Chapter Seven

Eric

"Are you sure?" Jesse asked.

Eric exchanged a look with Remi.

"We arrested two of Collins's men last night. They had enough product on them that we convinced them to talk without too much pressure. There really wasn't any loyalty to Collins. Not even his men like him," Remi said.

"So how do we do this?" Jesse asked.

"As quietly as possible. I've had another team grabbing up Collins's men that aren't here. The team here will arrest the men that work here."

"And Joey Collins?" Jesse demanded.

"He's mine." Eric said with a mean grin. He was looking forward to taking Collins down. The man was a threat to Eric's boy, Jesse's employees, and the city. It would be a pleasure to remove Collins from society. If Collins decided to put up a fight, that would make Eric a very happy man.

"You have it all worked out," Jesse said. "It's really over?"

Eric crossed Jesse's office to grip his shoulder. "It will be. You'll have some rebuilding to do but Collins won't be a threat any longer."

Jesse sank into his chair. "I don't know how I'll ever thank you."

Remi stepped to the front of the desk. "You did what you needed by calling us in. People will live and bad men will be going to jail."

"It doesn't make up for those we lost," Jesse said.

"Maybe not," Eric responded. "But I have faith that you'll figure out how to help the families of those affected."

"I'll do my best." Jesse smiled. "I don't suppose you're looking for a career change?"

Eric barked out a laugh as Remi growled.

"I'm pretty happy with my job right now," Eric told him. "I'll let you know if anything changes."

Jesse nodded. "I appreciate everything you did."

"It was my pleasure." Eric nodded at Remi. It was time to end this. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Dane.

"'Lo?"

"You still have eyes on him?"

"He's currently standing outside the coffee shop," Dane reported. "He walks by once every hour."

Looking for Ezra? Well Collins would never lay eyes on Eric's boy again. "Keep an eye on him. I'm on my way."

"Got it." Dane disconnected.

Eric glanced over his shoulder one last time. Remi and Jesse had their heads bent over the desk, going over paperwork. Eric wasn't worried about not seeing Jesse again. He had plans to take not only Ezra to the club but his brother as well.

Last night had given Eric a glimpse of what a future with Ezra could consist of. Was it too soon to be madly and deeply in love with Ezra? Maybe. And Eric wasn't there yet but the chance was alive.

He could have a family that he hadn't known he wanted. A life worth working hard for. A partner, a child, a strong relationship with his brother, his friends by his side, and a job that he loved.

There was just a little business that needed to be taken care of first.

In the elevator Eric pulled the badge from under his button-down shirt. He was no longer hiding who he was. He was just stepping out of the elevator when his phone rang.

"Dane?"

"Something's going on," Dane yelled. "Collins received a phone call and went nuts. He started a riot in the casino. It's pure chaos and I lost him."

"Fuck! Call Remi. He's with Jesse in the office. I'll try to find Collins."

"He was by the coffee shop. Check there first."

Eric slipped his phone into his pocket as he raced toward the opposite side of the casino floor. He knew that Dom was working at the shop and Ezra would be upset if anything happened to his friend.

He dodged frantic patrons of the casino as he ran. Dane hadn't been joking when he'd said there was a riot. Eric hoped that Jesse had a plan because this had not been what they expected.

Eric had no idea what had gone wrong, but he needed to figure it out quick. He could see the front of the coffee shop and a few customers gathered around the windows, watching the craziness.

"Dom!" Eric shouted as he sprinted inside.

"Here."

Eric turned toward the counter. Dom stood holding a white towel against his face. Red coated Don's hands and was soaking into the towel.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Eric asked.

Dom removed the towel from his face, revealing a busted nose. "Joey Collins happened. He ran inside. Demanded to know where Ezra was. When I wouldn't tell him, he hit me and ran through the door." Dom pointed behind him.

Eric cupped Dom's face to check the injury.

"I'm fine." Dom pushed his hands away. "What the hell is happening out there?"

"It's a long story," Eric told him as he dug for his phone.

"And this?" Dom flicked the gold badge hanging around his neck.

Shit, Eric had forgotten about that.

"An even longer story." Eric lifted the phone to his ear as Dane answered.

"Yeah?" Dane sounded annoyed. Not especially different from how he normally sounded.

"Collins went through the back of the coffee shop. There's a hall that leads out to the dumpsters and the back of the property."

"I'm heading to the security room now to check the cameras. Jesse lambert is on the floor trying to calm things down. I'll send Remi to you."

"One of the employees here is injured," Eric said.

"I'll let Remi know."

"Sounds good." He disconnected the call to find that Dom was glaring at him.

"I need to go after Collins," Eric told him. "My boss is headed down here. He'll take care of you."

"I don't need anyone to take care of me," Dom replied angrily. "I want to know what Ezra is mixed up in. Why is Joey looking for him? Does he know you're a cop?"

"He knows," Eric said. "He couldn't tell you. I made him promise."

Dom shook his head. "I don't care about that. At least not right now."

"I have to go," Eric stressed.

Dom grunted. "Fine. We are going to have a conversation later."

Eric had no doubt. He nodded once before he took off in the direction that Dom had said Collins had gone. He hit the lever to the door hard. The heavy metal door clanged as it slammed into the wall.

Logic said that Collins would have headed toward the exit. Of course, there were several doors that went into the hall from different shop. It would be stupid to go back into one of the shops since there was no way out other than the casino floor. Collins had to have gone for the main exit.

He rushed down the hall and was almost to the exit when his phone rang. Had to be Dane. Eric stopped before exiting to answer.

"Yeah?"

"I lost him by the dumpsters," Dane informed him. "Caught him back in the parking garage and he made it to his vehicle. We put out an APB but we lost him once he left the camera view."

"Fuck!" Eric punched the door. Well, that was stupid. Now his hand hurt.

"I get it, man. We'll find him again."

"I need to talk to Dom again."

"Who?"

"The coffee shop employee that was hurt. He said Collins was asking where Ezra was."

"Fuck," Dame spat. "I'll meet you there. Remi is already talking to the guy."

"I'm on my way." Eric leaned his head back as he caught his breath. Everything had happened so fast. It had all gone to hell. Eric had been so sure that he could take Collins that he had gotten too cocky.

He wanted to check on Ezra just to hear his voice but first he needed to get the full story from Dom. Maybe there was something that the kid knew that could help Eric figure out where Collins might go. They knew all of Collins's usual haunts. They'd track him down.

Eric pushed off the door, heading back toward the coffee shop. He knew the entire property well from his research and the time watching the cameras. He'd seen Ezra, Dom, and several other employees use this hall but hadn't realized how cold and quiet it was. Not a good environment. He needed to bring that up to Jesse. Preferably before his boy returned to work.

Dane held the door open for Eric as he approached. "Hey."

"Hey," Eric returned.

"Is Dom okay?"

Amusement lit his eyes. "I would be asking about Remi more than that kid."

"What happened?"

"I think our boss is in love," Dane quipped.

"What the fuck?" Eric demanded.

"You have to see this for yourself," Dane told him.

Eric slipped past Dane, through the kitchen, and back to the front of the shop. As he pushed the swinging door open, he heard Dom growl.

"I don't need a hospital!"

"I think you do!" Remi yelled.

"Well, it's a good thing that you're not my boss," Dom told him with a scowl.

"You want to bet on that, pretty boy?" Remi threatened.

Eric had never heard Remi use that tone before. What the hell was happening right now?

Dom turned and spotted him. "Did you catch him?"

"No." Eric shook his head. "He got away."

"Then, someone better start explaining things to me real quick."

Eric looked at his boss. Remi continued to stare at Dom. "Talk to the boss." He pointed toward Remi.

Dom turned his dark eyes back to Remi.

"Thanks. asshole," Remi muttered.

Eric did not want to get on Dom's bad side. The guy was scrappy. "Not even a little sorry." Could he call and check on his boy now?

* * * * *

Ezra

Ezra closed the door to the room that Eric had given Annabelle and leaned against it. He was tired. It was a good kind of tired though. Ezra did not regret the orgasm or the lack of sleep. Not after what he'd shared with Eric.

True to his word, Eric had carried him to his room and cleaned him up. Ezra would have preferred to have been taken to Eric's bed instead of his own but after Eric had left him, Ezra had heard the shower turn on in the room beside him.

He'd fallen back to sleep imagining how sexy Eric would be all wet and slippery. If he'd had more energy, Ezra might have joined him. Ezra had fallen asleep though and by the time he'd woken, Eric had already been gone.

Ezra had promised to give Eric one more day before returning to work but they hadn't talked about what that would mean for them. Would Ezra and Annabelle be moving back into his tiny apartment? Was last night a one-time thing or did this mean they were a couple now? There was just so much to figure out.

Brandon's door opened and he stuck his head out.

Ezra offered him a small smile. Not only had Eric taken him and Annabelle in but he'd also introduced him to Brandon. Ezra truly believed that he and Brandon would remain great friends no matter what happened with Ezra and Eric's relationship. Brandon was someone that Ezra wanted to get to know better and add to his group of friends. Dom would go crazy for Brandon's sad eyes and obvious trauma.

"She asleep?" Brandon whispered.

Ezra nodded.

"Are you okay?" Brandon asked. He must be keeping his voice low not to wake Annabelle. Not that it would matter to Annabelle. That girl could sleep through a tornado and earthquake combined.

He nodded. Shook his head no. And nodded. Wait. What was the question?

Brandon gave him a strange look before he pulled the door open the rest of the way. He stepped out of his bedroom in an adorable onesie with dalmatians. Brandon blushed as Ezra looked him up and down.

Oh! Oh! Brandon was a little! Ezra grinned. This was the best news ever! Not only did that mean that Brandon was even more perfect for his group of friends, but it gave Ezra hope that Eric might have meant the words that he'd said the night before.

Could it be?

Was Eric the Daddy that Ezra had been dreaming about?

Brandon smiled back shyly.

"Are you playing?" Ezra asked.

"Ye…yeah." Brandon stammered and blushed.

"Cool." Ezra pushed off the door. He crept closer. "What are you playing?"

Brandon's eyes were huge. "Zoo."

"Can." He had to swallow hard. "Can I play?" It was hard to ask. Dom and Lake were the only other people that knew Ezra had little tendencies. He'd had to hide that part of himself when he'd had Annabelle. His family would have used any excuse to get Annabelle taken away from him. But he needed this release. The escape.

Brandon chewed on his thumb as he watched Ezra.

Ezra waited. He gave Brandon all the time that he needed.

"You little?" Brandon asked.

"Yeah, well I used to be." He didn't regret his baby girl or the things that he gave up. Being a little was something that he missed but Annabelle was worth the sacrifices. Or at least that was what Ezra always believed. Until he came to Vegas and found a new life. Dom and his friends. Eric and his brother. Ezra might have left everything he knew behind, but he was thinking that he was finding himself.

Brandon hurried forward to grab his hand. He tugged Ezra back down the hall and into his bedroom.

Ezra glanced around, not seeing much more out of place than a normal adult bedroom. That was disappointing. Did Brandon hide this from his brother? Was Ezra wrong about Eric?

Looking over his shoulder, Brandon grinned, leading Ezra around the big bed.

Now this side of the room had Ezra gasping in surprise. There was a small bright blue toy box along the wall but most of the toys were scattered on the floor. They were nice toys too, expensive.

"Wow." Ezra was impressed. Even when he played, he barely had any toys and mostly colored and had a few cars. Of course, Ezra hadn't been exploring his little side long. It wasn't until he left home after high school that he stumbled upon the lifestyle. The few years in college that he was part of the community had gone by too fast. He left school to take care of his baby girl and from that moment on all the toys had been for her.

Brandon wiggled in place as his eyes lit up. "Bubba bought them."

Eric bought his brother toys? Knew that he was a little? Supported him? "Really?" His hope flared back to life. He tried to push away the feeling but he really wanted to have a chance with Eric.

There were so many reasons that the two of them would never work. Eric was nearly twenty years older than him. No way he'd want a lover as young as Ezra. Ezra also came with a precious three-year-old daughter who would always come first in his life. Most men didn't expect a guy Ezra's age to have a child and ran when they found out.

But Eric hadn't run. He'd taken Ezra and Annabelle home to make sure they were safe and cared for. And now Ezra found out that he supported his brother being a little? It was almost too good to be true.

But the call of regression was riding him hard. This was such an opportunity. He spotted the zoo that Brandon had started to set up. "This is all so cool!" Ezra exclaimed.

"I like animals."

"Me too." Ezra dropped onto his knees. Brandon had started to put together enclosures as the animals were still in their plastic sleeves. "Can I help?"

"Yes!" Brandon clapped. "Juice?"

"Yes please." He was already reaching for the rest of the enclosures. He loved putting things together. Blocks, Legos, anything that took building.

Brandon raced out of the room and returned quickly with two boxes of apple juice. It had been weird that Eric had offered Annabelle juice their first night there. Now Ezra knew why.

He accepted the juice box before pointing to the toys in his lap. "I build. You let animals out."

"K!" Brandon sat opposite him with his legs crossed. Ezra could see the edge of a diaper sticking out.

Ezra shouldn't be jealous, but it was hard when it had been years since he immersed himself as fully as Brandon. Still, having this little moment was worth it for Ezra.

Falling back into the age regression was so easy. Too easy.

As he played, the worries about bills, having enough money for food, or what would happen to Annabelle if he got sick or hurt, floated away from his mind. None of that mattered as he built up the zoo that needed to be finished. The panda bears, lions, bears, and monkeys were all set up. That didn't mean that they were near done though. Brandon's number of toys was massive. All the animals needed out. It was only fair. No animal left behind.

Brandon was a great playmate. He wasn't bossy like Dom. He didn't chatter like Lake. They played quietly beside each other. Ezra knew when Brandon was ready for a new enclosure and Brandon helped Ezra when his fingers were too big for some of the pieces.

He had no idea how much time went by as he and Brandon passed toys back and forth. Brandon's thumb was in his mouth as he played and Ezra missed the pacifiers he used to have. Another thing Ezra had given up when Annabelle was born. Only one of them could have a pacifier and it wasn't him.

He leaned back, stretching his muscles, when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Ezra turned his head and froze when he spotted Eric propped against the door frame.

Eric winked at him, keeping Ezra from freaking out. Logically, he believed that Eric wouldn't judge him, but he had been shunned in the past.

"You boys having fun?" Eric asked.

Heat rushed to his cheeks. He hadn't actually thought past playing with Brandon and what he would say to either him or Eric.

"Yes!" Brandon said clapping. "Playing!"

"I see that, buddy." He walked in and over to them. Eric stopped to run his hand over the top of Brandon's head. "Wow, I didn't realize you had collected that many toys."

Brandon giggled. "You keep buying!"

Eric snorted. "Yeah. I know."

Ezra had to tilt his head all the way back to see Eric's face. "How was your day?" He wanted to get up and kiss the older man. To see how Eric would respond if Ezra showed him affection in front of Brandon.

"It was…it didn't go as planned."

Eric hadn't removed his suit yet. Ezra hoped that Eric would change into those gray sweatpants that Ezra liked so much.

"I have to go back in a few hours, but I wanted to stop by and check on the three of you."

Glancing at his watch Ezra saw that two hours had passed as he played. He groaned. "I need to wake Annabelle up or she's not going to sleep tonight."

"While you do that, I'll change clothes then I can start dinner," Eric offered.

"You gonna cook?" Brandon questioned, doubt obvious in his tone.

"Hey!" Eric rubbed his knuckles over the top of Brandon's head. "I can cook."

Brandon snorted.

"I can heat up food. I stopped by the store and grabbed some stuff. How does mac and cheese with dino nuggets sound?"

"Nuggies?" Brandon danced in place.

Ezra shook his head. Not a very nutritious meal. He'd been making most of the meals although Brandon was a pretty good cook as well. Ezra just wanted to make sure that he showed Eric and Brandon that he appreciated them taking them in. He cleared his throat.

"And a vegetable," Eric said.

Ezra nodded.

Brandon whined.

Okay, Eric wasn't a total pushover. "No corn," Ezra said. He hated corn and Annabelle wouldn't touch the stuff.

"No corn," Eric promised. "You boys finish up. I'm going to change clothes now. I don't have to wear a suit tonight."

"K!" Brandon waved him away.

Eric left the room and Ezra moved to his knees. "Do you want me to help you clean up?"

"No. I might play later. I don't sleep much."

Ezra had noticed. The dark circles under his eyes were very evident of Brandon's sleepless nights. And had increased since Ezra had gotten there. Brandon hadn't opened up to him though. Maybe in time? Or better he could totally push Brandon and Dom together and Dom would figure out how to help their new friend.

"If you want me to help clean up, just let me know."

Brandon smiled. "Sure."

Ezra climbed to his feet. "Thanks for this. I needed the break."

Brandon stood as well. "No, thank you." He looked away quickly. "I didn't think I would ever have this again."

Ezra stepped closer. "Being little?"

Brandon nodded, still not looking at him.

"Can I ask why?" Maybe he would push just a little. He was curious! Ezra also wanted to help Brandon. To make him smile.

"Something bad happened. A while ago," Brandon said with a shrug. "I didn't… It was bad."

Ezra linked his fingers with Brandon's. "Are you okay now?" Stupid question. Brandon's trauma was obvious. "Safe, I mean."

Brandon finally looked back at him. "I am. And I'm healing. It's okay to not be okay yet. I have a strong support system."

It sounded a lot like Brandon was repeating something he had been told.

"Good." Ezra squeezed Brandon's fingers as he heard Annabelle call out for him.

"Go!" Brandon told him. "I'm going to make sure my brother doesn't burn down the house."

They giggled together before Ezra went to go get his little girl.