Chapter Five

“That bastard!” Mackie uttered his harsh assessment of Alex once Quinn had finished stammering out his tale of the big fight.

“Mackie, that’s not helping,” Jase admonished before patting Quinn on the back.

Demi held his tongue, silently agreeing with Mackie, yet not wanting to stir up trouble for himself. Not now. They were all sitting huddled at the big table in the kitchen, keeping their voices low so that Damien wouldn’t hear their precise words. The human was super chill in Demi’s experience and easily becoming part of their group. He still didn’t know their big secrets, though, and probably never would. So, they couldn’t afford for him to hear about Alex refusing to change Quinn. It was enough that there were clearly relationship issues and that Jase needed to take a break from kitchen chores to lend comfort.

Mackie made a face. “I call them like I see them.” He blew out a breath. “Honestly, these men treat us like infants sometimes.”

“Isn’t that kind of your thing?” Demi asked. He knew very little about the BDSM lifestyle because his fathers had kept him far away from what went on in those second-floor rooms. He was intrigued, though. Not that pain sounded like fun but being restrained held some titillation. He’d imagined during more than one jerk-off session what it would be like to have his wrists tied to the bedposts while Trey tortured him with pleasure.

He shuddered and his dick stiffened—again. God, it had been a little more than an hour since the last time he’d drained his demanding balls. He kind of wanted to save himself for his night with Trey. His body had other ideas. Of course, Trey was at the club, and while Demi wanted to be supportive of Quinn, he was also really hoping to catch a moment with his man.

Mackie looked down his nose at him. “If you knew anything about what it means to be a slave, you’d know that I ultimately wield the control in our relationship. Val does nothing without my consent.”

Demi shrugged. “You’re right. I don’t get it.”

It made no sense to him. Maybe it was the difference between how humans saw things and his own alien nature. While he’d chafed at his fathers’ control for his entire life, the idea of giving himself to Trey, totally and completely, left him feeling calm and steady. Some primordial part of his brain was maybe connecting to the hive nature of his people. There was a hierarchy and the certainty of it was oddly liberating. Then again, perhaps it was a fantasy and the reality of it would be quite different. Quinn was certainly miserable, when Demi would have bet anything that the boy loved being commanded by someone as, well, commanding as Alex.

“He’ll come around eventually,” Jase comforted. “In the meantime, would it be the worst thing in the world to look into classes? I’m going to enroll in a local culinary school because Emil thinks it’s the best way for me to learn.”

Quinn made a face. “Except you like cooking, so it makes sense for you to follow his advice. I want to dance. I love it, actually. And, I love getting fucked by Alex, too. I want him and only him forever more. Plus, I’ve been spending a bit of time with Idris. I started doing it to help Lucien then found I really like it. I want to give Alex sons,” he added in a near whisper.

Demi did, as well, truth be told. Too bad Papa said that hybrids were wholly male. Unlike Mackie and the others, he wasn’t going to be able to actually carry Trey’s babies. Still, they could adopt. Lots of humans needed parents. Not that he was in any hurry. Trey wouldn’t need to pressure Demi to take time to finish his education. Demi was determined to go to medical school, just like Papa.

Although, he realized with a sudden jolt that, as a human, Trey wasn’t going to live as long. They didn’t have much time together. He hadn’t considered that. And the idea of Trey dying within a few decades gave him a pain right where his heart was. Maybe there was a way to alter that. What if he fed Trey his blood? Would it extend his life? He’d have to ask Papa.

Mackie patted Quinn’s hand. “Like Jase said, he’ll come around to your way of thinking. You just have to stay firm and wait him out.” His face took on a sly look. “Where are you sleeping tonight?”

“Oh.” Quinn sat back. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure I can face Alex, but it’s not like I have a bedroom of my own anymore.”

That was true. Dafydd was ensconced in the guest room.

“You could maybe hang out with me,” Demi offered. “My bed’s queen-sized.” He’d just have to do his nightly jerking off in the bathroom. “A sleepover could be fun.”

Mackie clapped his hands. “Perfect.”

“I don’t know, guys,” Jase said. “Isn’t there some kind of rule about not going to bed angry?”

Mackie batted that concern away. “Nonsense. This will give Alex a taste of what it’s like not having Quinn around. An object lesson,” he added with a firm nod.

Jase didn’t look convinced, but Quinn seemed happy with the idea. And while he really didn’t want to piss Alex off and worried that his parents might put a stop to the plan, Demi decided that if he was going to enter adulthood, he was capable of asserting himself. He would have to put his foot down.

Except his thoughts on the whole thing fled in the next instant at the sight of Trey entering the kitchen. His faithful partner was hot on his heels, but Demi didn’t care. Trey took all his attention. He was up and heading toward him before his brain registered the idea. He frowned as he saw that Trey hadn’t noticed him. He was approaching Damien, who stood by the stove stirring a huge pot of something.

“Hey!” he called out and picked up his pace, careful to keep it at human speed, even though the effort was almost painful.

Trey glanced at him, flashed a smile and kept his focus on the sous chef. “Damien, got a minute?”

The boy tapped the big spoon in his hand against the edge of the pot and set it on the counter. “Um, sure. What’s up?”

“Let’s sit down. I have a few follow-up questions about Father Ted.”

“Of course. Whatever I can do.” Turning, he headed to the other end of the table from where the boys still sat.

The cops followed. “Guys, if you don’t mind, I’d like to question Damien without a big audience.”

The others got up before Damien said, “I’m cool with their being here—you know, if you are.”

“No, that’s fine,” Mackie said for all of them. “We need to practice anyway.”

“I don’t,” Demi countered with a grimace. He didn’t want to lose a chance to spend time with Trey, no matter what was going on. It was bratty of him, maybe. Then again, he didn’t feel much like being grown-up right at the moment. His dick ached and a flash of heat crept up his skin.

Trey shot him an admonishing look, yet ultimately said nothing when Demi joined them. “So, Damien, I got some information from other sources about a new pimp controlling the boys out on the street.” He went on to describe someone that sounded way too familiar.

Demi’s stomach dropped at the growing suspicion that one of Dracul’s men or sons had infiltrated Boston. For a brief second, he managed to convince himself that he was being overwrought. Then he caught Trey’s grim look and understood that no, he was right on point. The cop was worried about the same thing.

Damien listened and nodded. “Yeah, maybe. I’ve heard some whispering about a mean motherfucker edging out the competition. The boys are more skittish than usual, that’s for sure.”

“Do you know a boy named Mateo?”

“Um, yup. I do. He’s been out there a while, a little older than me, I think.”

“Could you help us track him down? We’d like to ask him a few questions.”

Damien snorted. “Nah, you’re playing me now, Sergeant. I show up anywhere with you two in tow and I’m going to get a rep as a snitch. No one will trust me afterward, and they won’t give you shit anyway. You know that.”

Trey pressed the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger. Demi wanted to jump up and massage the tension out of him. He sat on his hands instead, determined to be a good boy and not a distraction.

“Right, I do know that. I still need to get more info on this pimp.”

“You think he had something to do with Father Ted’s murder?”

“You tell me. Father Ted tried to get the boys off the street, right? Not exactly a popular move with the men preying on these kids and making money off them.”

Damien nodded. “I hear that. So, how about I do the asking without you?”

Trey shared a look with Anderson. Neither of them liked that idea. It was clear from their expressions. “That could be dangerous. I don’t want any attention on you when you’re isolated.”

“There already is. I worked with Father Ted for months. And, Emil and I are scoping out a spot to rent near the church to establish a new soup kitchen. Talking to boys I used to hang with is a thing I do. Nothing out of the ordinary, and hey, I can take care of myself.”

Not against my people, you can’t. “How about I go with him?” The offer was out of Demi’s mouth before he could think better of it.

Trey turned hard eyes on him. “No fucking way.”

A little frisson ran through him. He liked it when Trey went all alpha male on him. “Why not?” He tried batting his eyes.

Trey’s expression turned even stonier. “Because if I allowed that, your fathers would kill me and dine on my entrails.”

That was sort of true in the very literal sense of the expression. “I’ll be fine. Like Damien, I can take care of myself.”

“He’s surprisingly strong for a skinny dude,” Damien agreed.

“No.” When Demi opened his mouth again, Trey simply repeated himself. “No.”

Now Demi stamped his foot. He couldn’t help himself. “You’re being ridiculous, Sergeant Duncan.” He worked to keep his tone calm and firm. “You’ve seen how capable I am. And, it’s not as if I’m heading into a fight or anything. Damien and I are just going to hang out on the streets and chat with other guys. Right?” he added, giving Damien a pointed look.

“Um.” The kid’s gaze ping-ponged between Demi and Trey. “I guess. That’s what you’re asking me to do, right?” he asked Trey. “It’s not like we’re going undercover or anything freaky like that. Truth be told, most of the boys I’d approach are more Demi’s age than mine. He might do better if they think he’s one of them.”

“See?” Demi flashed Trey a sweet smile. “I’ll be fine, and Damien will be safer with me.” He shrugged. “Honestly, it’s not as if I need your permission to go out in public and hang with some—”

He squeaked as Trey grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of his chair and across the kitchen. Although he could have put up a fight, and probably would have won, instead he let his man pull him into the pantry and slam the door behind them. The overhead light popped on and Trey stared at him with furious eyes.

“Are you out of your fucking mind—or are you just trying to drive me either crazy or into an early grave?”

Demi didn’t answer immediately, not sure if it was a rhetorical question or not. He didn’t get a chance to say anything anyway.

Trey kept going, his fingers pressing into Demi’s flesh. “Seriously? Being snatched off the streets for your little adventure in Wales wasn’t exciting enough for you? Are you that unfazed by having been mauled by Dracul’s asshole guard that you’d risk something like that again, because you do know that odds are whoever this new pimp is he’s one of them? Maybe one of the twins, God help us all.”

Trey’s chest was heaving as if he’d run a long time. His pupils were blown wide with either anger or arousal. Both? Demi didn’t dare look down to check.

His mind digested the mini-rant and latched onto something. “Wait! You know about what Kronid did? How? I was careful to keep it from Papa.”

Trey’s lip curled. “I’m a cop, remember? And my former boyfriend works vice. I know all about how kidnappers and hostage-takers brutalize their captives. I didn’t need anyone to tell me what you’d been suffering all that time. I was scared, still am, that it was worse than what it appeared to be.”

“No,” Demi was quick to reassure him. He put his palm on Trey’s chest. He could feel the rapid beat of the man’s heart. Hear it. “He only groped me like some stupid villain in a John Hughes movie. It was nothing.” He tried to be cool about it, but his voice hitched in the end.

Trey pulled him in closer. “No, it wasn’t. Shooting that fucker was the most satisfying thing I’ve ever done. If your kind didn’t turn to dust, I would have gladly emptied my clip in him.”

“Really?”

Trey nodded, and their gazes stayed locked. Tension mounted between them like a tangible thing. Demi’s dick went into overdrive. God. He wanted this man inside him. His hole clenched painfully, launching him forward on a whine. Before he could stop himself, his mouth slammed into Trey’s.

The moment their lips touched, there was no holding either of them back. It wasn’t only Demi that wanted this. Whatever discipline that had been keeping Trey in check up to that point snapped. He yanked Demi flush against his body. They clawed at each other, trying to close the gaps that remained. Teeth and tongue entered the fray, a rough kiss that was nevertheless better than anything Demi had ever imagined.

With his erection pressed painfully against his fly, he couldn’t help humping Trey’s pelvis. There were close in height, so no surprise when his hard cock brushed up against an equally firm one. He moaned at the delightful friction then whimpered when Trey surprised him by cupping his ass and pressing the dicks together.

He wants me as much as I do him.

The discovery was thrilling. Every dream was coming true and forget about any dumb ceremony. His man was dry fucking him right here in the pantry. Demi’s breath sped up and his cock swelled and jerked. His fangs punched down before he could hold them in check. He nicked Trey’s lip by accident and the taste of the man flooded his mouth.

Delicious.

This was better than it had been before when necessity had driven them to it. The small amounts of blood he sucked in tasted better than what he’d consumed in Wales. As it trickled down his throat, he convulsed in an orgasm that left him mindless. He thrashed his way through, moaning and huffing into Trey’s mouth. His man held him tightly as he rode the wave and shuddered into the end.

Breathless and limp, Demi let his head loll back. Trey’s handsome face wavered through Demi’s blurry gaze. A bead of blood welled up on the man’s lower lip. Demi flicked out his tongue to lap it up and close the small wound.

Trey’s grip tightened. “Oh my fucking God.”

Demi gave him a lazy smile, feeling more content that he had for weeks. Except, he wiggled his hips. Trey was still hard. He hadn’t come.

“Oh.” He reached down between them to palm the length through the fabric of Trey’s pants. “Let me help with this.”

Trey grabbed his hand by the wrist. “No. Don’t. This has gotten way out of line. This isn’t the ceremony.”

Demi’s eyelids drooped. “I know. Isn’t it awesome?”

“No. I mean, yes, this was great, but no, we have to stop now. It’s not…sanctioned.”

“Who cares about that?”

Demi didn’t wait for a reply. His imagination had already been cut loose. Using his superior strength, he freed himself and dropped to his knees. His otherworldly speed had Trey’s pants open and his dick out before the man could utter another word of protest. Then Demi dove right in, putting his mouth around Trey’s cock, robbing the man of the power of speech.

At least that was his interpretation of the animalistic sound that passed the man’s lips before he dropped his hands and leaned against the pantry door. Demi had no real idea of what he was doing, yet he didn’t care. The feel of Trey’s heavy shaft on his tongue was mind-blowing. It was the best treat he’d ever had, almost. The salty pre-cum slid down his throat the same way the blood had, reminding him of the one thing that he loved to consume the most. So long as it was Trey’s.

He could have spent hours feasting on the hard flesh, except the moment he took it all the way down and swallowed, Trey spasmed. The dick swelled and cum spurted out with surprising force. He pulled back to work the dick with his tongue in order to get more of a taste.

Curse words flooded over his head as he milked Trey completely dry. Only when Trey uttered a weak plea to stop did Demi let the cock slide completely out of his mouth. He licked his lips to get every drop and sat back on his heels. He smiled shyly at Trey.

The man still had his eyes closed. He banged his head against the door a couple of time. “Your fathers are going to kill me. That’s assuming I don’t slit my wrists with guilt.”

With a frown, Demi stood. “You’re being melodramatic. You’re not going to kill yourself and my fathers aren’t going to find out.”

Trey’s eyes opened to slits. “You think Karl and Damien have any doubt about what’s going on in here?”

“And why would they tell anyone?” he countered. He waved at his front. “There is no visible evidence, either. My T-shirt is covering up the cum stain and I didn’t spill a bit of yours.”

Trey grunted and stood straight. He put himself to rights in quick order, disappointing Demi, who would have liked to do it for him. “We’re not doing this again, and you’re not going out with Damien.”

“I can wait until the ceremony to get my hands on you, but I am going to help Damien ask around.” Before Trey could argue further, Demi rushed on. “Think about it. Damien doesn’t know the score about what could truly be going on. He can’t protect himself if he’s in the dark, and even if we tell him, he’s still at risk. Someone who isn’t a cop or big and scary like Val has to watch out for the guy and keep his ears open to information that wouldn’t mean anything to Damien but would prove useful. I’m the logical one. You know I am,” he added, folding his arms.

“Even if I agree, your fathers never will.”

“They won’t have a choice if Alex orders them to let me.”

“Which he won’t if it upsets your parents.”

“He will if you convince him of its wisdom. You know it makes sense.”

Trey closed his eyes again for a second and ran his hand over his head. “Fuck me.”

Demi hid a smile. “I intend to on Friday. Before then, let me go out and see what’s going on. None of us are safe if one of Dracul’s minions is out there. Whoever he is, he wouldn’t have bothered to come to Boston just to be a pimp. He could do that anywhere. He’s here to cause us trouble. We’ll be back to playing defense if we don’t get ahead of whatever trouble is brewing now.”

“Fuck me,” Trey said again, although this time his tone sounded more resigned. “Come on. Let’s go talk to Alex.”

Demi tried not to show how gleeful he was at winning their first argument as a couple. Friday couldn’t come fast enough.

 

* * * *

 

“Thanks for letting me ride along, guys.” Ric leaned onto his elbows as he peered through the space between the front seats. He felt a like a dog on a family trip, but that was fine. Having spent the day in the morgue, a place without windows and where one could easily lose track of time, Ric was happy to be outdoors. The night was warm enough and the idea of playing cop appealed to whatever little boy was left in him.

“I’ve always wanted to do a stake-out,” he confessed.

Duncan glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Technically this is a tail. Although, it looks like Damien and Demi are going to hang around this spot for a while.”

The tight lines along the man’s mouth conveyed how stressed he was about their night’s activities. No surprise there. Ric had seen for himself in Wales the closeness of the cop and the hybrid son of the alien doctor and his human husband. He couldn’t imagine that Duncan would have gone along with Demi being out and about with the street kids if there had been a better choice.

“That’s good.” He wanted to be reassuring. “We’ve got a great view of what’s happening. I can’t see how they can come to harm here. It’s too public.”

Duncan’s expression managed to turn extra grim. “You’d think, but shit happens in the blink of an eye and you’re royally fucked.”

Ric knew when to back off. He’d learned that lesson working in the ED, where he had to balance accurate assessments of a patient’s condition with hope. Some people were more willing than others to grasp any thread of it, while others were too savvy to let go of any amount of worry. Duncan fell squarely in the latter category. Of course, he did. He was a cop. He’d seen the worst and would see even more of it before his career ended.

So, Ric focused on the positive aspects of the night’s doings. He’d been itching from the beginning to insert himself more into the aliens’ lives. Although he’d expressed it as scientific curiosity, he really had to face the fact that it was more personal than that. As a child, he’d loved sci-fi in all its forms. What could be better than to learn that there was at least one other world out there with intelligent life, and like every sci-fi movie made, those creatures had come to Earth. The vampire intersection only made the whole thing more awesome.

What had happened in Wales had been an off-the-charts stupendous journey. He’d dreamed about it, especially the wan young man who was actually centuries old. Ric relived the moment when he’d helped pull a squalling hybrid from a male body. Surreal didn’t begin to cover it. Nor did he have any words to describe what it was like to hold Dafydd in his arms, tend to him, heal him from his most recent trauma. That face, that ethereal, beautiful face, haunted him. Parting from him once they’d reached Boston had been harder than he could have imagined. As inappropriate and pointless as it was, he was looking for any excuse to see Dafydd again.

The opportunity had come in form of sitting in an unmarked car with two casually-dressed cops, watching a bunch of homeless teens pass around obvious bottles of booze in paper bags and fatties. Ric’s ass had already started to go numb and he was bored as fuck but also intrigued and a little frightened. If what Duncan had said was true, they’d brought the danger from Wales that they hadn’t stamped out back with them. And that was his ticket to this slow-moving drama. If things went south and Demi or anyone else ended up injured, Ric was there with more medical supplies at his fingertips than the AMA would have normally sanctioned for a doctor to carry around. It was, according to Duncan, the terms set by Demi’s fathers.

It was good to be useful. He wasn’t going to be any help in a direct confrontation, but unlike Harry, he was probably entirely unknown to whoever had been in the castle. He hadn’t been part of a fight, so he’d hopefully remained unseen as well. Anderson hadn’t been there at all, meaning he was also possibly not on anyone’s radar. If Duncan was a known quantity, even an alien with their extraordinary eyesight would be hard put to notice him under the ball cap set low on his face. The deceptively piece-of-shit car they sat in blended into the general environment, even though it was illegally parked.

Anderson passed him small binoculars. “Do any of those boys look like Mateo?”

This was another possible good use for him. They were looking for the kid he’d treated, and while the sous chef, Damien, professed to know him, Duncan figured it couldn’t hurt to have Ric scanning around, too.

Ric peered through the lens at the loose group gathered on the Esplanade. The sight of all those lost children tugged at his heart. Tossed or chased away from their families or having slipped through the cracks in a system intended to help them, they had few choices. Drugs and alcohol numbed their pain, while selling their bodies earned enough to buy more. It was a vicious cycle that evil people preyed upon. For that alone, Ric wanted to help catch this alien fucker exploiting vulnerable humans.

The magnification allowed him to see Demi more clearly. The boy had already been leaving with Damien by the time Duncan had picked Ric up. He’d only seen the hybrid from a distance since returning from Wales. He was surprised by how much the kid had changed. He looked different in ways that were hard to pin down. It wasn’t only the streak of red hair dangling alongside his face or the grubby clothes he wore. There was something about his features that appeared more mature, as if he’d aged a year in mere weeks. He still looked painfully young, just not as much, which undoubtedly was part of the stress eating away at Duncan. Ric could relate, given that Dafydd had the face of a teenager despite his ancient age.

Shutting down his own musings, he swept the view of the binoculars down the messy line to the far end then held it there as he fussed with the magnification. “I think I see him.”

Duncan straitened. “Where?”

“At the far-left end.”

The cop swung his binoculars in that direction. “The one with the spiky green hair?”

“Yes, that looks like him, although he was a redhead when I treated him.”

Duncan tapped an ear bud with his finger. “Demi, head all the way down. Paz says the boy at the very end who looks like The Joker stuck his finger in a light socket is our guy.”

Of course, the Stelalux family hadn’t sent their precious boy into possible danger without as many safeguards as possible. Demi also had an ear bud that allowed Duncan to speak to him. Although no one had explained it to Ric, he assumed Demi could also communicate back.

Demi nodded his head as if to some musical beat, then slung an arm around Damien and leaned in to speak with him. They sauntered away, passing other kids and heading toward Mateo. Duncan followed their progress through his lens. Ric did the same. His heartbeat ticked up to a more rapid pace. Likely nothing of consequence was going to happen, yet he felt more primed to react to trouble than he had in the ED.

Damien and Demi took their time, not making it obvious that they had a destination in mind. He had to admire how cool they played it, when Ric figured he’d be a bundle of noticeable nerves if he were in their position. He supposed Damien had learned to hide his feelings and intentions on the street. While Demi’s sangfroid was innate to his species, from what Ric had seen.

It felt like forever, but eventually, the pair ambled up to Mateo. Damien greeted the boy with the usual multi-stepped handshake that was popular with those far younger and hipper than Ric. Demi hung on Damien, as if they were lovers, and waved in a flirty way at Mateo. The boy had a joint, which he offered to both of them. Damien took a quick hit. Demi demurred. Smart kid. Duncan uttered something like ‘good call’ at Demi’s refusal. The brief interaction made Ric wonder if aliens got high. He knew they drank, although he’d never seen any of them drunk or even tipsy. Maybe that was something they did to blend in with humans, yet remained unaffected. He’d have to ask Harry. After tonight, he figured they owed him something. It would give him a chance to casually ask about Dafydd, and maybe if he were lucky, run into him.

Another few minutes ticked by while the three boys chatted, seemingly amicably. Ric was about to lower his binoculars when another boy came into the frame. At least, he thought it was a boy. Hard to tell when the kid was dressed all in black with a watch cap pulled down to his eyebrows. He was riding a bike slowly along the path where the rest of them sat. Although Ric couldn’t be sure, he thought there was a subtle shift in everyone’s demeanor. It was as if a ripple of unease ran through them, where each person in turn went on guard as the bike rider rolled by.

As he approached Damien and Demi, Mateo’s gaze shifted. Like the others, his body language indicated he’d gone into high alert. Damien turned to see what Mateo was looking at. It was something out of a movie where the frames are slowed then sped up for dramatic effect. Damien’s reaction to the newcomer was at first nothing more than he’d done for everyone else since he’d arrived. In an instant it changed. The boy’s expression morphed from friendly to furious in a blink of an eye. He shouted, pointed then sprinted toward the bicycler, shaking Demi’s arm off in the process.

“Fuck!” Duncan and Anderson both swore in unison before Anderson grabbed the binoculars out of Ric’s hands to get a better view.

Ric leaned in farther, as if that would help him see better. “What’s going on?”

Even as he asked the question, the kid on the bike sped past Damien, who swiped and missed stopping him. There was a moment of almost pandemonium as the others tried to distance themselves from what was unfolding. It gave the newcomer a chance to avoid Demi, too, by swerving onto the street before returning to the walkway.

There was another one of those weird slow-down, speed-up moments as Demi’s head swiveled from one direction to the opposite way. Then he took off after the bike boy.

“Goddamn son-of-a-bitch.” Duncan’s swearing rocketed out of his mouth. Banging his binoculars onto the hump between the seats, he said, “Demi, stop!” The cop’s head shook. “No, don’t go after him. Do you hear me?”

Duncan pushed something on the consul and suddenly Demi’s voice was coming through the speakers. “He’s riding Father Ted’s bike. We can’t let him get away.” Christ! The kid didn’t even sound winded, even though he was sprinting down the path alongside the Charles River.

“You fucking well can!” Duncan’s fury was impressive. He started the car and had it leaping forward like a gazelle. “I’m going after him. Stand down.”

“Can’t drive on the Esplanade,” came Demi’s retort.

“Watch me. I mean it, Demi. Stop chasing him right this goddamn minute.” Now there was fear in the man’s tone.

There was no reply, only the sound of breathing. Smart kid. He knew he wasn’t going to win the argument, so he had elected not to have one at all. Meanwhile, Duncan was doing the reputation of Boston having rude, aggressive drivers proud. Ric slumped against the back seat as the car swerved into traffic on Storrow Drive. He fumbled with difficulty to get his seatbelt back on as horns blared and Duncan swore ripely over and over again.

“That cocky brat. Friday can’t come a moment too soon. Once that ceremony is over, I’m going to lock his sweet ass in chastity and board him in his room for the next fifty years.”

Anderson clung to the handle above his door. “You might be dead by then,” he noted mildly.

“I can only hope so,” Duncan sneered.

“What ceremony?” It was stupid to be asking such a mundane question under the circumstances, yet his curiosity had been piqued and it was better than pissing his pants in fear.

Duncan barked out a laugh. “Demi’s manhood initiation, if you can believe that. As if this kid has any business being treated like an adult. When this night is done, I’m going to turn him over my knee and…”

While Ric understood the man’s feelings and saw it for the hyperbole that it was, he couldn’t help thinking that Duncan was underestimating Demi. From what Ric could see, the boy was more man now than kid. And as he caught sight of Demi chasing the bike rider closer to the river, he figured right now, he was their best hope of winning.