Is Thor back? How are Tig and Jay and Iggy? What have you been up to? Is everybody being nice?”
Cy laughed at Nicky’s barrage of questions. Being nice? It was like Nicky had just picked Cy up from his first day of kindergarten. Still, he indulged him. “Thor’s not back. Rumor has it, he’s been transferred to a facility with better medical care. The guys are fine. Javier and Preacher both said to say hello next time we talked. I spend most of my day just reading or working with the dogs. My newest puppy is a gorgeous golden lab. She’s six months old, and her name is Butter. She’s real smart. Already knows so many basic commands.”
Nicky stroked Cy’s chest, nuzzling his neck and dropping tender kisses on his face and head, asking all the right questions, genuinely interested in Cy’s life. It felt strange being able to just relax and talk about the program without the constant fear of death looming over them all the time.
“How’s it feel being back on the outside? Are you back at work?” Cy asked.
“I’m not really working on any new cases,” Nicky said hesitantly. “Just yours.”
Cy’s heartbeat stuttered. “Please, be careful, Nicky.”
“I’m always careful. Besides, it’s not just me. You have a whole team looking out for you now. And not just you. We’re going to get to the bottom of this. I promise. I just need you to be patient for a little while longer. You know?”
Cy had infinite patience where Nicky was concerned. “I have no expectations. Hell, even if I don’t get out for another year, I think I could be okay with that as long as I could still see you, hear your voice, touch you. Just talking to you on the phone every night is enough to keep me going.”
“Not me,” Nicky said bluntly.
Cy frowned, craning his head back to look at Nicky. “What?”
“I am not okay with you living in a cage for the next year, with talking to you on the phone every night and stealing hours in this trailer. I love you. I want a life with you. You deserve better than this. You deserve all the things they denied you, and I’m going to get them for you.”
Cy’s face felt hot, and tears pricked the back of his eyes. Nobody had ever fought as hard for him as Nicky had. Not ever. Nobody had ever cared about Cy enough for him to be more than an afterthought. “You’re really the sweetest man…when you’re not craving my dick.”
Nicky smirked. “Aww, that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. But, for the record, I’m always craving your dick.”
“How was your dick appointment?”
Webster leveled a glare at Wyatt’s best friend, Charlie. She sat curled in one of Elite’s conference room chairs, her long chestnut hair caught in a high pony. Her leggings and crop top made it look like she should be on her way to the gym, but her snowy white sneakers told Webster it was more than likely just an aesthetic. Charlie wasn’t really known for her love of sweating, unless it was on a mattress or possibly a dance floor.
Webster rolled his eyes. “I didn’t have a dick appointment. It was a conjugal visit.”
“Isn’t that just a dick appointment with handcuffs?” she asked, spinning her chair.
“No, it’s a dick appointment with feelings,” he said before adding begrudgingly, “They wouldn’t let us keep the handcuffs.”
Charlie snorted. “I can’t believe you went to prison and fell in love with your cellmate. Your cellmate who’s also your brother. Ugh, it's so Lifetime Movie Network. I fucking love it.”
“I really wish people would stop calling him my brother now that we’re dating. It just leads to awkward questions.”
“Like, why are you dating your brother?” she asked, then cackled like the witch she was.
“Why are you even here?” Webster asked, his tone becoming churlish.
She shrugged. “Waiting for Wyatt. We’re taking Elijah, Robby, and Day to a drag brunch.”
Webster gave her an exasperated look. “It’s Monday morning. Who brunches on a Monday?”
Charlie flashed him a grin. “Well, today, an out of work actress, a cam boy, a movie star, and a former cult member, but we live in LA. The town’s full of out of work actors and rich people, neither of which have day jobs. We have a lot of free time to fill. Duh,” she said without even a hint of humility.
Before Webster could think of a good retort, there was a knock on the open