Colorado Hitch (15 page)

“Tell me what that means.”

Roger looked up, his gaze full of love and compassion. “He needed me to hold him last night, so I did.”

Grant straightened, drawing in a slow breath through his nose. His head swam with worry that twisted through him, confusing his thoughts. He wanted to find Zander and maybe punch him.

“Nothing sexual happened, but fuck, his boner poking me in the hip this morning made my body heat up.” Roger’s face went red and he looked away for a few seconds.

“You’re not explaining this well,” Grant said.

“No, I’m not.” Roger met Grant’s gaze, his soul bared in the depths of his eyes. “I’m not doing a good job at loving you either.”

Grant straightened and shook his head. “Yes, you are.”

“No, I hate Craig, but you all were friends. I know he fucked you over, and he tried to kill us, but that doesn’t mean you look at it the same way I do. If I’ve ever not been understanding enough, or if I’ve not given you enough space or enough hug time, tell me.”

Grant narrowed his gaze. “And what does Zander have to do with this?”

“We talked. This morning, Billy slid into bed with us, hugging me close as he agreed with what Zander said. They’re hurting, Grant.”

Grant’s heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest. “What did they say?”

Roger sighed and reached out his hand, placing it on Grant’s hip. He stepped closer but still held Grant’s gaze. “That Craig was his friend, like a brother, and when he betrayed you all, it hurt. He felt used. Said Craig cost you all too much.”

They stared at each other for a long time before he leaned his forehead against Roger’s and sighed. “He was so much more than just a lover. He was someone I thought I could depend on. He was my friend.”

“I’m here for you and won’t ever betray you. If anything changes, anything at all, about how I feel about you or anything else, I’ll tell you.”

“The thing about Zander in your bed, what happened?”

Roger blew out a breath and stepped away, his gaze steady on Grant’s. He shook his head, his brows coming together as he squinted. “Seriously, nothing sexual happened. Yes, we both woke up with boners, but that was really just from sleep. He needed someone to hold him. After killing Daphne, and then the computer bursting into flames along with the house in Florida blowing up, it was too much for him. He didn’t try to do anything and he wasn’t making the moves on me, it really was just for comfort.”

Grant cupped Roger’s jaw. “You’re a great friend, Roger.”

“I try to be. When Billy woke up, he admitted that he'd heard us the night before. He climbed into bed, holding me on the other side. He said basically the same thing. He was sad, had been since Craig had left. It hurt Billy when Craig betrayed you guys.” Roger cupped Grant’s cheek and smoothed his thumbs over the stubble. “You’re so strong, so amazing. I knew you were strong before, but Grant, to go through what you all went through and still have enough of a heart to love me, that’s remarkable. I love you and I would never hurt you.”

Grant felt like he’d won the lottery with Roger. The man was beyond wonderful and Roger was all his. He pulled his husband close, kissing his lips and neck before lifting his shirt hem, tugging it up, revealing Roger’s torso.

“Let’s shower,” Roger whispered.

“As long as I can make love to you in there, I’m game with that.”

Roger chuckled and nipped at Grant’s earlobe. “Anything for you, babe…anything.”

Chapter Nineteen

Decompressing from the mission took time for Zander. They reviewed everything the next day, going over every move they'd made, where they could have done things differently, and what they would do the next time something like that came up. Four days later, he was still trying to adjust and stay calm. Marshal had been amazing when he’d heard about Roger and he holding each other while they slept. It seemed like he and Roger were growing closer as friends now that they were home.

At the end of the week, Roger broached the subject over dinner. At first, Zander had rebelled at the thought of talking openly about what had happened, then he relaxed, relaying how he’d felt that evening after getting rid of the last tie to Craig. Everyone talked and shared their feelings. It was amazing, listening to his buddies discuss how much the Craig issue had messed with them. He didn’t feel so alone anymore in his mourning and emotions over what Craig had done.

A few weeks after the missions in Maryland and Florida, life on Wild Bluff went back to normal, except now they were all closer. They lingered longer over dinner, and movie nights happened more often, kind of like back when Craig had been a part of their group. On the O Course, they stopped competing as much and spent time helping each other improve. Duff began talking to his doctor about what medicines he was taking. They changed a few prescriptions and that seemed to make a difference. Life was better, sweeter, and Marshal noticed the difference in him.

Zander had wondered if it would be an issue for Marsh that he and Roger were close, but Marshal had taken it in stride. When Christmas came, they seemed to celebrate more. New Year’s Eve was the happiest he’d had in years.

In February, they completed a new mission, rescuing a family from pirates off the coast of Columbia. He’d not been a part of that crew, but he’d gone out in March when they had to rescue a French CEO who’d been kidnapped during his travels to South America. Everything seemed to run smoother, and by summer, he felt like life at Wild Bluff was falling into place for all of them. Duff had changed up some more of his medications and was having issues sleeping, but he was working with some meditation techniques that seemed to be helping. He and Davis were getting along better, which made everyone happier. James and Brody had come back to Wild Bluff, visiting for weeks at a time. He half-suspected that James would return, but hadn’t made the commitment because of Brody. James and Brody loved running the O, and had both improved their times on their last trip. They also fit the group, and many of the guys, including himself, made it known to James that he was missed. All in all, the summer had been amazing and life seemed sweeter.

In August, Grant pulled him into the control room along with Ryan and Tucker. Marshal and Roger had been locked up with Grant for the last three days as they’d discussed a new mission. They’d even brought in Duff for a consultation. He’d wondered during the nights with Marshal coming to bed late if anything would come of them being in meetings, but he wasn’t going to push for information.

Once they were settled, Grant started speaking, his voice even and his face serious. “Last Sunday, I received a package. They need us to eliminate someone, but it’s going to be dangerous.”

“Aren’t they all dangerous?” Tucker quipped.

Marshal moved to stand beside Grant. “This is worse than usual. We’re going in dark, and we have to get out quickly. You three are going to have to work very hard on this mission.”

Zander sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees, his gaze zeroed in on Grant’s. “When you say we’re going in dark, what do you mean?”

“No ops support,” Grant said.

“Fuck, who are we taking out?” Ryan asked.

“There’s a man funding Daesh who lives in Turkey. He’s supplying them with fuel, explosives, munition, cash, everything. His name is Berat Yildiz. He has to be eliminated, and it has to look like an accident. He lives in a heavily guarded compound when he’s in the city. If that was where we were going to attack, it would be nearly impossible to get in and get out.”

Zander leaned back, weaving his fingers together and placing them behind his head. He blew out a huge breath before he sat up straight. “Why can’t the government go after him?”

“He’s well-respected in Turkey. Whoever goes after him will pay. We were asked because no one knows who we really are. We can take him out without anyone knowing,” Grant said.

Silence hung in the air for only a few seconds. Zander seemed game for this one and he wondered if Tucker and Ryan would want a piece of this action, too.

“Okay, I’m in,” Ryan said.

“Me, too,” Zander said.

“You couldn’t keep me out of it now that I know what’s going down,” Tucker replied.

Marshal nodded. “Awesome, I’ll let the three of you run through what we have. You’re leaving in the morning.”

“Whoa, why so fast?” Zander asked.

“Yildiz is traveling to his estate in the country and will be there at the beginning of next week. We need to act now because his country estate isn’t well guarded.”

Zander reached for the package of material, opening to the first page. “How sure are you that he’s the guy?”

Roger had been sitting with his back to the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He’d been silent until Zander asked his question. Roger let out a barking laugh that was harsh. The chair he’d occupied screeched when he hopped up, his chest heaving. “Oh, he’s the fucking guy,” Roger snapped. His eyes blazed with anger when he turned to look at Grant.

Anger rolled off Roger and he clenched his fists as he shot Grant a murderous gaze. The room stilled and Grant shivered. Zander stared between the two, wondering what was going on. Zander had been about to say something when Tucker spoke up.

“Roger, what issues do you have with this mission?”

Roger blew out a harsh breath. “Yildiz is our man. No doubt. He’s been funding radicals for a long while.” Roger’s lips turned down in a deep frown and he shook his head. When he looked up, the sadness in Roger’s eyes almost got Zander up off his chair so he could hug the guy. “There are ties that link him to who we were fighting when Hayden died.”

Grant sighed. “He’s angry because I won’t let him go on this mission. He’s been arguing with me for the last four hours.”

“He took away Hayden. I don’t…” Roger’s head jerked down, his lips curved into a harsh frown. “I fucking loved Hayden. He was wonderful and he’s gone because of this fucker.”

Zander flipped another page, looking at the words but not reading them. Anger was building inside, and he wanted to take this man out too. He hadn’t known Hayden, but if Roger had loved him, he was sure they would have been friends of some sort.

“I won’t budge,” Grant said. “You’re too emotional about this issue and this guy. If you go in there, you’ll be too angry to think straight. Yildiz’s house in the country should be easier to break into than his compound in the city, but we need men on the ground who aren’t out for revenge. Roger, if we ran into him by chance, I’d have no problem with you taking him out, but I can’t send you halfway across the world when you’re so angry about what happened.”

Roger drew in a deep breath. “Fuck! I’m sorry, but he was one of the reasons Hayden died. I can’t let the anger go.”

Zander moved to stand in front of Roger. “I’ll make sure he dies. And Grant is right, you can’t go. It’s too dangerous.”

Roger’s lips were pressed together, his brows bunched. “Okay, but you get him.”

“I will.” Zander wrapped his arms around Roger and held him tight as a shudder ripped through Roger’s body. “We’ll get him. I swear we will.”

The rest of the day was spent going over every piece of information they had on Yildiz. By the time he dropped into bed beside Marshal, he was exhausted. They were flying into Athens then heading over to Turkey by boat. Yildiz’s house wasn’t too far from the coast, north of Karacabey. Yildiz owned an olive orchard where he stayed in the country. Apparently, he felt the olive orchard was secluded enough that he didn’t need protection.

They were set to leave out of Colorado Springs mid-morning. The flight with layovers would take a little over twenty-seven hours. It would have them landing in Greece in the early afternoon. They would check into their hotel, pretending to be tourist. The next day they would sail out of Greece on a fishing vessel and into the Sea of Marmara. The captain was going to turn a blind eye to their activities as they hopped off the boat when they were close to land. Once on dry land, they would make their way to Yildiz’s house. When they were done with the operation, they would make their way around to Istanbul, where they would catch a train to Athens.

Zander slept fitfully for the first half of the night, but Marshal drew him near, holding him tightly. Having his man so close relaxed him and he was able to drop into a deep sleep. The next morning as he was saying goodbye to Marshal, he held on a little longer. Worry twisted through him, leaving him feeling almost hollow. This job felt different, and he didn’t want to leave. This mission had the power to shape the future of the world. Yes, Roger held a personal vendetta against Yildiz, but the Turkish businessman was an enemy to many.

When Zander gave his final wave to Marshal, he stared at his lover, not breaking eye contact until long after Tucker had driven halfway down their drive. Part of him really wanted to turn around and kiss Marshal again, but leaving was never easy. He pushed away his fears and weird feelings, concentrating on what they were going to do in Turkey.

Sometimes he wished he was just a janitor or cook, that way he really could leave work at work, but ridding the world of people like Yildiz had benefits. Knowing that he had saved hundreds of people or even one person was enough. He just had to keep that thought in his head as he drove away from Wild Bluff and Marshal.