Page 13 of Nest Of Lies

Ianto

I step outside fora smoke and lean up against the side of the building. It’s the time when the night is at its darkest. The sounds of the world are at the quietest. Even the hum of city life is muted.

Zaden appears beside me and leans his head back against the wall.

“You should be sleeping. Aren’t you relieved I don’t have an errand for you to run?”

“I am sad over that,” I deadpan.

Zaden snorts. “I can tell. You’re old today. Another year you survived.”

“Survived,” I agree sullenly.

A light flickers in the mansion that I’m staring at without even intending to. I push up off the wall and take a step.

“Now, what is she doing up so late?”

Zaden follows my gaze and sighs. “I’m starting to think we need to move or something. Between that beta and this asshole who keeps trying to set us up with the cops, I’ve got a bad feeling. Thank you, by the way. I know you pulled strings to get the cops to lose that evidence. You saved the club a lot of money, Ianto.”

Two guys explode out the door, slamming their fists into each other. I turn away from it, uninterested.

“Ianto, what's wrong?”

I turn on Zaden. “I don’t know. I just feel like I need more.”

“More?” Zaden growls and reaches out, snagging my jaw in his hands. His eyes blaze with the promise of pain and violence. “What more could you possibly want?”

Both our heads turn at the same time. A dark shape slips nimbly through the shadows, disappearing and reappearing.

“What is she doing now?” Zaden growls.

I grab his wrist, holding him here with me. My hand slides down his and our fingers lace together. He still makes my world stop spinning out of control. Even after all these years.

“Zaden,” I murmur.

His fingers tighten on mine. “I’m here, Ianto. Always.”

My heart’s beating faster, and the sounds of the fight have faded away. I take a step, trying to keep her in view as she disappears around the property.

“We should stop her,” Zaden grumbles, but it’s halfhearted.

None of us are quite sure how Lia is getting into the mansion. Or how she is sneaking around when so many of the club are here so often.

Seeing her in action is a rare and beautiful gift. I have an image of us together, sneaking into a house and setting it alight.

Would she like that?

Would she stand watch while I beat the fuck out of someone for information?

Would she see the dark parts of me that are far too violent for civilisation, and could she embrace me?

No. Only those who are as fucked up as me could see all the dark parts of me and not run screaming.

I shrug out of Zaden’s hold.

“Where are you going?” he snaps.

“I got to piss. Can you be Daddy for a couple of minutes and break this shit up?”

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