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from across the room. Mike was seated two tables away, near
the entrance with the rest of Jarod s men. While waiting for
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68
Jarod and Chris to finish their food, the men had their
dinner too.
No one lets me do anything, Jarod said, his tone cold
as he gazed steadily at Chris.
Shit. Between you and Mike boring holes into me, I will
probably feel the bruises tomorrow, Chris replied, not
breaking eye contact with Jarod.
Jarod chuckled, breaking the tension between them.
He s staring at you? Well, fuck. Jarod turned around to
look at Mike and then turned back to Chris, smiling. He still
staring now?
Chris looked to where Mike was now conversing with the
men instead, his body half-turned to face away from Chris.
Chris laughed. Whatever it is you did, worked.
It better, Jarod snorted before reaching out to touch
the side of Chris s lips, gently. I love it when you smile like
that.
Jarod, I What Chris was about to say was
interrupted by the sound of breaking glass and screams.
Chris turned to see a bunch of men in suits, carrying guns.
Of course. It was almost like a bad mafia movie, Chris
thought as he reached for the Glock under his jacket
automatically, only to realize he didn t have one. Undercover
sucked when one is left defenseless. Fuck!
Chris! Stay down! Jarod shouted at him as he joined
his men in the shootout, a Beretta in one hand.
Chris watched as shots rang out between the two
groups of men, assessing the situation quickly. The other
group had more people, but Jarod s men were more skilled.
Mike took down three men in less than five minutes. Chris
felt a hard grip on his arm as Jarod grabbed him, dragging
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69
him toward the exit. Five men blocked their way. Jarod shot
two of them before having to reload. Chris watched as it
happened almost in slow motion as one man took aim at
Jarod. Without thinking, Chris stepped forward and grabbed
a china plate off the table, throwing it hard at the man. The
plate broke into pieces when the bullet hit it.
Fuck, Jarod muttered, pulling Chris behind him. Not
that I don t appreciate that sweet move, but stay behind me,
Chris. I don t want your blood to spill on my watch.
Chris grunted. He could take care of his own hide, but
revealing that piece of information would probably be a really
bad idea.
Go, Chris, go! Jarod shouted at him as he pushed
Chris outside. Chris heard a few more shots ring out before
Jarod joined him, grabbing onto his elbow, leading him to
the car which was now waiting for them.
Jarod opened the car door and shoved Chris inside,
about to close it before Chris had a clue as to what his lover
was going to do. Jarod! No!
Mike is still inside, Chris. I have to go back. I don t
know how many of my men are trapped. Lee, drive him
back. Jarod s eyes connected with Lee s through the rear
view mirror. He kissed Chris gently on the forehead before
moving away. Be safe, Chris.
No, dammit! Chris shouted even as he heard Lee s
spoken yes. He attempted to get out of the car only to be
pushed again by Jarod before the door was slammed. The
car drove off immediately. Lee, stop the car, dammit!
No, Chris.
Stop the damn car or I will just jump out, right now!
Chris threatened. He heard the locks click before cursing.
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Chris tried opening the door, but it would not budge. He was
locked in. Sonofabitch! Chris kicked the door in anger.
He will be fine, Chris. I have called for backup. Our
men are on their way.
Fuck it! I should be there with him, Chris said bitterly.
For the first time since he had been with Jarod, Chris felt
fear thrumming in his veins. If something happened to
Jarod& .
He wants you safe, and we need to get you to the
house.
The house?
Lee nodded. So you just sit back, okay? Boss will meet
us there.
Chris gritted his teeth as he held back the curses trying
to escape his lips. He looked through the window as the car
drove up the mountains into a secluded, gated compound
surrounded by tall trees. When a large mansion came into
view, Chris knew he had gained access to Jarod s home. But
what weighed on his mind was not how he could explore the
grounds to obtain evidence previously restricted from him.
Instead he thought of Jarod and whether his lover had
managed to escape from the shootout, unscathed. For the
first time in years, since Father Marcus s death, Chris
prayed.
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71
Chapter 11
WHERE is he? Jarod asked Lee, who was leaning on one of
the pillars that decorated his patio.
Well, hello to you too, boss. Lee smirked at him.
Fuck, Lee, is he
Jarod, you need to get your wound checked out first,
Mike interrupted, grabbing on to one of Jarod s arms as he
started to sway.
Damn, boss, you re bleeding. Lee crossed over to
Jarod s other side, holding onto his arm.
I m fine, Lee. You don t have to
He can do whatever the hell he wants when you re
bleeding a puddle onto the damn floor. Fuck, Jarod. What
did you do?
Jarod looked up to see Chris frowning at him. Aw, you
came to greet me at the door, how nice& . And I didn t do a
damn thing.
Chris ignored Jarod totally, gesturing for the two men to
bring Jarod inside before closing the door. Jarod watched as
Chris began to give instructions to his staff. He would have
had something to say about that, if not for the fact he was
feeling rather tired. He smiled at Chris and tried to reach out
for him, only to find he couldn t move his arm. Frowning, he
squinted as the image of Chris started to blur. It was not
long before he welcomed the darkness that beckoned to him.
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72
JAROD heard the sound of light snores and smiled,
recognizing who was making the noises. He opened his eyes,
turning his head to the side, and saw Chris asleep in one of
the massive leather chairs he had placed in the bedroom. He
continued gazing at Chris, watching the sun highlight the
drawn lines on his lover s face. Chris was still wearing the
clothes he wore for their dinner date. Chris had taken off his
jacket, and Jarod could see the white shirt he wore
underneath was spattered with dried blood. Jarod s stomach
turned at the thought the blood could have been Chris s.
Nice to see you re up.
Jarod looked at the doorway and saw Mike smiling at
him. Was there ever any doubt?
One day your luck might run out, Jarod, Mike said,
frowning as he walked closer to the bed.
But the day is not today, Jarod replied, half in jest.
Death is nothing to joke about, Mike said as he sat on
the edge of the bed.
Jarod sighed. I know, Mike. But you know it s in our
job scope. Getting hurt. Our death rate is high, Jarod
pointed out drily.
That don t mean you have to die young. Besides, you
ready to leave yet? Mike looked pointedly at Chris, who was
still oblivious to the conversation, snoring in his chair.
Ouch. Touché, my friend.
Just thought you needed reminding. Don t be throwing
your life away like that. You get cleared, you go. No turning
back.
And I was supposed to leave you and the rest of our
men behind? Would you do the same, if it were me?
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73
It s different.
How so? Jarod asked stubbornly.
You re the boss man, Jarod. We are paid to protect
you.
And not die for me.
There s the unsaid clause, right there. When one works
for a criminal organization, death does tend to happen.
Precisely, Mike. It could be any of us.
Dammit, Jarod! Could you stop arguing, for once? I m
asking you to put your safety first, before anyone else s! You
should have been in that car with Chris.
He was safe, Mike. Nothing else mattered then. He was
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