Kai stepped out onto Dev’s back patio and closed the door behind him. Dev had gone up to check on his son, who was supposed to be getting ready for bed. All through dinner, Jake had talked almost nonstop about everything he’d done, seen, and eaten while at camp. There had been zero reason on Kai’s part to worry about what he and Dev were going to tell Jake about the events of the prior two weeks. It simply hadn’t occurred to him that his father might have an adventure without him.
Right now, Kai figured Jake had either passed out while getting ready for bed—from the sheer exhaustion of the past couple of weeks—or he had thought of yet another story he needed to tell Dev.
Which made it the perfect time to send a quick text.
Settled in a cushioned chair with his feet up on a footstool, Kai typed out: I heard an interesting story about you and a tree.
His grin was impossibly large and evil when he hit Send.
Now he just had to wait. If the phone was handy when the text came through, then—
Justin’s name flashed across the screen as the call came in. Kai laughed as he answered it and placed it on speaker.
“Whatever you were told, it’s a complete lie,” Justin said before Kai could even get out a greeting.
Kai continued to laugh. He could hear Justin’s muffled groan.
“Look, it wasn’t my fault,” Justin hissed in a low voice. In the background, Kai could barely make out the sound of a door opening and closing along with the excited barking of dogs.
“How exactly did a little boy manage to catch you in a tree when you are supposed to be this stealthy assassin, Chameleon?” Kai teased.
Justin groaned again. “I got my hands on a copy of the schedule for the campers, and they were supposed to be heading to the lake for canoeing lessons and boat safety shit. But it rained the night before, and some jackass—in their infinite wisdom—decided at the last minute, to change the lesson to archery.”
“And I’m guessing the camp administrators failed to mention it to you.”
“You’re an asshole,” Justin muttered. “No, they didn’t tell the weirdo stalking one of their campers that plans had changed. I’d chosen a tree that gave me a good view of the docks and canoes. The path down to the lake wouldn’t have taken Jake past my tree.”
“However, the path to the archery field did,” Kai guessed.
“Yesss,” Justin hissed and then proceeded to swear softly for a bit. “I was freaking out. I knew he saw me, and I waved at him to be quiet. I couldn’t let him alert any of his friends to my presence, or there would have been a huge stink.”
“I understand. I’m sure the camp counselors really frown on strange men watching the kids from trees.”
Justin sniffed. “You don’t have to make it sound so pervy. We were there at your request as well as Devlin’s. We were not going to let anything happen to Jake. We also didn’t want to ruin his summer of fun after everything he’s already been through.”
That was true. “And we are incredibly grateful that you and Gabriel kept Jake safe at camp.”
“Are you grateful enough to never mention this again?” Justin asked. Something sly had entered Justin’s tone, bringing Kai’s wicked grin back.
“I don’t know. Is your husband unaware of your sighting while at the camp? Is that why you felt it necessary to step out of the house to call me?”
The silence on the line stretched, and Kai nearly cackled. He had the assassin again—after more than a year of taunting and ridiculous memes, he finally had one up on Justin.
“Maybe. But I’d like to think that I’ve bought your silence after G Love and I helped to tie up some loose ends on your former life, clearing the way for the cozy little scene you find yourself in now. We did put our asses on the line to make it all look believable.”
“True…” Kai drew out, rubbing his chin. “But Gabriel might be grateful if I told him what I know.”
Justin swore again and the dogs barked. “What do you want for your silence?”
Kai didn’t have to think about it. He knew what he wanted already—though, in his former life, he might have considered this trade insane. Lethal assassin Justin Mallory owed him. This could be big. But this request was big for him now.
“When Jake was telling us about seeing you, he also asked to make a trip to Colorado at the end of summer to visit you and Gabriel,” Kai replied.
Justin remained silent for a moment. “That’s it? A visit to our home?”
The sound of the door opening drew Kai’s gaze up to see Dev standing in the doorway, a questioning look on his face. Kai smiled and held his hand out to the man who’d claimed his heart. “All three of us visit you in Colorado for a few days.”
A dismissive noise rose from the little speaker. “No problem. You’re all welcome here anytime. But I’m still taking this as a paid-in-full favor.”
“Good. I’ll let you and Dev work out the details later.”
“Got it. And you’re still an asshole,” Justin said before hanging up.
Kai put his phone in his pocket as Dev crossed to him, a broad grin on his face.
Grabbing the arms of the chair, Dev leaned down and sweetly kissed him. “Back in my life for less than a day and you’re already planning family vacations.”
“With a dash of blackmail for the hell of it.”
“You’re a wicked man,” Dev purred, stealing another kiss.
“Maybe, but I’m your wicked man now.”