Page 12 of Lucky Boys
I couldn’t even take a step before the barrel of a pistol was iin my face.
Diego was panting heavily, his wide, panicked eyes so dark, I could barely see his pupils as he watched me. His hair was matted to his head and his clothes were drenched in sweat.
My heart clenched when I saw how scared he was. Still, Diego managed to keep the gun steady and aimed directly at my forehead. I was pretty fucking impressed.
“Hi, Diego. I’m Wes Hayes,” I greeted in the calmest, most soothing voice I could manage. It wasn’t just because of the weapon he had pointed at me either, though I had no doubt he’d pull the trigger if he had to. There was just something in Diego and the way he still defended himself despite the fear that awakened that long buried side of me I’d barely had a chance to explore. “Your house is clear. Your brother, Luca, and his team are all on their way. Will you come out of there, please?”
Diego’s eye twitched, but after he scrutinized me for an uncomfortably long time, he finally lowered the weapon and gave me one sharp nod.
It wasn’t until he stepped out of the safe room door and through the closet that I remembered there were three bodies on the floor of his home. I had no idea how he’d react to that, so before Diego could leave the office, I turned to him.
“I had to kill some of the guys that were trying to get in. I didn’t get a chance to clean up yet, so there’s no way to avoid you seeing them as we leave, unless you close your eyes.”
Diego snorted, but he seemed more amused than annoyed at me. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen bodies in person, but I’m—it won’t be the first time. I’m fine.”
I just hid my smile as he straightened his shoulders and fixed a determined look on his face. I wasn’t sure how fine Diego really was, but I also didn’t know how much of it was because of the bodies, the situation, or what he was going to have to do next.
“Okay, that’s good. Would you like me to take you directly to Luca’s or for us to wait in my car till they get here? It shouldn’t be long.”
His expression shifted completely and he immediately shut down. “I’ll wait in the front room for them.”
Okay . . . “Diego, there are two bodies there, and I don’t know if anyone else is with them—since I haven’t had a chance to do a full perimeter check—or if someone will realize something’s wrong and come after them. It’s not safe.”
Ignoring me completely, Diego stomped past, careful not to touch me, and into the main areas of the house. He hesitated only for a few seconds when his eyes fell on the scene before once again straightening his shoulders and walking to the pull-out bed in the middle of the room. He sat on the edge with the gun on his lap and practically dared me to say something.
I just sighed. I didn’t know Diego enough to push him. All I’d been told was that he had anxiety about leaving the house. I had no idea how severe it was or even when the last time he’d left had been. It wasn’t my place to expose all that, either. For the time being, we were okay. I’d just wait with him and stay on guard. It shouldn’t be much longer before Luca’s team and his brother were here. He should know how to handle this. Hopefully.
CHAPTER 5
SKYE
As we ranout to one of our SUVs, locked and loaded down with weapons, Maverick and I had a one-second, silent conversation. Immediately, it was decided I’d handle Brooks while Mav took on Luca. Not that we would ever dare tell Luca, but my man had started to unravel the instant Brooks’s pretty face had shown up on our security cameras. He hadn’t even had a chance to process before all hell had broken loose, and even if he was in work mode now, Luca would need someone to keep an eye on him and make sure he kept it together.
I loved being in that role, but my way of handling it was typically a little more suggestive than we could do right now, and often ended up with me on my knees. Which, believe you me, was perfect in my book, but not exactly appropriate or time sensitive in this situation. Mav, though, he had a way about him that Luca seemed to gravitate toward when he was struggling. They made each other strong, and they managed it without getting naked. So, Mav to Luca and me to Brooks.
Now, I just had to decide how to keep Brooks under control. He was sitting next to me in the back seat and coming the fuck out of his skin. He was literally vibrating, his feet bouncing while he rocked back and forth and fiddled with his bracelets somuch it was amazing they hadn’t fallen off. Brooks had refused to take a gun, but he had taken a few more knives. At the time, I hadn’t liked it, but now I was low-key glad. The kid would’ve accidentally shot himself or me with how much he was fidgeting.
“We got this, kid. You said yourself that Diego is an excellent shot, Wes is almost there, and we’ll be there soon.”
Brooks nodded absently but didn’t look at me. And he didn’t stop moving. Taking a page right out of the Luca and Maverick dominant handbook, I tucked my fingers under Brooks’s chin and forced him to look at me.
His pretty blue eyes snapped up, full of annoyance. I grinned. Yeah, I could work with that.
“Brooks,” I said seriously, making sure he could see my confidence in my expression. “It’ll be fine. We won’t let Diego get hurt.”
Brooks made a small, whimpering noise. “I’ll never forgive myself if he gets hurt because I chose to take this job.”
Fuck, he was scared. I wished I knew Brooks better so I had more of a handle on how to deal with this. For all the stalking—oh, I’m sorry—“looking out for him” I’d done over the last three years, you’d think I’d know him inside and out, but I mostly knew the Brooks that he let the world see, not the person underneath all the snark and bratting.
The closest I’d ever gotten had been when I’d saved him from that fuckface who’d ignored his safeword. He’d been so vulnerable and honest, even if it had only lasted a few minutes.
I felt like maybe I was seeing a glimpse of that side again now, but I could only go with my instincts on how I should deal with this.
With a racing mind, I thought of the one thing I knew for sure about Brooks. The kid was submissive as fuck.
I really only ever felt dominant when it came to primal play, but I’d lived with two of the most dommy Doms to ever Dom,and both of them had used their techniques on me more times than I cared to remember, so I had plenty to pull from.
Putting on my best don’t fuck with me face, the one I’d used in the octagon back when I’d fought, I raised an eyebrow at Brooks.
