19. Chase

It was early enough in the morning that the pool area was still rather empty. Most people—choosing to have breakfast or perhaps enjoy a morning fuck or two—weren't in a hurry to lounge by the sprawling oasis Matteo called a pool.

Chase still found it difficult to believe that this massive chateau was someone's home. Granted, it was filled with sexy-ass guys who were more than willing to party, get naked, and even fuck around. From what Chase had been able to discern, most of Matteo's fortune was inherited money from his now-deceased family. Apparently, some tragedy befell the wealthy family, leaving the whole estate to one Mr. Matteo Sabarino.

Given the wealth Matteo seemed to have amassed, Chase wondered why Matteo would turn to using his wealthy clients' secrets to collect even more money. He didn't need the cash after all.

Power.

It all came down to that five-letter word.

Money equaled power, which equaled respect. And all powerful people demanded respect.

Look at Matteo, for instance. On the outside, he appeared to be a kind and thoughtful man, but deep down, there was a dark and sinister being that demanded obedience and respect. It was buried under years of charm and social etiquette… but it was there.

Chase knew the signs. Chase knew the type. He even got a glimpse of it the other night.

For a moment, he wondered just how far Matteo would have gone. Would he have killed him? Or stopped when he was close to death?

It was unpredictable people like Matteo who scared him. You never really knew where you stood with them or how far they were willing to go. And that made them dangerous.

Lying on a lounge chair, arm propped behind his head, in nothing but a tiny red Speedo and black sunglasses, was presumably the man they had come to see. Diesel.

Judging by his slow-moving chest and by the way his mouth hung slightly open, Chase guessed that the man was taking a little snooze by the pool.

Chase's eyes drifted over the numerous tattoos that graced the sleeping man's body. Over his left pec was a grinning demon's face—eerie as fuck if you asked him. He guessed that some guys must love that tattooed, bad-boy look. In his opinion, he didn't need Satan's child smiling down on him while giving the man a blowjob. But that was just him.

To add to the nightmare canvas that was Diesel were the drawings of what looked like stab wounds along the right side of the man's rib cage. And, of course, his nightmare would not be complete without the chilling words "Never Again" scribbled in an arch just above the man's belly button. An eerie warning? Or a gentle reminder?

Then, of course, if the man's tattoos didn't scare you off, there was his package. Tucked tightly under the barely-there Speedo was a thick piece of meat curled around, just waiting to break free and destroy its next victim. Seriously, the package should come with a warning label. Even soft, the man could strangle you with his cock.

It was clear to see why the man belonged at La Maison. He was probably one of Matteo's star attractions—when he wasn't off on a bender or passed out somewhere. That "bad boy, come fuck me hard into oblivion" fantasy probably sold well here.

"Nice hardware," Levi teased, standing over Diesel's passed-out body.

Slowly, the man's arm moved, and his head began to lift. "Levi?" he groaned, twisting his face up toward the man standing over him.

"Yeah, it's nice to see you're still alive, fuck-face," Levi responded.

The half-dead man in the lounge chair let out a chuckle. "I've missed you too, bro." The man's arms spread open, making way for Levi's tight little body to slide into his.

Chase watched this friendly exchange of affection, not enjoying the sight one little bit.

Watching as Diesel wrapped his arms firmly around Levi's body and pulled him onto the chair and in between his furry naked legs had Chase grinding his teeth and brainstorming the quickest way to murder this man and dispose of his hung-as-fuck body.

No, Chase wasn't the least bit intimidated by the man's ginormous dick.

"It's good to see you again, Lee. You been keeping your ass out of trouble?" the man asked, giving Levi a quick smack on the ass.

Levi let out a giggle as his bubble-butt jiggled.

Chase had seen enough. He cleared his throat and stood, glaring down at the six-foot-two bad boy, currently pawing his man.

But was he really his man?

Levi was a rent boy when it came down to it. Sugarcoat it any way you like: Levi had sex with men for money. Did he really think that there was any kind of a future with a guy like that?

No.

When it came down to it, Chase was a very possessive man. He believed in monogamy—one guy for the rest of his life. He wasn't into sharing or lending out his partner so that some sleazeball could get his rocks off.

Hence, why it could never work between them. Watching Levi make out with some other guy would make Chase all… murder-y. One by one, Matteo's clients would begin disappearing until there was no one left to touch or look at Levi.

Was this view a tad possessive and unhealthy? Not really. Can one really say that they love someone if they aren't willing to kill and dismember any man who dares to touch them? Call him a caveman if you like, but to Chase, love includes protecting your man.

Both heads lifted at the sound of Chase clearing his throat.

Levi stood up and wrapped his arm around Chase's bulging bicep.

Was Chase purposely flexing? You're damn straight. This tattooed little bad boy better recognize who the true alpha was in this situation—the alpha who could best protect Levi's smoking hot ass and the alpha who could make the boy moan like no other.

Okay… perhaps he was starting to feel a little bit more than just a physical attraction to the guy. Dare he say he was starting to catch… feelings? Shit, this wasn't good.

"This is Chase," Levi introduced, pulling Chase down onto the lounge chair next to their new friend.

"Nice to meet you, Chase. Levi is one of the best guys we have here. I hope he's making your stay enjoyable," Diesel said with a tiny smirk.

Little cunt-face.

"Oh, Chase isn't a guest here. He's here on special assignment," Levi chirped.

Diesel removed his sunglasses and stared up at Chase. He appeared to be sizing him up, perhaps wondering what he was doing hanging around with his little buddy and whether he meant him harm.

"Is that so? What kind of special assignment?" Diesel asked, sitting up further, suddenly taking an interest in what Chase had to say.

"That's none of your business, D. Let's talk about that nifty new toy you got wrapped around your ankle?" Levi snipped, nodding toward the tiny ankle monitor that his brother wore.

Raising his right leg, La Maison's latest runaway modeled the contraption. "It's a welcome-home present from Daddy Dearest. He wants to make sure that I stay confined to the mansion and not run off again."

"You know he only does that because he cares about you. When he heard that you ran off from the rehab clinic, he was out day and night trying to find you," Levi recounted.

Chase was surprised to see the hurt look that fell across Diesel's face at the mention of the efforts taken by Matteo. Perhaps the guy wasn't all bad-ass and toughness, after all.

"Yeah, well, I needed to get away from that clinical institution. It felt too much like an asylum. Plus, I came home now, didn't I?"

"You know, when you run off, it's not only Matteo who you're hurting. It's all of us as well. You're one of our brothers, and when you're hurting, so are we," Levi said in a soft voice, reaching across and touching Diesel's heavily tattooed arm.

Chase watched on. They really were one big, dysfunctional family.

Diesel's pained brown eyes drifted from Levi to Chase and back. "Yeah. I know I really screwed up badly this time, Lee. It took a lot of convincing to prove to M that I wasn't going to run off again. I even asked him to place this gaudy contraption on my ankle, hoping it would bring him some peace if he could track my movements."

Chase glanced at the ankle monitor and noticed that the power light was not on. Had Matteo forgotten to activate the device? Or was it simply the offered gesture that put Matteo's mind at ease?

Sometimes, when you really love someone, you need to be able to trust that they won't leave—not because they are forced to stay, but because they want to stay. Matteo and this place were truly an enigma wrapped in a maze of wonderment.

"What about rehab?" Levi asked. He looked concerned for his brother's well-being.

"M said that he'd bring in a specialist to the mansion, even offered to have them stay on-site full time. But I don't want that. I want to be able to live a normal life while trying to get better. That's what I have you dumbasses here for." He gave Levi a playful punch and offered him a half smile.

"Well, you know that we're all here to support you and help you out with whatever you need, D. You just need to promise me that you will ask. No hiding your feelings, no keeping shit a secret. Open and honest, that's what we need you to be. I really am glad that you're home, you dumb shit," Levi added, leaning over and giving his buddy a big hug.

They spent the next hour hanging out and catching up. Chase sat silently while the two brothers reminisced like two old souls.

As he sat there, a thought occurred to him.

"I'll be back in a bit," Chase blurted, hopping to his feet and rushing back into the house.

They might not have Peabody's current address, but there was always a way to find a person; you just needed to be creative.

"I need you to send me a clear photo of Peabody," Chase ordered after knocking once on Matteo's secret office door, then barging in.

Matteo looked up, confused and startled. He probably wasn't used to people just barging in unannounced.

"What?"

"You said that Peabody worked as a professor, correct? Well, universities have websites with photos of their professors. I'll get Marc to run a facial recognition program against all the colleges and universities in the country to see if we get a match. I'm guessing he's local if he comes here every few months."

"That's a good idea." Matteo rushed over to his laptop to pull up the file on Mr. Peabody. "Sent."

"Thanks," Chase said, pulling up the email and hitting forward on the attachment. He typed out a quick description of his idea, then sent the email to Marc.

As he was closing out his email app, he heard his phone chime again.

Chase opened the app and was surprised to see another email from Matteo.

"What's this?" Chase asked when the photo of a young man popped up on his screen.

Matteo sat there for a moment, silent.

"That's the last picture I have of Edwin. Perhaps your boss can run his photo through his recognition software to see if he can locate him."

He didn't seem very sure of his words and kept looking down at his laptop.

"You're not betraying Edwin," Chase said. "He was the one who betrayed you by stealing this info and then using it to blackmail people who trusted their privacy and information to you. Instead of using the information to stop monsters from hurting people, he's chosen to sell that information to the highest bidder. In one case, there was a drug dealer in Ireland who was using the information in this journal to knock out his competition and seize control of more territory."

Matteo nodded but said nothing.

Chase walked over to the conflicted man and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"I just… I just feel like I am turning in one of my kids instead of trying to get him help. Clearly, the man is misguided and needs help seeing that. Edwin suffered a lot when he was younger. I just feel like I'm abandoning him by turning him in."

"How about we do this? Let Marc do his thing and see if he can locate the guy. If he does, I'll ask Marc to promise that he consults with you first before he goes after him."

Nodding, Matteo seemed okay with that compromise.

"Good. Now I'm going to go find Levi so we can get some work done," Chase finished before turning and leaving Matteo in his fortress of secrets.