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“He told you, didn’t he? About that night.”
Jude nodded.
A hard knot tightened in Lucas’s stomach as flashes of that night flickered through his brain before he could slam the door closed on those memories. He and Snow had spent a lot of time and alcohol moving past it. “It wasn’t about sex. It was about saving him. Saving his future.”
Jude finally looked back up at Lucas and he gave the man a half smile. “Everyone who meets us assumes we’re fucking or that we used to fuck or that we occasionally fuck.” He lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “I still remember what I thought the first time I met him.” Lucas reached out with his right hand and ran his fingers along the edge of the desk, his mind traveling back decades to that horrible little town in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma. God, he’d hated everything about that fucking place. The buildings, the people…everything.
And then there was suddenly this skinny boy with the bluest eyes he’d ever seen.
“I took one look at him and just knew.”
“What?”
Lucas’s gaze jerked up from where he’d been staring at the desk and was surprised to see Jude sitting opposite him for a heartbeat. “That Ash was going to do great things. He’s brilliant. He’s driven and focused and a genius. I knew that I had to protect this kid. That I had to do everything I could to make sure that he could do his great things.”
“What did Snow do for you?”
“He saw me,” Lucas said simply. Snow had been the first person to treat him as if he wasn’t invisible. He was the first person for a very long time to see the real person beneath the swagger and false bravado. When Jude’s lips parted to speak, Lucas shook his head, dropping his gaze back to his desk. He wasn’t going to explain further. He’d already said too much. “Snow and I never cared if people thought we were lovers. We knew the truth. I don’t think either of us ever planned to be in relationships.”
“And now you are.”
Lucas chuckled, some of the tension that had entered his chest easing again. “That feels like an understatement. Ash is head over heels in love with you. He’s devoted to you completely. And I feel the same way about Andrei.”
“I’m glad.”
Lucas started to tease Jude, but he swallowed back the words when his cell phone started ringing. Picking it up, he glanced at the screen to see that the number was blocked. The tension in his chest returned and he flashed Jude a frown before he swiped the screen, answering it.
“You’re brave to let them out of your sight, even for a minute.”
The harsh voice sent a chill down Lucas’s spine and turned his knees to water. Jagger. He’d not spoken with Boris Jagger in years, not since the deal had been struck for Ian’s freedom. He’d never wanted to see the man again, let alone speak to him.
“What do you want?” Lucas growled, ignoring the questioning look from Jude.
“I was waiting around for you to stick your head out of your damn ivory tower, but you’re too much of a coward. But I lucked out. I’ve got both your closest friend and the man you love so much that you were willing to come out of the closet for him.”
“No…”
“Don’t believe me? They stopped for gas a few blocks from your place. Your man is wearing a black shirt with his gray coat and that bastard surgeon is wearing a light blue shirt and jeans with his black coat. Both are out of the SUV. Such easy targets…”
“No!” Lucas surged out of his chair. Terror pumped through his veins. There was nothing he could do. Even if he grabbed Jude and Sven right this second, there was no way they could reach the gas station just a few blocks away before Jagger pulled the trigger. “You don’t want them. This isn’t about them. It’s me. You want me.”
“Really?” Jagger almost purred, taunting him.
“I killed Green.” Lucas closed his eyes against the fear that was quickly filling Jude’s eyes. The other man had also jumped to his feet, but he hadn’t called for Sven, hadn’t dared to move as he quickly figured out who Lucas was talking to. Clenching his teeth, Lucas swallowed hard against the painful lump in his throat. “I killed your son. I shot Green in the head. He nearly killed Andrei. He was threatening my family. He had to be stopped. I killed him. I’m the one you want. Let them go and I’ll meet you anywhere you want.”
“No! You can’t do that!” Jude shouted, but Lucas just turned his back on the paramedic, facing the windows looking down on the city. It wasn’t a hard decision at all. He’d easily trade his life for Snow and Andrei.
