Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

ECHO

For a split second, I freeze at the scene before me.

A member of the Red Devils with a limp Joey in his arms. He's not dead. He can't be. He's Joey. Vibrant and full of life. There is no way he is dead in the arms of scum right now.

I make my way over to them as quickly and stealthy as I can. The cunt is shouting something, but I can't make out what. As I get closer, I see Joey's eyes open and I want to collapse in relief. Not yet though. Joey is still in danger.

I pull my trusty Swiss army knife out of my pocket and flick it open. I step up behind the guy and wrap my hand around his throat, digging the knife into his back.

"Let him go. Now." I growl in his ear.

Joey jolts in the guy's arms and then heaves like he's having a fit. I take a second to realise he's laughing. Of course he is. Crazy motherfucker.

"Well?" I ask when the dumb fuck doesn't move.

"You'll kill me if I let him go," the slimy bastards snivels.

"I might." I won't, but he doesn't know that. "But I might not. If you don't let go of him, your odds of getting stabbed increase considerably."

I press the knife harder into his side. Not enough to tear into the fabric, but enough for him to really feel the pressure.

"Do you know how painful it is to be sliced in your side? It will feel like a thousand paper cuts bathed in vinegar. And if I move just half an inch to the left, I'll nick your kidney. If you get to the hospital within eleven minutes, you'll probably survive, but your kidney won't. I guess it all boils down to whether or not you're a gambling man."

Everything out of my mouth is bull shit. I can do basic first aid, but other than that, all of my medical knowledge comes from watching the odd Grey's Anatomy episode with Booker. He has an unhealthy admiration for some of those characters.

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll let him go. Please don't hurt me."

He doesn't just let go of Joey; he throws him on to the floor and jumps into the open door of the van. I grab Joey and pull him around the side of the car. Red Devils are all about enforcing their right to bear arms and I'm not saving Joey from a weird hostage situation just to have him get shot.

The squealing tyres of the van peeling out of the parking lot, let me know that the shit head is gone.

Thank fuck.

I don't know what I would have done if he had turned it into a shootout.

It takes me a second to realise that my body covers Joey's. His gaze is on me.

"I know that this is really not the time, but I have wanted to be in this position since the day I met you," he says with a sigh. "You are literally my knight in shining armor."

"I'm wearing a t-shirt and jeans. No shiny armor here." I smirk at him and his face lights up.

"I love the sound of your voice. A part of me wants to suggest you record audiobooks, but another, more forceful part of me wants to hoard all of your words for myself."

I snort and roll off him. He pushes his bottom lip out in a pout.

"I think you're in shock. I want to take you to the hospital." It is the only answer for how he is acting so blasé right now.

"No, I'm fine. I think I just need to go home and have a lie down somewhere that isn't graveled." He moans and sits up, brushing stones and dirt off of himself.

"I'm taking you home."

His eyes widen. "No, I can drive myself."

"No deal. I'm driving you." and when we get to his we are definitely going to be talking about why a member of the Red Devils just tried kidnapping him.

"Okay, fine," he finally concedes. We both get up from the floor and I open his door for him before making my way round to the driver's seat.

The journey to his apartment is quick and quiet. He spends most of his time texting someone.

I don't like it.

I miss his chatter and his attention.

This is bad. I am trying so hard not to fall for him, but he keeps chipping away at my heart.

We finally get to a nice-looking apartment complex. It looks like something a bit out of the price range for a college student, but I don't question how he can afford this. Well, my mouth doesn't question it. My face must have subtitles on.

"My dad helps with my expenses and I have a roommate," Joey says, looking nervous. Maybe he's worried that I'll judge him for having money.

"It's nice of your dad to help you out," I say.

He snorts. "It's rarely my dad is called nice by anyone other than me." I frown. What is that supposed to mean?

Joey reads my face again. "Oh no, he's a great dad. It's just not everyone sees that." he smiles at me. How does he manage to explain everything and nothing at the same time? "Let's go up. I messaged Dolly, my roommate. Hopefully, he won't make a big deal out of this, but he's kind of a drama queen."

From the doubt in his voice, not even Joey believes what he's saying. I'm definitely intrigued by this roommate if joey, the man who screamed at the top of his lungs when an ant crawled on my desk, thinks they are dramatic.

I follow behind him and drink all of him in. He's wearing an outfit that is similar to mine except where I look like a generic NPC, Joey looks like a model. His clothes, even grubby from time spent on the floor, look like they were tailored for him. His jeans hug his ass perfectly, and if shit hadn't gone down tonight, I would definitely be thinking about how it would feel sinking into his tight ass. Okay, I guess I am thinking about it a little. Guilt floods me. Joey just got traumatized by a fucking Red Devil and I'm thinking about sex. I'm such an asshole.

"Oh my god, Joey, are you okay?"

I look up and see a giant bear of a man standing in the open doorway of an apartment. Is this Dolly? I thought with a name like Dolly, he'd be an ultra femme twink. I could not be further from reality. Dolly looks like he's pushing 7 feet, long honey hair pulled back in a messy bun, neatly trim beard, and eyes that much his hair. Most of all, you get the feeling of warmth and maybe happiness from him. Right now, though, he radiates worry.

"I'm fine, Doll," Joey says, wrapping his arms around the man. "Let us get in and close the door, and I'll tell you all about it." Dolly huffs, but he does as Joey says.

Soon enough, we are all sitting on the corner couch in their apartment. The decor is nice. It looks like it's just jumped out of some upper middle-class magazine spread. There is nothing in the beiges and neutrals that screams Joey, though. Maybe he isn't that interested? Or maybe all of his personality is in his bedroom.

"What happened?" Dolly demands. "I want to know every detail."

Me too.

"I had some time to kill, so I decided to get a coffee before class. I don't usually park in that car park and I probably would have left my car there except I wanted to make sure I caught Echo before class and I was worried it might be a bit too far for him to walk me to my car after class, so I was going to drive to my usual spot. Except the guy grabbed me from behind when I reached for my keys. He scared the shit out of me. I remember seeing on some show how it's a good idea to play dead, because then you are harder to carry away."

He beams at me from his place beside me. There is a lot of room on this couch but of course he cozied up to me.

Even though we are barely touching, I'm ecstatic. I like him being in my space. I wish I could have this always, but it's not meant to be.

"Did he say anything to you? I want to know why he singled you out." I tell him.

He sighs. "I love how much I'm getting to hear your voice today. I wish the subject matter was a little sexier, though."

"Joey," I say warningly. We can't get off track.

"Fuck, you can't say my name like that. It went straight to my balls."

I stare down at him. "Oh shit, right." He takes a deep breath and I resist the urge to comfort him by taking his hands into mine.

"He asked for my keys. He was trying to steal my car." Joey says, looking me dead in the eye.

He's lying.

I don't know why, or even how I know, but he is definitely lying. There isn't a lot I can do if he won't be honest with me, but for some weird as fuck reason, I still trust him. I know Joey isn't involved in anything nefarious. He's too fucking pure for that shit. I think. I hope.

Rex's comments about putting Joey on a pedal stool drift into my mind.

Yeah, he may have a point.

Not that it matters. An enemy of my enemy is my friend. If they are trying to kidnap Joey, then the Fallen Gargoyles are going to protect him.

"I'm worried they might come back," I tell him truthfully.

His eyes light up. "You could stay here and protect me." He places his hand on my thigh. "I'd make it worth your while."

"Dude, you have zero chill," Dolly says, staring at him, clearly trying to hold back a smile.

"Have you seen him?" Joey replies without taking his eyes from me. "You're so beautiful Echo."

"That's an interesting name. How did your parents come up with it?" Dolly asks leaning forward.

"No clue," I lie. Only two people in this world know that story, and I'm keeping it that way. I turn to Joey. "I'm going to order a ride back to my car. Will you be okay with Dolly looking after you until I can come back tomorrow afternoon?"

His eyes lose a bit of their sparkle. I hate that I did that.

"Yeah, no worries." He moves his hand and places it on his lap.

I turn to Dolly. Before I can even open my mouth, he starts talking. "I'm going to go run you a bath, Joey. It was nice meeting you, Echo."

I nod and wait for him to leave the room. The second we are alone, I am pulling Joey on to my lap so he's straddling me.

"What is going on?" he looks at me, shocked.

I wish I knew. Something in me has snapped though and I don't want to put it back together. I can't deny Joey or myself anymore.

"I'm giving us what we both want. What we both need."

No more words are said then because he crashes his mouth to mine.

He tastes incredible just like I knew he would.

Delicious.

I lick the seam of his lips until he parts for me and then I'm pushing my tongue into his mouth, tangling with his. It is the sexiest, filthiest kiss in existence, and I love it.

I need this.

I've craved him for so long.

He grinds his hard cock into mine over and over. Fuck, I am so close to coming in my pants like a horny teenager and I don't give a shit.

"Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Dolly's voice comes from somewhere over Joey's shoulder.

Joey rips his lips from mine. "Fucksake, Doll, you're a shithead."

He just cackles and disappears again.

"I don't suppose you want to carry on?" Joey says hopefully.

"Sorry, baby, I need to get home. I have a couple of friends who need to know what happened this evening." I should tell him I'm a part of a motorcycle club, but even though we are the tamest of the tame, people still view us as if we're gang bangers or some shit. "Promise you'll stay with Dolly? I'm going to cut out of work early and I'll come straight here."

Joey stares at me silently for a beat, like he's contemplating whether he wan't to tell me something.

"I promise. As long as we revisit the last ten minutes in the very near future."

I press a too brief kiss to his lips. "Tomorrow."

He gives me a beaming grin. Eyes full of sparkle and promise.

I gently lift him and sit him down next to me. Before getting up and heading out with one last look at the man that has captivated me.

It isn't until I'm parking my car outside the Fallen Gargoyles clubhouse that I realise something that should have been glaringly obvious. Someone tried to kidnap joey today and at no point did he mention calling the cops. Fuck, I don't think he mentioned the police at all.

I have no idea what is going on with him, but I will definitely find out.

Maybe I can convince him to tell me the truth with bribery. Sexual bribery. Unethical but we both get what we want.