other safe.
“Always the same,” Chris commented when Nikita opened the
door of his current hiding hole. “Down to the whiteboards and the
mattress on the floor.” He set his bag down and stretched. “Can we
share?”
“Share?” Nikita paused.
“The mattress.”
Nikita cast him one of those smiles that appealed to every gay
molecule in Chris's body. “We should upgrade that with a proper heavy
iron frame.”
“I like how you're thinking, my man.”
While Chris unpacked a few things and put his shaving kit in the
bathroom, Nikita erased the whiteboards and took out the netbook he'd
secreted under a floorboard beneath the mattress. He brought up the
most recent photos of the closed airport he could find and sketched the
layout on the board.
“This half of the grounds won't suit their purposes for anything,
too close to the main access points and still traveled enough to draw
unwanted attention.”
Chris crouched down beside the computer. “Let me try
something.” He paused. Then, giving in to blind trust, he brought up
the GORGON database and logged in. At least he still had that for now.
No such luck with Wudarczek's special area for this job, but fuck the
little shit, he'd already saved the stuff that had interested him as a
sniper and sent it to his e-mail. He logged out of GORGONnet and then
into his e-mail. He'd gotten three of the five photos he was after when
the screen froze and he was booted off.
“Fuck you too, Steve-o,” he grumbled. He opened the high res
surveillance pics and called Nikita over. “My guess is your people enter
back here. That piece of fencing looks newer and artificially aged. My
guess is it's rigged as a gate.”
He brought up the next picture. “If we go on foot and come in
back here, we can skirt the hangar and warehouse area and find a
couple places to take clean shots.”
“I haven't invited you in.”
“Did I ask to be invited?” He gave Nikita a long look. “This trust
gig works both ways, Nicky. I just fed you semi-classified intel that
you apparently didn't have. That looks like an invitation to me.”
Nikita paused again, regarding him. Shit, he looked human these
days. Maybe good sex did that. No wonder he'd always been pissed off
afterward. The fearless block of stone had emotions. “I'm not a liability.
I'm an asset. I've done this shit for a long time now. You couldn't hire
a better guy than me, and I'm totally free.”
“What about GORGON?”
“How do you… did you just look at my screen?”
“No. I know it's some kind of outfit dealing in some kind of
shadow war. And you're part of it. John and Andrei are part of it too. I
don't want you burning bridges.”
“I might get kicked out.”
“Why?”
“Listen, I can help you with this. You think I'll let you run in
there to catch more bullets, you're fucking wrong.”
“I see.”
Chris bit his tongue for what seemed the hundredth time that day.
He stood. “Am I in or am I in?”
“In—provided the gangsters don't come up with a change of plan
I feel is too risky for you.”
“Oh, come on….” Chris turned away, took a deep breath. “Yeah,
sure.”
“I mean it.”
“Of course you do.” He looked toward the small kitchen area.
“You have any tea in this dump?”
“Help yourself.”
By the time Chris returned with the large mug, Nikita had put
away the netbook, stripped, and was lying on the mattress, head resting
upon his folded arms, his dick lying against his thigh looking like it
wasn't sure if it had any life left or not.
Chris stripped, kept his boxer briefs on mainly to see what the big
guy would do. He stretched out beside Nikita, the tea within arm's
reach. “So, honey, how was your day?”
Nikita chuckled. “Interesting. Tiring.”
Chris sipped the tea and offered some to Nikita. “Same here, with
an added dose of what the fuck.” He set the cup aside and lay back,
turning to face Nikita. Raised up on his right elbow, he touched
Nikita's broad chest. “You really blew me away earlier.”
“Same here.” Nikita studied his face, the gaze not cold at all.
“You've done this shit before.”
“Not with a man.” Nikita shrugged. “It's harder with a man. Or
maybe just harder with you.”
Chris managed, barely, not to preen. Or not much. Should he ask
about Katya? No, not the way Nikita had shut down before. “You're
serious? You've never sucked a man?”
Nikita snorted. “You make it sound like a defect.”
“Hey. You did well for a virgin.” He saw Nikita wasn't too happy
about the compliment. “I mean, I wouldn't have been able to tell the
difference. You did me like a pro, okay?”
Nikita laughed. “Now I sound like a prostitute. Stop digging,
Gibson.”
He gave Nikita a good-natured punch in the arm and received a
slightly harder one in return. It escalated to an all-out wrestling match
that ended once the tea mug was overturned. Chris pulled off his
undershorts to sop up the spot, and Nikita laughed loudly.
“You engineered the entire thing because I was winning.”
“You wish. I kicked your ass in London.”
“You tried.”
“I did.”
“Yet I came out on top.” His gaze slid down to Chris's thigh.
“Do it again.”
“Cut you?”
“The way you did. The exact same thing.”
His jaw tensed. “If you want in on the mission, it's best I not.”
Chris glared. “Why, afraid I'll get captured and your secret will
be out?”
“Don't be an ass.” Nikita snatched up the cup and put it in the
sink. Threw it, more like, from the sound of it breaking.
“Then why?”
“It wasn't the wisest choice on my part. It could have gotten
infected. We can't have you down or your abilities compromised at the
last minute.”
“Fair enough.” Chris sat cross-legged on the mattress.
Nikita lay down on his stomach, traced the skin on Chris's inner
thigh with care. “But after, we'll see. If you still want to.”
“Wouldn't know why not.” Chris surveyed Nikita's backside, the
curve of his ass, the broad back. “You have a fantastic ass.”
Nikita glanced up, half tired, half wary. “I know what you're
thinking.”
“And?”
“I haven't done that and don't plan to.”
Chris's cock began to fill with blood, and he wondered if he
could convince Nikita to get hard too. “It feels good. Felt good when
you fucked me. Hey, you sure pressed my buttons, you know plenty
about butt sex.”
Nikita looked away, stifled a yawn. “I'll think about it.”
At least it wasn't a refusal. “Fair enough.” Chris leaned down,
planted a kiss on Ni
kita's shoulder.
Nikita turned, pulled him down and into an embrace. “Of all the
things I thought about you, none of this entered into it.”
“That makes two of us.”
HIS phone rang, running cheerfully through the beginning of The A-
Team theme. Fuck. Chris scrambled to his feet and grabbed the phone
just at the phrase “for a crime they didn't commit.” He noticed Nikita
was turning to lie flat on his belly, taking his pillow to bolster his own
head.
“Yes? John?” He grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom
so as not to disturb Nikita.
“Meet me for breakfast?” John's voice was tentative. “There's a
bakery….”
“Balzac Coffee, Hardenbergstrasse.”
“Okay.”
“You coming alone?”
“Yes, Andrei's with me… I mean, in discussing this. We're on
the same page.”
“Of course.”
“Chris….”
“No, I mean it makes sense. That's all I meant.”
“Okay. Half an hour, Balzac Coffee, Hardenberstrasse.”
“Gotcha. See you.” Chris switched the phone off and put it on
silent. He stuck his head into the bedroom, but Nikita seemed asleep.
He got dressed, didn't bother with the shave, and wrote “Meeting John,
bringing back muffins” on the whiteboard right in the center of
Tempelhof, but in red rather than green. He then snatched the keys
from the table and headed out.
EVER the über-punctual one, John was already waiting by the time
Chris arrived. He got his flavored coffee and a half-dozen muffins
boxed to go and sat across from his erstwhile partner.
“You look good, Chris.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, sweetheart.”
John frowned. “I meant that you look much more settled than
when you left—”
“You mean when I was tossed out.”
“Chris—”
Chris raised his hand. “It's okay. I'm cool with it. So what do you
want?”
“Andrei remembers.”
Chris sipped his coffee. “Remembers?”
“Not in great detail or any specific encounters, but he remembers
enough of the man he saw you with to have a bad vibe. The man is
dangerous, Chris. Deadly.”
Chris gestured to himself. “Hello. Trained special ops officer here.
Don't let the pretty face and hot bod lull you into thinking I'm
harmless.”
John breathed one of his too-frequent-of-late weary sighs. “Stefan
thinks—”
“I can imagine what Stefan thinks and what he's told the Dragon
Lady. Whatever he thinks he knows is bullshit.” Chris sipped his coffee.
John crumbled the edge of his biscotti. “This was a mistake,” he
said softly. He began to rise, and Chris grabbed his arm to stop him.
“Look, I love you guys, I do, but let's face it, the whole off-duty
partnership wasn't working.”
John leaned in. “These things take time, a polyamorous
relationship holds inherent difficulties, but it can work, Chris.”
“Not for me.” Chris reached out and placed his hand atop John's.
“As trite as it sounds, it's me, not you. You and Andrei click, you have
from day one, but I don't fit in with that.”
“But that Kazakov. He's no good for you. He's bad news.”
“Don't diss the big guy. He may be a lot of things, but he's no
mobster type.”
John rolled his eyes. “Oh God, he's got you talking like him.” He
raised his cup but set it down without drinking. “He's on the other side.”
“Come off it, Johnny. So was Andrei, and yet you saw fit to bring
him aboard. Don't go all black and white, right and wrong on me. Life
is all about the shades of gray. And no matter what happens, Nikita
made me see a new side of myself. It's kind of fucked up, but it works
for me, okay?”
John gave him the type of disappointed look a parent would give
their kid who just came out during Thanksgiving dinner with the
conservative extended family. “Fine. I just hope you know what you're
doing.”
Chris took a long drink of his coffee. “Is that it, then?”
“Almost. I received a call from Geneva last night. One of my old
contacts in Beijing appears to have a connection to the goings-on here
and is in need of the type of favor only GORGON can do.”
“And his price for that is to help this case of Stefan's?”
“Basically. I'm flying into Hong Kong tomorrow for a meeting.
Andrei will be acting as my Russian interpreter.”
“To get you in with Shkadov?”
“And also someone bigger, same general area of business
dealings.”
“Damn. Sounds like a good gig.” He wondered if heading to HQ
and giving the Dragon Lady a bit of tongue like old times would get
him in on it.
John's slight groan pulled his attention away. “I hate that look in
your eye.”
“You're lying, but go on.”
“I may have gotten you a slight reprieve to act as bodyguard.
You're the best for that, we all know it.”
“Nikita comes too.”
“No way.”
“Nikita comes as an acting goon, or I don't.”
“I can't authorize that.”
far as to say she's your personal fag hag.”
John sighed. “I'll try. That's all I can promise.”
Chris stood. “You know my number.”
John shook his head, clearly disapproving. “Be careful, Chris. All
this can still blow over.”
Chris touched John's shoulder and bent down to kiss the top of
his head. But whatever tenderness he still felt for John was strangely
fraternal these days. Seemed he was really over that thing he'd had with
him and Andrei. “You take care, Johnny.” He grabbed his box of
muffins and headed out, made sure he wasn't being followed, and
returned to the flat.
When he arrived, Nikita was still in bed, flat on his belly,
checking messages on his phone. He glanced over his shoulder to look
at Chris, a half-smile forming on his lips.
“Good morning, sunshine.” Chris set the muffins down, feeling
terribly, terribly tender. God damn it. That Russian had really messed
with his head. Nikita wasn't one that needed providing for. Or maybe
he did. Not much, but sometimes. Everyone needed to be taken care of
in some way at some point, right? He'd taken care of the big guy when
he was hurt, and Nikita had taken care of him after that wild session
they'd had.
Listen to yourself, Skippy. You’re thinking downright limp-
wristed, monogamous thoughts. Knock it off!
Nikita's voice drew his attention.”What's the matter? What
happened with your friend?”
“We talked.” Chris pulled off his boots and sat on the mattress,
the box of fresh muffins on his lap. “Something big may be going down.
I'm trying to get them to include you.”
“Connected to Shkadov?”
“Yeah. You could be a
real asset.” Chris pulled the covers down
to bare Nikita's muscular ass. “How did you learn about GORGON?”
“I have my sources.” Nikita lifted himself up on his elbows.
“Shit.”
“What's up?”
“I'm just about horny enough to try that. What you want.”
Every drop of blood in Chris's body rushed toward his groin at
the sight of Nikita's swelling cock, and yet his mind or some heretofore
unused part of him kept him right where he was. “You mean you're
willing to let me be on top?”
Nikita grinned. “At least once.”
“Well.” Chris remained as he was, part of him trying to fathom
his unheard-of hesitation, the other part screaming for him to get it on.
He set the muffin box on the floor and stroked his palm along Nikita's
muscular thigh.
He stretched out on his side, rubbed his hand across the Russian's
tight abs and gazed softly into those hungry, pale eyes before leaning in
for a kiss.
Nikita pulled him on top and then rolled him over, pressing his
naked dick into Chris's denim-clad thigh. “If you don't get those
clothes off, I might change my mind.”
“Oh, we wouldn't want that.” Chris smacked Nikita's tight ass
and then squirmed away. He stripped, pulling a packet of lube from his
pocket before letting the pants fall to the floor. He coated his erection
while Nikita stood and moved toward him.
They kissed again, lips crashing together, tongues battling for
control, ending in a draw when Chris pulled back and shifted his stance
to run his slick fingers down the crack of Nikita's ass.
He nipped the Russian's shoulder, licked the base of his neck.
“So many possibilities. Which one will make your first time at this the
best?”
“You're the supposed expert.”
“I'm good at this.” Chris protested Nikita's irony but saw he'd
just been ribbed. Maybe Nikita's way of dealing with a little
anticipation. “On your back, legs in the air, or all fours, like you fucked
me.”
“Or riding you,” Nikita added, licking his lower lip in speculation.
“That requires a little care.”
“How difficult can that be?” Nikita scoffed. “Lie down.”
“Bossy bastard,” Chris muttered, but he stretched out. Nikita
straddled him and bent down to kiss him. “Right. Scoot up, let me
prepare you.” He pulled Nikita closer and closer until he could suck on