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  “So, what can we do for you, Brady?” Kane asked, knowing he sounded short. He couldn’t keep the frown off his face and he dreaded the real reason the marshal was there.

  Brady nodded, looking him squarely in the eye as he spoke. “The reason I’m here this morning is to reiterate that we’ve been monitoring everyone we have in protection as we told you before. But, I have to tell you, not all our protectees are monitored as closely as some others. It’s not our policy to routinely show up on someone’s doorstep or drop in on them if they’ve been in the program for decades like your mother and sister unless they make first contact. Showing up without reason tends to put them at a greater risk. In cases like this latest threat however, we have notified all of our protectees of a possible leak and we are all on high alert for problems.”

  Kane nodded. “I can see that.”

  “And then again, there are protectees who voluntarily leave the program or just ghost us for whatever reason,” Brady said.

  “So, you’re telling us that you have some protectees that are out of pocket,” Kane said. “These people who are ghosting you?”

  Brady sighed. “Yes. We can’t protect people who don’t want our protection or get tired of us. A lot of the time, people simply become complacent over time. They believe that as more time has passed, the people wanting them dead have forgotten all about them. Or, they miss their families or communities so they initiate contact which just puts everyone in danger, even us.”

  “Right.”

  Brady nodded slowly. “Anyway, now that we’re fairly certain we were hacked, we’re having all marshals check on their protectees in person but as I said, some have gone off our grid and we’re trying to locate them. In the Los Angeles area alone, we have a handful of protectees that are unaccounted for and we’re doing our best to locate them all as quickly as possible. This is why the US Marshal service asked you to stay on at the LAPD. We think it’s important that you assume your undercover is still intact unless we learn any different.”

  “And if Martin Carlow knows we’re not dirty?” Kane said. He glanced at Kelly before looking back at Brady. “Look, we’ll do whatever you want us to do. It looks like he’s the real bad guy. I just find it ironic that he’s always been smarter than Enoch and Brandon.”

  “Kane’s right. You have to admit, it’s kind of disturbing,” Kelly said, “but tell us what you know about Carlow and we’ll start looking for him.” She shot Kane a sidelong glance. “We are detectives after all.”

  Kane sent Kelly a minuscule nod.

  “At the moment, all we want you to do is to work the streets and find Carlow. He’s our best lead on the hacked list so he’s our top priority—aside from assuring the safety of our protectees.”

  “All right,” Kane said, turning from Brady back to Snow. “We’ll need whatever the FBI has on Carlow.”

  “No problem,” Lincoln said. “We’ll get you everything we have on him and the organization. Meanwhile, we’ll let Marshal Brady get back to work. It sounds like he’s got a lot on his plate with protectees to find.”

  “Thank you,” Brady said.

  As they all stood and shook hands, Kane was relieved—to a point. At least he now knew why he’d been asked to stay under with the LAPD. He glanced at Kelly who was laughing at something Mac said. He liked working with her. She kept him honest just like Dev, his partner at the ATF. He wondered whether he’d ever get back there. For the foreseeable future, he’d remain a cop.

  ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

  Luca reached over the glass counter and handed a drawstring bag to his customer. He gave her a brilliant smile before thanking her for her purchase and she thanked him back before turning to walk out of Auerbach’s Jewelers past the two armed guards on duty. Even though his boss had been assured that the robberies should stop now that the perpetrators had been caught, Luca had been told that the guards would remain a permanent fixture at the store. Stephen Auerbach had insisted on it.

  He glanced over at Chris, the part-time college student who worked for him. He was showing a watch with a pave diamond face to an older woman. She smiled and handed the watch back to Chris, reaching into her purse to produce a credit card. When Chris walked over to the register where Luca stood, he was beaming.

  “Eight thousand dollars. Nice,” Chris hissed under his breath.

  Luca grinned. Chris usually worked in the late afternoon when he didn’t have any classes and Luca had scheduled him to close the store with him tonight. Since this branch of Auerbach’s was free-standing and not in a mall, they closed at eight. It was nearly seven now and since it took an hour to put the jewelry away in the safe, Luca walked over to a case with 14-karat gold chains and opened it to begin pulling pads.

  Going to Carina’s the night before had been a horrible mistake. Ever since Kane had stopped calling, he’d been trying not to cry. After the robbers had been arrested, they’d spent a lot of time together, most of it in bed. But as time went by, Luca could almost feel Kane pulling away more and more. When he’d made the mistake of telling his best friend Corey about Kane, after missing several opportunities to go out club hopping, Corey had warned him what a mistake he was making. Luca was a proud gay man and dating a guy so obviously in the closet was a huge mistake.

  The bottom line was that Luca had lost himself in Kane. He’d wanted him almost from the first moment he’d seen him. He’d not only admired Kane’s brawny build and gruff nature, but when he’d finally been cajoled into going to bed with Luca, he’d lost himself in the wonder he’d seen in Kane’s eyes as they’d made love. That, of course, had been Luca’s problem. He’d equated their time in bed together as being something that meant more than just sex. He’d come to realize over the past weeks that he was just too young. He’d fooled himself into thinking that Kane liked him enough to want to keep him because of how attentive and amazing he was with him when they were horizontal.

  Kane was more interesting than Luca had thought at first glance. Each time Luca had come into contact with the man, he’d learned just a little bit more about him. When he’d seen him at Marty’s that first night, literally running into him, he’d seen wonder in his expression as he’d watched him up on stage. When he’d met him after the jewelry store robbery, he’d felt hostility and he couldn’t pin down a reason until he finally decided he was in denial of his feelings but that was before Kane had kissed him in the elevator. By the time they’d slept together a few times, Luca was convinced that he was making progress… that Kane’s walls were falling.

  What had changed?

  Luca couldn’t put his finger on things. Maybe Kane’s feelings were growing stronger and once he realized it, he couldn’t come to terms with it. Maybe someone in his family had found out that Kane was sleeping with a man. Maybe a coworker had found out. As far as Luca knew, Kane’s partner Kelly was the only person who knew they’d been seeing each other and Kelly liked him. Maybe he needed to stop guessing and just let it go.

  As he finished pulling the pads and locking the safe, he said goodbye to Chris and locked up. He was waiting at the bus stop when his phone rang. He dug it out of his pocket and saw Corey’s face on the screen. He swiped the phone, connecting the call.

  “What’s up, Corey?” Luca asked, hearing the exhaustion in his own voice.

  “Hey, babe. What happened last night? You were dancing with Brett and me and then you just disappeared.”

  “I ran into Kane and I lost my happy place. The last thing I wanted to do was hang around feeling like that.”

  “What was Kane doing at Carina’s?” Corey sounded quite shocked.

  Luca sighed, feeling his stomach roll. “He was there with a girl and since I didn’t want anyone to see me cry, I left.”

  “Oh my God! He’s a fucking bastard, Luca. What the hell you ever saw in him, I will never know.”

  “You warned me but I’m a stubborn idiot. You know that, Corey.” Luca could hear the anger in his best friend’s voice but he knew it wa
s only out of love for him.

  “Where are you?” Corey said, interrupting his dark thoughts.

  “At the bus stop. I just got off work.”

  “Come and meet me and the guys at Barcelona.”

  Luca remembered the last time he’d been at Barcelona, a hot gay bar with go-go boys, not far from his apartment in West Hollywood. He’d been dragged out of the place by Kane and accused of being a hustler. He hadn’t returned since. Maybe he needed to go back and face his demons. At least he thought he had demons. The way Kane had ghosted him after being so attentive with him—in bed at least—had almost given Luca a crisis of confidence. Seeing him at Carina’s with a woman had been the last nail in the coffin of their tenuous relationship. Now that he knew they were truly over, he told himself that it was time to move on. Besides, the likelihood of seeing Kane at Barcelona’s again was pretty slim. The lawman had made up his mind that he was straight, it seemed, so going to a gay bar wouldn’t be in the cards.

  “Fine. I’ll be there. I need to go home and change first.”

  “Well, hurry. We’re all here and you have some catching up to do,” Corey said before hanging up.

  Luca stepped onto the bus feeling resigned and relaxed for the first time in weeks.

  Chapter Two

  Luca walked up to the bar at Barcelona, hoping to run into the handsome bartender who’d once asked him out. All the bartenders at the club were gorgeous but he’d had some sort of connection with this one. That night he’d been at the bar for a birthday party so he hadn’t been able to take the man up on his offer but tonight, Luca was anxious to move on. He really needed to get his life back under control again. Ever since Kane had stopped calling, he felt he was going off the rails and seeing Kane last night was the absolute worst. He wondered whether Kane had orchestrated the encounter when he had a girl with him. Luca was sick as he thought of what they did after leaving the club. For a few seconds, Luca pictured Kane’s gorgeous body pressed against the brunette’s naked curves and pain rose up in him so quickly, he actually tasted bile.

  “What can I get you, doll?”

  Luca shook away the dark thoughts that seemed to be drowning him and smiled at the blond bartender. He was tall and thin but he had a killer smile with a small gap in his two front teeth that made him look kind of goofy. Luca cleared his throat.

  “Give me a Long Island Iced Tea, please.”

  “Comin’ right up,” the bartender said, winking before walking away.

  Luca turned his back to the bar while he waited for his drink and searched the large club for any sign of Corey. He knew he’d be with a big group of people. He always surrounded himself with their friends. They were all about the same age as Luca—early twenties—and very few of them had any direction to their lives. They were fun to hang around with because all they thought or seemed to care about was getting laid and partying. Luca decided that’s what he needed tonight. He needed to cut loose and just enjoy himself.

  “Here you go!”

  Luca spun around and smiled at the bartender as he placed the tall glass on a napkin. He paid for the drink, left a large tip, and left the bar area, strolling around the club to search out his friends. He was happy when he spotted Freddy who was standing all alone, leaning against a pillar and staring up at a go-go boy who was undulating around a sleek pole in a sexy display of manhood. Freddy seemed to be engrossed in the dance because he didn’t even look over at Luca as he walked right up to him.

  “Hey, Freddy, how are you?” Luca said, loud enough to be heard over the loud music. Freddy looked over and when their eyes met, Luca realized, almost immediately, that his friend was on something. His eyes were glassy and seemed unfocused as he stared at him. It took him almost half a minute to recognize Luca and when he did, he pushed off the pillar and stumbled into him, nearly knocking Luca over as he threw his arms around him. His drink sloshed between them, wetting Luca’s favorite shirt.

  Shit.

  Luca hugged Freddy back and when he did, he could feel his ribcage. He’d gotten very thin. He’d always been a slender version of gym bunny so seeing him without any meat on him was very strange. It had only been a couple of months since he’d last seen Freddy in this very bar, but the stark change in him was unnerving. When Luca was finally able to extricate himself from Freddy’s embrace, he stepped back and looked into his friend’s face. This close, Luca was surprised to see the dark circles under his eyes. His cheekbones were pointy and his skin seemed to be stretched paper thin over his prominent nose and forehead.

  “Luca. How are you?” Freddy slurred.

  The man wasn’t holding a drink so he’d either downed several before Luca arrived, or there was some other substance on board. Luca never did drugs. He was sensitive to most medication, even over the counter cold remedies, so he’d never tried the illegal drugs some of his friends used. Most of the time, it was only pot but once in a while, he was offered something stronger: Molly—ecstasy—or some kind of stimulant. He knew the street names of some of them, but he wanted no part of them. A friend in high school in Florida had died of a heroin overdose and that had sealed the deal for Luca. He didn’t take drugs but he knew the signs and Freddy had them. It was strange to say the least. Luca had never seen him indulge in drugs of any kind.

  “Hey, babe,” Luca said, holding on to both of Freddy’s biceps to keep him steady on his feet. “What’s goin’ on? You okay? You look a little pale.”

  Freddy’s smile was sloppy and he weaved a little on his feet. “No, man, I’m good, Luca. Got me a new man and I’m good.”

  Luca offered a tentative smile, wondering whether this new man had given Freddy whatever he was on. He patted Freddy on one cheek and his friend turned his head into Luca’s hand, kissing him in the middle of his palm. When he laid his head sideways into Luca’s hand and looked up at him, it was almost sweet.

  “Take me home and fuck me, Luca,” Freddy said.

  Luca frowned. They’d never slept together. What he and Freddy had was a friendship and a sometimes tense one at that. Freddy was prone to want to kiss Luca on the mouth every time they saw each other and Luca didn’t do that. He rarely kissed on the mouth and the last person he’d let kiss him had torn his heart out, so he wasn’t about to let that happen. The very last person he’d take to bed was Freddy, especially in the condition he was in at the moment. Even if he were right, it wouldn’t happen. The man wasn’t his type. Besides, why would he want to ruin a perfectly nice casual friendship by fucking the man? He let his hand drop and Freddy swayed a little as he stood up straighter.

  “Why don’t you let me get you some coffee, honey?”

  Freddy snorted. “Why would I want coffee? We’re at a bar, Luca.” Freddy reached for Luca, grabbing him by both hips as he pulled him against his groin. He leaned in and spoke beside Luca’s ear. “I wanna get laaaaaaaid, baby. Take me home and fuck me,” he drawled.

  Luca pulled back, sloshing the full drink he still held over his hand and cursing himself. “I’m not going home with you, Freddy. You don’t look so good. Let me buy you some coffee. You like Starbucks and there’s one a block from here. Come on. We’ll walk. The cold air will be good for you anyway.”

  “Can’t go,” Freddy said, dropping his hands and looking at Luca, finally seeming to be able to focus. “Can’t go ‘till I… earn.”

  Luca wasn’t sure he’d heard him right. It sounded like he said he couldn’t leave the club until he earned but that couldn’t be right. The only way he could earn in a club was to pick up someone who was willing to pay for his services. Freddy wasn’t an escort. He worked as a paralegal for a law firm in Century City. He’d recently gotten his certification and he was well on his way to big things, even contemplating law school in the future.

  “Freddy, I don’t know what you’re talking about but you have to let me take you for some…”

  “I’m not drinking coffee, Luca!” Freddy interrupted him, looking angry for the first time. Apparently, Luca had pushed
him too far. “I gotta get a couple dates and then I’ll leave. You won’t fuck me. I’ll find someone who will.” With that, Freddy spun on his heel and lurched away, disappearing into the crush of bodies surrounding the dance floor.

  Luca just stood there watching his retreating figure, wondering what the fuck just happened. Was it even possible that Freddy had become an escort? He was young and beautiful and until just now, Luca had always thought he had great prospects for his future. Not all of his friends had ambition or a good job like Freddy did. Most of them were still trying to figure out what the hell they wanted to do with their lives so seeing Freddy like this was upsetting.

  Luca looked down at his drink and lifted the half-empty glass to his lips, drinking it quickly. He turned, set the glass down on a table, and headed for the bathroom to wash his sticky hand and dab at his silk shirt with some water. Maybe he could salvage the shirt after all this. After finishing up in the bathroom, he went back out into the club, spotting Corey and a group of their friends. He was still worrying about Freddy but determined to keep his mind occupied and off Kane Delancey. He was done being upset about the man.

  Corey threw his arms around Luca’s neck and hugged him close, speaking into his ear over the loud thump of trance music.

  “Where on earth have you been? I talked to you an hour and a half ago.” Corey kissed him on the cheek. “Where’s your drink?” He didn’t wait for an answer but just grabbed Luca’s hand and began dragging him away from the other guys toward the bar. Luca snorted and followed, happy to see Corey again. It had only been twenty-four hours but he loved his best friend. He was a free spirit. He intended on getting nice and drunk before grabbing an Uber and going home. He didn’t have to work in the morning and the only thing he had to do was catch up on laundry and do some grocery shopping. After getting their drinks, they turned and leaned against the bar side by side, looking out at the dancers, writhing against each other.