stepped out onto the balcony. He closed the door behind him and went to Laz’s favorite chaise lounge, where he placed his cup of tea on the glass-topped wicker table beside it. He sat down, the ocean breeze ruffling his hair. Legs curled up under him, he smiled into the phone. “Hey, handsome.”
“Hey, beautiful. How are you?”
“Missing you.”
“I miss you too. Things have been a little crazy here, what with getting ready for the storm, plus all the issues coming in on security systems I personally installed. I’ve been putting out fires for days. Thankfully, without my security clearance they can’t do any real damage, but it makes us look incompetent, and that really pisses me off.”
Fitz shivered and wrapped his sweater closer to him. “Is it them?”
“I don’t know.” Jack’s sigh was heavy and weary. “Possibly? Everyone on my team has been questioned by the police, and they’ve been ruled out as suspects. I can’t see any of them doing this. So far our only suspect is the waiter from Sapphire Sands, and the guy’s vanished.”
Fitz nodded, forgetting Jack couldn’t see him. The man in question had been a new employee hired by Frank’s club manager. The guy had all the right credentials and a list of glowing references. The police showed up at the man’s apartment with a warrant, only to find it completely empty. Neither Jack, Joker, nor any of the Kings recognized the guy from anywhere other than Sapphire Sands.
“You sound tired,” Fitz said. “Have you been sleeping?”
“I’m okay.”
That wasn’t what Fitz had asked, but he’d let it slide for now. Jack had a terrible habit of getting lost in whatever had his focus, to the detriment of his own health. Fine. All Fitz had to do was put in a call to Joker, and he’d knock some sense into Jack. If he did so literally, well, maybe that would teach Jack a lesson in taking care of himself. Fitz wasn’t going to let him run himself into the ground because of some bastard.
Fitz worried his bottom lip. “I was hoping you could come over tonight for dinner. I’m cutting a friend’s hair this afternoon at home, so I have the evening free.”
“You know what? Yeah, let’s do that. I miss you so fucking much, sweetheart.”
“Miss you too. Seven?”
“I’ll be there. Oh, Sacha can come by in the morning, and we’ll get your shutters up. Do you have enough supplies?”
Fitz couldn’t help the dopey smile on his face. His boyfriend was so damned thoughtful and sweet. “I’m stocked up on all the essentials, but I need a few more things.”
“Okay. If you want, Saint can go to the supermarket for you and pick up what you need, since Sacha and I will be there. Do you have a generator in case the power goes out? I don’t think you’ll need it, but since you’re so close to the beach, it’s not a bad thing to have.”
“I don’t. I’m in an evacuation zone, so if a storm is bad enough, I’ve always stayed with Laz.” Of course, Laz now lived with Red on the beach, so they’d likely be staying with someone else as well if ordered to evacuate.
“Anyone who lives on the beach stays with King and Leo if the storm hits hurricane category, but I don’t think we’re going to see that here. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it.”
“You don’t need to, but I appreciate it.”
“Hey, you’re family, and we take care of family, okay?”
Fitz opened his mouth, three little words hovering on the tip of his tongue. He swallowed them back and smiled. “Thank you. See you tonight.” He hung up and took a sip of his tea. Feeling incredibly comfortable, and lazy, he sent a text to Laz. A sip later, Laz slid the balcony door open.
“Really? We’re texting each other from outside the apartment now?” Laz closed the door behind him, his eyes alight with amusement.
“I was comfy.”
Laz took a seat in the chair next to him, his smile warm. “You do love your comfort.”
No denying that. Over the years, plenty of people had called him “high-maintenance.” Fitz didn’t care. He liked things a certain way and had his comforts. Why shouldn’t he? He worked hard for them. Like his grandmother used to say, “Live your life however the hell you want, Fitzy. Make it the best life you can, because you only get one, and no one’s going to live it for you.”
“How’s Jack?” Laz asked, placing his socked feet