Page 98 of The Bait

Harry snorted, grinning, and beckoned him closer. “Come here, little man.”

Medic grinned and took a bravely stupid step closer, but Captain put his arm on his shoulder and turned him toward the door instead. “Nope. Not today,” he said, walking him out. He smiled over his shoulder at both Harry and Asher, keeping his arm around Medic as they disappeared through the door.

They were cute. In a not-old-enough-to-shave kind of way.

“So they’re letting school kids be tactical officers now,” Asher said, nodding slowly. “How old are they, exactly?”

Harry snorted. “Toddlers.”

“Medic’s funny.”

Harry glowered at him. “He’s a smartass.”

“He’s not intimidated by you at all,” Asher said. “I like him.”

“You were going to stab him with a spoon.”

Asher sighed, and taking Harry’s hand, he threaded his fingers. “We’re too old for this game, Harry.”

“I know. All I want is our little house in the woods where there are no people.”

“Well, no people trying to kill us, anyway,” Asher allowed. “It’d be a good start.”

Harry nodded, his blinks getting slower. “I hope we can go home.”

“Same, my love.” He didn’t want to mention the whole passport issue and how he now didn’t have one. Didn’t have any chance of getting one with Yunho in hospital.

He didn’t even have a country with which he could apply to.

He didn’t have a clue how he even got into England. He had no clue how he’d leave.

Maybe they’d have to live here now . . .

“Hey,” Harry murmured, giving Asher’s hand a shake. “We’ll be okay. No matter where we are. Remember how once you told me your home wasn’t a place, it was me? Well, my home is you. Wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be.”

Asher nodded, teary-eyed. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Harry’s. “Wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be.”

He blinked and struggled to open his eyes again. “So tired.”

“Sleep. I’ll be right here.”

Harry extended his good arm. “Lie here with me.”

It wasn’t likely they’d fit, but Asher wasn’t going to say no. He climbed up and gently pressed himself against Harry’s side, his huge arm curling around Asher’s shoulders.

Asher breathed him in, feeling the warm skin of his naked chest. Asher sighed, everything in this moment, if just for this moment, felt right.

He felt like home.

The next morning,Harry showered and managed some semi-solid food. His jaw still hurt, like most of him hurt, but man, a shower had never felt so good.

His lung was healing, as were all the stab wounds and cuts. His shoulder hurt like a bitch but the drugs helped. Made him more agreeable too, according to Asher.

Harry didn’t like the drowsiness that came with it though. Much like he didn’t like the hospital policy that he was in a wheelchair when he and Asher went to see Yunho.

Asher was happy to push him though, chuckling as Harry grumbled about it. The ICU was on a different floor and down a corridor, and Asher pushed him slowly. The fetid smell of disease and disinfectant had always made Harry uneasy.

Or maybe it was knowing they were about to see Yunho, about to find out everything.