Page 16 of Edge
Henry slapped Beau’s shoulder at the order and strolled from the room with him. Mickey seized his chance. He didn’t look back. In a flash, he was out the door and backing out of the garage. He couldn’t stay and face another conversation with Henry. Everything felt wrong. When had Henry… what was he even thinking? Henry had been so furious, but he hadn’t actually explained a thing. All Mickey’s interpretations were suffocating him. His fears were doing even more damage. Henry had kept saying Mickey was supposed to be straight. Had he said that to Edge? Was that why he wouldn’t talk to Mickey? Maybe this all circled back to the night he thought he had hurt Mickey. Fuck. He didn’t know.
At Edge’s place, he had to stop himself from running for the door. He didn’t even know if they were back yet. Tracker opened the front door before he reached it, the way he always did.
“Hey, man. Edge is in his room. Feel free to head that way.”
Mickey flashed a smile he didn’t feel. “Thanks. You did great tonight.” He didn’t wait to see how what felt like an odd compliment landed. Mickey had to get to Edge. When he let himself in, it was every bit as bad as he feared.
Dead eyes met his stare.
Mickey swallowed past the lump in his throat. “Hey. You didn’t answer my texts.”
“Most people get the hint from that.”
Ouch. Goddamn. “Okay. Most people have the balls to say why.” Mickey didn’t even bother shutting the door. He wouldn’t be here long, it seemed.
A long, obviously tired sigh slipped from Edge. “Look. I’ve done the whole falling in love before with someone who already has someone powerful in love with them. It never ends well for me. While I’m not sure if Henry is quite that violent and I’m not at the disadvantage I once was, I still won’t do this again. So, it’s been real.”
“It’s been real.” Mickey repeated the words, letting them fill his veins with ice. “That’s all you’ve got?”
“I thought that’s all you expected. You wanted to be told. You’ve been told.”
Mickey wouldn’t beg or let Edge see him hurt. A smirk pulled at his lips. He couldn’t believe this was happening. “Funny. It doesn’t seem like it’s been real at all.” He walked away without looking back. No one tried to stop him, even though he saw their faces. They had heard every word. Mickey swore he would never forget how he felt at that moment. He would never put himself in the position to feel this way again.
He climbed into his SUV. The passenger side door opened, and Field hopped into the passenger seat. Mickey froze and simply stared at him.
Field didn’t look his way. “Just drive, okay?”
There was something in his voice. Mickey did as told. He drove away with no real destination in mind. While he didn’t know what Field wanted, he was glad for the excuse to not go home.
“We were raised in a Russian spy program. All of us,” Field added, unnecessarily.
Mickey held his tongue and just listened.
“In Russia, couples are paid to have children. It’s some family values bullshit, but anyhow. They’re paid more for their second child. Nearly double. A lot of couples don’t want a second child. They just want the money so they can buy their apartments or whatever. That didn’t start until the early two thousands, but what most people don’t know is, it’s been secretly happening forever. Under the table, the government struck deals with willing couples. Allow the woman to carry a very genetically engineered fetus to term. For all the trouble, the couple gets a payout of around fifty grand. It’s a very lucrative deal for most people. Don’t get me wrong. There are risks involved when it comes to making the perfect baby. But the men, they are willing to sacrifice.”
That sounded awful, but Mickey’s jaw didn’t move. Very little shocked him.
“Those of us who were created to be the perfect soldier, we were raised together. We trained together. Groups were formed, matching perfect skills. Being gay, that’s unacceptable, but still, we found each other.”
Field took a breath. “Rain is very beautiful, is he not?”
It struck Mickey how Russian Field sounded tonight and how much he hid. “I mean, yeah, I suppose.” Honestly. Mickey had only noticed in a passing sort of way. Apparently, he needed to be abducted to really want someone.
“He is beautiful to his detriment,” Field said, sounding as if he saw something in his head that distracted him. “He caught many eyes during training. It didn’t matter he was much too young. He possessed something alluring that called to people—even those who had no desire to be gay. In fact, had a special hatred for it. But most of all, Edge was intoxicated.”
The desire to puke doubled. He didn’t want to know this. Everything felt like it was crushing him.
Field wouldn’t stop. “There was a commander. He came to Rain in the night, hiding his sickness in the dark. He was obsessed. Dangerously so. That didn’t stop Rain and Edge from getting closer. When the commander learned of their relationship, he had Edge taken to be made an example of what happened to those who dared to participate in unnatural activities. He was tortured in ways you can’t imagine.” Field stared at nothing. His voice turned absent. “I wish I could not imagine too.”
Mickey rubbed his chest. He heard the demons Field kept hidden.
They didn’t stop Field from spilling their secrets. “You see, I saw the moment Edge realized Henry loves you. I saw his eyes. He returned to the past and didn’t come back.”
Mickey still didn’t know what Field wanted to hear. He hadn’t done anything to deserve any of this. None of them had, but goddamn it. Edge had decided for them, and there was nothing he could do. He was so fucking pissed; he didn’t know if he would if he could.
Thankfully, Field obviously didn’t expect anything from Mickey. “You can drop me off here. I can find my way home. I just wanted you to know it’s not you. You’re a good person. You just found yourself in the middle of a group of completely fucked up people. I get that you didn’t ask for any of this. But thanks for taking a chance on us. Most people wouldn’t.”
Mickey deflated. “I’m not leaving you on the side of the road, for fuck’s sake. I’m upset, but I’m not an asshole. Plus, I really do like you. I haven’t been just putting up with you guys to be with Edge. You’re my friends. Well, I’m yours. I can’t make anyone feel the same about me… obviously. But I care and I’m not going anywhere, okay? We’re still good.”
