Chapter 21
Forthepasttwenty-four hours, the only sleep Javier Grimaldo had managed were naps, interrupted by the face of his lover leaving his bed the day before everything went wrong. Javier kept seeing the flirtatious smile on Talon’s face as he inched toward the door and ignored the hard-on Javier was trying to coax him to deal with before he left.
“It’s already sunrise,” Talon had said. “The others will be up before you know it.”
Despite his protest, Talon had wound up back in Javier’s bed, on his hands and knees, clutching the headboard while Javier pounded into him. After he’d spent himself inside Talon, Javier had cuddled with his lover, stealing kisses and making promises he wasn’t certain he could keep. But it had felt good making the promises, knowing Talon understood well what they meant.
If Javier could, he would give Talon what his heart craved.
“I can’t wait to take you to the Bahamas.” Javier had kissed Talon’s neck while caressing his man’s abs. “It’ll just be the two of us—no hiding, no family business to take care of.”
“Jav—”
“Do you doubt me, Talon?”
Of course, Talon had doubted Javier, but his loyal heart would never let him say those words, so he’d nodded and kissed Javier passionately before rolling out of bed with Javier’s cum running down his thighs.
And now he was missing, and Javier had never known such pain before. Not when his parents died, and for sure not when his brother had been killed. Talon was his sole reason for being. Without Talon by his side, his life didn’t make sense.
Hands clenched into fists at his sides, Javier walked through the gardens at the back of the house. It was Talon’s favorite place to be when he knew Javier was safe and didn’t need him. Whenever he was missing, Javier could always find him in the nook he’d created for Talon for their last anniversary. A place where he could fulfill his fascination with history. Javier never understood the obsession his lover had with learning about history. Very few people knew of Talon’s obsession, and the one person who’d made fun of him for it once had faced the brunt of Javier’s wrath.
Javier wasn’t an unreasonable man. He wasn’t prone to violence like some, but with Talon, he would be whatever he needed to protect Talon as much as the man protected him in kind.
“Where the fuck are you, Tal?” Javier murmured.
Talon’s car had been found, minus the driver. Sullivan Matthews must have caught him, but whether or not he was alive was anyone’s guess. Javier chose to believe Talon was alive. His heart would know if his lover’s soul had left the body Javier had explored every inch of with his tongue.
A phone rang, interrupting Javier’s thoughts. It took him a hot minute to realize the phone belonged to him. He dug into his slacks and pulled out the device, then frowned at the unknown number flashing on the screen.
“¿Aló?”
“Javier Grimaldo,” came a voice he didn’t recognize, but he knew who it belonged to, anyway.
“Sullivan Matthews.”
“Who knew one day it would come to this?” Matthews said. “I believe you have something that belongs to me.”
“I can say the same.”
“Naturally, I expect we’ll want to trade.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because your man’s been singing his loyalty to you. Won’t give up the location where you have my boy, despite everything I throw at him.”
The tendons in Javier’s neck bulged. “You’d better not hurt him, perro, or your boy will meet the same fate.”
“Let’s cut to the fucking chase, Javier. Let me know when and where you want us to trade.”
“I need to see him. Let me talk to Talon.”
“Sure thing. As soon as I talk to Kit first.”
“You son of a bitch. Why do—”
“Are you going to cuss all day, Javier? Or will you get my boy on the line?”
Swearing under his breath, Javier ended the call and stalked back the way he’d come. He climbed the stairs, ignoring whoever called his name. He had only one goal in mind, and that was to get Talon back at whatever the cost was.