“Thank you, Rome,” Cayson whispered, almost shyly. He hadn’t had someone dote over him in a long time. It felt good.
Quick moved from behind him, running his big hand along Cayson’s back as he stepped in front of him, his next words specifically for Joe. “You put your hands anywhere on him and you’ll regret it. I promise.”
That was all Quick said, then he was taking the stairs three at a time, his long ponytail swaying slightly with each long stride. Cayson watched until neither Quick, nor the black gun now tucked against the small of his back, were visible.
“A gun!” Joe shrieked. “He has a gun in your house! Did you see that?” Joe was hysterical and still way too fucking loud for midnight. “You hate guns, remember! Guns kill.”
“No. I never said I hated guns. And guns don’t kill people, Joe. Ignorant people with guns kill people. And of course, Rome has a license for that weapon. He’s in law enforcement… sort of.” Cayson didn’t need to give Joe any definitive information about Quick. The less Joe knew, the better, because he and his family had plenty of money and power. He didn’t need them to stir up trouble or make Quick’s life hard.
Joe looked like he was going to burst into flames. Cayson was shocked Joe could turn that damn red. But when Quick was out of sight, Joe changed from wild, to livid, to achingly sorry, too fast for Cayson to keep up. Next thing he knew Joe was sobbing, leaning heavily against the wall next to the closet, his head pressed into his fist. “I can do better, Cayson. I can, if you give me some time. I just need a little more time. I-I can’t come out, but I can do better by you, I promise I can.”
Cayson placed his hand over his chest. This was going to burn both of them. But Cayson knew it was the absolute right thing to do. With his eyes closed, he started speaking slowly and concisely, so there was no mistaking his intentions. “Joseph. I can’t do that. You’ve made lots of promises before, and I don’t think you’ve kept even one. It’s time we both move on. Our season is over, good friend. Our friendship doesn’t have to end. I don’t want it to end, because we still have to work together. But any romance that was between us ends here and now, Joe. I’m sorry. But this is it for us in that capacity.” Cayson shook his head. Damn, even the way he ended their arrangement sounded like a contract being terminated. All technical and no emotion.
Quick
Quick wasn’t even going to pretend he wasn’t listening. He was in full-on guard mode. If Joe acted like he wanted to hurt his sweet doctor, then Quick was going to stick the entire barrel of his pistol in his mouth and make him deep throat it like the pussy he was, then he’d pistol whip him with it. Yep. That was Quick. Fuck with someone he considered important, and a side of him no one wanted to meet came out. A fierce bounty hunter who had trained masterfully in several styles of martial arts since he was a boy. Joe would be absolutely no competition for Quick. He didn’t need the pistol, he was a warrior, but the gun was his bottom fucking line. Hopefully, Dr. Joseph was smart enough not to make Quick cross it.
When Quick hung up after calling for the cab, he peered over the railing, and though Dr. Joe was groveling, he was keeping a safe distance. Quick looked down to the floor. How fast could he get to Cayson if he needed to? He could jump over the railing, but he’d land on the dining room table, his brawn shattering it. He shrugged. He’d jumped further and landed on worse. The table was replaceable… not so, Cayson.
Quick sat gingerly in the chair in Cayson’s room that was closest to the railing. He debated sending Duke a text, but thought better of it. He could handle this alone if things took a turn for the worst. When Quick had threatened Joe if he touched Cayson, he almost wanted to frisk the man before he left the room, but knew that would escalate things. He decided to just keep an eye on them. If Joe appeared to reach for something nestled in his waistband, then Quick was going to reach for his first. He’d win that old-style Wild West standoff, too. He was too quick to let a man get the jump on him. Hence the name.
Now, Joe was crying for another chance, promising Cayson he was going to change and be good to him. Shit, fuck, goddamn you, you sneaky motherfucker. Quick knew the asshole was gonna come back, but he didn’t know he’d come like this. Joe came equipped with a different kind of arsenal, one that Quick was yet to possess, regarding Cayson. Knowledge and longevity. The two men arguing downstairs had a long history of friendship, and Dr. Joe knew how to pull Cayson’s heartstrings perfectly. Could read him and play off the kind doctor’s emotions. Joe would know how to get Cayson to fold and accept his apology. Quick hoped Cayson was strong enough to see past the bullshit. He didn’t know Cayson very well yet, and he didn’t fully understand the two doctors’ relationship to know how this was going to end. He couldn’t help but think that any second now Cayson would come upstairs and tell Quick he was going to give Joe another chance. That they had too much invested to throw away. It would really do a number on him, but he’d bow out gracefully.