Falville chief of police attempts to close down cold case investigation that hints at implicating important political figures.
New study links anxiety with late-onset dyslexia and/or dysgraphia.
"I've got a plan to get Paolo."
Luca was happy to hear Laurel say that. He had been bouncing off the walls with murderous intentions for almost 72 hours at this point. He had slept, of course. Sario would have lost his mind if Luca had refused to live healthily simply because he was very interested in killing someone. A someone who had caused him and a whole lot of other vulnerable people a hell of a lot of pain. A someone who definitely deserved what was coming to him. "Tell me about it," he said, plopping down on one of the couches in the living room.
Laurel hesitated. "I can't get too detailed. My boss was trying to shut this down less than 24 hours ago. But we're going to try something old, something tried and true, to get Paolo to talk on tape."
Luca raised an eyebrow even though Laurel could not see it through their phone call. "How much can you elaborate? Or would you rather not risk it?"
"The thing is, I kinda have to risk it," she replied, sounding quite nervous for some reason. "Seeing as I'm planning on using you as bait and all."
Fuck. Fucking fuck.
"Luca?" Laurel was very concerned now. "You okay?"
Luca was most certainly, definitely not okay by any definition of that word. Just the idea of seeing Paolo again, even more the concept of talking to that bastard, was making him so nauseous that he could not see straight. He could not even see a fucking foot in front of him. He forced a breath into his lungs, forced it out, and then did it a couple more times before replying in a rough voice, "I'm okay." It was mostly true. It had been years, more than a decade. He could handle this. "So I'm bait. I hope it's in a safe way."
"Of course!" Relief sat heavy in Laurel's voice. "You're going to meet him in his office. Right now, he thinks you're going to be a representative of Holt Enterprises, but when he sees who you are, we're hoping he starts taunting you about the past. If it doesn't happen naturally, we're going to need you to encourage it. It's the only way we can get him to confess to his crimes, and I know it won't be easy for you."
Luca bit his bottom lip, pulling at the dry skin with his teeth. "I'll survive. Anything to get him the punishment he deserves. But Sario's coming with me. Even if he just sits in the waiting room outside the office. I need him there. Just in case."
"Of course," Laurel conceded. "We'll also have a team on standby."
There was really only one question to ask at this point. "When?"
"Tomorrow morning at ten. That's when the appointment is. I'll send you the details." Laurel's tone was a mixture of fear and relief. She was worried, likely about not getting the hard evidence they needed to arrest Paolo and his circle of horrible friends. And maybe a little about the danger she was putting Luca in by sending him back to his abuser.
"Thanks. Make sure to keep Sario in the loop too."
"Will do," Laurel said and then hung up.
Luca sat with his phone held by limp fingers, barely glancing at the message Laurel sent a couple minutes after the call ended.
It was only several moments until Sario came out of the kitchen with wet hands and anger beginning to settle into his expression. "This better be a joke, Luca." He had never looked or sounded so scary.
Luca felt his phone slip from his fingers and heard it thump softly on the carpet. He did nothing to retrieve it. "It's not," he replied despite every urge to hide and lie. "Laurel's right. It's the only way we're going to catch him off guard."
Sario ran both hands through his hair, slicking his wild curls back. "Luca, that's suicidal. Do you have any idea what he might try to do to you when you show up in his office?" He raked his fingers through his hair again. "We're taking this to his turf and letting him have the upper hand. This isn't smart!" He was suddenly crossing the living room and getting on his knees at Luca's feet. "Please don't do this," he begged in a whisper, taking Luca's hands in a trembling grasp. "It won't be good for you. You escaped him, and now you want to go back and retraumatize yourself?"
Luca forced himself to meet Sario's tear-filled eyes. "Yes, if it keeps another boy out of his reach. I can't let him hurt more people. I can let him hurt me again if it means that he will never have that power again."
Sario's hands came up to grip his face. "Luca, no. You don't have to be a martyr."
Luca could not lift his own hands, as much as he wanted to cup Sario's face and reassure him. "He has to be put away. Forever. There needs to be irrefutable proof of what he's done so he has no way to slip out. This is the only way to get that proof. Don't stop me please. I need you to be there."
Sario hauled him down into a crushing hug. "I'll be with you no matter what you decide," he said softly, his words brushing against Luca's ear. "I'm your husband. That's kind of my job."
Luca could not even get up the strength to hug Sario back. He rested his head on Sario's shoulder and tried not to think about the vile things he would be forced to remember tomorrow, whether by simply seeing Paolo again or by Paolo boasting of his slimy deeds. "You're going to fuck me tonight, right?"
Sario laughed abruptly and then pulled back with a horrified expression on his face. "Luca!" He sounded absolutely scandalized even though they had both said far more scandalous things.
Luca smiled and finally found the strength to lift his hand to Sario's face. "Just checking. I want to remember the good things when Paolo starts talking about the bad stuff."
Sario ran his fingernails along Luca's scalp with a gentle smile. "I'll do whatever I can to help, kitten." He wound strands of Luca's hair around his pointer finger. "You know I always will." After several peaceful minutes of Sario's soothing scratches, Sario pressed a gentle kiss to Luca's chin. "How about we eat dinner and watch a movie? More good things, you know?"
Luca returned the gentle kiss, but on Sario's lips. It was chaste with barely a promise of more. But there was a promise. "Sure. As long as there's sex afterward."
Sario laughed again. "I promise, kitten."
"I'll hold you to it, asshole."
About twenty minutes later, the two of them were curled up together on the couch with a romcom playing on the screen and bowls of chicken fettuccine that Sario had made warming their hands. The movie was good, the food was delicious, and the cuddling was peaceful.
As the movie ended and the credits started playing, Sario turned off the TV, bracketed Luca with his knees, and kissed him so slowly, deeply, and thoroughly that Luca's toes were curling in his socks.
Time lost meaning like it did when Luca was high, and all that grounded Luca was the hot pressure of Sario's lips. He was so happy, his heart so quiet, that he wished he and Sario could stay like this forever. He wanted to be wrapped up completely in his husband, no matter how temporary it was. Their arrangement was coming to an end. With Paolo likely ending up in jail tomorrow, Luca would no longer be in the "imminent danger" their contract had specified as the terms for their relationship. So he would enjoy tonight because he knew in his soul that it would be the last time he could be naked and yet feel safe enough to trust the other person with him to care rather than search for ways to hurt him. He accepted Sario's kisses and submitted to the hands sliding over his skin underneath his shirt. He loved the warmth of Sario's skin against his, loved it nearly as much as the almost feral look in Sario's eye when their clothes came off. He closed his eyes as Sario's lips trailed down his body. Because he could shut his eyes without fear. Because he knew he was perfectly protected, perfectly cared for, perfectly loved.
Sario slid his hands up to caress Luca's shoulder blades as he kissed down his neck and across his collarbone. "I think both our backs will thank us if we move to the bedroom," he said against Luca's skin.
Luca smiled into Sario's hair. "You think you're gonna be sore, old man?"
Sario snatched him up off the couch, arms under Luca's knees, and carried him out of the living room. "Which one of us is almost 30 again?" he asked teasingly, laying Luca down on the bed.
Luca stuck his tongue out at Sario, but his back was already happier with this arrangement.
A ridiculous smile came to Sario's face. "You little asshole."
Luca poked Sario in the ribs. "That's your nickname, asshole."
Sario giggled, like actually giggled, and dove back in for another kiss. He pulled back, their lips parting with a wet noise, and looked right into Luca's eyes as he said, "You're the boss tonight. How do you want it, kitten, hm?"
Luca knew his answer before Sario had finished the question. "Like our wedding night. Fuck me like that."
Sario's eyes softened like melted chocolate. He bent down and kissed Luca again, his hands braced on Luca's hips. "As you wish, dearest." He kissed Luca into oblivion and then flipped him onto his stomach, the sudden movement sending Luca's heart lurching up into his throat.
But he knew he was safe. He knew that roughness from Sario was child's play compared to— No. He wouldn't think about that. He was here, and he would stay here for as long as possible. He reached a hand behind him and gripped Sario's thigh.
Sario pressed kisses down his spine while pressing two fingers into him.
The stretch was almost painful, but it sent Luca's mind into a delicious haze where pain was nothing and pleasure was everything. Sighing happily, he pulled a pillow down and propped his head on it. He was already feeling release, and they had barely started. Maybe it was just his anxiety fleeing his body for once.
"You want me to go slow, kitten?"
"Did you go slow on our wedding night?" Luca retorted.
Sario paused, probably horrified at his past self. "I thought I did. Did I not?"
Luca smashed his face into the pillow so his laugh was not quite so loud.
"Fine," Sario muttered crossly. "I didn't. You happy now?"
Luca lifted his head and glared at Sario over his shoulder. "I'll be happy when you're inside me, asshole."
Without warning, Sario yanked his two fingers out of Luca and shoved his dick in.
All Luca's breath left him like it had been punched from his lungs, and his fingers clawed uselessly at the sheets. "Fuck," he gasped out. He had not been prepared for Sario to take what he said so literally.
"That's what I'm doing right now, kitten," Sario purred in his ear, rocking into him at a pace that would have been infuriating except that Luca was still trying to convince his lungs to take in air again. "Exactly what you asked for." He scraped his teeth along the back of Luca's neck. "You want me to bite you again too?"
Luca whimpered from the overstimulation of being filled so well and teeth scraping over sensitive skin. "Not there."
Sario grinned against his neck. And then bit his shoulder. "How about there?" he asked, soothing the wound with delicate licks as Luca squirmed beneath him.
"That's…fine," Luca managed to get out before Sario picked up the pace.
"Mm." Sario pressed the sound to the side of Luca's throat and traced his fingers down Luca's ribs. "I should fuck you unprepped more often, kitten. You're so tight. It's like your body's begging me to get deeper." At that last word, he thrust hard, their hips aligning as he worked himself even deeper somehow.
Luca lost himself. He forgot the words he was saying as soon as they left his mouth, and he was pretty sure he was babbling nonsense to the tune of Sario's ruthless rhythm. Euphoria hit him, and he spiraled high before floating back down to a tear-soaked pillow. When he noticed Sario bent over him in concern, he smiled. "Good tears," he fumbled out through the lingering haze of pleasure. "I'm not sad. I'm good."
Sario kissed his wet cheek with all the gentleness and love he could have ever asked for. "I think I could go again if you want, kitten."
Luca turned his head to brush his lips against Sario's. "I do want." He wanted to feel that high again, taste that boundless joy again.
"You're not in pain?"
Luca smiled again. He loved that his husband was so soft. "No. Not even a little bit."
"Promise you'll tell me to stop if it hurts even a little bit," Sario insisted.
"I promise," Luca replied quietly. And it was not a lie. He meant it because he knew how it would destroy Sario if he thought he had caused Luca any kind of pain.
"Good." That was all Sario said before continuing from where they had left off.
When Luca came down from his third high of the night, he found Sario staring at him with a look of desperation stamped into his face. With a lazy smile, he reached up and tangled his fingers in Sario's hair. "I loved it," he slurred out, realizing he was so deep in subspace that his brain was not sending his nerves and muscles clear messages anymore.
Sario bent forward and kissed his lips softly. Then he reached over and opened the nightstand drawer, pulling something out and holding it up so Luca could see.
Luca was sure his entire body went crimson when he focused his vision enough to see that it was a plug. Fuck, why had Sario remembered that of all things?
Sario laughed nervously. "You said a while ago that you wanted…"
"Yes," Luca said abruptly before he could second guess or tell himself to shut up. "I want it."
Thank god Sario did not question it. He simply slipped his spent cock free and replaced it with the plug, pushing it in firmly so it would not fall out. Then he cuddled Luca into the little spoon position and sighed into his hair. "That was an experience."
Luca elbowed him weakly. "I'm your husband, not some ride at a theme park."
"I haven't ever fucked you three times in row before," Sario defended himself. "It's a new experience, okay? And, for the record, it was a fucking good one." He might have said some other things, but Luca was already drifting off into a comatose-like sleep.
When Luca woke up after what felt like the hardest sleep of his life, he slipped out of Sario's sleepy embrace and crept into the bathroom. Once he had shut the door behind himself and turned on the lights, he saw himself in the mirror and stared. He looked utterly ruined and wrecked, bruises all down his sides and hips with bite marks along his throat and chest. He touched his fingers gently to a bite on his throat, wincing a little at the sting. But he loved it. He loved that Sario had marked him all over. He wondered how long they would last after he and Sario were separated. Not long enough.
He tore himself away from the mirror and took a shower, reluctantly pulling the plug out. He wanted to keep it in for the rest of his life, but he could not risk acting strangely in Paolo's presence. He needed this nightmare from his past to disappear for good.
The bathroom door opened and Sario yawned out a good morning. He got in the shower with Luca, but there was no promise in it.
They both washed themselves and got out without exchanging a single sexual word.
Sario grabbed a towel off the rack and dried Luca with an indecipherable look in his eyes. It was almost like…longing? But then the moment was gone and he dried himself off quickly.
They got dressed, ate a mostly silent breakfast, and then left to meet up with Laurel.
Luca got a small plastic earpiece so Laurel could prompt him in case he froze up, and Sario got one as well so he could listen in from outside the office to make sure Luca stayed safe. A little recording device (Laurel called it a "bug") was pinned into his left front pocket, and it blended into the fabric so well that Luca could barely tell it was there.
Then, before he knew it, he was standing in front of a desk with a smile he was sure would fail at any moment and answering to the last name of Holt in order to once again come face to face with the one man he had hoped to forever erase from his life and memory.