Winter's Knight (9 page)

“A gift,” Lucian said, taking it and turning it in his hands. “When surely you know you being here is gift enough.”The doormansnorted, and Luciansilenced the impertinent boywitha glare.
Shea blushed and shrugged out of his leather jacket to hand it over. Lucian slipped a thumb under the ribbon, loving the warmth of the color, and a flash caught his eye. The Cartier watch gleamed on Shea’s left wrist, a gesture of so many things Lucian wanted to hope for that he acted without thinking. He stepped closer, took a deep breath of cologne, and grabbed Shea’s arm. He got fascinated with the fabric, and squeezed the defined musculature beneath it, touch travelingover the watchand pausingto cover it.
“You’re dismissed,” Lucian said to the doorman, and after a startled second, the man turned to the den withShea’s helmet and coat.
“Was there supposed to be food?” Shea asked when Lucian didn’t make a move toward the dining room.
“Yes,”Luciananswered. He allowed himselfa light, lingering caress over Shea’s chest and busied himself with the present so he’d stop fondling Shea. “So sorry, but didn’t wish to wait to see if it’s a flesh eating virus or sea monkeys.”
“Sea monkeys.” Shea chuckled. “Buggers always died. It’s... nothin’ fancy. Made it from scraps of my house.”
Lucian’s heart threatened to stop at the sincerity of the gesture. The paper fell away, and Lucian cradled the feather-light wooden hair clasp in one palm. A Celtic knot was carved onto the face of the circle, two holes were cut into the sides, a wooden rod in place between them. Lucian felt dizzy, and he shut his eyes and breathed, hopinglike hellthat another attack wasn’t approaching. That made no sense. Shea was here, the gift was beautiful, his house was more secure than the White House, and he was surrounded by friends who could killwiththeir bare hands.
“Lucian? Luke?Youallright?”Shea’s touchlanded as hesitant as a bird onLucian’s shoulder.
Lucian stared at the hand, waiting for his sweater to start steaming. “I’m... yes. Fine. It’s lovely.” He swallowed, breathed, and wondered at himself. Accepting a gift should not be more difficult than shooting someone, and it was a grievous flaw in the universe that made such realities possible. He made himselfmeet Shea’s gaze. “Delighted you’re here.”
“I’m... uhm... You invited me, even after...” Shea trailed off and shook his head. “It’s your birthday. You wanna just talk or jointhe resta the gang?”
Lucian bristled and kicked himself for acting like a foolish boy with a crush he couldn’t handle. “An excellent suggestion. I believe the party will be both the celebrationand the explanation.”He delicatelywrapped the hair clasp in its paper and set it by itself on an entry table. “Thank you for humoring me. Shall we?” Lucian asked, steppingtoward the diningroom.
“Sure.” Shea walked with Lucian, through the formal living room, past the grand piano that nobody ever touched, and into the dining room, tricked out with reds and golds. The table sat eighteen comfortably, twentywiththe spare chairs, and the elevenmembers of Lucian’s closest circle sat chatting at their appointed places. Lucian gestured for Shea to follow him to the head of the table. A seat was vacant to Lucian’s right, and Clark sat onhis left.
“So good ofyouto joinus,”Clark said.
“It was bound to happen eventually,” Lucian answered, watchingShea take his chair.
“Yes. But before we gave up the last hope of being fed,” Clark said with a mock sigh. “You’re going soft in your old age.”
“Undoubtedly following your example.” Lucian smiled at Clark without mirth.
Clark snorted. “Good to see you, Shea. Have you met myprofessor?”
Shea smiled at Daniel. “No, but I’ve heard of you. I’mShea Ollivander, sir.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “I hope they didn’t take my name in vain, though if you’re calling me ‘sir’, they probablystarted inthe right direction.”
“I would never be so foolish as to take the wrong direction with you, Sir,” Clark said, the capital letter obvious to Lucian’s ears, and the staffbeganservingthe first course.
“I’m Daniel Germain,” the professor said with a sidelong glance at his lover. “Clark, don’t make me wish I gagged you, especially since I think Lucian wants youspeakingfor the evening.”
“Tempting though it always is to silence him,” Lucian said. “Clark’s mouth is preferable to his poor attempts at charades.”
Clark touched the side of his nose with his middle finger. “Funnyhow youget mysignals loud and clear.”
“Practice,”Lucianrejoined, and heard Shea snort.
“You people finished blowin’ each other up there?” Chance called fromhis seat severalheads down.
“Only just begun,” Lucian replied. “But by all means, distract me from an unfortunate early emission and tellus ofyour time in... where was it?”
“Amsterdam. The real one.” Chance grinned, and Ryuu spoke to the ceiling in Japanese. “You fuckin’ loved it. Don’t give me that shit.”
Ryuu tolerated a wet kiss to one cheek, and Lucian concentrated on eating while Chance stole center stage with a story about accidentally propositioning a foursome. In minutes the table was laughing, Tim was blushing, and even Clark looked quietly horrified. Lucian eyed Shea and nudged Shea’s wine glass closer to his hand.
Shea chuckled and picked up his drink to take a longsip. “It’s like family, huh?”he asked.
“Yes. Cannot take them anywhere in public, killing them isn’t an option, and they require alcohol to tolerate.”
“Good drugs wouldn’t hurt, either,” Aaron mentioned.
“Final course,” Lucian promised, and he noticed his hand was on Shea’s arm seconds after he’d made the move. The rest of the table, however, seemed to be striving not to stare, and Lucian let go and firmly held his fork.
Dinner passed quickly with Chance’s stories and Clark’s wit. Lucian kept an eye on Shea, liking the smiles and the laughter and disliking the flickers of confusion bordering on unease. Lucian brushed Shea’s leg under the table during one bad spell, and it knocked the negativitymomentarilyoffcourse.
While the group sat drinking tea, coffee, or liquor, the staff cleared out with the deft efficiency Lucian enjoyed. Lucian glanced at a clock over the fireplace in the corner, and he nodded to Cale, who stood immediately. Aaron finished his glass of Brandy and followed suit without a word, and Becca rose to sweep around the table to whisper to Claire.
“Oh!”Claire said, finishingher coffee as she rose.
“Lovely to have you,” Lucian said, standing and staying at the head of the table. “Forgive us for such an unsavorycombinationoffood and business.”
“It’s no, uh, problem,” Claire said, blushing pink and wavingher hands.
“Not at all,”Becca said witha smile.
“Coats, sir?”Cale asked.
“Closet in the den,” Lucian supplied, hoping the nitwit at the door had done as asked before leaving.
“Thank you for your hospitality, sir,” Aaron said, nodding.
“You are entirely welcome,” Lucian said. “I’ll let youknow should there be anythingofnote for you.”
The bodyguards guided their significant others out of the room, and Becca shushed Claire when the woman started whispering questions. Lucian repressed the temptationto chuckle.
“We should go, too, then,” Galen said, rising with Jin. The two came over to Lucian, kissinghis cheek and wishinghimwell.
“You got shit for us?” Chance asked, standing and rubbing his stomach and shaking Jin’s hand when it was offered onthe wayout.
“It wouldn’t hurt to have your input,” Lucian said. “Much.”
“Fuck.” Chance sighed. “Takin’ a leak. Feelfree to start without me.”
“Me, too,” Ryuu said, following Chance out of the room.
“Probably would be wise not to touch the towels in the downstairs bathroom when they’re done,” Clark mused.
“After last time, Chance knows better,” Lucian said simply, retakinghis seat.
Shea leaned toward Lucian and asked, “Should I take a hike, too?”
“Not necessarily,” Lucian answered, meeting Shea’s lean in the middle to speak near one ear. He curled his fingers around Shea’s forearm, and Shea’s hand clasped the touch before letting go. Lucian took a second to fall in love with the idea of Shea understanding what it meant for Lucian to be so easy with contact. Shea understood the gravity, and the net made it easier for Lucianto fall.
“Some of this family leaves when they know they have no part in our business dealings,” Lucian explained. “Some choose to go so they don’t know more than they’d like, but I wanted you here to see and to have the choice.” One of Shea’s curls tickled his nose, and Lucian’s cheek brushed Shea’s in a frisson of contact. Shea’s dark eyelashes lowered. “I’d like you to stay, but the decisionis yours.”
“I’ll stay,” Shea said. His eyes opened, and he quirked a grin. “Been wonderin’ what you do in your hightower.”
“Paperwork, mostly,”Luciandroned, sittingback in his chair.
“Shall I go fetch Chance from the world’s longest piss, sir?” Clark asked, fingers entwined with Daniel’s on the tabletop. Tim laughed, retaking his seat next to Shea, freshglass ofwater inhand fromthe kitchen.
“I heard that,” Chance bellowed before entering the room. “Fuckin’ impatient bitches.” Chance resumed a place at the table. Ryuu daintily wiped his mouth with a pinky finger and sat sideways in his chair to drape his legs over Chance’s lap. He set an iPad on the table and tapped at it.
“One of these days we should really go hunting, Chance,”Clark said, standing.
Chance snorted. “You and me alone in the woods withguns. No thanks. I like mynuts attached.”
“Then shut up so I can call the meeting to order.” Clark stood straighter, Chance didn’t seem to have a retort, and Clark cleared his throat. “I hereby call to session a status meeting of Kinky Bastard Vigilante Personal Gain Enterprises. We welcome Daniel Germainand Shea Ollivander to the table.”
“New attendees noted,”Ryuusaid.
“Fantastic,” Clark said. “And Chance, since you’re so eager to get to round two with your boy, why don’t yougo ahead and talk Break.”
Clark sat down, and Chance launched into the latest ideas for Break in the coming year. Each of the other owners valued the club for its privacy, safety, and as a place to conduct business in a shroud of protection and trust, but Chance loved to use it as a canvas for sweeping fantasy as well. Lucian kept the ideas within the realmoffeasible, but he liked Chance’s enthusiasm.
When Chance finished, Tim spoke up with talk of equipment he could make in his own shop and what needed to be ordered to make Chance’s dreams into reality. Chance agreed, mentioned a conversationwitha State Representative who showed interest in Break, and the meeting continued. Lucian monitored Shea, who seemed to take everything in stride. Shea had grown up with Chance, Ryuu, and Clark, and knew plentyabout Lucian’s business to follow alongwithout a problem.
Lucian also knew, however, that Shea would see that Break held all their vested interests, and was a symbol of how the four men supported each other in all their ventures. Fromcharity causes to bidding on public works projects to voting, they each helped the other succeed, and the favors they swapped were both currencyand insurance.
Sipping at a well-watered whiskey, Shea sat back and watched silently while the group spoke of an art show and the new director of tourism. Eventually the updates waned, and Luciansteepled his fingers.
“Tim?” Lucian asked. “How is your search going to find a second construction company to contract for your site prep and restorationwork?”
“Ongoing. Right now we’re working with Reynolds Construction, and they’re slow. My site manager and the CEO don’t see eye to eye onquality, either.”
“Mm,” Lucian nodded. “Shea? You chose to work for your Steve Walker. Do youback him?”
“Yes, I would,” Shea replied without hesitation. “He’s solid. Small fry compared to you, but honest and knows what the hell he’s doin’. Hasn’t looked for more, having enough to feed all his guys’ families has beenenough.”
Lucian hummed, met Tim’s gaze, and waited until the architect snapped a nod of affirmation. “Do you think Steve would be solicitous to a proposal from Akkard and Associates?”Lucianasked Shea.
“He’s no idiot,” Shea said. “He’ll jump on it. And it’llbe a blast to see himdo well.”
“Good deal,”Timsaid, smiling.
“Excellent,” Lucian said. “Thank you, gentlemen. I do appreciate the communication among our various corners ofthe city.”
“Aw, and we do it all for you, Majesty,” Chance drawled.
“Naturally,” Lucian said smoothly. “What other motive is there?”
“Don’t tango with his ego, Chance,” Clark said. “It’ll have you hog tied before you make your second move.”
“What you two bastards do on your own time is none ofmybusiness,”Chance said.
“So unfortunate that you make your private life so painfullyobvious to the rest ofus,”Luciansaid.
“You fuckin’love it.” Chance groped and squeezed Ryuu’s groin for all eyes to see, grinning like a starving wolf. Ryuu bit his lower lip and waved Chance’s hand away.
“So,” Chance said. “Now that the niceties are over, we talkin’ the serious shit or what?”
“Clark,”Lucianintoned.
At Lucian’s word, Clark nodded and beganmaking a report on the underbelly beneath various façades. The latest murders associated with gang activity in Gehnbatton. The influx of illegal substances being filtered through the Russian mob connections. Funding cuts to the city’s police department. A senator recently outed as homosexual in the throes of media scandal. Crimes, dirty games, statements of life in a city where favors were the currency of choice and most of the money was laundered after a bloodbath. Clark spoke quickly, concisely. Most of the report was meant to be informative, less actionable, though Clark’s contacts were assisting a task force within Narcotics to staunch the flow of cocaine fromNewAmsterdam’s harbors to points south.
WhenClark got to the politicalmaneuverings ofone Hendrick Gray and listed who was currently on the man’s payment and bribery schedule, Lucian leaned forward. “Thank you, Clark. As everyone knows, we keep close tabs on my dear father and on those he keeps in his intimate circle. And we’ve linked severalof those names to a string of murders we believe connected to a club called Haze.”
“The kink club just outside the city lines?” Tim asked.
“That’s the one.”
“You mean you haven’t got it shut down, yet?” Chance asked. “Damn, Lucian. What’s the hold up?”
“Priorities,” Lucian answered. “Not to mention red tape and information. As long as the club stays open, we have a better chance of making links between victims and patrons that might actually stand up in court witha decent lawyer.”
“Which means that people will continue to get killed,”Timpointed out.
“Sad but true,”Lucianacknowledged.
“What do youknow so far?”Danielasked.