Chapter 8

C hapter E ight

Thor lay still, his eyes wide, staring up at the ceiling and wondering if he had somehow died and gone to heaven.

"Did I scramble your brains?" Michael asked, smiling at him.

"Maybe…," Thor answered as he turned to where Michael lay next to him. "I guess you proved your point."

Thor nodded. "You're a competitive fucker, aren't you?" Not that he was complaining about it for a second.

Michael propped himself up on his arm. "You don't know the half of it." He winked, and Thor pounced, pressing Michael down onto the mattress.

"That may be true, but I know plenty." He took Michael's hands, pushing them over his head, and then kissed him hard. "And I fully intend to show you just how much that is." He groaned, because in truth, Michael had sort of worn him out, and his head still spun.

"I know you're just stalling for time." Michael gave him a cocky grin. It was clear, judging by the hard cock pressing against his hip, that Michael was ready to go. "It's okay. You older guys need more time."

"God, I'm, what, maybe three years older than you?" He grinned and slowly erased the distance between them, lighting a fire with his kiss that sent quivers through Michael. He could feel everything Michael did. The man was so expressive and unreserved, at least with him. Thor knew that in most situations, he put people on edge. He was big and could be demanding. When he was working, he could be intimidating as all hell. But Michael saw past all that. Hell, he saw through him to who he really was and didn't hesitate to call him on shit. Maybe that was what had gotten under Thor's thick armor so damned easily.

"Yeah. You're old," Michael teased and pulled him down into a kiss that curled Thor's toes. "Do you think you can get it up again, or do I have to give you a helping hand… or lips?"

Thor groaned, because everything about Michael made his heart race. "I'm more than ready for you…." Thor growled as he used his knee to part Michael's legs. Michael lifted his knees and folded them to his chest, needing Thor, who fumbled a few seconds with his kit on the bedside table before managing to retrieve a condom.

"Were you a Boy Scout?"

"Fuck no. But I like to be ready, and there was plenty of hoping where you were concerned." He ripped the square open and rolled it on before leaning over Michael once again, muscles stretching as he dug around before straightening up with a small bottle of slick. Michael gasped, smiling slightly to himself at that admission.

He groaned as Thor prepared him and writhed on his fingers before doing his best to relax as Thor's impressive cock slid into him. He pushed out, and Thor slowly filled him. The burn was heavenly, and Michael gasped and did his best to breathe evenly. Then Thor lightly pinched his right nipple, adding a new level of sensation that split his attention. Michael hissed and groaned, his brain nearly overloading from all the pleasure signals Thor sent rushing through him. "Jesus…."

"Am I hurting you?" Thor asked, stilling completely.

"Fuck no," Michael groaned and looked deep into Thor's eyes.

"But…," Thor started, and Michael squinted, his body adjusting to the amazing intrusion.

"I'm not made of glass." He smacked Thor on the shoulder. "Are you going to get on with it?" His vision was already a little clouded just from the excitement, and when Thor moved his hips, Michael nearly came unglued.

"Is this okay?" Thor asked, stopping once more.

Michael lifted his head. "Of course. What is this about?" He wound his arms around Thor's neck, pulling him down. "Sweetheart, I'm really fucking flexible, and I can take all you have to give me, so go for it." For a second he wondered who in the hell had done a number on Thor, but he didn't have the brain power for that at the moment, and once Thor started moving again, all questions flew from his head as Thor sent him on a damned wild ride.

"Are you always that… athletic?" Michael asked as he settled on the bed with Thor, after disposing of the condom, lying next to him. "It was… pretty damned hot." He turned toward him.

"Good."

Michael leaned a little closer. "But who the hell sold you a bill of goods?" He held Thor's gaze, expecting evasion. "Because whoever they were was full of shit."

"I had an ex who said I hurt him and…." Thor cleared his throat. "I never did it on purpose, and he said it wasn't my fault exactly, just that I was too much for him…."

Michael rolled his eyes.

"I liked him, and I guess it made me a little sensitive."

Michael pushed Thor onto his back and then straddled his hips. "You don't need to worry about that with me. I like you just the way you are, big dick and everything." He cocked his eyebrows. "I like that you're worried and careful, but I also loved when you just let yourself go…."

Thor kissed him, and as soon he backed away, Michael tried to stifle a yawn, but failed. Then he checked the clock and groaned. "You can stay," Thor offered.

Michael smiled and nuzzled his neck. "I'd love that more than anything. But I have to get home before my mother worries and my father starts asking a whole bunch of asshole questions." He slipped out of bed. "But I will be thinking of you." He sighed, leaned in to kiss Thor, and then started dressing. "Besides, I get the idea that if I stay, neither of us is going to get much sleep, and I have to be on the job by seven or else my father is going to get involved, and that is never a good thing." He pulled on his jeans and shirt, then sat on the side of the bed to put on his shoes.

"I suppose."

Michael stood and turned to Thor. "I know how this looks, leaving you in the hotel room." He leaned over the bed. "But it's taking all my willpower not to strip off and climb right back into bed with you." He kissed him. "Call me in the morning, and we can arrange to have lunch, maybe try to figure out where we go from here." Michael stopped, his hand on the door. "I want to try to help."

"I know. But this is just about where things get dangerous. The closer we get to these guys, the more desperate they are going to get. A cornered snake is most likely to strike."

"Then we'll just have to get them before they know they're cornered." He took one last look at the stunning naked man in the bed before leaving the room and heading home.

"Where were you?" his father asked as Michael walked into the house. It seemed he had been waiting for him. "I called you a couple times and sent some messages. There's an issue at Carson Hill."

"The drywall? It's being delivered at seven. I already handled it." He continued through the kitchen.

"I should have been able to get hold of you," his father snapped. "You have responsibilities."

Michael turned around. "Which I handled. My guys know what they're doing, and the job is right on schedule and is coming in slightly under budget, which should make you happy. We have a small amount of breathing room if something goes wrong." He returned to the table, but didn't sit down. "What is it that has you so pissed off? That there might be something wrong, or that things are going right?" He glared at his father.

"I didn't know, and when I heard there was an issue…." He sounded different, maybe a little contrite. "But I couldn't get hold of you." His lips drew into a straight line, and Michael returned his father's stony glare.

"You could have trusted me to have it under control. I always have. But you just can't seem to do that. If there had been a real issue, I would have called you." Probably so you could yell and make it worse. But he didn't say that, though he wanted to. "Maybe I can't do anything to make you happy, and I should quit trying." There was nothing he could do to change the way his father acted, and arguing wasn't going to do any good at all.

Michael left the room and went to his own, where he took a shower and crashed into bed.

He woke when his alarm sounded a little after six. He showered and dressed before going to the kitchen, where Rosa gave him a quick breakfast, and then he headed over to the building site.

Michael stayed on-site until nearly lunchtime before returning home. He'd left his phone charger in his room and needed to get it. As he came in the back door, Rosa stopped him. "I need to do laundry today." She seemed nervous, which was so unlike her. "Peter didn't bring his things from his room, and he gets mad if I go in there."

"It's okay. I'll get his laundry." Michael went to his own room and grabbed his phone charger before entering his brother's room. In Peter's bathroom, the hamper overflowed with dirty clothes. Michael pushed them down inside the liner and pulled it out, heading for the door.

As he passed the desk, a stack of papers fluttered to the floor. Michael set down the bag, gathered the papers, and was about to place them on the desk, but a set of numbers and letters stopped him in his tracks. He found himself holding the registration for the drug boat he'd seen in the harbor, the one that seemed to have sunk during the last rendezvous. "Shit…," he said softly, wishing he had the guts to take the page. Instead, he pulled out his phone, took a picture of the page, and filed through the others, taking images of additional marine registrations. Then he slipped his phone back into his pocket, set the papers on the desk, and headed for the door, opening it to find his startled brother.

"What are you doing in here?" he snapped.

Michael lifted the bag of laundry. "Rosa asked me to get it for her." He looked around the room. "You know, this really is a pigsty." Let his brother fume over that and maybe he wouldn't notice that his papers had been moved. Michael continued out the door, only pausing once the door closed to catch his breath.

Once he was able to make his feet move, he continued through the house, put the bag of laundry near the machines, and headed out, glad he didn't pass anyone else, because he was pretty shaken and needed a chance to think. Once in the truck, he contacted Thor.

"I'm a little busy running down a few leads. Can we meet for dinner?"

"Thor, I've got something big. Bring your laptop and a portable network connection. We can meet at The Pub in Mendocino. I'm on my way there now."

"Michael…."

"It's important, and I don't know what to do." He waited, his heart still pounding a mile a minute.

"Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can get there." Thor ended the call, and a few minutes later, Michael made the turn into the small town of Mendocino, then wove over to the restaurant and found a parking spot right in front. He was able to get a table outside under the canopy and sat down, ordering a Bloody Mary and watching the entrance for Thor. He had finished half the drink before he arrived, Thor's eyes widening.

"What happened?" Thor asked. "Are you in any danger?"

Michael shook his head, pulled out his phone, and showed Thor the images he'd taken of his brother's papers. "Rosa, the housekeeper, asked me to get my brother's laundry. I guess Peter is squeamish about having her in his bathroom. Though now that I've been in there, maybe she's the one who doesn't want to get anywhere near his mess." Michael had some more of his drink to steady his nerves.

"Okay. What is it you're showing me?" Thor asked as he went through the pictures. Michael knew the instant he saw the first one. "That's the boat from the harbor. The one we believe sank."

"And check out the owner, North Shore Holdings."

Thor nodded. "That jives with the information I got earlier. But what scares me is why your brother would have this."

Michael swallowed hard. "Look more closely at the other pictures. Two of the boats are under the name North Shore Holdings, and the last page has the name West Coast Excursions. Those are the holding companies you told me about." He leaned closer. "Which means that my brother's boats, owned by various companies, are involved in trafficking drugs." All he could do was shake his head. "What the hell do I do? He might own the boat, but I can't prove that he's involved, and it's likely the one boat we can tie to the trafficking is at the bottom of the ocean. And with its location, it's not safe for the coast guard to retrieve it."

"And all we have is what I gathered from it on our visit, which I sent to my boss." Thor groaned. "So basically we have next to zip as proof." Still, he smiled. "But we have a lead, and I have just the person who can follow it."

"Miller?" Michael asked.

"Yeah." Thor said. "Now that we have a little more information, it will help put together the trail of ownership, and maybe we can get a better picture of what's going on." He pulled out his phone and got up from the table, wandering out front. Michael couldn't help watching him go, even as he wondered what the hell Peter had gotten himself into.

He and his little brother used to get along so well when they were younger, but the teenage years had been hell for Michael, particularly once he figured out that Peter was his father's favorite and could do no wrong. Peter worked it out, too, and then the games began. If Peter behaved badly, he blamed it on Michael. When Peter wanted something Michael had, he'd either take it or beg their father to get him one. Either way, he'd get what he wanted, and Michael couldn't do shit about it.

He avoided his brother and his father when at all possible out of self-preservation. It really sucked, but it was how things were.

"Miller's going to work on it," Thor said when he returned to the table, sitting back down.

"Have you ever actually met Miller?" Michael asked. "Or is Miller just a voice on the phone?" He was curious and wanted to talk about anything other than his brother.

"Miller is very real. Though I know Miller is a cover. We've met a few times, but always in shadow. Miller is someone I know I can trust with my life, but beyond that I know very little. Sometimes not knowing something is the safest thing for everyone. If someone wants to know anything, I can't help them."

"But what if they think you can?" Michael asked.

"Miller is a name and a phone number. When I met Miller—sort of—I didn't even see a face. But we've worked together for two years, and trusting is what counts. That's all that matters."

"Is it really?" Michael asked. It seemed kind of strange, but then, he had never had any contact with this kind of business before. "Sorry. You know more about this than I do." He took another sip of his Bloody Mary before pushing it away. "What do we do now?"

Thor's expression grew hard. "You do nothing. I think I need to talk to your brother, and you shouldn't be part of this. Send me the pictures you took and then delete them off your phone. Make sure to delete them permanently—your family doesn't need to know that you're involved with this in any way. The least I can do is try to keep from causing you any trouble."

Their server came to the table, and Thor ordered a burger while Michael got a salad. He wasn't very hungry, and thoughts of his brother being involved with this kind of activity left him cold.

"What is it?" Thor asked.

"I don't know how, but my father is going to find a way for all of this to be my fault. Somehow this will come back to me."

Thor leaned over the table. "You're a talented person with lots of offer. Quit working for your family. Follow your own path. You don't need them, though it's pretty clear to me that they need you a hell of a lot. What is your father going to do without you?"

Michael smiled slightly. "He has no idea about everything I do. I can't just abandon the family. My father is a pain in the ass, but there's my mother and even Peter. I can't just leave them hanging out there."

Thor placed his hand over Michael's. "Do you always think of everyone else before yourself?"

"Someone besides my mother has to," Michael countered. "Anyway, that's enough of the Michael Constantine pity party. It's a waste of time and effort." He liked that Thor kept his hand on his. "How are you going to handle this with Peter?"

"I'm not quite sure yet. But I need to know where he'll be. I want to take him by surprise and maybe get him a little lubricated beforehand. Do you know where your brother likes to hang out?"

"North Coast Brewing, because he likes their beer. But his late-night hangout is Golden West Saloon. He's well-known there and has a number of friends, so he isn't likely to be alone… if you know what I mean."

"Lots of lady friends?" Thor asked.

"Oh yeah," Michael said as he nodded. "Peter is good-looking, and he can be charming when he wants to be. It also doesn't hurt that he carries the Constantine name, and everyone knows that means he has money. Not that he has all that much of his own at the moment. There are trust funds set up, but neither of us gets the money until we're thirty. Still, that doesn't seem to matter. Dad makes sure Peter has plenty of pocket money."

"Okay. Thanks for the information. It looks like I'm going to need to check out the bar and see if I can run into your brother."

"You know this task would be much easier if you were a woman. Peter isn't likely to give you the time of day." Michael smiled. "You can smile and be as interesting as you like, but you have nothing Peter wants."

"I'll figure it out."

Michael nodded and hoped there was some sort of explanation for what he'd found. He might not get along with Peter, but he sure as hell didn't want him mixed up in this mess.