Page 15 of Traitor
“That’s true.” He put out the cigar and leaned back in his chair. “Okay. One last round. I’ll choose dare this time.”
A smile that felt evil even to Jay spread across his lips. He’d had a goal when he tried to leave earlier. Jay hadn’t changed his mind. “I need a favor.”
The immediate worry in Jett’s expression nearly made Jay laugh. Jett knew Jay was about to ask too much of him. He was right.
Tidy sat hip to hip with Crisp. They sat on the bluffs and watched the waves crash against the stones. Wind whipped around them, chilling the night air. Still, neither wore a jacket. They simply shared each other’s body heat. Being with Tidy was always peaceful for him. They knew each other so well, sometimes they didn’t need to talk.
After spending the entire day with his family, celebrating Tracker and Zeus, his heart felt heavy. Their time together had him split right down the middle. On one hand, he realized how much he missed the entire family being in one place. Even though rowdiness spiked his anxiety and sent him scrambling into privacy after too long, he still loved them. On the other hand, he had Jay to consider. It felt a hell of a lot like he would never get a life like the one he celebrated today. He just needed this time with Tidy.
“I had a thought.”
Crisp was almost relieved when Tidy broke the silence. His thoughts were growing too heavy. “What’s that?”
“Maybe we should move away?”
“We’ve already moved away from here.”
Tidy bumped shoulders with him. “You know damn well that’s not what I meant. We’re in the position to live anywhere we want now. Everyone is getting married, and days like this when we’re all together are nearly nonexistent now. What if we just moved somewhere? You and Jay could have a normal life.”
Crisp eyed Tidy. “While that sounds good for me, what would improve for you? I want you to be happy too.”
He felt Tidy shrug. Tidy stared at the water, not meeting his gaze. “Maybe I wouldn’t feel as isolated.”
Crisp’s heart dropped. “You should’ve said something. I’d love for you to hang out in my room or whatever. I never meant to make you feel like I don’t want that.”
Tidy flashed a smile his way. “I know that. You’ve been backed into a corner where you have to stay out of sight. That’s one of the reasons I’m suggesting this. Like, imagine us living in Spain or Portugal. We could get a smaller house, and we could come and go as we please. It’s never been that way for us, not really. We’ve always looked over our shoulders and been stronger as a unit. Now Kuznetsov is dead. Everyone is slowly making their own lives. There’s no reason we can’t do the same. I mean, we’dstill come back to visit and shit. I’m not talking about vanishing. We don’t have to do anything right now. Just think about it, okay? Even if we just traveled the world for a while. That would be nice.”
Crisp nodded.
Tidy hugged him. “You can’t hide that man forever. But I’ve never seen you as happy, and you deserve that shit. No matter what, I’ve got your back.”
“I love you.”
Tidy smiled. “I love you too.”
Crisp's phone buzzed, pulling Crisp from their moment. He checked the face and snorted.
Jay:I made Jett very sorry he showed up to play poker tonight.
A photo appeared, and Crisp leaned Tidy’s way so he could see the phone. They roared with laughter. Jett wore bright red lipstick, hot pink blush, and blue eyeshadow. His shaggy hair had been put into a spiky, short ponytail on top of his head. He looked miserable. Crisp texted back.
Crisp: I’m scared to ask where you got the makeup.
Jay:Some questions are best left unanswered.
Tidy and Crisp looked at each other and started laughing again. Yeah. Somehow, some way, everything would work itself out. He had to believe that was true. There was no way he could live without this.
Chapter Eight
Thesoundofrollingwheels followed Crisp to his bedroom. When he came through the door, dragging his suitcase behind him, he was more than a little surprised by the craziness that greeted him. The place was a mess. Jett was asleep at the kitchen table, looking exactly as he had in the picture Jay sent. Jay was passed out on the couch. No one budged.
Crisp snickered as he left the suitcase parked by the door and moved to stand over Jay. Crisp shook his head and got a blanket to cover him. After he took care of Jay, Crisp tossed a throw blanket over Jett as well. Crisp moved around the room, putting his things away. When finished with that, Crisp made his way to the bathroom to shower. He had overslept this morning and had to run out without one. Crisp couldn’t stand that. He felt gross. Being poor and dirty at one time in his life had him feeling some such way about ever being unwashed.
Crisp got clean and then spaced out. There was just something about weddings. Crisp hadn’t felt quite the same after watching Tracker and Zeus celebrating their happiness. It was nice, but Crisp still always had an invisible weight sitting on his chest. His every secret and every lie held him hostage. Did Jay feel like a prisoner here? The more he thought about it, the faster his heart raced.
Jay stepped inside the wet room, nude and gorgeous. He looked like a man ready to fuck.
Crisp couldn’t take it. “Do you have Stockholm syndrome?”
