Chapter 15

Sebastian

I was developinga complicated relationship with hospitals. Over the years, I'd spent too much time in them, both for Damien's injuries and my own. I'd failed to identify the burned John Doe, so the place was a monument of my failure. Plus, several hospitals had also failed to protect the children born under their roofs and handed them over to the hands of pedophiles.

However, a hospital was where I first met Newt, so it wasn't all bad. Apparently, hospitals could produce good memories as well.

I was feeling especially generous toward hospitals when I went in for an appointment and was told by the doctors that my leg was healing faster than expected. It had been nearly six weeks since my high-speed plummet off a bridge. Ever since Frankie had moved into our apartment, he and Newt had dedicated themselves to my recovery. They had nothing else to do, trapped inside under the guise of "protection" just as I was.

Gabe kept Newt, Frankie, and me on strict lockdown. We hadn't even been allowed to step foot outside the apartment in three weeks.

I could almost understand his protective attitude toward myself and Newt. After all, there had been direct attempts on our lives. Gabe's strict regulation of Frankie, however, was more of a mystery. Yes, the man was possibly in danger because of his association with us, but so was Damien. Yet my brother retained some freedom of movement and was still helping the FBI investigate the possible connection between the pedophile ring and David Russo, the Mafia Boss who had killed our parents.

Every time I watched Damien step out the door while I was stuck inside, I felt a little more useless. I was also climbing the walls with claustrophobia. Movies, video games, and physical therapy could only occupy so much of my time, and still left many hours of the day free to wallow in self-pity.

Several times, I'd had to stop myself from snapping at Newt and Frankie and telling them not to coddle me. That wouldn't be fair when they were only trying to help me.

Their efforts were definitely paying off.

After only six weeks, the doctors declared the crack in my femur healed and swapped out my full leg cast for a sturdy boot that only reached to my knee. The broken bones in my lower leg still needed some time to heal, but the boot provided enough support to let me walk without the damn crutch.

When I returned to the front lobby where Newt and Gabe waited, I held out my arms to show off my hands-free standing capability.

"Looks like you and Frankie know what you're doing, Newt. Even the doctors were surprised by how well my leg has healed. In a few weeks, I'll even be able to get this boot off, and then I'll be completely back on my feet again."

Slipping under my arms, Newt wrapped his arms around my waist in a tight hug. "I'm just glad you're feeling better."

Gabe tucked a small book into his inner jacket pocket, which he had apparently been reading while he and Newt waited for me.

"Great. You're done. Now, let's get back. You're too vulnerable here."

We were at the same hospital where Newt worked. I'd expected he would want to stop in and say hello to his co-workers, or at least check with his bosses that he still had a job despite taking off for a month and a half with no warning.

However, there was apparently no time for socializing as Gabe herded us out of the building and directly into his personal car.

People under the FBI's protection did not walk anywhere or take public transport. No, we got chauffeured like a pair of spoiled celebrities.

Damien and Frankie waited for us at the front door of our building when we pulled up.

"So, how'd it go?" Damien asked as he held the door open for me.

I gestured down at my leg. "Not fully recovered yet, but a hell of a lot better." I turned to Frankie. "I haven't really thanked you or Newt. The two of you have put a lot of effort into helping me recover. I know I haven't been the best patient, but I am grateful."

Frankie grinned and lightly punched my shoulder. "Remember that gratitude when I send you my bill. Private therapy like this doesn't come cheap."

Before I could reply, Gabe stepped between us. "Why are you down here? Don't stand in the open door. You're an easy target."

Heaving a sigh, Frankie rolled his eyes and gave me a pathetic look. "Sometimes, I think he forgets which one of us the mafia is actually after."

Gabe said nothing, but his glare spoke volumes.

"All right. All right." Frankie threw his hands up in defeat. "I'm going back inside. Damn. You're worse than my mother, and she wouldn't let me spend the night at a friend's house until I was sixteen."

Once everyone was safely back inside and gathered in our office on the first floor, I finally noticed the addition to our group.

"Agent Adder. Why are you here? Do you have any new information?"

The man placed a protective hand on his briefcase, which sat on my desk. He, and the other agents that occasionally stopped by to check in with Gabe, had been getting more use out of my desk than I had over the last few weeks. Even the office barely felt like mine anymore.

"I might have something," he said as he tapped the briefcase's latch without opening it. "But I'm not sure."

I waited for him to continue, but the man silently looked toward Gabe and Damien, like he was waiting for instructions.

"What? Not gonna tell us?" I looked over at my brother and Gabe, and it clicked. "Oh, you're just not gonna tell me. What? You think I'm some sort of liability. This was my case to begin with and now you're trying to freeze me out."

Agent Adder had apparently gotten so used to me hobbling around on crutches that he was startled when I took a threatening step toward him.

"No, that's not..." He stumbled back, bringing his briefcase with him like he was afraid I'd steal it. "I just don't want to stress you out unnecessarily. This might turn out to be nothing."

"Nothing?" I was practically yelling at this point. "Don't feed me that excuse. We've already got so little to go on, anything is something. You're just trying to keep me away from this case because you think I can't handle it."

Damien slipped between me and Agent Adder. "Sebastian. It's not like that. We want your help with the case, but we also want you to focus on healing. If there's something you can help with, we'll let you know. But let us weed through the unnecessary stuff first. There's no reason for you to get worked up over every dead end."

Off in the corner, Frankie and Newt were whispering together. I didn't think much about this until Newt inserted himself between me and the others.

"Okay. Everyone calm down. How about this, Sebastian? You and I will go upstairs while the others discuss whatever Agent Adder has found. We need to review the information the doctors gave you today and come up with a new recovery plan now that you're on the mend. Afterward, the others can then tell you if Agent Adder's new information has actually resulted in anything."

That sounded exactly the same as not being involved in the case at all, but I couldn't argue. Newt looked so hopeful. It would take a stronger will than mine to say "no" under the full weight of those pleading blue eyes.

As we left the office, I expected Frankie to come as well. After all, as my physical therapist, he was equally involved with my recovery. However, when I noticed he wasn't following us and asked him about it, he just waved me off.

"Nah. I'm gonna stay down here. You guys can handle it on your own without me."

That was a confusing response, but I was too angry to think about it for long.

At least the staircase was easier to navigate without the crutch. I didn't even need Newt's help getting up to the apartment. The boot on my foot required some getting used to in terms of balance, but each step came a little easier.

My irritation over the situation remained, but I didn't feel so blindly angry by the time the apartment door closed behind me. "What do you need to know? The doctors didn't say much, other than to keep doing what you're doing."

Newt giggled, and the light sound instantly lifted my mood. "Oh, I don't actually need to go over anything. That's just what I told the others." He pressed up against me, slipping my coat open one button at a time. "I recognize the type of cast they gave you. It's a pretty good one. Sturdy. Light. Even waterproof."

He was obviously hinting at something, but my mind was still half occupied by the conversation happening directly below us right that moment.

Luckily, Newt was willing to spell things out for me.

"You've been complaining for weeks that you want to take a shower. Now you can, and there's no one else here, so..."

Finally realizing what he meant, I glanced around the empty apartment. A stack of recently folded laundry sat in the corner of the room since there wasn't enough closet space for everyone's clothes. A spreadsheet had been taped to one wall, listing out the designated times for people to use the bathroom. The sofa was pulled out into a bed, and a line of pillows and blankets had been piled in the center to divide Frankie's side from Gabe's.

With five people living in an apartment meant for two, even with Damien spending most of his time with Max and Travis, there was never a moment of privacy. Newt and I hadn't had sex in weeks. It shouldn't have been that big of a deal. I'd gone the first thirty-three years of my life without him. A few weeks of celibacy shouldn't matter, but now that I'd had him, I wanted more.

Maybe I could let the others work on the case without me, at least for a few hours.

After one brief but intense kiss, we ran for the bathroom as quickly as my cast would allow. Our clothes lay scattered over the floor like the trail of breadcrumbs that were supposed to lead Hansel and Gretel home, except I had no intention of going anywhere else. Getting lost in the woods sounded just fine so long as Newt was there with me.

I'd never been more grateful for the extra expense Damien and I had dedicated to refurbishing the bathroom than when I finally stepped under the hot spray of the shower after taking only baths for a month and a half. The wide rain-shower head and gray tile felt like a luxury spa, and the frosted glass created a private ambiance. There was just enough space for two people, with maybe a foot of air between us. I breathed a sigh of relief as I ran my hands through my hair and reveled in the water running over me.

"Finally." I scrubbed shampoo firmly into my scalp and let the shower wash it away. "Not that your assisted bathing wasn't pleasurable, but trying to wash while keeping my leg propped up out of the water was getting old. It's great to be able to just take care of myself."

Wiping the water from my eyes, I looked toward Newt to see him leaning against the wall and watching me with a hungry gaze.

His wet hair hung in his face. The water made it a shade darker than when it was dry so that it almost looked brown. His blue-eyed gaze traveled down my body, following the path of soapsuds as they dripped over my chest and stomach.

"I hope you don't plan on taking care of everything yourself." His fingers followed the path of the soapsuds down my body until he reached my half hard cock. "There are some things I'd still like to help with."

He wrapped his hand around my shaft and slowly started stroking me. It felt good, but I didn't let it go on for very long. We'd done this before. Now that I could stand on my own two feet, I had other ideas.

Grabbing his shoulders, I pressed his back against the wall of the shower and devoured him with a hungry kiss. I was significantly taller than him, but it had never mattered before since I was always sitting or lying down when we had sex. I could finally use my size to its full advantage. Taking control, I pinned Newt's wrists to the wall as I loomed over him.

He gasped at the rougher handling and tipped his head up to give me easier access to his mouth.

The air filled with steam and left streaks of condensation on the glass. Newt rubbed a leg against me, urging me on without breaking the kiss.

I couldn't take it. After so many weeks of playing it safe and sticking to only tame forms of intimacy, I needed to be more adventurous.

Not giving Newt a chance to protest, I let go of his wrists and instead grabbed under his thighs and lifted him up.

"Sebastian, what are you doing?" he screeched as he clung to my shoulders.

I wrapped his legs around my waist and pressed him against the wall once again so our hips ground together.

"I'm showing you one of my favorite positions. I really like doing it standing up, but with our size difference it would be difficult. So, problem solved."

"Problem not solved." He slapped my chest then clung to me with all four limbs like half an octopus. "You need to be careful. Your leg still isn't fully healed yet."

My lower leg still ached in the cast, but the sweet relief of finally being able to bend my knee again drowned out any pain I felt. The rubber traction on the bottom of the boot even let me stand on the shower's slick tiles without much trouble.

I distracted Newt with pressing little kisses over his cheeks, one for every freckle.

"It's fine. You're light as a feather. I won't break just from this."

He opened his mouth, obviously about to argue some more, so I pressed my mouth to his again.

Our moans echoed off the shower walls as we rutted and ground against each other. My cock throbbed with desire from the teasing stimulation, and I wanted nothing more than to be buried inside him right that moment.

While Newt clung to me with both arms and legs, I was able to free one hand in order to palm his ass and slowly inch my fingers toward his hole. He gasped and accidentally bit my lip when I brushed my fingers over his rim, but the jolt of unexpected pain only excited me even more.

Very carefully, I slid one finger inside him. With only water and soap for lube, I had to go slower than usual. Pushing one finger in and out of him, I waited until I felt his muscles soften and relax before adding a second digit and repeating the process. He squirmed and mewled, but never let go of me or tried to make me stop.

Judging by the arousal standing tall between his legs, he was just as excited by the new position as I was.

Finally, after several minutes of work, he was ready for me. However, as I grabbed more soap to slick up my cock, I realized a problem.

"Shit. We don't have..." Growling in frustration, I tipped my forehead to lean against his. "There aren't any condoms in the shower."

We panted against each other, sucking in humid air as our breaths mixed with the steam of the shower.

Newt twisted a lock of my hair around his finger. "You know, I've seen your medical records. I know you're clean. If you believe me when I say that I am as well, we wouldn't need to use protection."

I gripped him tighter and practically crushed him against the wall. "I believe you. Are you sure?"

He nodded, then blushed and buried his face against my shoulder. "I want..." His voice cracked and he tried again. "I want to feel you with no barriers."

The image his words invoked set my blood boiling inside my veins. "Fuck yes. Just you wait, baby. You're going to feel all of me."

Given the green light, I wasted no time preparing myself. I readjusted my grip on Newt, so my cock lined up easily with his entrance. The head of my shaft rubbed against his rim, teasing him for a moment, but neither of us were patient enough to wait. He moaned and hooked his hands behind my neck to pull me closer. I could barely hear his breathless voice over the sound of the shower as he begged me to hurry up.

It was a demand I was happy to meet. With one solid thrust, I pushed inside his sweet tight heat.

The new position, with Newt's legs bent upward to wrap around my waist, made him tighter than usual. I groaned as I slowly sank into him. His inner muscles gripped my dick so tight I feared I was hurting him, but he only moaned and begged for more.

Once I was all the way inside, I started with little thrusts, barely pulling out at all before burying myself back inside. Even such a small drag of skin against skin sent shocks of pleasure up my spine.

Newt pleaded with each thrust.

"So. Good. Sebastian. More."

Our mouths locked together in another kiss, and I picked up the pace. With each new thrust, I pulled out a little more until the entire length of my cock was plunging in and out of his eager body.

Newt screamed into the kiss and dug his nails into my skin. It seemed I had found a particularly good spot. Thrusting back in at the same angle, I hit that spot again and he wailed.

It was a fun new game. Hit the target and win a prize.

I drove into him, focusing on every breathy moan and rough grunt he made. His sounds were a map, leading me to the culmination of his pleasure. My own orgasm almost didn't matter, though I could feel it slowly approaching as a coil of desire turned tighter and tighter in my stomach. As long as I could see him fall apart in my arms, I would be satisfied.

He finally fell off the cliff, crying out my name, the sound of it bouncing off the shower walls. I watched with rapt fascination as his blue eyes lost focus and clouded with ecstasy. He clung to me so tightly, wet skin desperately digging into wet skin, and I couldn't help but follow him a moment later. My climax hit me hard and fast, and I buried my face against his hair as I emptied myself inside his clutching walls.

It was a good thing our apartment had a decent water heater, or else the shower would have turned cold by the time I'd calmed down enough to set Newt back on his feet. We were both a little wobbly, still riding the residual adrenaline that flowed through our veins, and we helped balance each other as we finished cleaning up.

Still, I wasn't done. As soon as we stepped out of the shower, I pulled him into another long kiss that stirred my desire all over again. We didn't even bother to dry off before I dragged him to the bedroom for round two.

Finally, I could lay his sweet figure out over the pillows and take him apart properly piece by piece. His nails dug into my back when I thrust inside him again, kneeling over him this time with his legs spread wide to accommodate me.

"No, I can't," he begged even as he pulled me close. "I just came. It's too much."

He kept saying no, kept begging for mercy, but his legs wrapped tight around me and pulled my hips into him even harder. I followed this physical instruction and pounded into him hard and fast, pushing us both toward our second orgasm in only a few minutes. Yet, even as the pleasure overtook me and I heard him cry out again, I knew this still wouldn't be enough to satisfy either of us.

Sometime later, when we finally finished and lay tangled together on the mattress, I looked toward the clock to find that two hours had passed since we first entered the apartment. The sun was starting to sink outside the window, casting everything in a warm amber hue. It brought out the golden tones in Newt's hair, as though some heavenly being had gilded him around the edges.

Our quiet intimacy was disrupted when Newt's stomach growled. Groaning with embarrassment, he hid his face against my chest, but I only laughed.

"Sounds like someone's hungry."

I felt the vibration of words against my skin but couldn't understand what he said.

"What was that, baby?" I grinned.

He raised his head just enough to repeat himself clearly. "It's not my fault. You wore me out. How many times did we even do it? You're an animal. Take responsibility."

I pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose, happy to comply. "All right. Let me see what we have in the kitchen. You and Frankie have kept this place stocked with all kinds of healthy stuff, but I think we've got a stash of your favorite MM's as well."

I rose from the bed and grabbed a pair of gray sweatpants that were hanging over the arm of a chair. As I pulled them on, I took a moment to marvel at how easily they slid over my new cast. I could almost forget it was even there.

"Wait," Newt called as I reached for the door. "You should relax. I'll go get us something."

He moved as if he meant to get up, but I shook my head. "Let me do it. You've been catering to me for weeks. Now that I can finally walk, it's my turn."

It took very little convincing for Newt to lie back down. I hesitated for a moment, enjoying the sight of him sprawled among my sheets with the setting sun running golden fingers over his skin.

It was only because of this moment of hesitation that I noticed an odd sound. Quiet footsteps echoed in the room just beyond the door. In an apartment currently housing five people, footsteps were not uncommon, but what caught my attention was the unfamiliar pattern.

My brother's footsteps I could recognize even in the dark. Gabe and Frankie I was less familiar with, but the pattern didn't seem to match what I'd observed of them so far.

Gabe stalked silently, but with purpose, like an arrow being shot from one place to another.

Frankie was louder, but always careful, as though he were dancing his way through life.

These footsteps were neither.

"Hello," I called. My hand still rested on the doorknob. "Did you guys finish your meeting already? Finally going to tell me what you found?"

Maybe I was wrong about the footsteps. I'd only known Gabe and Frankie a few weeks, after all.

I waited for a reply, desperately hoping to hear a familiar voice and prove I was just being paranoid.

No one spoke, but the footsteps picked up their pace. They grew softer and farther away. Then the door leading out of the apartment closed with a barely audible sound of squeaky hinges.

I opened the bedroom door, intent on going after whoever had been inside the apartment, but the minute I turned the handle, I heard an ominous metallic click.

"Fuck!"

Diving from the door, I grabbed Newt and rolled us both to the floor on the other side of the bed.

Then the whole world exploded around us.

We were thrown against the wall. My vision went black, but I was still conscious. A high-pitched whine screamed in my ears. Everything hurt, and yet was strangely numb at the same time.

I couldn't breathe.

None of that mattered. I could still feel Newt's weight in my arms. He seemed to be in one piece.

But was he alive?

This thought spurred me into motion. I opened my eyes and struggled to see through blurry vision. Newt's face greeted me. Bright red blood trickled down his forehead, nearly the same color as his hair. His eyes were closed.

My first instinct was to shake him and demand a response. I so desperately wanted to hear his voice, but I stopped myself at the last moment. If he was injured, too much movement would make it worse.

His chest rose with a shallow breath.

He was alive.

I could handle anything else so long as he was alive.

What the fuck had happened?

As I rose up from the floor into a sitting position, Newt cradled in my arms, my shoulder screamed with pain. A splinter of wood several inches long stuck out of my flesh. I couldn't pull it out without letting go of Newt. The stake would have to stay in place for now.

Some sort of explosive. That's what my mind told me. There had been some sort of explosive on the other side of the door, likely triggered when I turned the handle.

My head hit something solid when I sat up. Everything was darker than it should have been. I felt along the solid surface hovering over us and realized I was looking at the underside of my bed frame.

When the explosive went off, the bed had been thrown across the room. It probably would have killed us, but luck was on our side. The frame had wedged perfectly in the corner, creating a little pocket of safe space.

It would have been so much easier to lie there and just wait for rescue. Surely, Damien was already looking for me. I couldn't see anything outside our protected corner beneath the bed frame, and had no way of knowing what state the apartment was in. Waiting for rescue would probably be safer, and I was so tired. All I wanted to do was lie there and continue holding Newt until everything was safe again.

Except, it was getting hard to breathe.

The air was too thick, and the taste of ash lingered on my tongue.

I let go of Newt just long enough to peer around the damaged bed frame.

What had once been the wall of my bedroom was now a burning hole of wood and plaster. Fire licked every surface it could find, rapidly climbing higher until it touched the ceiling. There was barely any floor left. Our apartment was practically a crater. Even as I watched, a few more floorboards crumbled under the flames, and a half-destroyed chair fell into the burning pit.

More and more thick smoke filled the room. My vision blurred and each breath came a little harder than the one before. Behind me, I heard Newt cough, a deep raspy hacking that made my lungs hurt just from the sound.

If we didn't escape soon, either the smoke or the fire would kill us. Even if rescue was on its way, we wouldn't survive long enough for them to get here.

We needed to get out on our own.

"Come on, Newt," I said to the unconscious man as I lifted him into my arms. "We're getting out of here."

I shoved the remains of the bed frame aside and stumbled to my feet.

Maybe, if I sprinted, I could make it to the staircase without getting too burned by the fire.

That plan was immediately killed when I took a few unsteady steps and one of the floorboards collapsed under my foot. I stumbled back until I hit the far wall. Fire had eaten away at the building's supports. We were practically standing on a pile of matchsticks. There was no way we'd make it to the stairs, assuming they even still existed.

It was a miracle this portion of the apartment was still standing at all.

There was nowhere to go.

More smoke blew into my face, filling my nose and mouth immediately. I coughed so harshly that I nearly dropped Newt.

No, there had to be a solution. We were still alive. So long as we were alive, there was hope.

The window. It was only a few feet away, and the floor around it still looked stable.

I shuffled my way over, stepping carefully.

The building groaned around me, and the fire raged even harder. The skin along my arm blistered from the heat. I tucked Newt closer to protect him from the flames, but there was no escaping the smoke that choked us both with every breath.

I reached the window, grateful to find that the glass had already shattered so I wouldn't have to break it. There were no stairs or fire escape on this part of the building. Only a two story drop between me and the hard concrete below.

More floorboards collapsed, dangerously close to my feet. The whole apartment would soon cave in. I could hear the wood and metal crying out as the flames devoured the room.

I had no choice.

Taking a strong hold on Newt and bracing one foot on the windowsill, I jumped.