Seth
They were gathered in Stefano Esposito’s office. The commander sat behind a large oak desk. The office was filled with commendations and memorabilia from Stefano’s many years of service in the military. Seth had seen some of the same commendations and awards in his uncle’s home.
“Have a seat, Seth,” Stefano said, cutting into his wandering thoughts.
He dropped into one of the wide, plush chairs. Noah took a seat in the other one and his Uncle Rossi sat on the couch next to Stefano’s desk. There was a long moment of silence where the commander and Rossi looked at each other. Then Stefano nodded his head.
“Noah,” Rossi began, then sighed. “I never told you that I have an older sister.”
Noah started in surprise. “Why not?”
“Because she’s someone who doesn’t associate with me.”
“What do you mean she doesn’t associate with you?”
“I’m…well, she thinks,” Rossi said, stumbling uncharacteristically over his words. “I’m beneath her. Or rather, anyone who doesn’t make the kind of money her adopted family and current husband make is beneath her.” Rossi named a significant figure. “It’s a long story. But she got pregnant when she was in her twenties and walked out, leaving the boy with the father.” When Noah opened his mouth to speak, Rossi held up his hand. “Let me finish, son.” Noah closed his mouth.
Seth blinked against a sudden sting in his eyes at all the people his mother had hurt with her callousness.
“The father made some very bad decisions,” his uncle continued, and Seth could agree with that. “He got into a life of crime and left his sixteen year old son, my nephew, in a very dangerous situation.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why is Seth here?” Noah asked.
“He’s my nephew, your cousin by birth.”
By the look on Noah’s face, he had already figured that out.
Noah turned to him. “You knew,” he said as his golden eyes filled with hurt.
Seth nodded, then their gazes met and held. “I wanted to tell you so many times.” He rubbed damp palms down his jeans.
‘But I asked him not to,” his uncle cut in, and Noah turned back to Rossi.
“Why would you do that?” His cousin’s voice cracked.
“Because when Seth came into the picture, I had some very bad men after me. The more people who knew about my relationship to Seth would have put his life in jeopardy.” Rossi sighed, looked away, and shoved a hand through his hair.
“Why not tell me in December when you came to our home for Christmas? Both Manning and Stevenson were dead.”
“You’re right, they were.” Rossi took a deep breath and tilted his head as if contemplating saying something. He blew out a breath. “I was once again put into a situation that gave me concerns about revealing the identity of anyone in my family. It was better that I only had one living relative.”
“Put in what situation?” Seth leaned forward. Rossi held his gaze, then turned his head away.
The silence was loud and stretched uncomfortably. In the quiet, an email pinged on the commander’s laptop. Stefano reached for the keyboard.
“Here’s the report on Gibson,” Stefano said.
“What does it say?” Noah jerked his head around. Seth turned his attention from his uncle to Stefano.
“Allison’s informant says…” Stefano’s eyes moved swiftly and he spoke as he read the contents. “Belton Gibson is the son of Yakov and Aria Lakhonin, and that Yakov apparently placed Gibson with Manning because…” The commander stopped and sucked in a breath.
“Because why?” Giovanni Rossi’s deep voice interjected when Stefano stopped reading in surprise and looked up. “Terrance Manning and Yakov are half-brothers,” he finished.
“How is that even possible?” Noah frowned.
The commander swiveled the laptop on the desk so it was facing them and continued reading. “According to the email, Yakov, Viktor, and Manning all share the same father, just different mothers.”
They all stared at each other. Seth gripped the arms of the overstuffed chair.
“So, wait,” Noah frowned, scratching at his chin. “Do you think that Yakov is here to avenge Viktor?”
“No. Yakov has no idea you killed Viktor,” the commander said.
“Plus, it’s common knowledge that Yakov hated Viktor, so I highly doubt he’s here to avenge Viktor’s death,” Seth said, having investigated into the relationship between the two men. He was watching his uncle, otherwise he might not have noticed the sudden closing of Rossi’s eyes and pinch of his brow before his face cleared. Rossi hadn’t seemed at all surprised at the information that his son, Noah, had killed Viktor Lakhonin.
“You knew.” Realization dawned. “You already knew that Noah killed Viktor, didn’t you?” Seth’s gaze stayed on Rossi’s face.
“Yes,” Rossi answered, turning to meet his gaze. “There’s not much that Stefano doesn’t tell me. I do have military background and clearance.”
Oh, how vague. The fucking elephant in the room was growing and Seth would bet his paycheck that his uncle was the chief. Just what situations did Rossi have that would force the man to continue keeping him a secret? Rossi looked away from his searching gaze. Seth snapped his eyes to Stefano, but the commander said nothing, just silently stared back.
Silence filled the room again and this time, it was thick and heavy. Seth turned his gaze from Stefano to his cousin. Noah sat looking back and forth between Rossi and Stefano.
The commander cleared his throat and continued reading through the sudden strain in the room. “There appeared to be a strong bond between Manning and Yakov. And here, I quote the informant’s words exactly, ‘You can conclude that Yakov is in the United States to avenge Manning’s death.’”
“Terrance Manning came after me. I didn’t go after him. Yakov can suck it,” Noah snapped.
Stefano blew out a harsh breath. “Clearly, he’s a man with a grudge, and not to be taken lightly.”
“I’m not taking him lightly. Let him come.” Noah folded his arms against his chest.
Rossi drew a hand over his mouth and chin. “Let’s not forget that I killed Manning’s son. Whom we now know was Yakov’s nephew.”
“Fuck!” Noah closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Seth had heard the story. His uncle Rossi had killed Terrance Manning’s son during a black ops raid. Manning junior had been a very bad man. In revenge, Manning killed Noah’s mother and paid Ricky Stevenson, Noah’s stepfather at the time, to hide Noah from Rossi.
Noah had been eleven at the time and hadn’t been rescued until the age of seventeen by US Marshal Mac Mackenzie, his current lover. Of course, they hadn’t been lovers while Noah was young, but circumstances had brought them back together years later. How had Noah survived six years in that hell hole with Manning and retained his sanity?
“So, he’s coming after you because you killed his nephew and he thinks I killed his half-brother.” Noah stood, clearly agitated, and paced back and forth. “How could we have missed this? How could we have missed that Viktor and Yakov were fucking related to Manning?”
“We weren’t even looking in that direction,” the commander answered. “What we knew was that Terrance Manning supplied Viktor with sex trafficking victims in exchange for drugs.”
“I know that. It was one of the reasons you had me take him out in the first place,” Noah responded.
“Right, but with so many differences between the three men along with the different names, it just never came to light that they were related,” Stefano reasoned.
“Does Yakov know you have a sister?” Seth questioned his uncle. His cousin’s head jerked around.
“Nobody knows about Ginger. She was adopted and I was put into the foster care system. I have no connection to her,” Rossi replied.
“Well, that’s a relief,” Noah stated.
“Nobody outside this room knows I have a nephew.”
“That’s not true, I told Asher,” Seth admitted, tilting his chin up, daring any of them to say shit.
Not one person looked surprised.
“Well,” Stefano cleared his throat, “after what you discovered in Switzerland and in light of this email, the family connection between Manning and Yakov will be brought to everyone’s attention at the next meeting. As well as Seth and Noah’s connection to Rossi.”
“When’s the next meeting?” Seth asked, curious.
“Tonight,” the commander answered.
“Did you put a protection detail on our home?” Noah asked Stefano.
“I did,” Rossi interjected. “As I was saying earlier, I was pulled into a situation that gave me concerns. I don’t take your safety lightly.”
There was that “situation” comment again. Were the issues concerning Rossi’s position as unit chief? What else could it be?
“I thought someone was watching us. Mac thought I was being paranoid,” Noah said, shoving a hand through his hair, pulling the long strands from the hair tie.
“You’re not being paranoid,” Rossi told Noah.
“In light of Yakov coming for revenge, we need to get protection on my dad.” Noah turned from Rossi and narrowed his eyes at Stefano.
“Your father has around the clock protection.” The commander sat, unflinching. Seth’s head snapped up, his gaze traveling over his uncle, but the man wasn’t looking in his direction.
“I’m not too concerned about me, son,” Rossi told Noah. “I am concerned about you and Seth.”
“And what about you keeping my cousin a secret from me?” Noah snapped.
“Noah…” Stefano tried to cut in.
“Wait a minute,” his cousin told the commander, and then glared at Giovanni Rossi. “I get that you both have top level clearance issues going on and you can’t tell us everything. But this, you should have. I went my whole life not knowing I had living family and then I found out about you. Now another year has gone by and I’ve just found out about Seth.”
Seth hid a smile. Damn, he loved his outspoken cousin.
“I’m sorry,” Rossi had the grace to say. “The less people who show up as related to me on paper, the better. I fear for your safety every day,” his uncle told his only son.
Noah narrowed his gaze and then the tension bled from his shoulders.
“Well, I’m concerned about you both,” Seth said quietly into the silence. He was thankful Yakov knew nothing of his connection, but he was ready to put the guy down if it became an issue.
Noah turned toward him. Seth sat still, searching his cousin’s eyes for the first time with the man possessing the knowledge that they were related. The secret was out and brought a sting to his eyes. Would Noah accept him?
“I’ve always considered you a brother,” Noah said with a half-smile, and then pulled him up. Strong arms wrapped around him and Seth chuckled, squeezing the man tightly.
“So, I have a question. How did Belton Gibson end up in a Switzerland prison?” Seth asked, releasing Noah and turning to his uncle.
The commander slightly lifted his hand, catching their attention, and pointed to the laptop. “According to the informant, no person by the name of Belton Gibson was arrested during the raid on Manning’s compound.” Stefano looked up from the screen.
“Wait, I saw Mac tie him up in a tunnel.” Noah rubbed a hand over his mouth and pulled at the short hair on his chin.
“That may very well be, but in the chaos, Gibson got away. From what I hear, a lot of the offenders ran for the Oregon hills that day and have yet to be found.”
“So he got away.” Noah approached Stefano’s desk. “But like Seth asked, how did he end up in a Switzerland prison?”
Stefano was still browsing the information, but looked up when Noah approached. “It appears that two years after the raid in Oregon, Gibson was picked up on hit and run charges in Switzerland and is in his seventh of a ten-year sentence.”
No one spoke as they digested the commander’s words.
“So if we hadn’t found out about Gibson, we wouldn’t have known about the connection between Yakov and Manning.” Noah blew out a hard breath and Seth felt for the guy.
“Exactly,” Stefano said.
A cold chill swept over Seth as the details were brought to light. Now things started to make sense. They couldn’t risk Yakov finding out any of them were related.
“He isn’t getting anywhere close to us,” Seth vowed.
Frost
He had treated Seth coolly in Switzerland and even colder upon returning home a week ago. His answers to Seth’s questions had been short and abrupt with as minimal amount of words as possible. After the meeting where the commander and chief informed them all of the connections between Viktor, Manning, and Yakov, and then declared Noah and Seth his relatives, Frost had pretty much stayed away from the office. Truth of the matter was, he was having grave misgivings about what he’d started with Seth.
Today brought him in for the cell phone charger on his desk. He really needed to get a few chargers to keep on hand. He knew he was in for it by the look on Seth’s face when he entered the room. Seth’s shoulders were tense and his normally full mouth was pulled into a tight line. Frost could see the anger in the tilt of Seth’s chin at his cold behavior. A storm was gathering in those amazing green eyes, and Frost knew it was only a matter of time before Seth blew up.
Fuck it. Frost turned and strode back out of the building. He’d spend the day working in the field and pick up a charger later. Rapid strides took him to the SUV, but before he could get his door open, a voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Asher Grayson!” Seth snarled from behind him.
Frost closed his eyes and turned, holding Seth’s angry gaze.
“You can’t avoid me forever!” Seth barked, advancing on him.
“I know.” Those simple words stopped Seth in his tracks. Frost saw hurt swirl and a sheen come to the surface.
“You know?” Seth’s eyes widened, his words spoken thickly. “You know? Is that all you can say?”
“I’m not good at this.” Frost shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Neither am I.” Seth’s voice became quieter, softer if possible.
Seth’s voice washed over him. He fucking wanted this man so badly, but the thought of continuing past what they had done was crippling.
“Just give us a chance,” Seth breathed out and stepped closer.
“Seth…”
“Please, Asher. Whatever is holding you back, I’ll understand.”
“I know.” Frost gritted the words out. He could feel the noose tightening. Seth wanted a commitment, which had him breaking out in a cold sweat. He couldn’t give it to him. “This isn’t enough for you.”
“It’s enough if I say it is.”
“You say that, but you don’t understand.”
“I do understand, Asher, even if you can’t say the words.”
“I gotta go,” he said, his skin suddenly crawling.
Ignoring the bewildered look on Seth’s face, Frost got into his vehicle and drove away. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever done in his life. He rubbed at his chest and then wrapped his hands around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
Making a quick decision, he punched in a number to the only person he could talk to. Someone who was close but not too close.
“Ro?”
“Hey, man. What’s up?” Roscoe said.
“Meet for a beer?”
“Same place as usual?”
Frost smiled. “Yeah.”
The place was in Jack London Square. The square was named after the famous author. The bar was a hole in the wall brewery that had sprung up along with a dozen others in the area. It was crowded, but the staff was friendly and the sign boasted they had zero tolerance for hate. The menu featured Mexican food today, which suited Frost just fine.
They ordered and Frost looked out the window. People milled about, walking their dogs. Some carrying small plastic bags. The area took cleaning up after your dog to a whole other level.
“So, what’s going on?” Roscoe asked after the waitress set their beers on the table and left.
“Seth.”
“What about Seth?”
“We…” Frost paused.
“Had sex?”
“Made love,” Frost said at the same time as Roscoe. He sucked in a quick breath. “Yeah, sex,” he changed quickly.
“Made love?” Of course, Roscoe latched onto that word.
He sighed harshly, then shoved one hand into his hair as he lifted his beer with his other to take a quick swallow.
“Don’t read anything into it,” he grumbled beneath his breath.
“Ooooh.” A slight smile curved the agent’s mouth.
“What?” He speared Roscoe with a hard look.
“You have feelings for him.”
“No shit. He’s part of Phoenix,” he shot back.
“Do you have the same feelings for Wild, Noah, or Storm?” Roscoe asked.
“No!” He suddenly frowned.
His friend laughed. “I rest my case.”
“Fuck.”
“It can’t be that bad. Just take it slow and see where things go. He may not want anything to do with your sorry ass after he gets to know you.”
“What the hell, Ro?” He scowled.
Roscoe grinned. “Ease up, buddy. Joking.”
He sighed and played with his drink. “Sorry. I’m just on edge.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Roscoe joked, and then thankfully, changed the subject.
“We had to release Marco Jennings and Jagger Miller aka Wyatt Hughes,” the agent said. Apparently, Seth had filled the FBI in on Miller’s real identity.
“Well, we knew it was coming. The evidence was circumstantial.”
“Yeah, it just sucks, is all.”
The world seemed a bit off kilter the next day, but he arrived at the office and planted his ass at his desk. His palms were sweaty and he lost focus every time Seth so much as looked in his direction. He hadn’t eaten in hours, which wasn’t like him.
“Here,” that soft sexy voice said next to his desk and a hand placed a hot coffee with cream and sugar, just how he liked it, and a hot ham and cheese croissant on his desk. His mouth watered and he stared at the treat because he couldn’t seem to look at Seth.
Big, bad fucking Frost was afraid of the ex hacker. When Seth went to step away, Frost closed his hand around Seth’s wrist. With an outstretched leg, he hooked a foot beneath a nearby chair and pulled it closer. He held still until Seth sank into the vacant chair and then released his hold.
“Thanks,” he said gruffly. Not sure if he meant the food or the fact that Seth had stayed. He wanted to say something, anything, but he had nothing.
“You’re welcome.”
Frost looked at Seth then. Sweet hell, the man was fucking exquisite. Oh, not in a flashy way, but in a real way. In a rich, deep, genuine way. Thick lashes surrounded Seth’s eyes and Frost wanted to keep that molten gaze fixed on him for as long as possible.
“I want to try,” he said awkwardly and shoved a hand through his hair, wondering where the hell that offer had surged up from. Somewhere deep, he supposed, but wasn’t going to look too closely at it.
The smile Seth gave him lit up the fucking room and Frost’s heart picked up its tempo. He couldn’t stop the smirk that lifted the corner of his mouth. Suddenly starving, he lifted the croissant and took a huge bite.
“It’s good,” he said around a mouthful. “You want a taste?”
“No, I had mine,” Seth said with a tiny smile. “That one is all yours.”
That smile drove Frost crazy, he wanted to nip at Seth’s lips. Taking a deep, slow breath, he let it out.
“Would you like to go to dinner tonight?” Frost asked. Looking away, he found a renewed interest in his food. The silence stretched.
“I’d love to.”
The softly spoken words sent his heart pounding.