Page 19 of The Traitor

The day had been the laziest she’d had in a long time. Even now, doing nothing apart from watching the men finish washing and drying the dinner dishes, she almost felt anxious. It had been drilled into her that she always needed to be working at something, and this stillness made her uncomfortable. She’d tried to help, but as she’d cooked brunch and dinner, Knox and Gage pushed her out the kitchen.

During the afternoon, both of them had disappeared into the shed connected to the main house where Knox had installed a heated gym. While they were gone, Josie had taken a nap, which had never happened before as far as she could remember, and when she finally woke, she started working on dinner.

Half-naked and sweaty, they had appeared briefly, before heading to shower and change, coming back into the kitchen just as she’d finished cooking a meaty stew filled with root vegetables. It made her smile how voracious both men had been as soon as they had a steaming plate before them. It was endearing and she was flattered they enjoyed her cooking, but she wondered if that eagerness, that hunger for food, for sex, and even for life, didn’t stem from something deeper and darker in their past.

Gage had referred to Knox’s dark history. And because they were friends, it wasn’t that far-fetched to realize the fighter had a similar story to tell, and it made her curious. She’d wondered about the shadows in Knox’s eyes. Gage hid everything behind humor and sarcasm, but Knox was more contained. There was something very raw and exposed inside him that he worked hard to protect from everybody else. He didn’t act like someone who had been beaten or broken, but that was probably exactly what he’d been through, but she doubted he hadn’t fought back as he was beaten down. The scars she’d seen on his hands were proof of that, as well as the scars that were invisible to the eye.

Gage was the first to plop down on the couch before her, a beer in his hand and a satisfied grin on his handsome face. “That was a great meal. Thanks, Josie.”

“It was a simple one, but I’m glad you liked it.”

Knox started turning most of the lights off, leaving only a few dimmed ones lighting the space. The fireplace was now the main source of lighting. Like Gage, he let himself fall down on the couch, took a gulp of his beer, and let his head fall back in utter contentment.

“I have to agree with Gage. You’re a great cook. And I way prefer cleaning up afterward than cooking.”

Josie nodded. “And I prefer to do the cooking rather than the washing-up. That’s why I decided to cook, because it’s not a chore for me.”

Gage chuckled. “If it means I get that kind of meal every day, I’m happy to take on all the other chores by myself.”

His statement made Knox roll his eyes. “I’d need to see it to believe it. You always pick the quickest and easiest job.”

The only answer he got was an elbow in the ribs that didn’t seem to affect him at all.

“I think you’d be a good cook if you really applied yourself. You’re two grown men who live alone. How is it you never learned how to cook? You can’t just live on canned food and take-outs.”

Both men exchanged a glance, but it was Knox who answered. “When you grow up without food, you learn not to be picky. It’s a constant fight to stay alive on so many levels.”

It was obvious he was being careful not to give away too many details, but Josie was smart enough to fill in the blanks. “But what about when you became successful underground crime lords?”

Gage laughed, but Knox’s smile was tinged with sorrow when he answered. “There’s no softness, or normalcy for that matter, in the life we had.”

Josie couldn’t help but ask. “What was that life? You didn’t correct me when I said ‘underground crime lords’. Is that what you were?”

Both men hesitated, their faces growing darker by the minute. Knox evaded her glance and Gage sighed. “I think the less you know, the better it is for you.”

“Why? Because you think I’d look at you differently?”

It was obvious from the looks on their faces that was exactly what they thought. Josie was honest enough with herself to know what they had done must have been horrible, but she also saw how they’d tried to redeem themselves, even though she suspected they didn’t think it was possible. How could she judge them? Piecing things together, it was clear the men hadn’t had a choice in the path they’d followed. If they had hunger in their bellies as kids, power and money would have been impossible to ignore.

“Well, I see you as men with interesting pasts. Tell me something funny that happened to you. Anything at all.”

Determined to alleviate the gloom in the room, Josie smiled and bugged them until Gage started to tell a story of when he’d had to escape a jealous lover, but his car broke down so he’d had to run for his life.

Soon, laughter filled the room, and even Knox started to tease his friend, adding some outrageous facts that made Josie laugh even louder. “At least in that particular event, it was a woman with very high heels, and she couldn’t run two steps unless she wanted to break her neck. That wasn’t always the case with Gage’s lovers. I remember an extremely clingy one he couldn’t get rid of. He alternated hiding between my place and Locke’s for a month before it was safe for him to be seen in public.”

Josie bit her lips. “What do you mean? Was she clingy?”

Knox winked at her. “Actually,shewas ahe. And to make matters worse, he was the son of an important lieutenant, so it was complicated from the beginning. But Gage always follows his dick more than his brain, and we’re forever pulling him out the mess he gets himself into.”

“Hey! He jumped on me, what was I supposed to do? It was supposed to be a one night stand, not a promise of happily ever after, for fuck’s sake!”

Josie angled her head. “I’ve never met anyone so comfortable in being bisexual.”

Gage shrugged, finishing his beer. “It’s not easy. People think I’m an all-over threat. I do like to fuck, but I’m not a fucking dog. Not my fault I’m loyal but can’t fall in love.”

Knox stretched. “I can vouch for the fact he’s loyal. He was loyal to Locke for a long time.”

Gage pushed him with his shoulder, teasing in his voice. “Jealous, Knox?”

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