Page 46 of Sleeping with the Dark (The Righteous 3)
Cody jumped up to help him, but he shook his head no. He limped his way to the dresser and stared down at the dog tags he always wore—one of his and one of hers, and the diamond ring that was nestled between—picking up the tags, he tossed the chain at Cody.
Catching them, he stared at the damaged and charred metal and the shiny ring. “This one was hers,” Cody said as he rubbed at the blackened surface.
“Arek refused to move on until he found her tags for me. He only ever found the one. I was… I shouldn’t have continued to lead, we should’ve aborted, but there were lives at risk and we were their one shot at being rescued. It was a bad omen from that moment on, and the mission went completely off the rails, but I did what I was trained to do, complete the mission.” He pulled himself up straight, ignoring the pain that was a sharp stabbing in his sides. “We lost six of our own, spent a month in the worst hell you can imagine, but we saved some very important people only to get home to be dishonorably discharged. We were a disgrace until The Righteous gave us the opportunity to continue helping save the world in a different way. They paid for me to finish school and got us set up here in Cali.”
Cody looked at the tags in his hand, and, taking Trev by surprise, he stepped forward and placed the chain over his head, the weight feeling natural against his skin. He leaned into the hand that cupped his face and felt something inside of him shift as soft lips found his. There was no desperate heat behind the kiss. Instead, Cody managed to pour warmth and comfort into the gentle touch. The understanding he was showing for someone that had meant so much to him had a new stream of tears dripping down his cheeks—the wet, salty flavor mingling with their joined lips.
Breaking the kiss, they stood with their foreheads touching, the quiet moment yelled their feelings louder than any words.
“Coffee?” Cody said quietly.
“Cappuccino.”
Trev wasn’t sure he would ever feel the same way for Cody as he had for Mel, and maybe he wasn’t supposed to. Maybe it was unique and different all on its own and was meant to be kept locked up in a special place of his heart. But, as Cody made his way to the closet and walked out with two housecoats, new possibilities presented themselves, a different path forming in his mind and one that struck him as integrally special to his heart.
He smiled at Cody as he helped him into the plush material.
He looked up to the ceiling and smiled.
One step at a time, Mel. One step at a time.
Arek groaned as he stumbled toward the kitchen. Last night had been invigorating. There was nothing quite like good old-fashioned torture. He really should have worked for the likes of Al Capone or something. He would’ve been good at that job.
He yawned, his path veering. “Shit,” he muttered as he walked into the decorative table in the hallway, all the pictures and the decorative antiques rattling. Arek grabbed the little frilly egg thing that Trev insisted on buying and righted it in the holder. He rubbed at the spot that was sure to bruise before continuing on his way.
The problem was his brain was still muddled. Yes, he enjoyed himself last night, but the moment he’d stepped into the bedroom and stared at his sleeping soon-to-be fiancé, guilt washed over him. Not because the guy didn’t deserve it, he certainly did, but because he was tying Renee, an unbelievably beautiful soul, to him in a few short months.
Trev, as usual, had been right to order him to cool off. He’d have gone to the bedroom all macho man and pumped up, ready to take on the world in the worst way possible, and she didn’t need to see that. Neither did their child or J.J. or hell, really anyone other than those that deserved his brand of fun. Not that the fucker downstairs thought it was a good time. The darkness of his demons scared him at times, yet they turned into fuzzy kittens around Renee. When he finally went to bed he stood for a long time staring down at Renee’s sleeping form. He reached out and tucked back a stray strand of hair that was making her nose wiggle as it tickled her cheek. He had no desire to return to the basement and continue what he’d been doing since that moment. He called in the cleaners to finish the job quietly and take the body away.
Arek stepped into the kitchen and rubbed his eyes but could feel he was not alone. He glanced over at the table, expecting to see Trev or Cody, but what he hadn’t been expecting was to see both of them together and wearing matching fucking outfits. His eyes scanned over the fluffy black housecoats and matching slippers. This was so not happening.
“It is way too fucking early to look at this shit. Did you forget where your closet was, or did you decide you want to be like J.J. and copy Trev too?” Arek poured a coffee and turned to look at the two men that hadn’t moved or said a word since he entered the kitchen. He quickly pushed away the rest of the morning fog and wandered toward them, stopping when he reached the end of the island to stare at the two. There was something different about his brother this morning. He seemed lighter, a little shimmery, as fucked up as that thought was.
His eyes flicked between the two men, the glance as accusatory as he meant it to be. Trev was an iron mask and completely unreadable, but the happiness in Cody’s eyes gave away the story. “Did you two?” He waggled his finger between them. “You did, didn’t you?” Trev blushed, and Cody looked away—Arek had his answer. “Yes. I knew you two would eventually. You can almost feel the chemistry between you guys.”
Laughing, he grabbed Trev’s shoulder. “You dirty dog, you finally got back on the horse. I know you and Mel were close, but it was about fucking time.”
Cody glared up at him, but he ignored the look, if he wanted to be jealous he could do it on his own time.
“Arek, I’ve repeatedly asked you not to mention her, why do you insist on saying her name to me?”
“Fuck man, lay off it, already. We were all friends, and I miss her too, just as I miss Scooter. But you went and put your entire life on hold for like forever since she died. I’m happy to see you dust off the old stick is all.”
Cody jumped from the stool and pushed him back from the table.
Arek took in the hard glare and clenched fists by Cody’s side—his own fists clenching in response. “What the fuck is your problem?”
“Don’t be a dick man,” Cody practically growled, taking a step toward him.
His eyebrows lifted in confusion, not sure where the hell all this hostility was coming from, but he would’ve snarled if he could. “Are you for real?” He got up in Cody’s face, their noses a breath away from touching. “He’s my fucking brother. I can congratulate him if I want to.”
“Enough, you two. I don’t need nor want a fight in the middle of the kitchen, especially over me.”
“He started it. I was just trying to congratulate you, say I was fucking happy for the two of you,” Arek fumed, looking around Cody to his brother.
“It’s your attitude. How can you act so nonchalant over Mel dying when you were going to be an Uncle? Do you have no respect for your brother’s feelings? That’s not exactly something you simply get back on a horse after, for fuck’s sake.”
Arek’s mouth fell open, his heart-stopping in his chest as the words set off every form of bell and flag that could ring and wave.
