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Their expressions turned serious.
“What do you want to do?” Zander asked. “What does your gut tell you to do?”
“I thought about staying, continuing as I’d been.” Vince shook his head. “But my gut tells me to walk away.” He heaved a sigh, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. “I love being a marshal, but I don’t know how I can stay and still be with you. And I won’t give you up,” he rushed to add. “I just… It’s a massive conflict of interest. And I refuse to hide my relationship or keep you guys tucked away in some dark corner.” Then there was the matter of all the agents in his field office who were likely on Zander’s payroll. He released a resigned breath. “I guess I’m quitting.” It was a bittersweet thing, coming to that decision. Like he told them, he loved the job. It made him feel as if he had a purpose, as if he were doing something worthwhile. But he didn’t see how he could do that effectively anymore. He also wanted the chance to be with his men. To experience them. To not have to hide or worry about anything.
“What will you do?” Scotty asked him. “If you’re no longer a federal marshal, who will you be?”
That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it? Who was he, if he no longer had a badge? Guess he’d find out eventually. He shrugged. “I don’t know what I will do and I’m not going to worry about it right now.” He had a significant amount of money in savings, so he would be okay on the financial front for a while. He leaned forward, touching his forehead to Scotty’s. “I just want to be with the two of you. I want time together. Anything else will have to take a back seat.”
“Sounds good to me,” Zander said. “If that’s your decision, we support you one hundred percent.” He glanced at Scotty, who nodded enthusiastically. Zander chuckled. “Now.” He kissed Vince, then Scotty. “I’m about to grab a shower. “Who’s joining me?”
They both did.
30
Once again, Zander found himself in the middle of a Vince and Scotty sandwich. They were in Zander’s bed, all three of them naked after taking a very long shower that included a whole lot of stroking and coming.
Now the men were asleep. It was clear that the two of them were exhausted, but Zander couldn’t make himself succumb to slumber despite his own tiredness. He wanted to finally take a moment to breathe and to fully appreciate the fact that he had Vince and Scotty back. After thinking he wouldn’t see them again, after trying so hard to make peace with leaving them behind, they were here with him. He wanted to celebrate that, but there was still so much that he had to handle.
How would he integrate Vince and Scotty into his life? How would he protect them? How would he ensure that Scotty remained well and that Vince didn’t come to resent Zander for having to leave his job?
Top of that list, though, was Zander having to deal with Derri once and for all. He’d never expected a moment like this to arrive—when the man he’d once loved would be a problem for him. But Derri was that and more, and Zander had to handle him. There was a glint in Derri’s eyes whenever he looked at Vince and Scotty. It was a glint Zander was way too familiar with. He’d seen it countless times back when he and Derri were out killing for his uncle.
The thrill of the hunt.
The anticipation of a kill.
He couldn’t allow that shit to fester for another minute.
So he carefully extricated himself from the arms and limbs pinning him to the mattress and rolled off the bed, dragging on the pair of jeans he’d discarded earlier and then grabbing a t-shirt from the dresser. He tugged that over his head, glancing back at the bed to make sure his guys were still asleep before leaving the bedroom. When he opened the door to the penthouse, he found Trem out in the hallway, at his post as Zander had requested.
“Aye.” He motioned for the bodyguard to step inside. When he did, Zander locked the door before turning to Trem. Out of all the men Zander could’ve had around Vince and Scotty, he trusted Trem the most. His large build and silent nature were scary as fuck, and Trem was kinda off his rocker, but he was good people under all that. And loyal to a fault. “I’m about to head out for a bit. I need you to stay here.” He pointed at the couch. “Watch over them.” He grabbed his gun and phone. “Protect them with your life, Trem.”
“I gotchu.” Trem cocked his head. “You taking guys with you where you’re going, right?”
“Nah, this is a solo thing.”
“Boss.”
He ignored the worry and caution in Trem’s voice as he stepped into the elevator waiting in the middle of the living room. “Your life, Trem. Protect them with your life.” The elevator doors closed on whatever Trem responded back.
Zander leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets and his chin tilted up. He could’ve let any one of the men who worked for him deal with Derri, but he wouldn’t. This one was personal and should be handled as such. He couldn’t deny still having a hell of a soft spot for Derri, but at the end of the day he was a problem and Zander was a problem solver.
He heaved a sigh and straightened when the elevator came to a silent stop. The doors slid open and he stepped out, walking the few steps to Derri’s door. While his ex didn’t technically live above the casino as Zander did, Derri had a place there that he spent more time in than the house he actually owned.
They’d lived together in that house at one time. Gone half on everything. A life that felt so far away now when Zander dared to look back. So much had happened that it felt as if a lifetime had passed between that person and the man who stood there now, knocking on Derri’s room door.
The door opened and Derri stood in front of him with a lighter in his hand and a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth. Usually, he resorted to smoking when he was bored or agitated. He was shirtless, wearing only low-strung tight black jeans that exposed his hip bones, his feet bare. He’d always been on the skinny side, skin pale with a few scars and healed-up bullet wounds covering his arms and torso.
“What?” Derri asked.
“We need to talk.” Zander didn’t give him a chance to decline; he simply pushed past Derri and entered the dimly lit room. He wrinkled his nose at the heavy, cloying scent of weed and liquor.
“I figured you’d already said everything that needed saying,” Derri said from behind him. “Haven’t you?”
Zander faced him, really studying the other man’s features. He looked a little high, eyes and the tip of his nose red. There would always be a part of him that would want to go to Derri, to comfort him. To figure out a way to remove that deep-seated pain out of Derri’s eyes. But that was no longer his role. “We have two options.” He wasn’t about to beat around the bush. “You can leave. Or I can put a bullet in your skull.”
Derri’s expression didn’t change. “I’ll leave the choice up to you.” He flicked the lighter in his hand, bringing the flickering flame up to light the cigarette between his lips.
