27. Isaac

27

ISAAC

T he sound of gunfire and shouts filled the hallway outside Declan's office. It began fifteen minutes ago and only seemed to be intensifying and getting closer as the minutes ticked by.

Isaac gripped the ropes that bound his wrists to the pipe in his brother's office. Fear and uncertainty gripped Isaac by the throat.

Was the murderous rampage approaching him Jared on his way to rescue him? Or was it a rival gang here to take out Declan and eliminate the competition?

Isaac had seen such gang-style executions on the news over the years. Usually, they were rival gangs in Columbia, Mexico, or even the Middle East who wiped out an entire criminal organization so that they could take over their turf and become the next big crime lords in the area.

If it were a gang-style execution, he wouldn't survive it. Gang members never left witnesses or people alive who could identify the killers or explain what happened. No, if these were murderous rivals, he only had minutes to live.

His thoughts drifted to Jared. Why had he wasted so much time teasing and playing around with him—annoying the fuck out of him whenever he got the chance?

He should have been honest about his feelings right from the beginning. He loved Jared. Every big, stubborn, obnoxious, and sweet pound of him.

Now, as death approached his door, he realized that he might never get another chance to see Jared's smiling face or confess to him just how much he loved waking up next to him and kissing his stupid face.

So much time wasted. And why? Because he was too afraid to admit to himself what he was truly feeling inside.

A lifetime of disappointment and endless amounts of betrayal had caused Isaac to build walls so thick that they blocked any chance of letting love in. Because what was love? Just another opportunity to be betrayed or disappointed.

It was because of those walls that Isaac chose to dance around love instead of facing it head-on.

Now, here he was, reminded of the wasted life that he could have had if he had been brave enough to knock down those walls and let the sun shine in.

Another shot rang out, followed by a wretched gurgle and a thud.

Why was death always so horrible?

The final moments of one's life should be filled with peace and calm, not cries of pain or gasps for breath.

Bang!

Isaac jumped once again.

This time, the gunshot was right outside the door.

Well, if these were his final moments, he wanted them to be filled with the memory of him and Jared, lying in bed that first morning, cuddling and smiling into each other's faces.

Yes. That was how people were meant to die. With loving memories of their most cherished moments filling their mind.

"I love you, Jared," Isaac whispered to himself, eyes clenching shut at the sound of the door bursting open.

"Isaac!"

Isaac's heart stopped when he heard the sweetest voice ever.

His eyes popped open to the sight of Jared standing in the doorway, assault rifle in hand, face smeared with blood, and a concerned look on his face.

"Jared!" Isaac shouted. Relief, love, and excitement all flooded his body, each fighting for dominance of his brain and heart.

"Oh my God," Jared gasped, eyes no doubt spotting the ropes tying his hands together.

Or perhaps Jared noticed the burn marks on his skin. Isaac remembered he was still sitting shirtless in his brother's office.

Jared ran to where Isaac sat, huddled on the floor, shaking and bleeding from where the ropes dug into his flesh.

"What did they do to you?" Jared asked, whipping out a switchblade from inside his tactical suit and quickly slicing through the ropes that bound him.

Isaac's pulse was racing. He couldn't believe that Jared was here! Rescuing him like a knight in shining armor. Or, in Jared's case, a hot as fuck, ex-army grunt who smelled like heaven and fucked like a porn star.

This was every gay boy's fantasy—being rescued by a strong and sexy man who had nothing but love and adoration in his eyes. How had he gotten so lucky?

God, when he got Jared back home, he was going to ride Jared's dick till the man couldn't see straight.

Finally, the ropes snapped against the edge of the blade, and Isaac lunged into Jared's open arms.

A burst of pain shot through his body. "Ow! Fuck," Isaac winced as he wrapped his arms around Jared and squeezed him as tight as his body would allow.

Jared tried to pull back, but Isaac held tight.

"Shit, sorry. Didn't mean to squeeze you so hard."

"Don't ever apologize for hugging me. I don't care how much my body hurts right now. I'm never letting you go again. I'm so happy to see you," Isaac whispered as he fought through the pain.

This was his new spot in life. He now resided in Jared's arms. No one was going to tell him otherwise.

Laughing into Isaac's ear, Jared squeezed back–gently, of course.

"I've missed you too, babe. I've been so worried. I thought I'd never see you again. I'm never letting you out of my sight."

Hearing his declaration, Isaac's heart leaped. He turned his head, then leaned in to kiss Jared.

Their kiss was electric. Sparks flew, heaven's parted, and the air was sucked out of the room. He felt like he'd been walking in the desert for days, and Jared was a cold glass of water.

No matter how hard they tried, they just couldn't get enough of each other.

Jared moaned into Isaac's mouth as their kissing went from "classic movie kiss" to "pornographic" in less than two seconds.

The world fell away from Isaac as his mind and body merged with Jared's. His kiss, his touch, and every fiber of Jared's being brought Isaac's body closer to orgasm. Isaac ignored the burning pain throughout his body. Feeling this man's lips against his was well worth the agony.

If they died right here, he wouldn't care. This would be the perfect way to end one's love story—wrapped in each other's arms, kissing the shit out of each other.

The sound of someone clearing their throat had them both jumping back.

"Sorry to interrupt, boys," Matteo said, standing in the doorway and looking a tad annoyed. "But you should probably save the make-out session until after we get the fuck out of this hellhole."

Isaac nodded, happy to see Matteo but not happy to postpone his make-out session. He reluctantly pulled away from their hungry embrace but quickly laced his fingers with Jared's.

"I can't believe you're here!" Isaac shouted, wrapping his arm around Matteo's sweaty neck and giving the man a hug.

Jared did a quick check to make sure that the hallway was clear for their exit.

"Of course, I'm here. You're my family," Matteo chuckled, returning Isaac's hug gently and giving the boy one of his loving smiles.

"Okay, stay close to me," Jared instructed, releasing Isaac's hand so that he could grip his weapon properly and lead them all to safety.

Exiting the office, they jogged down the hallway, glancing over their shoulders every so often.

Gunfire and explosions erupted all around them. There was a war going on in other parts of the facility. Isaac only hoped that they were heading away from the fighting.

"This way," Jared motioned, leading them up another staircase and down another dark hallway.

Lights flickered overhead as walls rattled from explosions and gunfire.

Seriously, who the fuck did they bring with them?

Eventually, they came to a large open space that appeared to have been the main part of the factory back when the building had been operational. Machines sat idle while long conveyor belts stood motionless.

"Are we—" Isaac began before a stray bullet exploded next to his head.

Jared grabbed Isaac and tugged him down under one of the conveyor belts. His head spun around, trying to locate the position of the shooter.

"Come now. You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye, little bro, were ya?" Declan's voice boomed all around the room.

Isaac's body trembled.

When it was just him, he didn't care. But now Jared and Matteo were in the room with him. If anything happened to either of them, he would never forgive himself.

"Declan, leave my buddies alone," Isaac shouted. He ignored the glare from Jared and Matteo. "You hurt either of them, and I promise I'll hunt you down and end you."

A monstrous laugh filled the room as his brother mocked Isaac's threats.

"Seriously? You're threatening me? Your big brother? The bloke who spent the last day flicking lit matches at you while you sat there and cried like the little pussy that you are?"

Jared's jaw tightened as he heard the torture Declan had inflicted on Isaac.

"Your big brother? The one who spent your childhood beating in your face? Who forced you to sit outside in the cold while I was busy in the nice warm house getting my dick sucked? Oh, you mean the big brother who used you to distract that crazy old man at the corner shop so that me and my buddies could rob the place? That same big brother who left you there to get caught and punished?" Declan taunted.

Isaac knew what he was doing. He was trying to piss him off so that he could jump up and reveal his location. Isaac was smarter than to fall for that immature tactic… but apparently, Jared was not.

Before he realized what was happening, Jared jumped up and began shooting his gun in multiple directions.

"Jared, wait!" Isaac shouted, but Jared was already leaping over the conveyor belt and acting out every last fighting sequence in just about every single Sylvester Stallone movie.

Shots rang out in every direction, snarls and curses, and threats of dismemberment. It all fell from Jared in a rabid tornado of fury and anger.

Isaac jumped up, hoping to get Jared's attention and calm him down before he got himself hurt.

Those two seconds were all that Declan needed to locate his brother.

A yelp escaped Isaac's mouth as a big arm wrapped itself around his neck and dragged his body backward into the darkness.

"No one's going to save you now, little bro," Declan growled. His venomous words slithering into his little brother's ear.

Helpless and off balance, Isaac was dragged deeper into the shadows of the facility. He tried to struggle, but his brother had always outweighed him and outpowered him.

"I think it's time that you and I made our little exit," Declan whispered.

Panic set in as Jared's voice continued to fade the further they got.

"Not so fast."

They froze.

A splinter of hope cut through the panic as Isaac recognized the voice.

"Turn around slowly," Matteo ordered. "Make one wrong move, and I'll blow your head off." His voice was cold and dark.

From behind them, they listened to a gun cock its chamber.

Isaac knew that Matteo had a scary side, but he had never been witness to it. If this was it, he never wanted to be on the receiving end of his wrath.

Declan's grip tightened around his brother's neck as he slowly turned them in the direction of the voice.

With his back pressed against his brother's chest, Isaac felt his brother let out a growl.

They all stared at each other. Eyes locked together. Motionless. Daring the other to make a move.

Staring into the blackness of Matteo's eyes, Isaac wondered whether this was the first time that he had ever held a gun. He seemed way too comfortable with his grip and stance for this to be his first time.

"So, you must be the pimp ," Declan snarled, holding Isaac firmly against his body as a shield. "Judging by that expensive suit you're wearing, I'm guessing you've made a lot of money off my little brother's tight ass." The man let out a snort.

Matteo's eyes narrowed as the grip on his gun tightened.

Isaac could see the whites of Matteo's knuckles as he fought against the urge to pull the trigger and blow the asshole's brains out. Matteo wasn't holding an assault rifle like Jared or any of the other dead bodies they had passed in the hallway. Instead, he held a handgun, complete with silencer, and pointed right at his brother's head.

"The money your brother makes is his own. What your brother and I share is a bond that you will never understand. One of family, loyalty, and love. You were his bigger brother. You were meant to stand by him, guide him, protect him. Instead, you used him; you abused him, then you abandoned him when he needed you the most." Matteo's eyes drifted over to Isaac's and softened. "Isaac will always hold a special place in my heart and in my home. He is one of the most spirited and loving young men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I thank God every day for putting Isaac in my path. I love you, kid."

Isaac felt his eyes begin to water. He had always known that Matteo cared about him. Well, him and all of his brothers at La Maison de M, but hearing him vocalize it and put his feelings into words, he loved the man even more.

"I love you, too, M," Isaac whispered back in a shaky voice.

If he died this very moment, he would die a happy man. He had the love of Jared, who had traveled across two countries in order to rescue him. He had the love of Matteo, the surrogate father he always wished he had, and he had the love of all his brothers back at the house, who were no doubt worried as sin for his safety. He couldn't ask for a more loving life.

Enough was enough. His bully of a brother was not going to take this life away from him.

Using all the power he could muster, Isaac stomped down hard on his brother's right foot, causing his brother to release his grip around his neck.

Next, Isaac gave his brother a sharp right elbow to the face, enjoying the crushing sound his brother's nose made right before blood exploded from it.

Declan stumbled backward, clutching his nose in pain.

A shot rang out.

Isaac spun around in time to see blood explode from his brother's thigh, and the man fall to one knee in pain.

"Isaac, stand back!" Matteo shouted, rushing over to Isaac's side, gun still pointed at Declan's thigh.

Slowly, Matteo raised the gun, stopping once it was aligned with the side of Declan's head. His grip tightened around the gun as his finger hovered over the trigger.

Isaac understood.

Matteo was conflicted. Did he murder the brother of one of his adopted children? If he did, he would forever be seen as the person who killed Isaac's older brother.

On the other hand, should he end the life of a monster who had orchestrated the kidnapping and rape of so many women just so he could steal their children and sell them to the highest bidder? If so, he would be administering justice and making the world a safer place.

Or should he let the man live? If he did, the world would never truly be safe with such a monster in it.

Isaac felt Matteo's pain. He couldn't let the man who had saved him so many times over the years, given him a future, and taught him what it meant to be a family make that sort of decision.

Reaching out, Isaac placed his hand on Matteo's and lowered the gun.

"I have a better idea."

Matteo turned his conflicted eyes until they landed on Isaac's. Slowly, he nodded, letting Isaac choose his brother's fate.

Ignoring the painful groans coming from his brother as he withered on the floor, Isaac turned and hugged his friend, his boss, and his chosen father.

"Don't you two look cute together?" Ares's voice cut through their tender moment. "I hate to remind you, old man, but the boy is half your age."

Isaac felt Matteo growl against his chest and giggled. There was something about Ares that always elicited an adverse reaction from his boss. Yet, strangely enough, every time Matteo was in trouble, he always seemed to turn to the man for help.

They pulled apart and stared at Ares and Jared, who were both standing in the doorway. One was smiling, while the other twisted his face.

Isaac couldn't wait any longer. He ran to Jared and jumped into his arms. He hugged Jared tight once again, enjoying the warmth and security that always came from being wrapped in Jared's big, muscular arms.

There was no other place he'd rather be.

From the corner of his eyes, he watched Ares's eyes widen, and a look of terror cross his face.

The man leaped forward, just as Isaac turned to see his brother holding a gun, pointed at Matteo's back.

"Matte—" was all that Isaac managed to get out before Ares's body crashed into Matteo's, sending his boss stumbling to the side at the same moment Declan's gun went off.

Jared fired a shot at Declan's hand, forcing him to drop the firearm he was holding. The gun went flying, and so did two of his fingers.

Lying two feet from Declan was Ares. He was holding his stomach as a pool of red quickly expanded across his wrinkled white dress shirt.

"Ares!" Matteo shouted, scrambling toward the bleeding man.

He quickly placed his hand over Ares's wound and pressed down hard. Ares let out another growl, cursing in a foreign language at the Italian pressing down on his spleen.

"Fuck! You crazy guido! Stop squishing my liver!" Ares gritted his teeth as he cursed out Matteo in French and then in English.

"You're shot!" Matteo shouted, still appearing in shock.

"No shit, you fucking dumbass," Ares responded through grunts of pain. Sweat dripped from the man's face as he cursed every deity known to man.

Isaac crouched next to Ares's shoulders, fear causing him to forget every first-aid video they had ever watched in school. Were they supposed to put pressure and elevate the wound? But it was his stomach. So perhaps just put pressure? Was the bullet still inside?

Panicked, he glanced up at Matteo, who was still staring at Ares wide-eyed.

A storm of footsteps charged toward the room.

"In here," Jared shouted seconds before Elijah and the team burst through the door like they were the baddest motherfuckers on the planet. Well, they kind of were.

"You… you saved me," Matteo stuttered, still in shock.

Isaac wasn't sure if it was the shock of seeing his friend get shot or the shock that his friend had actually taken a bullet for him that was causing such a reaction.

"Yeah, well. Now that I'm feeling the bullet in my gut, I'm not so sure that was the wisest choice I've ever made," Ares quipped, grunting as his body shifted and pain shot through his side.

"I got this," Elijah rushed, gently shoving Matteo aside and pulling some supplies from his tactical suit.

Isaac helped Matteo to his feet, giving Elijah some room to work on the scary gun trafficker.

Behind them, Isaac watched as two dirty and blood-soaked men gagged and bound his brother. They forced Declan onto his knees and then held a gun to the back of his head.

"Wait! No!" Isaac shouted at the executioners.

Both men glanced over at Isaac, looking like crazed serial killers on Christmas.

"Don't kill him. I've got a better idea," Isaac instructed.

All this pain. All this suffering. And it was all caused by this one man. An angry little boy who lost his father too soon and then grew up to become a hateful monster.

"Argh!" Ares growled as Elijah dug a set of pliers into Ares's hairy belly and burrowed around for the bullet. "Fucking shit!" Ares growled as Elijah yanked out the bullet, then began flushing the open wound with antiseptic.

The last thing they needed was for the wound to get infected.

Ares's eyes drifted over to the man who he saved. His lips pulled back into a smirk.

"Just in case you were wondering, this is how a real man takes a bullet." Ares grinned, then grunted as Elijah applied a bit too much pressure to the wound—accidentally, of course.

"Is that how a real man handles pain as well?" Matteo chirped back, giving the man his own smirk in return.

Isaac tried not to laugh. It seemed inappropriate, considering all the blood, missing body parts, and injured men lying all around him.

"There," Elijah huffed, slapping Ares on the chest as he stood. "You can stop your crying now."

Ares glared at the head of his A-team death squad. "Touch me again, and they won't find your body."

Elijah chuckled. "I love that German humor of yours."

German? Another clue in the mystery that was Ares, the man.

"Boss, what do you want us to do with this one? Apparently, he's a lawyer or something?" One of Ares's masked members asked, lifting a large knife to the man's throat. "Should I just slit his throat and add him to the burn pile?"

So, apparently, the plan was to burn the bodies of all the men who they killed. This would destroy any DNA or fingerprints that might have been left behind on the bodies. It was one of Elijah's safety protocols it turned out.

Matteo's head snapped around when he heard the word lawyer.

"What's his name?" Matteo asked.

"That's Sawyer, the brains behind this operation," Isaac answered.

Behind them, Declan growled, unable to speak because of his gag. Apparently, he didn't like not being recognized as the brains in this operation.

"Don't kill him. We're taking him home with us. I've got a better way to deal with this monster," Matteo ordered, glancing over his shoulder at Chase, who had just walked into the room with Diesel in tow. Diesel looked like he'd been sprayed with blood on the side of his face, while Chase's jeans were covered in some sort of dark matter. Isaac was too afraid to ask what the mystery gunk was.

Wrapping his arms around Jared's firm waist, Isaac looked up into the warmest chestnut eyes he had ever seen.

"Can we go home now, babe?"

Jared smiled and kissed his nose.

"Sounds perfect."