Page 81 of Breathe
This right here…Azrael in his arms, was all he’d ever wanted, and he tightened his grip.
They may seem mismatched to most of the world, but when they were together… they fit. They fit better than any puzzle piece ever could.
Azrael was the other half of his soul…a half that Real hadn’t even realized he was missing.
And now that he understood the power of them being together, he was loath to part, even for a millisecond.
But the mission had to be done, and they each had jobs to do. And as much as it was killing him, he had to walk away, if only for a short time.
Reluctantly, Real released Azrael, cupped his beautiful face in his rough hands, and planted a kiss on the younger man’s lips.
“Stay safe,” he said, the words coming out raw.
“You better come back to me,” Azrael whispered tightly.
After one long last look, Real jogged toward the team that stood waiting in the shadows.
“You ready?” Crow whispered when he approached.
“Yeah, let’s get this done.”
Micky’s fortress was really more of a large reinforced estate that sat behind eight-foot-high cinderblock walls lined with barbed wire along the top. The hillside on the outskirts of Scottsdale, Arizona, was surrounded by trees and shrubs.
He pulled at the collar of his shirt, but there was no relief from the heat, and he wasn’t sure if it was his anxiety about Azrael or the weather.
The days were warm in late April, but it was still cool at night, and right then, the skies were dark with storm clouds.
Moments later, rain began and picked up speed, pounding the trees, shrubs, and ground. It would make their approach much easier. Any sounds of movement would be drowned out.
So…the sweat pouring down his forehead was mixed with rain. The sweat was his nerves about leaving Azrael, he knew it. There was no denying it.
He took a deep breath. What he needed to do was get a fucking grip. Where the hell was his steely resolve? Where was his calm, take no shit, keep his emotions out of things attitude?
All of that was left in the palm of Azrael’s hand.
His whole fucking world, his whole heart was back there with one slender assassin and as a result, his universe had altered.
Right then, though, he needed to keep his promise to Azrael. He needed to come back to his love…because that was what it was. There were no more thoughts of hero worship, there were no more thoughts of age gap, and there were no more thoughts that Azrael could do better than him.
Now, the only thought was that he loved Azrael and would never love another more.
His only regret at that second was that he hadn’t said the words.
He vowed that when this mission was over, he would say the words and lock Azrael to his side forever.
“Real.”
His name being spoken by Stone was a surprise, but he snapped to attention.
“You good?” Stone squinted at him.
“Yeah…why are you here?”
Stone smirked. “I’m not sitting this one out.”
“Where’s Dave?” Real glanced behind Stone and around as if expecting the former SecDef to be lurking.
“He’s back at the ranch,” Stone said, studying the automatic rifle in his hands.
