“We weren’t sure it would work,” Josh said soberly.“People come up with encryption as fast as other people can come up with encryption blockers.It was a gamble, and it paid off.Not completely—we don’t have a total phone list or all his passwords.But wedohave a list of calls and locations he made within twelve hours after the clone.”
“What happened then?”Because that had been while they’d been asleep, content after a hard evening’s work.
“According to Stirling, all his passwords automatically changed, because he’s got an algorithm on his keychain.But our computer guys—and between Danny, Stirling, Tienne, and Carl, we’ve got something of a squad—were all busy, busy bees until then.We don’t know if he’s been hacked or not, but we’re pretty sure it’s ‘not.’”
Wow.Wow.This was more than Interpol—or any crime fighting organization really—had done in the twenty years since Kadjic had begun his rise from street thug to kingpin.Suddenly Liam realized the true delicacy of Josh’s situation.He hadn’t wanted to attract Kadjic’s attention—not really.Noneof them wanted Kadjic to remember what they looked like.But he would have wanted to be close enough long enough for the cloning software to work.Thatwas why the careful soft shoe of people running interference during the caper.Divert, divert, divert… steal all of Andres Kadjic’s information in one fell swoop.
“Can you tell me what you all have planned?”he asked, suddenly worried for the caper, for the danger, for plans that might once again put a lever between them and pry them apart.
“No,” Josh said, “because I don’t know.I… I have the whisper of a plan, you understand.But you’ve seen us plan before, right?”
Liam nodded.What happened wasn’t always…linear.It was instead a result ofgestalt, the collective.Josh’s “crew”—his family and friends—had at their disposal a truly boggling amount of talent, creativity, and intelligence.Josh may walk in with one sort of plan, but one person could throw a pebble in his path and he’d pivot in mid-stride, and the entire planet would pivot with him.They’d get to the same goal, but their journey could vary wildly—the night before was a prime example.
Right down to the hospital visit and Josh’s return here, in Liam’s care, instead of back in the mansion in Glencoe.
“You going to eat that?”Josh prodded, not moving his head from Liam’s shoulder.
Liam shoved a bite of bagel in his mouth and chewed gamely.
“Good,” Josh murmured.He sat up.“I’m almost done here, and you’ve got to keep up your strength.”
LIAM FINISHEDhis breakfast and put both their dishes in the dishwasher.Then, conscious that in Josh’s world, the clock was often ticking, he moved behind Josh, who was busy tapping away on his tablet, and slid his arms around Josh’s slender waist, resting his chin on Josh’s shoulder.This new familiarity thrilled him, but he wanted more.
“Almost….”Josh’s fingers flew on the keyboard.
“Take your time,” Liam murmured, then tickled Josh’s ear with his lips.
“Augh!”There was some honest distress in Josh’s tone.“I didn’t mean to send that!”
Gently, Liam took Josh’s earlobe between his teeth and gave a delicate nip.
“I, uhm….”
Still tormenting the ear (and he loved that Josh’s seemed to be so sensitive), he slid his hands up under Josh’s slim-fitting black shirt and palmed the soft skin of his stomach, the nearly smooth skin of his chest, noting the small but defined muscle groups.He was careful of the shoulder, although he’d noticed Josh had left the brace off when he’d dressed.Mindful of the bruised tendon, he stroked the skin.
“How’s this doing?”he asked, making sure his breath tickled the whorls of Josh’s ear.
“Tender,” Josh admitted.
“Maybe you should—” Liam ran his lips down the cords of Josh’s neck.“—take a break.”
“I should resend… oh!”Liam had tweaked a nipple.
“Josh?”Liam murmured.
“What?”
“Later.”
“Oh hell.God.Yes.”Josh tilted his head back against Liam’s shoulder, giving him complete access to his neck, his ear, anything he wanted.
Liam stepped back and whirled the stool seat around so Josh was facing him and took his mouth, because that was therealthing he wanted, Josh’s engagement.And when Josh opened his mouth for the kiss, hands coming up under Liam’s hooded sweatshirt to knead and explore, the gratification, the reward, was so damned sweet.
How long had they waited?A year?Six months?A lifetime?Like Josh’s capers, time ceased to be linear between them, two magnets whose separation changed nothing about the strength of their connection, except maybe made it stronger.
Josh let out a sound—wanting, pleading, unbearably young—and Liam pulled back and reminded himself for the hundredth time that he needed to let Josh lead, but he was also the one most likely to keep his head.
“Come on,” Liam gasped.“Bedroom.”
