Now that Hunter was no longer required to look like a Nazi, he dyed his hair a cheery pink that turned out a lot brighter than he’d intended since he was putting the color over platinum. It was fine; it was all just hair. Cal seemed happy about it. Nikki, however, was overjoyed when they video chatted.
Knowing that Barnes had her in his sights, Hunter wasn’t sure he should talk to her, but he couldn’t help the need to see her smiling face after reading crazy shit online. He’d plugged into her phone and laptop, along with some of the monitoring systems on campus, to keep an eye on her.
Yes, he was being a creep, but he’d vowed to not enable video on her devices unless he heard screaming. There was no evidence she was being observed by anyone else, but Hunter wanted to be alerted immediately if that changed.
Then, he erased his appearance at the shooting range by stealing the full day’s worth of tapes from the dead drop. Chad had never showed—just as Hunter thought—but two other men with fashy haircuts and, as far as Hunter could tell, questionable shooting technique did. If this really did come down to a firefight, innocents were going to die.
Hunter did his best to pull clear shots of their faces and pinned them to a board for Cal, who worked the old-fashioned way.
Cal could never find out what Hunter had given them. Cal seemed to sense that too; he often changed the subject himself when it got awkward. While Hunter wanted to be completely honest about everything, they both knew that, due to their jobs, they couldn’t always be candid. Cal had classified work from the FBI and Hunter had some shady shit in his lockboxes—shady shit the US government needed off book from time-to-time. Of course, if Hunter became truly inconvenient, it was his head in the noose, regardless of how useful he’d once been.
Most of Hunter’s time online was invested in following Barnes’s orders to infiltrate Antifa. One thing Hunter had known straight up even before he got in was that Antifa and social justice people weren’t nearly as biddable as Nazis. That was part of what made the idea of them being dangerous so laughable.
Sure, any group could have a few whackos who’d go over the line. There was always that person at the party who got way too drunk and started smashing shit. Most of Antifa were good people who were trying to do the right thing, but what scared conservatives was that they weren’t afraid to punch Nazis…or tell someone when they were using a slur.
How that was equivalent to fascism, Hunter would never understand.
For this work, Hunter needed to be more than a troll; he’d need to come across as a real human person, or no one would trust him. He had the right look, so he took a photo of himself in a mask, showing off his bright hair, and signed in as br0knspayce, a variant of one of his first ever online handles.
No one would make the connection, but even if they did, sp4ycebo1 was a hurt and angry child railing against the world after the suicide of his bio dad. It would be unthinkable for people of conscience to question him after that.
Initially, Hunter had pitched the idea of his movement being called Edelweiss, which Barnes had thought was genius. A good companion name to the Weisse Drache, but also a bit of a middle finger to Nazis. However, once Hunter pitched it to the others online, he got huge backlash over calling themselves white flowers, connection to the Sound of Music or not.
So, while there was still some debate about there being any connection to a German language name at all, they became Wildblumen. Their movement of active resistance grew, but not without debate and often reasonable voices trying to draw lines about what would constitute defense against fascism versus offense.
While there was always infighting and a huge tendency toward pedantry and overthinking, Hunter really liked these people. He hated that he was manipulating them, but this was his best chance to protect them. When rhetoric got too heated, sometimes he’d log in as another account and speak reason where he could.
It was a lot of work.
After Cal had arranged his leave through DuPre, he was around making sure Hunter ate or logged off to sleep occasionally. Hunter was barely aware of how much time was passing between driving the movement and monitoring Chad’s hard drive.
Most of the time, Hunter would check a mirror of the hard drive. He took them at odd hours of the day and evaluated the changes programmatically to watch for any big deviations.
In the report, he noticed the TOR browser had been installed. Curious, since as far as Hunter knew, Chad had no clue about even that level of protection. The browser would protect him from ISP sniffing, which would disguise movements online to a point.
It didn’t help if someone could straight up watch his hard drive. Hi, Chad.
Switching to live mode, Hunter watched as Chad started doing deep dive searches on Instagram. Curious. That wouldn’t generally be an activity one needed security for.
It wasn’t until Hunter saw his own name being typed into the search bar that he became concerned.
Hunter didn’t have an Instagram account, but he lived in the world through college and plenty of people on campus had known him. Drumming up a picture…someone would’ve had to have known his name and tagged him and… Wasn’t that how Liberty Association had found him?
Shit. So much had happened since then that Hunter hadn’t tried to expunge those party pictures from the internet. Even if he had tried, nothing online ever truly died.
Hunter cursed himself for being so careless. Of course he’d been tagged, and there he was with Cal, plain as day. Granted, Hunter didn’t know until recently that Cal had identified himself as FBI, but he did now. Chad had even mentioned how scared he’d been.
Fuck. And now Chad was looking up Cal. He didn’t imagine it would lead to much—Cal wasn’t really a social media type—but that Chad had the sense to attempt to hide this activity made Hunter wonder if he’d brought up Cal with Barnes.
And what Barnes might do if he knew Chad was digging.
Hunter hopped up on unsteady feet and called out to Cal. If anyone had any perspective on what kind of monkey wrench this would throw into their plan, it would be him.
“Yeah, baby?” Cal appeared in the doorway and smiled, looking weary but ready to do battle on Hunter’s behalf. He’d been Hunter’s staunch supporter, as protective as ever but around so much more, like it had been in the beginning. Taking down evil orgs was just what they did as a couple.
“I’ve run into a snag.” Hunter leaned against the doorway. He looked over his shoulder at Chad viewing old Instagram pictures, probably searching for a good photo of Cal’s face. “You made a big impression on Chad. He’s looking for you now, but I’m not sure why. What’s Barnes going to do if he sees this?”
“Wait, what’s going on?” Cal asked, sounding baffled by the sudden info dump. He stared past Hunter at the screen and blinked a few times as he put it together. “Oh shi—shoot. That’s real dumb, Chad. Even for you.” He exhaled slowly and raked a hand through his dark hair. “This is not going to go well for him, Hunter. Barnes is…” Cal sought words and finally just shrugged one broad shoulder. “Barnes is capable of anything, isn’t he?”
“It seems like he is.” Hunter offered a weak smile and then turned to anxiously look at the screen. “What do we do? I mean, part of me kind of doesn’t care if Chad lives or dies, but he’s our connection to when this is going to go down.”
Chad was probably trying to get leverage on Hunter. He probably had no idea the hornet’s nest he was kicking over. The impression Hunter had was that Chad didn’t know anything of Barnes’s connection to the FBI, let alone to Cal. Though Chad didn’t know it, he could blow up the whole thing.
Hunter folded his arms and looked at Cal helplessly. “At best, I could shut down his computer, which would stop him for the moment but might arouse suspicion. Unless…”
He looked toward the windows in the bedroom. “I could power down the sector, but that’s just going to buy us… I don’t even know how long. He still has his phone, if he’s determined.”
“You can’t save stupid, Hunter.” Cal sounded regretful but resolute, his superhero jaw set. “If he goes too far, he’s subject to the consequences of his actions. Maybe…”
Cal scratched his nose, obviously agitated, and then shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Can you tell Barnes privately that you know I’m keeping tabs on Chad? That might warn him off making Chad suddenly disappear, if he thinks FBI resources are observing him.”
“I’m not sure I have his full trust if he’s not keeping me in the loop on when this is going down.” Then again, it wasn’t as if Barnes could set a go date without some highly motivated Antifa to cause a ruckus. “Maybe the safest bet is to push up the timeline. I should… I mean, I could probably work up a botnet, make it seem like the Antifa following is working. Maybe Sam would help? Barnes is going to want me to find some sacrificial lambs.”
“Sam’s a good choice. He’ll do what needs doing, if he can rationalize it. I’ve been CC’ing him on all my reports.” Cal’s efforts to work for Dark Sun were successful so far—Barnes had chosen a first assignment that played to Cal’s strengths, doing intermittent protection detail for an important client—and he’d been working on Barnes to invest more information in him. Meanwhile, Cal submitted his reports to his non-existent boss and made sure Sam read every one, detailing his infiltration of Dark Sun and documenting his true allegiance.
Hunter wasn’t sure that would be enough. “You think he’d know some friendly people in the FBI to pose as Antifa if we need it? Not in an official capacity, of course. But to speed things along. I could also set up Nikki to contribute anonymously to fill in some gaps. If Sam’s not sure about getting people involved, if we can control the situation, maybe Nikki can help. Plenty of people on campus are sick of being shouted at by Nazis.”
“Sam has resources.” Cal smiled a little, looking amused. “He can rouse some folks—not all Feds—to help. He has a whole network of supporters. He wouldn’t have gotten where he did being who he is if he didn’t.”
Which made sense. The Bureau might be superficially okay with gay men like Cal and trans men like Sam, but there were respectability politics at work. Sam would’ve needed a lot of social capital to rise as high as he had.
Then Cal turned somber. “I’d rather we not bring your sister into this if we don’t have to, but on the other hand, she’s a woman of color and a talented hacker. This is her fight too. Maybe my instinct to protect her and keep her out of things is counter to what she’d prefer.” It was as if Cal could hear Hunter’s criticisms unspoken. “I know, I know, I’m supposed to ‘divest myself of paternalistic authoritarian culture’ and all that.”
“Nikki can handle herself. I don’t want to bother her if she’s got exams, but I have perfect confidence she can anonymously troll. She’s my sister. It’s in the blood.” Hunter pounded his chest as if he were some mafioso. He might have unrealistic expectations of what Nikki could or couldn’t do, and she didn’t seem to get the same sense of elation Hunter did when trolling, but she’d probably enjoy an opportunity to ruffle Nazi feathers for the public good.
Who wouldn’t?
Hunter turned to look at the screen when the doorbell rang. He eyed Cal, brow furrowed. “Are you expecting anyone?”
Cal shrugged and raised a brow, so Hunter switched computer profiles to check the front door security cam.
“Shit, it’s Barnes.”
“What? I just talked to him a few hours ago. He didn’t say anything about coming over.” Cal stared over Hunter’s shoulder at the camera and exhaled. “Looks like he brought a bottle of wine.”
They exchanged glances as Bruiser woke and ran for the door, barking excitedly. Cal appeared to brace himself and followed Bru with Hunter on their heels. Cal stooped to scoop Bruiser into his arms, and the little dog squirmed excitedly as he yipped a warning.
“Who is it?” Cal asked as he peered through the peephole.
“Hey, open up! It’s Barnes.” His cheery voice carried over Bruiser’s racket.
Cal grunted and tightened his grip on Bruiser as he opened the door. “Hey, Justin. Come on in.”
If Cal was as discombobulated as Hunter felt, there was no sign. He looked as pleased as ever to see the man despite Bruiser going HAM in his arms as Barnes stepped inside and Cal shut the door behind him.
“Hey, how are my favorite guys?” Barnes smiled at Cal, then let his gaze rake slowly over Hunter, who had been fucking around in just a pair of boxers. He might as well be naked the way Barnes was eye-fucking him.
Bringing his gaze finally to Hunter’s face, Barnes gestured at his head. “Ah, got the color back in. Gives you that kind of barely legal look, doesn’t it?” Barnes winked at Cal and started to hand over the wine but, eyeing Bruiser, handed it to Hunter instead.
“Thanks.” Hunter looked at the wine and then back at Barnes and Cal. “Were we supposed to have dinner or something?”
“No, no, this is a celebration!” Barnes grinned and waggled his brows. “We’ve had a breakthrough.”
Cal frowned as he looked between Hunter and Barnes, obviously displeased with the “barely legal” comment. Cal didn’t talk a lot about their age gap, but he enjoyed being called Daddy so he couldn’t mind it that much. Then again, having a former friend call it out probably didn’t sit well with him.
Along with all that race-baiting and warmongering. That might factor in too.
“A breakthrough?” Cal raised a brow. Barnes hadn’t yet entrusted him with the plan he’d shared with Hunter, occupying Cal in a different area of Dark Sun. “Well tell me about it, Barnes. Hunter will put Bru in the bedroom and get some clothes on.”
“Hunter’s fine. It’s a warm day.” It was clear Barnes was pleased with himself for rankling Cal. Hunter couldn’t fault him for that; it was a sport he too had enjoyed on occasion. “It’s a project I’ve been working on with him, so I should probably have that conversation without you. We could go to the bedroom, leave Bruiser to his own devices?”
Hunter froze, his grip tightening on the wine. What should he do? He didn’t want to go to the bedroom with jubilant Barnes. “I think Cal can hear it. I mean, if we have real movement, he’ll find out soon enough, right?”
He tilted his head at Barnes, smiling sweetly before letting it turn a little dirty. “How about I open this wine and get us started? I think Cal will be…open…to what you have to say now.”
“Ah, been working him, have you? Good boy. You really are so good, aren’t you?” Barnes stepped into Hunter’s personal space and slid his fingers through his hair. “You really think he’s ready?”
Hunter fought hard not to cringe and shrink away. He met Cal’s gaze, hoping he didn’t look as nervous as he felt. All he could really think as he looked at Cal was help me. “Oh yeah, I think Cal’s eyes have been opened.”
Behind Barnes’s back, Cal looked like the only thing he was going to open were Barnes’s veins. Hunter saw him wrestle his rage under control until his handsome face was just a pleasant mask. He reached out and squeezed Barnes’s shoulder, drawing him back and away from Hunter before sidling around him and handing Bru to Hunter, trading him for the bottle of wine.
“After what the Bureau did and how well Dark Sun’s been treating me, I think it’s safe to say where my loyalties lie,” Cal said as Hunter gathered the cranky, noisy little dog in his arms and hid his bare chest behind a fluff of fur. “And yeah, Hunter’s…been persuading me that maybe I’ve been…naïve about some things. I don’t want to be left in the cold. I’m a team player, Justin. You know that about me.” Cal smiled and gestured toward the kitchen. “Let’s get some glasses.”
“Excellent.” Barnes flashed Hunter a quick smile and then followed Cal to the kitchen.
That look.
Hunter clung to Bruiser, who quieted down to lavish Hunter’s chin with kisses. The familiar doggie breath helped soothe Hunter’s jangled nerves. He wanted to bury his face in Bruiser’s fuzz and buy some time alone, but the moment demanded otherwise.
That stomach-churning Chad-y feeling gripped Hunter, but he’d faced down his would-be rapist. He could handle this too.
But he didn’t feel good leaving Cal in Barnes’s clutches, even to get dressed. If it came down to it, there were two of them at least.
God, why was Hunter even thinking like this?
Barnes’s voice echoed through the condo, explaining Weisse Drache and his plan to conquer Seattle. Hunter hung back, listening in the doorway, feeling like a piece of shit for not being bolder about protecting Cal. Thankfully Barnes wasn’t trying to paw him yet.
Hunter hung his head, letting Bruiser comfort him with nuzzles and soft whimpers as if Hunter were Bru’s needy puppy. After a beat, Hunter headed to their room and pulled on a shirt. Fuck Barnes. Hunter couldn’t stand around mostly naked and keep it together.
He returned barefoot and drowning in one of Cal’s undershirts.
Barnes eyed him as he came closer and held out his arm to put it around Hunter. “You did good, kid. I was just getting to the new part. Chad apparently got in contact with Liberty Association. There’s a new cell started up right over on your old campus.”
“Sounds about white.” Hunter gave a mirthless smile to his joke, but all he could think about was Nikki and that demonstration. Sure, Liberty Association was trying to clean up its reputation, but in Seattle they were known for their attempted bombing. Why would anyone want to be associated with those maniacs?
“Right? Anyway, they’re awaiting approval for a demonstration on campus.”
“At UW? Schools are big news.” Cal sounded impressed; his expression registered appropriate wonder. “Thought I’d put those mother—jerks down, but it sounds like they might be good for something yet.”
Cal looked to Hunter and gave him one of those sweet, reassuring smiles he broke out every so often, the ones that told Hunter Cal had his back no matter what. He stood on Barnes’s other side and slipped his arm around Barnes’s waist as if refused to be left out.
As relieved as Hunter was to have Cal with him, he couldn’t help feeling anxious about that campus demonstration. He tried not to fidget, but within moments Bruiser was back and weaving through Hunter’s legs, yipping as he stared up at Hunter with great concern.
“It’s okay, Bru. Justin’s a friend.”
Bruiser sat at Hunter’s feet and squinted at him as if he didn’t believe that.
Barnes squeezed Hunter’s shoulder. “Especially since Berkley the alt-right has been focusing on schools. They see them as liberal bastions that need to hear the truth. They’re also probably just cruisin’ for a bruisin’, and we’ll give ‘em one. I know things are…tentative…with your Antifa.”
Hunter shook off his moodiness, chastened. “You know what they say. Liberals fall in love; conservatives fall in line. They talk big and they’ll throw down if someone starts with them, but they’re mostly just, you know, more about talking.”
“I’m getting that feeling.” Barnes rolled his eyes. “No matter. They show up practically in costume. We’ll just send Chad in with his friends to get the party started. Liberty Association told the school they won’t be packing, but they’ve assured Chad they don’t go anywhere without a gun.”
The idea of a war breaking out at Hunter’s alma mater made him sick. He must’ve looked it because Barnes slapped him on the back and chuckled. “Just make sure your sister has somewhere else to be. It’ll be fine.”
“You’re sure innocent by-standers won’t get caught in the crossfire?” Cal asked, because of course he did. He searched Barnes’s face with obvious concern. “You know I understand the need to do this—I’m with you—but I’d prefer ordinary college kids not get murdered. You trust Chad to keep his people on task? They’ve practiced at the gun range?” Cal frowned.
Barnes shrugged. “Is there ever any guarantee people won’t get hurt at a protest? I don’t think Chad and his group will try to kill anyone with Liberty Association, but what Liberty does in response… I don’t know. Not sure what kind of marksmen they are, probably not great. It’s always different shooting a piece of paper versus shooting an actual person. Certainly messier.”
Cal fell silent for a few moments, probably realizing there was no chance he could protect people. For a moment, he looked blank with what Hunter recognized as silent fury, and then Cal shrugged. “Guess you’re right. We’ll have to take it as it comes. Law enforcement’s not exactly known for keeping it clean and shooting the right people either. There’s no helping it.”
He looked at Hunter again and smiled, though Hunter could tell it was forced. “So how about we serve this wine and stop worrying about things we can’t control?”
After hugging Barnes sideways, Cal stepped away to pull wine glasses from the cabinet.
“Yeah.” Hunter had some other ideas for possibly stopping the situation before it started, but this wasn’t the time to discuss that. Besides, it was good for Barnes to feel like there was some pushback. More authentic.
As Cal set three glasses on the counter, Hunter retrieved the bottle from where it was breathing and poured. When Hunter handed a glass to Barnes, Bruiser started barking again as if he’d been cued.
Barnes looked about ready to kick him, so Hunter stepped between them.
“Not going to lie, I’m worried about college kids getting shot, but it’s not as if random violence isn’t happening every day.” Hunter held up his glass. “To Dark Sun.”
Barnes seemed to take great joy in the other men’s discomfort. Looking nothing short of gleeful, he clanked their glasses together and eyed Cal. Fucking sadist Nazi fuck.
“To Dark Sun,” Cal agreed. He raised a brow at Barnes’s apparent pleasure and then managed one of those rueful smiles he sometimes wore when Hunter did something Cal didn’t entirely approve of. He sipped his wine and then leaned back against the counter, muscles bulging from the snug shirt he wore, looking better than he had any right to under the circumstances. He obviously knew how to use his appeal on Barnes, though it disgusted Hunter to watch.
Cal was probably trying take the heat off Hunter, but Hunter couldn’t prevent a flare of jealousy. It was hard not to throw himself across Cal and shriek MINE repeatedly, but Bruiser seemed to have that move covered. He pranced at Cal’s feet, facing Barnes, barking his face off.
Hunter crossed an arm around himself and took a big gulp of wine. “Guess it’s really happening.”
“Yes. Yes, it is.” Barnes downed his glass and set it aside. He didn’t disguise his interest in what Cal was putting out. “Exciting, isn’t it? Like getting that great break in a tough case. Had some good times, didn’t we?”
He turned his gaze on Hunter. “Didn’t need to tell your boy here how great your dick is. Saw him limping the other day. Bet it’s hot seeing him get fucked.”
Cal bristled; he hated it when people talked about Hunter as if he wasn’t there—sometimes other agents did that—but he just shrugged it off. “You know I’m old-fashioned. Been keeping him to myself. Hunter likes the threesome porn, though. I found it in his spank bank.” Cal shot Barnes a wry glance. “It takes a lot to keep up with a brat like him.”
As Bruiser continued to bark, Cal looked down and cooed, “Shh, Bru. Everything’s okay.” Then he dropped to a crouch, still holding his wine in one hand as he petted Bruiser to soothe him. Usually Bruiser settled down when Cal did that, but not this time. Barnes probably didn’t read Cal’s tension the same way Hunter and Bruiser did. Cal’s hapless, brilliant smile of apology as he gazed up at them concealed whatever darker things he felt.
“Oh, I bet.” Barnes sized up Hunter, flashing a dirty smile. “He’s a dirty boy, Cal. We should teach him what a threesome really means.”
Hunter’s body reacted with a flicker of interest even as his mind recoiled. Barnes was hot, sure, but knowing what lurked beneath…
What choice would they have if Barnes pushed? They had some pertinent facts now, an estimated timeframe… They knew what the plot would be. So how badly did they need to maintain cover? Maybe they could foil this without going that far.
But then, how would they tie it to Barnes? And if they couldn’t, how would they stop him?
Finishing his wine, Hunter smirked and play-punched Barnes’s shoulder. “What makes you think I don’t already know about threesomes? I’m hardly a blushing virgin.”
Barnes chuckled and took a step toward Hunter, into his personal space. “Oh, I bet.”
Hunter clutched his hands behind his back, trying to control his tremble as Barnes’s cologne invaded his senses.
Bruiser’s barking grew louder, more insistent, escalating to loud growls.
At the corner of Hunter’s eye, Cal was struggling to prevent Bruiser from attacking.
Good dog.
“This isn’t gonna work tonight, guys.” Cal sounded apologetic as he held Bruiser’s tiny, pugnacious form in both arms, wine glass abandoned. “Bru needs a babysitter if we’re gonna play.” He gave Barnes a wry look. “Can’t just drop in on couples with small children for a game night.”
“Oh, come on, he’s a dog, Cal. Just lock him in the bathroom.” It looked like Barnes realized his mistake the second he said it. He dug his hand into his hair, looking exasperated. Psychopaths never took being turned down well. He huffed and appealed to Hunter. “Come on, I know you don’t just let Bruiser in the room with you.”
Before Hunter could reply, Cal retorted.
“Oh, come on, can you get it up with a dog barking pitifully a few yards away? How would any of us enjoy that?” Cal bristled and rose to his feet holding Bru protectively, comforting him. Barnes had stepped on Cal’s very real parental attitude toward the little dog. Then he softened his expression and sighed. “Look, Justin, if we’re gonna do this, I need to plan for it. I’m just not the spontaneous type.”
Bruiser yipped and licked Cal’s chin, and Cal cooed at the dog, “Neither is my little Bruiser.”
Hunter tried not to look as relieved as he felt. Whatever else anyone thought of rat dog, he was a good partner in crime. Or in justice, whatever the case might be. Hunter shared a wry smirk with Barnes and shrugged as if to say, “What can you do?”
Barnes rolled his eyes. “Cal, this is such a huge breakthrough. I can’t believe you don’t want to celebrate it!”
Hunter affected a reasonable tone. “Let’s plan on celebrating after it all happens, huh?”
Cal kissed Bruiser’s squirmy little head and then gave Barnes a slow smile. “You know me, Barnes. Wasn’t I worth waiting for? Let me make plans for this. I’ll get Bruiser a sitter for that night. When is it? I’ll book right now.”
“A couple of weeks, if they get the approval. It’ll be a Sunday afternoon so it’s not as ‘disruptive’ to regular students and the functioning of the campus. It’ll probably attract a lot of older folks, so try not to worry your pretty little head about your sister, all right?” Barnes ruffled Hunter’s hair and then turned to roll his eyes at Cal. “We can do it at my place. We’ll watch it go down from there.”
“Oh yeah?” Cal’s slow smile turned dirty, a look Hunter was only accustomed to seeing leveled at himself. “You inviting us for a sleepover, Justin?” Cal raised a brow and then stepped forward with an arm full of bristling Bru to reach up and muss Barnes’s hair in turn. It was a sickeningly intimate gesture that spoke to how close they’d once been.
Then Cal stepped away and headed for the bedroom with Bru, who still grumbled and barked as Cal shut him inside. When Cal returned, Bruiser was once again yapping at full strength.
Cal looked at Barnes and sighed. “Probably best we do it at yours. I’ll plan for it, okay? Get myself in the right headspace.”
If Hunter wasn’t so sure that Cal was playing Barnes, he’d have a fit. It all sounded so easy. Just a threesome while the world burned. Why not?
Fucking grossest thing he’d heard, but at least they had a tentative date. Two weeks to figure this out and shut it down. Now that was something Hunter could get excited about.
He let that feeling buoy him as he moved next to Cal and put his arm around him. “Some things are definitely worth waiting for. We’ll bring the wine next time.”
Barnes looked disappointed, but he smoothed his hair and sighed. “All right. But you know I’m going to expect some real athletics, so do your yoga or whatever it is you do.” He smirked viciously. “Be ready to bleed.”
Hunter had no idea what that meant and wasn’t sure he wanted clarification. He started for the door; the sooner Barnes left, the better. “Sounds like fun.”
Cal growled a little, but he followed Hunter, herding Barnes toward the door while seeming just to be in his physical space, getting handsy. Hunter knew better than anyone that Cal had a knack for being angry and sexy at the same time. Barnes didn’t seem to mind Cal’s rough treatment—it was probably all part of the game.
Hunter calculated each of Cal’s touches to Barnes, feeling each one deeply even while he told himself not to take it personally.
Once Barnes was out the door, he paused and grinned at them. “I’ll see you two very soon.”
“Soon,” Cal agreed as he settled his arm around Hunter’s shoulder.
Finally, Barnes waved and took off. Hunter sighed in relief when Cal shut the door.
“Sounds like we have a date. Guess it’s time to make a new plan.”
Cal turned and looked at Hunter with an expression of grim determination. “I guess so.”