or did we just have it? Because we were alone on an island and—”
Scar closed his mouth over his to shut him up.
“You’re rushing because you wanna get in my pants.”
Gage shoved him. “That is not why.”
Scar’s mouth curved against his. “Sure it is.”
They were still laughing when the hallway filled with footsteps.
Their assistants rounded the corner as if they’d been tracking them on radar.
“Gage.”
“Scar.”
He and Scar both sighed in synch.
Play time was over.
Scar’s assistants got to him first.
Calder was tall and spoke in short, to-the-point phrases. Mina was maybe five feet if she wore heels and had a biting tone when she ordered Scar around, even when she was being polite.
Calder yanked Scar’s duffel off his shoulder, then stripped off his armored trench and replaced it with a lightweight hooded duster.
“You have a debrief with the mission specialist in ten,” Mina snipped. “Then command review. You have twenty for lunch, then—”
Gage’s assistants were just as efficient but quieter and more patient.
Joshua was calm and steady, with the kind of soothing Mediterranean-accented voice Gage preferred if he had to hear it constantly. Rose was younger, bright-eyed and fast, her touch careful but confident.
Rose removed his gold-rimmed glasses and slid another pair into place—ones that toned down the indoor fluorescents.
Joshua took Gage’s cane and swapped it for the slimmer one, which was more of an aid than a weapon.
“You have an appointment with Dr. Rockwell in fifteen,” Rose said. “And O&M at two.”
Gage barely heard them.
He and Scar were still face-to-face, foreheads touching while hands adjusted straps, clothes, and gear like NASCAR pit crews.
“Last night was perfect,” he whispered.
Scar slid his hands around his waist. “Yeah.”
He brushed his mouth along Scar’s cheek. “Thank you.”
Scar kissed him again, not caring if their assistants were right there.
Gage sucked on Scar’s tongue before he asked softly, “Will you be in my bed tonight?”
“That’s where I plan to be every night.”
Scar’s mouth met his again, longer this time, until their assistants intervened and pried them apart.
“Debriefing…we have less than four minutes,” Mina reminded them.
Gage let himself be guided away, still smiling like an idiot.
Dr. Rockwell ran him through scans and applied his new eye drops in minutes. After warning him to do better with hydrating, she let him go.
Joshua had a protein bar and a coconut water waiting for him as he and Rose walked with him to the Mobility and Sensory Lab.
“What do you want Chef to make for your dinner?”
Gage could hear Rose tapping away on her ever-present tablet.
He thought about the last dinner he had, and his cheesy smile was back.
Rose laughed. “Oh my gosh. You’re the sappiest, mushiest assassin ever.”
Gage sighed, trying to stay focused on work and save his cravings for later tonight.
“I’ll have chicken breast and something green.”
“Grilled or fried?” she clarified.
“Grilled.”
Gage walked inside Adrian’s office, still smiling. “Good afternoon.”
“You’re late,” Adrian said. “It’d be nice if you respected my time.”
“Sorry,” Gage sat down. “Got held up at Doc’s office.”
He could hear Adrian flipping through papers, then typing on the computer. The silence was deliberate, like punishment.
“Looks like it’s true,” Adrian said. “I guess congratulations are in order.”
Gage rotated the band on his finger. “You guessed right.”
Adrian let out an exasperated exhale.
Gage’s grin faded. “Is there a problem?”
“Nope,” Adrian snipped. “Over time, I’ve learned you have to let people make their own mistakes.”
A sharp heat flashed through Gage.
Scar was a lot of things, but a mistake wasn’t one of them.
Gage stood, and Adrian reached for his hand as if he had the right to try to stop him.
Gage yanked it away before he could touch him.
“I’m sorry.” Adrian took some of the bite out of his tone. “I just don’t wanna’ see you get hurt.”
“Scar would never hurt me.” He waited for his words to fully land. “While I appreciate your concern, Adrian. However, my personal relationships don’t need to be one of them.”
Tension sat in the room, heavy and ugly, but Gage still did the lesson.
Today was about real-time transit tracking and smartphone navigation. It was a practical drill to master, but Adrian was touching him too much and too often with a lot of unnecessary adjustments to his body that made his skintight.
At the end, Adrian tried to sound casual as if nothing had happened.
“How about we go out and get some practice in the field…? Maybe grab some dinner downtown.”
Joshua appeared in the doorway like a personal savior.
Gage stood. “No thank you. I already have dinner plans.”
He didn’t stay to feel how Adrian took the rejection.
He left the lab, thinking it might be time to request a new O&M specialist.
After his workout and sparring session with Valor and Zorion, Gage was starving.
He went to their dining hall, hoping Scar would be there, but Roz was the only one inside, already half finished with his baconburger.
“I’ll grab your dinner. Be right back,” Joshua said.
Gage dropped down in a chair, folded his cane, and set it on the table. After a few seconds of feeling Roz’s gaze, he raised his brow. “What?”
“I heard you’ve been cheesing like an idiot all day, but you come in here looking like someone just told you Scientology is making a comeback.” Roz wiped his mouth with a napkin. “So what’s wrong?”
Gage smiled despite himself. “Did you know Scar was gonna’ propose?”
“No, but I told him about Shannon.”
Gage went quiet.
“Scar’s done some real foul shit back in the day,” Roz said matter-of-factly, not judgmental. “But I’d be a hypocrite if I acted like people like him can’t change. I know he has. And I know he loves you…hard.”
Gage’s heart skipped a beat.
“I never thought I’d say this, but I trust him with you. He’ll protect you with his whole life and kill for you without hesitation.”
Gage shouldn’t have loved that part so much, but he did. “Thank you, brother.”
Roz took another loud, sloppy bite of his burger and circled back to his original question. “You looked stressed when you came in. Why?”
Gage exhaled. “I think Adrian’s overstepping his bounds…and I’m getting a bad vibe. I have been for a while, but now he’s making comments about Scar. Saying I’m making a mistake.”
Gage felt Roz’s demeanor darken. Before he could add anything else, Roz was already on his phone.
“Aliyah, I need to come and…I mean, um, Dr. Rockwell.” Roz cleared his throat. “I need to talk about Adrian’s assignment. Now.”
Gage reached out as if he had the slightest chance of slowing his friend down. “Roz, hold on, let’s just—”
“I’m your handler. So let me handle this shit.”
Not wanting to hear Roz going off and cursing up a storm with Dr. Rockwell, he put his earbuds in and pulled up the new thriller he’d downloaded last week.
He let the narrator’s deep voice fill the edges of his mind until his dinner arrived.
He’d only eaten a few bites of his meal, when a subtle spark of awareness lit in him, as a low, steady warmth bloomed in his chest.
Scar.
He walked in with Ex, Meridian, and their handler Corvo.
Meridian’s presence was always heavy and cold, and the clove scent of his lingering cigarette smoke was unmistakable. Gage knew Ex was with him by his proximity to his partner. Only one man could walk that close to Meridian without being consumed.
And, well, Corvo’s hair gel and Old Spice body wash were always a dead giveaway.
Scar didn’t pause.
He came straight to him, gripped the back of his neck, and kissed him to within an inch of his life.
“For fuck’s sake, man.” Roz balked. “You’re gonna’ suck his goddamn face off,”
Gage chuckled, breathless, even as Scar kept kissing the hell out of him.
Scar dragged his chair closer until he was between Scar’s legs, pinned there as though it was where he belonged.
Scar grabbed a stalk of steamed broccoli from his plate, bit off a floret, chewed a few times, then gagged. “How the fuck do you eat this shit?”
Gage shook his head. “It’s a vegetable. You should try them.”
“It’s a punishment.”
“Your pizza’s almost ready,” Mina told Scar.
The group began to congratulate them for their mission’s success.
Scar kept his hand on Gage’s thigh while he leaned back on his chest, still riding his love-high, still turning the ring when he thought nobody was looking.
“So, when’s the ceremony?” Roz blurted.
Gage smiled, turning toward Scar, waiting for him to answer.
“Your fiancé has everyone jumping through fuckin’ hoops,” Ex said.
“Shut up,” Scar snapped.
Ex snorted. “I’m serious. People are scrambling to get all the shit done he’s asked for.”
“More like demanded,” Corvo chimed in. “He hasn’t asked anyone for shit.”
Scar slid his hand up Gage’s chest. “Everybody’s sworn to secrecy because he likes surprises.”
He turned his head into Scar’s throat inhaling his virile scent. “I never said I liked surprises. You assumed. And you just keep doing them.”
Scar pressed his lips near his ear. “I like the expressions on your face.”
“Just tell us the goddamn date!” Roz and Corvo yelled at the same time.
Scar leaned closer and said softly against Gage’s ear, “In three days.”
For a second, Gage couldn’t form any words. His mind stalled on the number as if it couldn’t be real.
Three days.
Before he could say anything, Corvo’s phone beeped, “Browns are inbound from their mission. Jo wants us in on the debrief. Let’s move.”
“Scar, eat faster. You’re coming too,” Meridian said.
“But you said I was finished for the day.”
“I lied,” Meridiam snarled. “Get your ass up.”
“Besides, why do I have to go? You’re the leader,” he said, sounding childish as he continued to pepper soft kisses along Gage’s throat.
“Because I fuckin’ said so.”
Scar sucked his teeth. “But I’m not done eating.”
“You are now,” Meridian growled, yanking Scar’s tray of untouched pizza off the table and slamming it into the trash can.
Roz was laughing so hard, he started to choke on his fries.
Meridian was already walking away fully expecting Scar to follow.
“He’s such a bully.” Scar griped.
“He treats you like that because he cares about you,” Ex said. “He wants you to learn everything he knows.”
“If that’s the case, I’d rather be dumb.” Scar huffed.
“Nailing it.”
“Fuck off, Roz!” Scar shouted.
Gage gently patted his fiancé on his cheek. “Hey.”
“I’ll probably be late tonight.” Scar said against his jaw.
He nodded, knowing their work came before romance.
“Will you wait for me?”
Gage closed his eyes at the deep timbre of Scar’s voice as heat spread towards his groin.
“Yes, in our bed,” he whispered.
Scar hummed and kissed him one last time, slow and promising. “I’ll see you later.”
As he listened to Scar’s footsteps fade, he sat there in shock, turning the ring around on his finger in an attempt to stay grounded.
I’m getting married in three days.