Conrad, p.3
Conrad, page 3
“But if this new assassin thinks me knowing what he’s been through gives him a free pass to piss me around, he’s got another thing coming,” Kylo muttered. He was determined to find out what happened to the fucking Devil, and while there was a tiny part of his psyche that realized he was bordering on being obsessed, Kylo could and would live with that.
Standing, Kylo brushed off his pants and flicked his hair away from his face. It was time to go and pick up an assassin. It was finally time to get the answers Kylo craved. If he had to put a short leash on an assassin to do it, then Kylo was the man for the job.
Chapter Three
Conrad
Conrad had hopped on an later flight and used some of his hard-earned money to treat himself to first class. Yes, he could have used the Thalassa brother’s jet, but he didn’t want anyone to figure out where he was flying from.
Saying goodbye to Wyatt was hard, something that hadn’t really hit until he’d gotten back to the hotel room. A day wallowing in self-pity and a trip to a BDSM club he’d visited once before had given him time to clear his mind.
He never had sex with the subs he chose. That had never been what he’d wanted from the interaction. No, he liked them handing over control to him and allowing him the freedom to choose what came next, including if they got to come. He didn’t need a psychologist to explain why he needed that; he got it.
Unlike his cage brothers, who’d never talked about sex, Conrad had, and he’d wanted to try it out to see what the fuss was all about.
Giving pleasure. Yeah, he could do that all day long. Being a professional Dom had crossed his mind once or twice. The problem was, the Shifter Council had other ideas. That, he hoped, was going to change with Duron in charge of the hybrids. Conrad foresaw this as his last job. He wanted to ensure that Wyatt was protected, and if that protected Wyatt’s mate, then so be it. He could live with that, for Wyatt.
As the plane taxied down the runway and the aircraft came to a stop, Conrad took his cell phone out of flight mode. The thing started pinging like crazy.
He groaned and pressed his thumb to the screen to open it. The first four messages were from Duron asking where he was. Each got a little terser. Conrad rolled his eyes at the fourth message that told him he could deal with Kylo, Ben’s brother, direct.
The next eight messages were from Kylo. How did he know that, given that all of the messages came from the same unassigned number? Easy, the aggressive, asshole quality to the messages. It was very reminiscent of Ben when they’d first met him.
Conrad undid his seat belt and was up before the flight crew had the door open. He grabbed his backpack from the overhead bin and smiled at the flight attendant who had flirted with him for the part of the flight where he hadn’t slept.
“Enjoy your time in Paraguay,” he said as the door opened and Conrad passed.
He looked at the cell phone still clutched in his hand. “That might be debatable,” he murmured. The last message held an address and a terse message.
When you finally get your ass here, come to this address.
Nothing else.
The perverse side of Conrad couldn’t help but grin as he strolled into the air-controlled airport. He hadn’t brought anything more than his backpack with him, so he didn’t stop inside the arrivals area. He headed straight out the doors into the muggy heat. He took off his jacket, after shoving his cell phone into his cargo pants, then put his jacket into his pack.
With his pack over his shoulder once more, Conrad glanced around, getting his bearings, then went to the stand where it appeared folks were waiting to get a cab.
Minutes later, having given the address to the driver, Conrad sat back, looking out of the window. He’d been to Paraguay twice before, but hadn’t stayed more than twenty-four hours. He had a feeling he was going to be here a lot longer this time.
He was already imagining how difficult Kylo and his brothers were going to be. He had listened intently to Duron when he’d returned to the States. There was a lot to unpick, and with no way of asking Wyatt’s mate questions about the hierarchy between the brothers, he was going to have to wing it. Not a position he liked to be in, but one Conrad could manage for a week or two.
Car horns blared, and traffic moved around them at a frightening pace. Conrad watched with fascination. The movement and flow were continual and scary. No one appeared to want to give way.
Having never learned to drive, not seeing the necessity for it, right now Conrad was glad. At least no one would expect him to navigate the streets.
His cell phone alerted him to another message. He tilted on his hip to pull it out of his pocket. He groaned at what was on the screen. He hit dial and had no more than a second to wait before Duron growled, “Where the fuck are you? If Kylo rings me one more time asking when you are going to appear, I might put a kill order on him and you!”
“Nice to talk to you, too. I’m in Paraguay on my way to the address that Kylo so very kindly texted me.” Conrad added a layer of sarcasm Duron probably wouldn’t get.
“Then why haven’t you rung him to tell him you’re on your way?” he snapped.
“’Cause what would be the fun in that?” The answering sigh was heavy and long making Conrad grin. “I’m here, and I’ll do as you ask, okay.”
“You need to watch out for Kylo. He won’t be easily dissuaded on anything. He knows something is amiss. You can’t…”
“I know. It’s all good. I can handle him and if he’s not for handling, then I’ll bring out my ball gag. It worked on his brother.”
The strangled noise coming down the cell phone got a chuckle from Conrad. “I know you don’t like me talking about the sexy stuff. But now you have a mate, I bet you two have some…” The dial tone in his ear stopped him, and the chuckles turned to full-blown laughter. Duron was so easy to wind up.
The car slowing brought Conrad’s attention back to the window. A large gate blocked the entrance to a vast house. One that was nestled in a beautiful garden. He paid the driver, getting a receipt, so used to having to do that, and he shoved it in his cargo shorts.
Backpack over his shoulder, he flicked the screen of his cell phone and hit dial on the last text he’d received from Kylo.
“Who is this?”
The deep voice set Conrad’s nerves strumming in a very peculiar way. He glanced up at the house, half expecting to see Kylo watching him.
“It’s Conrad, lover boy. I’ve followed your instructions. I’m here waiting for you to come get me.” What encouraged him to act like that, he didn’t know. The guy sounded uptight and in need of someone to tie him down and do things to him until all that was left was a puddle of cum.
There was a loud hissed curse, and it was then that Conrad saw a figure come to a window on the second floor. He caught more shadows than an actual face. Yet, he’d seen the flicker of panther in the man’s eyes and felt the heat of their gaze.
Conrad’s body, always slow to heat, warmed at a speed he couldn’t quite comprehend. His nose wrinkled when a guy with the same eyes, came out the door and walked towards him. His lion roared loudly in his head. Before Conrad could get his head in the game, his lion, aided by the gorilla, climbed over the gate, and landed a couple of feet in front of a man who could only be Ben’s older brother.
The scent coming from him was intoxicating and every part of Conrad, including all of his animals, wanted to roll all over the big guy and sniff out the sources of it.
The same big guy took a step back, holding up his hands, proclaiming, “No fucking way!” His expression told Conrad he was not a happy camper.
Conrad grinned smugly, entirely happy with the Fates’ choice of mate. The guy was fucking perfect for him. Tall, dark, broody and in need of someone to take him apart to reveal all the squishy parts inside. “Yes, way.” He deepened his voice, giving the guy a stare that would make any sub tremble. “The name’s Conrad, and I’m happy to do this the easy way… or the hard way. I believe I’ll let you pick.”
Chapter Four
Kylo
You brought this on your fucking self. Kylo stared at the man in shock. Tall, dark hair cut in a sexy wave, a muscled body that spoke of strength and competence, and a face hosting a cocky smile. Kylo didn’t know if he wanted to smack or kiss it. You had to go and ask for a fucking assassin. He stuttered for a moment, unsure of what to say. He realized in that moment how Beaumont had felt seeing Duron for the first time, and he was only glad his brothers were out for the day.
But that didn’t mean he was ready to invite Conrad into the house. That was the fastest way to get distracted. “Cool your jets,” he said, tempering the shortness of the words with a half-smile. “We have work…”
“There’s a matter I need to discuss with you about your work first,” Conrad interrupted smoothly. “A conversation we will need absolute privacy for.”
Kylo thought of his room, but then that thought led to his king-sized mattress and the things he could be doing on it in less than five minutes if he just let go of his tightly held control. I’m not ready for that yet. I need to process… this shock. “You know about the death house?” he asked instead.
Conrad nodded.
“We’ll go there. We’ll see what you can tell me about the mess your friends left behind, although most of it’s been cleaned and processed. But then one of your kin surprised me once before, so who knows, maybe you will, too. Follow me. We need a jeep.”
Walking around the side of the house, Kylo was conscious of the assassin’s body heat as Conrad caught up, matching him step for step. The scent, tantalizing enough at a distance, was more intense now they were close, and Kylo wanted to groan as every nerve in his body seemed to want to get closer to the confident man.
It wasn’t going to be any easier in the jeep. Kylo climbed into the driver’s seat automatically and then hesitated. “Did you have a problem with me driving? I know the area.”
“It’s good of you to ask.” Conrad seemed to be laughing at him. “I don’t drive. Never bothered to learn, so cab drivers love me.”
Kylo didn’t like the possessive growl his panther made, and as he got them moving, he racked his brains, trying to think of another topic. Anything to distract him from Conrad’s scent and their mingled smells of arousal. “I work in law enforcement,” he blurted, and then wanted to bang his head on the steering wheel. Conrad was Duron’s pick, and probably knew Kylo’s life history before he got on the plane. The Thalassas were thorough like that.
“I can assure you, I only kill on council orders.” There was that amusing lilt in Conrad’s voice again. The man himself was looking out of the window. “It’s ironic. I was thinking on the flight that this would be my last job, and then I met you, and it turns out I was right for reasons I never imagined.”
“What were you told about this job?” The best way to find out how honest his new mate was going to be was to ask him. Kylo could well imagine what the likes of Beaumont and Duron thought of him.
“Only that you were tracking a ghost.” Conrad turned, and even out of the corner of his eye, Kylo was struck by the width of the man’s smile. “You should know, because we’re mates, Duron and I have shared a house since they released us from our training program, along with Ajani, Wyatt, and Ekon. I was also at the Thalassas when Beaumont and Duron returned from Paraguay. Things got messy, so I understand.”
“You could say that.” Kylo focused on the dirt track they were on. “I realize you’ve probably… no.” Kylo stopped himself. “I’m sorry, I can’t make assumptions about what you might consider a level of horror when we’ve only just met. Personally, I’ve never seen so many bloodied bodies in a single place before. It shook me,” he added, quietly knowing Conrad could hear him over the rattle of the jeep exhaust and the sound of the engine.
“Only a psychopath would be immune to the horrors some people inflict on others. There are times when the motives behind those deaths are about pure survival and nothing more.” Conrad, perhaps sensing how dark the conversation was going, chuckled softly. “Duron and Beaumont were recently mated. If their lives were threatened, I can imagine they would fight for their right to live another day, against any threat. I would do the same for you now we’ve met.”
You would?
Kylo didn’t voice his thought. Even as it crossed his brain, his panther was rumbling his agreement. They would fight to the death to save their newly met mate—why didn’t I even consider that Duron and Beaumont might have just been trying to survive?
“The jungle is such a complex place, don’t you think?” Conrad’s voice broke through Kylo’s thoughts. “You see all the plant life pulling and struggling against each other—vines climbing and eventually toppling bigger trees, bushes struggling to find the sunshine they need to survive, blocked as it is by the thick canopy above.”
“You’re a philosopher?” Kylo risked a quick glance at his mate. The jeep was being bounced around, despite him not going fast, but then the only person who’d used the track in months had been Kylo.
“I’m an observationist,” Conrad said matter-of-factly, “and before you tell me that’s not a word, what else would you call someone who spends their time making observations?”
“Nosy? A police detective? A scientist? Someone who hasn’t got anything else to do?” Kylo felt a smile tugging at his lips. Conrad’s lighthearted nature was a direct contrast to Duron’s.
“That’s true.” Conrad shrugged. “I’ve always been fascinated by how organisms move and react to each other. At first glance, everything in nature seems to struggle to survive. And yet, you take that vine there.”
He pointed to a vine working its way up a tree trunk they were passing. “One could say that the vine is struggling to reach the sun, using the tree trunk to reach its goal, that the tree might be struggling under the weight of the vine. And yet, when you think about it, that same tree trunk and vine are both taking a breath, sharing air, enjoying the tranquility of the moment, and providing homes for the insects who enjoy the shade the leaves offer.”
Kylo inhaled slowly and blew out through his mouth. “Please tell me you’re talking about this random shit like vines and tree trunks and nature’s bid for survival because you really want to jump my bones, but don’t want us to get into an accident?”
“Oh, yeah.” Conrad stretched out his long legs, although Kylo noticed he wasn’t overly successful. “My cargo pants have never been this tight before.”
“Well, you’ll be able to get out of the jeep shortly.” Kylo twisted the wheel sharply, taking the turn onto the final stretch towards Devil’s home. “Gotta tell you, there’s nothing sexy where we’re going.”
Conrad didn’t have an answer for that, and Kylo was glad. He needed five minutes just to get his head on straight—to ignore the delicious scent of his mate, which was all he could smell, and focus on why the assassin had come in the first place. He wanted Devil found—Conrad was his best hope.
Pulling the jeep to a stop outside the huge building that was so at odds with the surrounding jungle, Kylo turned off the engine and flicked his hand at the mausoleum. “This is the place. What are your observations telling you now?”
Conrad didn’t make a move to get out of the jeep. Instead, he half turned in his seat, facing Kylo, the weight of his hand hot and firm on Kylo’s shoulder. “Before we go in, I know why you wanted me to come, or rather, why you wanted an assassin to come. The mate angle was unexpected for both of us.”
“Agreed, but you can still do your job, the same as I can.”
Conrad glanced past Kylo at the house and then back, his eyes meeting Kylo’s for the first time. “The mating side of things wasn’t something my friends had considered either, because of it, there’s something you should know. Something I need to be honest about that you can’t tell another living person, ever.”
“About the man known as Devil?”
At Conrad’s nod, Kylo’s stomach was suddenly filled with lead. “Tell me.”
Chapter Five
Conrad
It was hard to take a breath, and yet Conrad did. He’d kept it light in the car, going with his instincts. His friends. His brothers were a huge part of his life, and what he was about to do—in part—was a betrayal of that trust.
Mates come first!
The universe had chosen, and the man who sat staring at him like a bottle of soda about to explode after a solid shaking, needed Conrad’s honesty.
There was no one thing that said hedging, giving half a story would work, and Conrad had discarded that idea before they’d driven away from Kylo’s home.
He considered where to start. “Devil is Wyatt’s mate.”
Kylo shot out of the jeep so fast that Conrad had to jump out of Kylo’s door to catch him.
“Get off me,” Kylo growled low and mean enough to send shivers through Conrad.
Conrad let go immediately. He always listened when there was a need. Only he didn’t get out of Kylo’s space. “It was a shock, as you can imagine, for Wyatt. The Fates seem to think they were perfect for each other.” Conrad agreed. If anyone could tame James, it was Wyatt. He had a way about him that made folks want to please him with little to no effort.
“Devil is fucking evil! But that explains everything. How the fuck could he help him escape? I fucking knew he wasn’t dead in the pile of body parts,” he snapped, all teeth as his face went an ugly shade of red that suggested Kylo could stroke out at any moment. “I figured something was going on when no fucker mentioned what happened to Wyatt!”
