Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 125248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
If he wore that same expression in bed, then Free was one lucky man.
Hart’s eyes swept the bar before his glare landed on Furi.
“Styles,” he greeted.
“Hey guys. Thanks for coming.” Furi stood and accepted Michaels’s hug, then Hart’s rough clap on the shoulder.
When they sat, the waitress came over with more beers. Furi thanked her, waited until she left, then realized now the spotlight was on him.
He had no idea how or where to start.
His mouth went dry and his palms grew so damp he had to wipe them on his jeans.
“So,” Michaels said, absently peeling the label from his bottle. “Why’d you call an emergency meeting?”
“I didn’t say it was an emergency.”
Ro raised one blond brow. “You said please.”
Hart leaned back, his chair protesting with a loud creak. “You actually called me…no one calls me.”
Furi forced a breath out and took another long sip of his beer.
“I just wanted to see how you guys have been. It’s been a couple months, and with the task force shut down, or paused, audited, whatever-the-hell they’re calling it, I wanted to check in with everyone.”
Ro stared at him.
Michaels’s mouth twitched.
Hart crossed his big arms over his chest. “Bullshit.”
Furi glared at them. “I’m serious.”
“You’re stalling,” Hart rumbled.
“I can care about how you’ve been.”
“You can,” Michaels agreed. “But I know you didn’t call us here for a wellness check. But I’ll humor you anyway. I’ve been chillin’. I’m learning tai chi because my man thinks its sexy. I’ve gotten into birdwatching, which is a lot more interesting than it sounds. A couple weeks ago I tried goat yoga…I don’t recommend it. I jog about six miles every day. And I’m finally golfing a single-digit handicap.”
Ro laughed. “Single-digit my ass.”
“Noted. Don’t do goat yoga.” Furi tipped his head at Ro. “And how have you been?”
Ro laughed under his breath. “I’ve been bored and missing my team. But over this break, I’ve realized that I’m not getting any younger, and kicking in doors, hopping six-foot fences, and jumping outta two-story windows is for rookies with good knees. I’m thinking of using my impressive skills elsewhere now.”
“So you gonna take me and Judge up on our offer?” Micheals sat up taller, a wide smile splitting his handsome face.
Ro nodded once. “If the task force is over…then yeah. I think we’ll make damn good private investigators.”
“Fuck yeah we will!” Micheals jabbed Ro in his chest.
“Wow,” Furi said. “That sounds great. Looks like everyone has a plan.”
Except his Syn.
“What about you, Hart?” Furi asked.
“SWAT still exists, Styles.” Hart grunted. “I’ve been working.”
“Right.”
Everyone went quiet as Furi struggled to make eye contact.
“This is about the new video you made for Illustra, isn’t it?” Micheals blurted.
Furi choked on his own saliva.
Hart turned his head and spat his mouthful of beer onto the floor.
Ro slapped his hand over his eyes. “Geez, man. You could’ve just let him get it out on his own.”
Michaels pfft’d. “Then we might’ve ended up being here all night.”
Furi’s face heated so quickly he thought it might combust.
Hart wiped his beard with a napkin. “You went back to porn?”
“I’m not back.”
Michaels chuckled into his bottle. “Oh, he’s back all right.”
Furi didn’t make eye contact when he asked. “Did you watch it?”
“What the hell kind of question is that?” Michaels frowned as if he was insulted. “Of course I did.”
Ro and Hart gaped at their friend.
Michaels held the silence for a couple more seconds before his mouth pulled into a sly grin. “No, I didn’t watch it. Jesus. I have more respect for my brother than that. But I do have a subscription, so I saw the preview.”
Hart lowered his deep voice. “Is that why you asked me here? You want me to tell Free to make it disappear?”
The offer was shocking, Furi hadn’t thought about Hart’s hacker boyfriend. If he said the word, Free would crash Illustra’s entire site and bury it so deep in cyberspace, Mack could hire a thousand techs, and they’d still never find it.
It was tempting, but Furi shook his head. “I signed a contract. I’m gonna honor my end of the deal.”
Michaels’s amusement faded. “So what did Syn say?”
Furi took another drink of beer. Then another. He drank until the bottle was empty, set it down with too much care then signaled the waitress for another.
Ro went statue-still.
Michaels’ mouth dropped open and stayed there.
Hart’s jaw was so tight, it looked painful.
“He doesn’t know,” Furi confessed.
“You think he doesn’t know,” Ro said.
“Trust me, he doesn’t.” Furi dragged both hands down his face.
Ro appeared disappointed, and that was almost worse than anger.
At least none of them had gotten up and walked out. They loved Syn. They were brothers in the real way, the blood-shed-for-each-other kind of way.
“He’s been too busy working himself to death,” Furi said.
All three men seemed confused first, then concerned.
Ro leaned forward. “What does that mean?”