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In truth, Dom didn’t give a damn which of them did the asking just so long as they got to be together forever. Of course, he did love the idea of sweeping Abe off his feet in some romantic gesture. Maybe he’d even talk to his boss’s friend Ian. The owner of the hottest restaurant in Cincinnati was a hardcore romantic. He probably had a few suggestions that would get the wheels turning in Dom’s head.
As the server dropped off their lobster bisque, Dom pushed thoughts of marriage to the back of his mind with the promise of revisiting the idea later. For now, a vacation out west with Abe sounded amazing. He’d never been camping or fishing before. Growing up with the family he did, he found that fun, wholesome things like fishing, camping, or even going to school were not a part of daily life.
And their first vacation together.
A loud bang from the neighboring car jerked Dom from his thoughts. If he didn’t know better, he would guess that it was a gunshot. But the thought was absolutely ridiculous.
“What was that?” Abe asked. He straightened and looked around. Dom could see the same confused expression on the faces of the other passengers and even the small waitstaff.
“I know what it sounded like, but there’s no—”
The door that led to the rear of the train was thrown open, and a man dressed all in black with a black ski mask stepped through holding a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle. Fuck. This was not the type of entertainment they were supposed to be experiencing. There was an all-female trio of singers that sang during their appetizers and salad course. Their server had mentioned a strolling violinist during the main course. But there wasn’t supposed to be a fake train robbery.
“All right, everyone, this is a robbery!” the thief in the black mask bellowed. “Everyone remain calm, and we won’t have any problems. A bag is coming around. I want wallets, phones, and jewelry with no fuss and no talking. You do as you’re told, and no one will get hurt.”
Dom met Abe’s wide gaze across the table. “Is this real?” asked the older man.
“Unfortunately,” Dom muttered.
This bastard was not ruining his first Valentine’s Day with Abe. They deserved to have a nice, quiet night where some lunatic wasn’t trying to kill them. He just needed to figure out how many people this asshole had with him before he acted.
“Dom,” Abe said in a low, firm voice. When Dom met his eyes again, there was a warning there. He braced himself, waiting for the inevitable plea for him to not do anything, but he just couldn’t sit by while innocent people were put in danger. “What can I do?”
Dom grinned wide at Abe. Fuck, he loved his man.
“Gimme a nice distraction when I signal you.”
Taking a deep breath, Dom focused on assessing the situation. The bastard had come from the back of the train and if Dom was remembering correctly, there was only one car behind theirs. But he couldn’t remember how many cars there were between the engine and theirs. It was likely the robber jumped on the train from the rear. He probably had at least one other accomplice still in the rear car to keep an eye on those passengers. If he was lucky, there were only the two of them plus the driver of the getaway car. The key would be to take the fuckers down quickly and quietly.
The train robber shoved a canvas bag into the hands of a trembling server who looked like he was still a damn teenager and gave him a push with the muzzle of his gun. Train patrons quietly cried as the poor kid was forced to walk from passenger to passenger, collecting treasures in his bag. When the two reached their table, Dom silently dropped his wallet and cell phone in the bag, followed by Abe’s.
He waited until the robber moved the kid to the next table. As the robber had walked past Dom, he carefully stepped down on Abe’s toe. He met his lover’s eyes, and Abe gave a little smirk.
“Oh, God!” Abe shouted and clutched his chest. “My heart! My chest!”
“Abe?” Dom asked, infusing as much fear as he could into his voice.
“I think…I think I’m having a heart attack. Fuck. The pain…pain in my chest.”
Behind Dom, the robber swore. “Oh fuck, Grandpa. You gotta do this now?”
Dom clenched his teeth, ready to beat the man senseless just for that remark. Grandpa, my ass! Abe was a sexy silver fox. Not some grandfather. But he swallowed back his anger and looked up at the robber while reaching across the table to Abe. “Please, you have to help him! You can’t let him die.”
The robber stepped closer, standing directly beside Dom. While still holding the muzzle of the gun in his left hand, the bastard moved his right hand from the trigger. Dom leaped into action. Grabbing a handful of the man’s mask at the back of his head, he forced him forward, violently slamming his head against the table. Dishes rattled and their wineglasses tumbled over. The soup spilled before Dom got to taste even a single delicious drop. And the robber went down like a sack of dirty laundry.
