Chapter 12 #2
“No, but you can shove it up your ass, Travis.” He answered with one of his most deadly glares.
“Uh uh. It’s not going to work anymore, Malachi. You aren’t nearly as scary now that I know you eat Count Chocula.”
“Rein him in, Dante.”
“Travis, stop tormenting my best friend.” He turned back to Malachi.
“I would really love to tell you how adorably cute it is that you now eat chocolate cereal, but I’m pretty sure you can kick my ass, so I’ll politely keep the thought to myself.”
“Asshole.”
Justice snorted and coughed up some cereal.
“You guys are totally wrong anyway. He might be a badass in the playroom on a normal day, but you should have him spank your ass when he’s hyped up on chocolate. That, my friends, is some jacked-up shit.”
“I’m going too really like you, kid,” Travis acknowledged.
“Your blushes are all cutesy and everything, but there’s some fire in there too, isn’t there? Nice, very nice…very Malaci-ish.”
“Oh, there’s fire, alright,” Malachi said with a wink.
“Don’t ever doubt that. Now, give me my cereal so you guys can make fun of me eating it. We need to discuss what the hell is going on to bring you here to fetch us back to the real world.” He dumped some cereal into a bowl, grabbing up a marshmallow before dumping more cereal on top.
“I’m assuming nothing has happened that puts Justice’s security at risk? You’re acting way to casual for that, Dante.”
“Definitely not a security risk, but still major changes,” Dante answered.
“The prosecution wants you back and ready to testify in three days. At this point, everybody doubts there will even be a trial. Rumors are that O’Hara is headed toward a plea deal. He’s the one demanding they move everything forward. The O’Hara patriarch has pulled all financial support for his son. Apparently he found out that the brothel his son had been frequenting pandered in human trafficking.” Dante shrugged.
“Who would have thought it? A drug dealer with a twisted sense of morals…”
Justice felt his eyes widen in shock.
“Human trafficking? Are you serious? I swear I didn’t know any of that shit went on there. I got the name of the place from a friend of a friend of a…you get it, right? I swear I didn’t know.”
Malachi ruffled his hair like he was a kid, and Travis made a production of choking on his pop tart when he saw the Dom’s outward display of affection.
“Shut the fuck up, Travis.” To Justice, he said, “I’m sure nobody thinks you knew anything about it, pet. That isn’t what Dante is saying.”
“No…no way, Justice,” Dante answered quickly.
“I’m just passing on what your father has shared with me. He’s really torn up…the way any dad would be. Apparently there was some significance to them having you in the upper room. He’s convinced they were planning on taking you.”
“Fuck.” Justice shook his head.
“I guess he’s pretty pissed at me, yea?”
“Nah…just thankful you were able to get away from the mess. He just wants this fiasco over and everything to go away. It’s been pretty hectic. The media is all over it and I’m sure you know how he feels about the media.”
“Best buddies, he and the media,” Justice joked weakly.
Fuck, he was almost abducted?
Sold into sexual slavery?
“So, what’s next? I guess we need to head back now if the trial starts in three days.” He tried to hide the sadness that swamped him with that thought, but figured he was doing a piss-poor job of it.
“Hey…how about the other witness? Did that other guy make it?”
His father had told him that there was one survivor, but that his chances of recovery were slim.
When he had left to join Malachi in Tennessee, the guy had still been in a coma.
It was the young man that had been tied to the bed and shot in the head.
Justice would never forget how he had looked…
“Witness number two? Yea, he’s alive and recovering nicely, much better than any of the doctors ever expected but he doesn’t remember anything about the shooting. Hell, from what Christopher says, he doesn’t even know who he is, where he came from, or why he was there, absolutely no memories whatsoever.” Dante shook his head.
“He won’t be much help in prosecuting Marcus O’Hara but I’m pretty sure they won’t need him. Between your testimony, the little bit they were able to salvage from the recordings that weren’t destroyed, and he fact that his father is pulling his financial support…a plea deal that leaves Marcus in jail for a very long time is pretty certain. Right now, the bastard is just trying to save his own skin. They were considering the death penalty, but will take it off the table if O’Hara deals.”
Malachi was frowning.
It was an ugly, intimidating frown…
one he wore when he was truly worried.
“Aren’t we concerned this is some kind of set-up? A trick to try and get Justice out in the open where they can try to eliminate the threat?”
“Of course everybody is concerned about that, Malachi, but we don’t have a lot of options. Justice has to be there to testify, whether it is before a jury or just a judge and lawyers. It will be our job, and Christopher’s job to make certain he’s safe. Nobody is going to lie a hand on what is yours.” Dante assured him.
“I don’t like it,” Malachi grumbled.
Who would have thought that only three weeks ago he was furious about having to come to Tennessee with Justice?
Now he was upset about having to leave.
“None of us like it, but it’s necessary. Dustin is more than ready with extra security and Christopher has another team of handlers just for Justice’s protection.” He turned and smirked in Justice’s direction.
“Maybe you won’t make a fool of these guys just so you can visit a brothel. They are still pretty pissed at you, I think.”
“Why would you have handlers following you before the brothel incident?” Having spent time with the kid, Malachi could guess a million reasons, he was just interested in hearing it from his pet.
“Dad’s overprotective. I’ve had my own tiny security detail since graduating high school. He’s a worry wart…and I may be a magnet for trouble.” Pale blue eyes blinked innocently as he spoke.
“Magnet, eh? I don’t have a hard time believing that. Did you intentionally lose them or were they just inadequate at their jobs?”
Justice snorted.
“Inadequate? Nope, I’m just really good at losing a tail. I’d done it to them about a million times already…this one just caught up to all of us. In their defense, they were pretty close or they would have never gotten to me on time. Assholes had hidden a GPS tracker on my motorcycle.”
Malachi growled when he imagined how close the boy’s irresponsible behavior had come to getting him killed…
or abducted into sexual slavery, a world he knew too much about.
“I’m going to punish you for that, pet. That type of childish behavior can’t go without discipline.”
“Okay,” Justice answered with a shrug.
When Travis gasped at his impertinent attitude, he added, “If it wasn’t that, it would just be something else. Dude loves to spank an ass.”
“You have got your hands full with that one. I think he’s going to make my Travis look like a saint in the playroom,” Dante remarked drily.
“No way,” Malachi said with a proud smile.
“When he’s in the playroom…he knows how to play.”
Travis pouted.
“Maybe we could have a competition sometime? Me against your perfect little plaything?”
“Maybe.” Malachi answered.
“Maybe not,” Justice countered.
“I need to discuss some things with Dante before we leave this evening. Don’t pick up any of his bad habits that I will have to beat out of you,” he nodded in Travis’ direction.
“Understand?”
Justice saluted him, but used his middle finger to do it.
“Whatever makes sir happy, Sir.”
“Oh, my God, this is hilarious,” Travis muttered.
“Looks like Dante should be worried about me picking up his bad habits.” He waved them away.
“Go away and talk all you like. Your boy toy and I will find something to do to amuse ourselves.”
Justice watched Malachi walk away, a look in his pretty eyes that promised retribution.
He couldn’t wait.
When they had disappeared down the hall, he turned to Travis.
The guy clearly had issues with Malachi but he was pretty sure it was a love/hate thing between them.
They loved to hate each other?
“Hey, I’ve got something I need to do. It shouldn’t take me too long. Think you can cover for me?” He asked the new boy.
Travis was pretty…
and totally gay.
There wasn’t a bisexual bone in his body.
“Is it going to put your life in danger?”
“Eh…no?”Weird question.
“Will it, by any chance, piss Malachi off?” Travis had a devilish pleased look on his face.
“Uh…well…yea…maybe. Probably,” Justice answered.
“It still needs to be done though. I’ll be the only one to get in trouble. Don’t worry.”
Travis snorted.
“I’m not worried about your lion-master hurting me. Dante wouldn’t let him lay a finger on me. Listen, I’m all about pissing Malachi off but I can’t let you do something that might get you hurt. I’ve never seen Malachi like this before, I kind of like it.” He smiled sweetly.
“So promise me you aren’t going after O’Hara yourself or taking a run out in public with a ‘take me’ sign around your neck.”
“Promise.”
“Perfect. Can I help in any way? The only way to improve this situation at this point is if I’m involved with jerking his chain.”
“Well, yea, I guess I could use a distraction. You game?”
“Always.”
“Why are you mad at me?” Malachi asked the minute they were alone in the study.
“I’ve been a very good boy.” He plopped down on the leather sofa, tossing his legs up on the cushions and stretching out like a lazy panther.
He damned well knew why Dante had been mad at him…
and why he was no longer mad.
Dante watched and could see how the poor boy, Christopher’s boy , had fallen for the alpha Malachi.
Every move the man made was pure sex…
erotic and dominant.
He’d been so disappointed after Malachi’s phone call, so afraid that his friend was using the inexperienced kid just because he couldn’t get his hands on Megan.
He’d been terrified that Malachi’s frustrations in the bedroom, his need to dominant having been taken away from him, was making him do things they would all regret.
Malachi used people but they always knew they were being used…
and agreed wholeheartedly just so they could be touched, dominated, by him.
Justice?
He didn’t have a clue what he was up against, never had a chance against Malachi’s more experienced sexual prowess.
“You know damned well why I was mad at you,” Dante smirked and then walk over and slapped his friend on the back.
“Are you in love with him?”
“Rolling right down that path pretty quickly,” Malachi answered truthfully…
always truthfully with Dante.
“I wanted to hate the aggravating bastard. Hell, he nearly drove me crazy for the first three days.” He shrugged and offered one of his rare smiles.
“I’m not used to this love shit like you guys, I had no idea what was happening to me. One minute I wanted to wrap my hands around his neck and then the next I wanted to fuck him senseless.”
“Well, I’m thankful you chose the last option, friend. Killing Director Conners’ son might have been a difficult one to sweep under the rug.” Dante roamed around the room, touching all the precious arts and crafts he and Travis had personally selected for the décor.
Malachi was right, he and Travis did that love shit all the time.
He’d been so caught up in his own happiness that he’d missed Malachi’s lack of being able to share such small but important things with someone he cared about.
What a fucking friend he was…
“Yea, Meg reminded me that it would be page after page of paperwork and that you’d have to spend a fortune paying people off to keep me out of jail.” Fuck, that conversation seemed like a life time ago.
What was happening to him?
First Megan and now Justice, all his walls seemed to be tumbling down, whether he was ready for it or not.
It was terrifying…
and exhilarating.
Nicholas, even when he’d thought he was safely hidden from him, had still managed to control his life, to keep him from having a normal relationship with another person.
Other than Dante, he had refused to allow himself to love another.
When the bastard had barreled back into his life when they’d launched their rescue of Jasper, he was pretty certain that being forced to face him again…
face his fears had caused him to finally start the healing process.
A chuckle from Dante eased him away from his thoughts.
“I’ll be sure to thank Megan.” He sobered.
“Are you handling this okay? I do know this is new territory for you and I want to help if you’ll let me. I also know Justice is a handful. Those are his father’s words, not mine.” With a deep frown, he asked, “Did he tell you about his…his childhood and the problems it has caused him?”
“He did,” Malachi answered stiffly.
Dante was his most precious friend in the world, been there when no one else had, but his need to protect his boy roared to life.
Justice had shared that Christopher wasn’t his father and that he’d been addicted to drugs as a child.
Those admissions and worries had been revealed during an intimate conversation…
so he felt like it needed to stay that way.
He felt Dante studying him, waiting…
“Good,” he finally answered when he realized Malachi was finished sharing.
“He’s good for you, M. Only three weeks and the changes are…beautiful. I’m proud of you.”
“Don’t get gay mushy on me. You know I don’t deal well with…emotions. Let’s talk about what kind of shit show I’m going to be walking into with his dad. You know…you turned my son gay, you’re tying my son up and doing what ? Is he planning on shooting me on sight or do I get the same courtesy as O’Hara?”
“Ah, yes, the shit show with Conners,” Dante laughed.
“Well, he’s a reasonable man, so I don’t think you have to worry about getting shot on sight.” Pausing to admire the beautiful lake scenery outside the huge window…
and to torture his good friend as long as possible, Dante drew out the time gap.
When Malachi cleared his throat and then growled, he figured he’d waited long enough.
“Christopher is into the scene, so he doesn’t really have room to complain about what the two…or three of you will be doing in the playroom. As for the fucking his son part? He told me that nobody made Justice do anything he didn’t want to do…except maybe for Justice.” He turned to Malachi.
“You’re watching him closely, right?”
“Of course, I am. He’s already proven that he needs help with his limits, arrogant fuck thinks he can do anything.” Malachi said with a laugh.
Dante frowned.
“I think it’s more like he thinks he has to be able to do anything. Just keep an eye on him, help him make good decisions.” When Dante could see that his friend was starting to shut down, refusing to discuss personal issues regarding his sub, he decided it was time to move on.
Malachi had the facts, he would handle the boy properly.
“Let’s talk about the plan for the courthouse. He has to at least give a deposition, even if O’Hara decides to plea. They want everything on record.”
“Dustin has been keeping me updated on his plans for security when we are moving him to and from the courthouse. I’ll be there, of course, making certain he’s safe. I still don’t feel comfortable with the fact that patriarch O’Hara is going to just sit back and let his son take the fall. I think they’ve got something planned, so I’m going to be there, by his side, the entire time, making certain he’s safe,” Malachi told Dante.
“I haven’t doubted that a second since I walked in on you guys this morning,” Dante smirked.
“Seriously, M, did you have to fuck him so thoroughly to stake a claim around me? You know I’m no threat, Travis has me wrapped so tightly around his finger that even I’m embarrassed for folks to see it.”
“Nah…I just had to fuck him, had to stake a claim for myself.” He rolled his fingers through his hair and shook his head in feigned disgust.
“You’re right, it is embarrassing. At least you only have one lover whipping your ass. I’ve got two of them working my heart over.”
Dante smiled.
“It’s about fucking time, M. You’ve deserved this for so long. I couldn’t be happier that you’re finally letting it happen. Should I give you a kissy kissy to show you how happy I am?”
“Fuck off, asshole. Let’s talk courtroom strategy.”
Two hours later, Malachi felt marginally better about Justice’s safety, but missed the annoying bastard more than he would ever admit to another soul…
possibly even himself.
He bumped Dante out of the way as they both tried to edge through the doorway too small for two muscled men.
Dante sniggered but he chose to ignore the sound and instead focus on trying to make his feet walk at a regular pace…
instead of running down the hall, grabbing the kid up, and fucking him again.
Video games were blaring from the television in the den, so he headed in that direction.
Travis was seated on the sofa, the same sofa he had bent Justice over and spanked his ass that night a couple weeks ago, playing the video games…
by himself.
He wouldn’t have thought much of it, figured that Justice was probably down in the gym or on the phone with Megan, but Travis had the most devilish gleam in his eye when he noticed Malachi standing there.
Fuck, Dante’s irritating sub was so excited he couldn’t make his ass sit still on the cushioned seat.
He looked like a fucking puppy wiggling around after it had been locked in a kennel way too long.
That meant only bad things for him.
Travis loved two things in the world: Dante and pissing Malachi off.
“Where’s Justice?” He tried to make his voice sound as calm as possible.
Travis would smell his irritation like a wolf smells blood…
and then he would really start to aggravate him like only Travis could.
Pissing him off was a God-given talent the boy never wasted.
Travis merely smiled sweetly, blue eyes sparkling with a wicked gleam, and shrugged his shoulders.
“Was I supposed to be watching him? Wait, you didn’t want him to pick up any of my bad habits, so I made myself scarce.” He batted his eyelashes like a fool.
“Travis! Stop being an ass,” Dante admonished when he walked into the room.
“It’s very unattractive.”
“Assery is the only language dickhead understands, babe. How else am I supposed to communicate with him?”
“Don’t kill him, M. He’s mine and I love him,” Dante pleaded in a teasing voice.
“Travis, where is Justice?”
A feline smile was his only answer…
until Dante took a step in his direction.
“That way! Geez, calm down! Can’t you hear the ungodly ruckus coming from down the hall?”
Actually, Malachi could hear the odd sounds coming from somewhere down the hall, so he headed in that direction, leaving Travis to gloat.
He heard the slimy bastard say ‘He’s gonna shit over this one’ before he got completely out of earshot.
Well, hell.
The sounds led Malachi to the laundry room, where he found Justice giving a giant dog a bath in the huge farmhouse sink.
He had his iPod cranked up loud enough that Malachi could hear it from the ear buds stuck in the kid’s ears.
A very gorgeous ass was dipping and grinding to the music while his hands scrubbed away at the poor dog.
Correction – forget poor dog…
it looked like it had died and gone straight to Heaven.
Ears were laid back and it had a goofy dog grin on its face.
Kind of like the idiotic grin he’d just seen on Travis.
Fuck.
Could this kid cause him anymore trouble?
Could he be any fucking cuter grinding his ass to the music?
He absolutely hated it when Travis pulled this same shit, but there was nothing to hate about watching Justice shake and grind to a naughty rhythm.
He tapped him on shoulder and schooled his features into a harsh frown.
“Shit! Don’t sneak up on a dude like that!” Justice glared over his shoulder at Malachi and yanked his ear buds out.
“Fuck. I seriously thought I could sense evil better than that. The hair on the back of my neck should have at least been standing up with you that close.”
“Ha. Ha. What are you doing Justice?” Malachi chose to ignore Travis burst of laughter when he’d heard Justice make the sensing evil remark.
Uh oh.
Calling him Justice instead of pet might not be a good sign as to where this confrontation was headed.
“Uh, giving our dog a bath,” he answered with an eye roll.
“Oh, okay. Strange though, I wasn’t aware we had a dog.” Malachi silently cursed himself.
He should have seen this coming a mile away.
He knew the kid had a huge heart and he knew that damned dog was mistreated.
Yep, should have seen it coming.
“It’s a stray. He needs a home, Sir.” Justice made a fool of himself by rubbing noses with the pooch.
“Such a pretty boy,” he cooed.
“Stinky, but pretty.”
“That’s the neighbor’s dog, Justice. I’ve seen it in their yard…every morning when we go for our run.” Malachi crossed his arms over his chest and cursed as he counted every single rib the dog had.
Fuckers!
What kind of fuck-ups starved a dog?
They lived in a fucking mansion on the lake and they couldn’t afford some Alpo?
Justice played with the dog’s ears, flopping them around until suds flew through the air and landed on Malachi’s cheek.
“Don’t pay him any attention, fella. His bark’s a lot worse than his bite. Anyway, I’ve got this. He’s ass-whipped, he’ll do anything for me.”
That comment would have pissed Malachi off if it hadn’t been so damned true.
“You can’t go around stealing the neighbor’s dog, Justice. It’s not right.”
“True, but it’s also not right to chain a dog up and not feed it. I swear I’ve watched him since we’ve been here. They never touch him, feed him twice a week if he’s lucky, and don’t give a flying fuck when he’s tangled up in the chain, unable to get into his house…in a storm. I’ve had to go out and untangle him at least twice a day and feed and water him. They don’t deserve this beauty.”
Malachi narrowed his eyes.
“You aren’t supposed to be out of the house without me.” He’d known every damned time the kid had snuck out to rescue the mangy mutt.
Justice huffed and puffed and then finally said, “You’re missing the point, Malachi. He’s abused.”
“That doesn’t make it okay to steal, Justice.” No fucking way he was giving that dog back to those fuckers.
Seriously, he could count every fucking rib.
Maybe he should just kill the neighbors?
“Duh. My dad runs the FBI, I know stealing is wrong. I just don’t care.” Blue eyes turned pleading.
“You’ve got to let me do this, Malachi. Nobody touches him!”
And there it was…
right in front of Malachi, taking his breath away with the desperation and pleading in the kid’s face and voice.
The way he had said touch had spoken volumes to some of the pain Justice had survived in his life.
Malachi was immediately drawn back to his story about how Conners had found him…
hidden in a closet, addicted to drugs.
Nobody had touched his boy, nobody had loved his boy when he’d needed the love.
Fuck.
If he had to kill the neighbors, he guessed he would have to kill them.
“Pack your shit. We’re leaving in thirty minutes.” He ordered before stomping back down the hall.
He glanced in the direction where Travis had last been sitting and found Dante had his sub in a headlock, hands wrapped tightly across his mouth to keep the prick from saying something that might get him beaten.
He flipped them both off and kept walking, straight out the front door and across the fucking yard…