Full Domain (Nice Guys 3)

Displayed was a massive amount of gibberish with a small chat box in the corner.

“Can they hear us?”

“No, I muted them. What’s wrong?” Aaron asked, looking a little spooked. No doubt, the kid had been monitoring the fed’s response to all this. He could do that easily with his security clearance.

Shit, it was all starting to come together and the picture being painted so clearly in his head looked grimmer and grimmer by the second. How had he not figured this out before now?

“You’ve got to stop.”

He watched long and hard as Aaron mentally placed barriers between them. No way was that going to work. Kreed reached down and gripped the sides of Aaron’s face between his palms, keeping him from turning away.

“You have to stop this. I get what you’re doing, I swear to God I do, but they’ll find you and they’ll either kill you or make you wish they had. This is not something that they’ll forgive. They don’t like being made to look like fools. If they arrest you, it’s only because they fucked it up and didn’t eradicate you.”

Seconds passed as he watched Aaron’s Adam’s apple slowly dip as he swallowed. Those intense steel blue eyes searched his for seconds before Aaron’s mask slid back in place.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Aaron stated, the conviction not really matching the words. His heart shattered at how easily Aaron lied to him.

Kreed understood the reason, but it didn’t change the situation. He wasn’t getting through to Aaron. He wasn’t making himself clear. Panic dropped him to his knees. Kreed knew the things his government was capable of, had witnessed them firsthand. Hell, he’d even administered some of the blows. He had to do something, make Aaron see reason.

“The holes in my record…” Kreed sighed deeply and lowered his hands to Aaron’s, gripping them tighter than ever before. “I’ve never said this out loud before.”

Kreed bent his head, his forehead touching the back of Aaron’s hands. He let Aaron wiggle one of his hands free and felt the tangle of his guy’s long fingers threading through his hair.

“You can trust me,” Aaron whispered. Kreed lifted his head, his eyes focused on Aaron’s. The complexity of the emotion he saw in their blue-gray depths gave him more courage than he’d known in a very long time.

“I was part of a covert operation. This gut thing I’ve got made me attractive to the government. They recruited me into the program when I was young. I was sent to the Middle East where I identified and infiltrated al-Qaida.”

“Is that how you got the scar on your hip?” Aaron asked.

“Yes. I spent years there. I was one of them, filtering information back.” Kreed closed his eyes again, the images that had plagued him for most of his adult life flashed through his mind. He’d lived and breathed that terror cell every single day. He’d participated in horrific crimes against humanity to prove value and moved up the ranks quickly. He’d suffocated in that evil every day and risked his life over and over to funnel intel back to the United States government.

“I know firsthand the lengths our government will go to secure their agenda. And they will come after you. They’re looking right now. We’re on high alert looking for you, Aaron.”

The pain of the thought had emotion driving him as he implored Aaron.

“Baby, I won’t be able to keep you safe. No one will be able to keep you safe. If they don’t find you now, at some point they will, because I’d stake my life on the fact that they have a team of guys just like you out there searching for…you. The bounty’s too high and just increased ten-fold with this stunt on the military. They don’t play. You’ll disappear. Look at what happened to my brother and how they washed their hands clean. Derek followed in my footsteps, Aaron, and now he’s dead.”

Aaron sat there silently, watching him, his hand gripping Kreed’s, holding tightly as if he’d been thrown a lifeline. What he said next gave Kreed hope, even though the words weren’t quite right.

“It’s not so easy to just leave.”

“Whatever it takes, I’ll be here beside you. I love you. I do. I should have said it sooner. I can’t lose you, too. Please stop this. I get it now. I get why you kept distance between us, but you have to stop this, Aaron. Pass this torch on. Please. I love you.”

“I love you,” Aaron whispered. “I couldn’t let what happened to Derek just pass by. I don’t like you hurt.”

“Then let that be enough.” Kreed kissed both of Aaron’s knuckles. “Please stop this. Come start a life with me. Leave all that behind.”

“It’s not that easy…”

“But it is, Aaron. It’s exactly that easy. They’re on your trail, so you just disappear, then the trail grows cold.”

“There’s so much more you don’t know.” Aaron pulled away from him, breaking the contact. His eyes were so serious, as if begging Kreed to understand. Aaron turned off the monitors, rose from the chair, and left the room, leaving Kreed on his knees in the middle of the floor.

Chapter 34

This was the last full day of their vacation paradise, ending two of the best weeks of his life, and Kreed wasn’t in a mindset to do much more than what they were doing. Kreed had his lounger buried in the sand. He’d finally opted for the Speedo, letting the warm sun bathe his skin. Aaron was beside him, keeping time, turning over every so often. Kreed had missed the last couple of turns, braving the tan line Aaron was convinced he’d get because of the sunglasses he wore.

“It’s time,” Aaron mumbled, turning over.

“Yeah.” Kreed stayed just like he was. They’d been on an emotional rollercoaster since they’d met. Now that things were somewhat settled, the adrenaline was finally wearing off and fatigue was coming on strong. He would enjoy their remaining downtime and had no plans to do more than relax until they boarded their flight tomorrow night.