Sleight of Hand by Charlie Cochet

 

One

Shit.

Joker froze.

Never had he faced this level of peril, not even as a Special Forces Green Beret. In the span of his military career, he’d gone up against a host of evil, from terrorists to savage warlords and everyone in-between, but never had he encountered anything like this. Thankfully, they hadn’t spotted him. He could still make his escape.

Having memorized the exits at the start of his shift, he quickly considered his options. Backstage was out of the question. He could duck and cover behind the sound equipment or—

“Hey!”

Fuck.

Five men headed in his direction, each one more terrifying than the last. Individually, he could take them, but together? He didn’t stand a chance. At least he wasn’t alone. That’s right! He wasn’t alone. He had a furry weapon of mass distraction.

“You’re trained for this, pal,” Joker told Chip, scratching behind his giant pointy ears. Chip side-eyed him, making Joker laugh. “Yeah, all right. Better you than me. Brace yourself. Here they come.”

The Boyfriend Collective.

What did a billionaire, a hairstylist, a cowboy, a computer genius, and a fashion photographer have in common? They were all attached—or in Colton’s case, married to—one of Joker’s brothers-in-arms. That wasn’t the scary part. Oh no. Because each of his brothers-in-arms was disgustingly in love and in a committed monogamous relationship and Joker wasn’t—and never would be—a lovesick sucker, the Boyfriend Collective had decided he was some kind of homeless puppy in need of coddling, feeding, and petting.

Okay, so it wasn’t all bad. Plus, Joker had gained the bonus of using said newly acquired powers to drive his brothers crazy. If Colton wanted to feed him, and Fitz wanted to hug him and play with his hair, and Laz wanted to introduce him to gorgeous models, who was Joker to turn down such heartfelt gestures? So what if Leo provided Joker with an endless supply of snacks in the hopes of finding him his signature snack? Was Joker supposed to crush his precious little heart? And Mason, well, Mason was just fun to fuck with.

The scary part came when the Collective unanimously set their minds to something or when someone stupidly pissed them off. The leader of this terrifying group was the billionaire, Colton Connolly. The man who started it all. The moment Colton came into their lives and Joker’s buddy Ace fell in love, the rest of them toppled like dominoes. Sappy, hearts-in-their-eyes, tents-in-their-pants dominoes. Shameful. Absolutely no self-control.

Even their giant grumpy-ass fearless leader, King, who Joker had been sure was too smart to get sucker punched by love, fell for a cute little computer geek. What was the world coming to? Back when they’d served, Joker had watched a fucking building fall on King, and the man had walked away from it with only a few bruises and scratches. The guy falls in love with Leo and bam! Next thing they know, King is baking his boyfriend fish-shaped sugar cookies. With sprinkles. Sprinkles.

“Go get ’em,” Joker murmured to Chip.

Chip barked and bounded off like a huge black rabbit, tail wagging so hard his butt looked like it might fly off any minute. It never failed. The Boyfriend Collective turned into a puddle of baby-talking dorks, cooing and lavishing love on Chip, who soaked that shit up like it was his favorite freeze-dried salmon treats. Joker couldn’t blame them. It was those Belgian Malinois ears. They were impossible to resist. Fitz lifted his gaze, and Joker sighed. Of course. Every time. Damn it.

“All right,” Joker said, motioning with both hands for Fitz to bring it.

With a laugh, Fitz glided over, because the man was tall and sinewy like some Hollywood starlet, so he didn’t walk but fucking floated. He threw his arms around Joker and hugged him tightly, their height difference meaning Joker’s head got plastered to Fitz’s chest. Why couldn’t his brothers date men who weren’t fucking redwoods? Even Leo was taller than him. Fucking tall-ass motherfuckers.

Joker’s earpiece came to life, and he smiled evilly. He wrapped his arms around Fitz and hummed as Jack’s voice came through.

“Hey, cameras are online. Where are you?”

Joker hummed again. “Center stage, feeling up your boyfriend.”

Silence. Then, “What?”

Fitz laughed softly. “You’re so evil.”

“Center stage,” Joker repeated.

Wait for it…

“If your hand gets any closer to his ass, I’m going to upload your profile to every dating app in the country,” Jack hissed. “Detach yourself.”

“But he’s so warm,” Joker murmured, closing his eyes and smiling happily.

The low growl made Joker laugh, and he released Fitz. “Your boyfriend is going all caveman on you.”

Fitz lifted his gaze to the nearest camera and blew a kiss at it. A ridiculous sigh met Joker’s ear. Yep, total sucker. He shook his head in shame. Then again, his best friend and partner in crime had always been a sentimental sap.

“Yeah, you enjoy that smugness while you can,” Jack said. “One of these days, when you least expect it, love is going to hit you so hard, you’re going to get whiplash.”

Joker thrust a finger at the camera. “You take that back, asshole!”

“Nope, and I’m going to be there when it does, laughing my ass off and enjoying every fucking minute.”

“That’s it. Your best-friend status has been revoked. From this point forward, Ace is my best friend.”

“Yes!” Ace whooped over the line. “I’m going to have matching T-shirts made!”

Joker pinched the bridge of his nose. “Never mind. Jack, your best friend status has been reinstated.”

“Oh no!”

They could all but hear Ace pouting.

“I’m still having matching T-shirts made. Mine will say, ‘Say hello to my little friend,’ and yours will say—”

Joker groaned. “Don’t you say it.”

“Little Friend.”

The guys all cackled in his ear, and Joker flipped them off. “Fuckers.” He was not going to get suckered into love like the rest of them. Nope.

Someone walked through the heavy black curtain onto the stage and headed toward Chip. It was him.

Joker’s heart sped up, and he hissed at Fitz, “What’s he doing here?” And with the Boyfriend Collective? Okay, so the guy was best friends with Colton, and Laz was his brother, but he wasn’t a Boyfriend. After all, they were out of Green Berets. Well, except for Joker—and no. Never gonna happen. Fuck no. Joker wouldn’t fall for Giovanni Galanos if he were the last human on the planet.

Fitz followed Joker’s glare. “Oh, Gio’s the one who got us tickets to the concert and backstage passes. Did you know he and Nia are good friends?”

“Of course they are,” Joker grumbled. Saint Fucking Gio. Media heartthrob, philanthropist, billionaire, friend to one of the hottest pop stars in the world. And just how “good” was his friendship with the gorgeous singer? Not that Joker cared. None of his business. He was here to do a job.

The arena, one of the largest in Florida to date, had hired the Kings to work security for one of the biggest concerts to hit the state in decades. Tickets sold out in minutes. Over twenty-five thousand people would be in attendance tonight, meaning the Kings weren’t the only ones working security. The venue hired the Kings to secure the interior of the arena and Nia’s people during setup. A second security company would handle the actual concert, while Nia’s security was taken care of by her usual team.

With that many security teams in place, they had a high risk for fuckery, which was why he was glad King was in charge. If anyone tried to give him or any of their team shit, it only took one look from his friend to send them crying home to momma. The guy might bake his boyfriend cookies, but he’d also been their unit’s second-in-command. No one was stupid enough to fuck with Ward Kingston, and if they did, they’d be regretting their life choices real quick.

“I’ve never been in an arena before a concert,” Fitz said, taking in all the scaffolding, scattered equipment, and various pieces of machinery.

Joker shrugged. He’d been working the entertainment side of security for years now. He’d seen it all. “It’s not much to look at right now, but in about another six hours, it’s going to be pretty impressive. Speaking of six hours, what are you guys doing here so early?” He’d been here several hours already, and the last thing he needed was Gio hanging around while he worked. If he’d known Gio was going to be around, he wouldn’t have volunteered to work a fucking twelve-hour shift. For events this size, overtime meant he got to take the next couple of days off.

“After the backstage tour, we’re all going out to an early dinner to some fancy VIP restaurant before Nia’s got to come back for the concert.”

Joker frowned. Dinner for who knew how many at a restaurant with one of the hottest singers on the planet? Talk about a logistical nightmare. “Whose bright idea was that?”

“Nia’s manager. Nia wanted a private dinner with us, but he didn’t want her to miss such a big promo op.”

Gio laughed, and Joker’s eyes darted to him on instinct. “Promo op?” He forced his gaze back to Fitz, who blinked at him.

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Gio was the one who discovered Nia. Every few years he travels to Greece to visit the village his mother was from.” Fitz waved a hand. “Anyway, he was in a little village in Greece a few years ago. I can’t remember its name, only how heartbreaking it was to hear Gio describe the poverty there. It’s an amazing story. You’ll have to ask him to tell you one day.”

Not likely. Joker didn’t say as much, but Fitz rolled his eyes like he knew what Joker was thinking. They’d gotten to know each other pretty well since Fitz started dating Jack. If it concerned Gio, Joker didn’t want to know. Everyone might have fallen for the guy’s charms, but not Joker. If it was too good to be true, it always was. No one was perfect. No man could be beautiful on the outside and inside, be a billionaire and a saint. Gio was hiding something.

As if sensing Joker, Gio turned in his direction, his smile widening and reaching his dark eyes, forming little lines at the corners because the guy was always fucking smiling. Who the fuck smiled all the time? A curl of Gio’s pitch-black hair fell roguishly over one side of his brow, the rest of his hair untamed. It happened whenever his hair got a bit too long. Not that Joker paid attention to that sort of thing.

Like every other time Joker had seen him, Gio looked impeccable, from his designer shoes to his charcoal-gray dress slacks and slim-fitting black button-down shirt. His naturally tanned skin—thanks to his Greek roots—wasn’t flawless like so many of the hot young models Joker had fucked over the last few months. Not that Joker had given any thought at all to Gio’s subtle freckles and tiny nicks, or that his top lip was fuller than the bottom. He must have made a sound because Fitz poked him in his side.

“What?” Joker growled.

“Behave,” Fitz told him.

Joker arched an eyebrow at him, making him laugh. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a fucking paragon of politeness.”

Mason and Leo arrived in time to hear his remark, and Mason threw his head back, letting out a booming laugh.

“What’s so funny, cowboy?”

“Nothin’,” Mason replied in his thick Texan drawl. “Just where Gio is concerned, you have a habit of squattin’ on your spurs.”

Mason and his damn cowboyisms.

“I don’t know what that means, but I’m gonna respond with this.” Joker flipped Mason off, making him laugh again. “What the hell are you doing here, anyway? I thought you listened to shit country music.”

“Fuck off. I listen to good country music.” Mason scratched his stubbled jaw. “And I’m here because certain individuals insisted I come along.” He tilted his head toward Colton, who stood a couple of yards away talking to Laz and Gio.

“Still haven’t figured out how to say no to him, have you?” Joker snorted at Mason’s wide eyes.

“That man is terrifying.”

Leo tilted his head in thought. “Really?”

Oh, sweet Leo. So oblivious. But that was part of what made him Leo. He was like a tiny fluffy bunny—a fluffy bunny who happened to be the most dangerous man in the room because of his brain. The guy had been kept a secret from the government by his Army general dad out of fear of what they—and any other government—would do to get their hands on Leo, and they would have succeeded if it hadn’t been for King.

Gio might be Chip’s favorite human, but Chip guarded Leo like no one else, especially from strangers. Like he knew Leo was a precious snowflake who needed to be protected at all costs. Speaking of…

Joker turned to Leo. “I didn’t think this was your kind of scene.” Outside of their family, people in general were not Leo’s scene, much less a loud arena packed with thousands of people. It was the opposite of Leo in every way.

Leo snapped his attention away from the guys moving computer equipment. He pointed up and behind them to the owner’s skybox.

“I’ll be watching from up there. As for being here, are you kidding?” His eyes went all huge and sparkly. Uh-oh. Leo was about to have one of his nerdgasms. “Do you know the kind of coding and tech that goes into a Nia show? She’s got her own dream team who make her ideas a reality through coding and engineering. All of it perfectly in sync with her dance choreography and music. Her use of holograms is state of the art! And the best part is, Gio’s going to introduce me to her team. A couple of them used to work for NASA! I have so many questions.”

Joker nodded. “I bet.”

“Oh, I brought you a new snack.” Leo reached into his jacket pocket and produced a small packet of something. He held it out to Joker, his smile bright. “Plantain crisps. I know you’ve had plantain chips, but these are thinner and crunchier. They’re so yummy. Not as epic as Goldfish Crackers, but then nothing is.”

Joker took the bag from Leo with a wink. “Thanks.” He stuck the bag into one of the pockets of his black tactical pants as a bark caught their attention. Chip, the traitor, was losing his furry mind, as per usual. Because, of course, his dog’s favorite human had to be the one guy Joker preferred to avoid.

“I’m so happy to see you too,” Gio cooed as he made his way over, laughing and conversing with Chip, who shared his woes with Gio through a combination of barks, whines, and howls. His whole body wagged as he licked whatever part of Gio he could get to with his doggie tongue. If they’d been at Colton’s house or anywhere else Chip had toys, he would have brought Gio a toy or one of his bones, because he loved the fucker that damned much. Asshole.

Gio stopped in front of Joker, his smile soft. “Hello, Sacha.”

“Giovanni,” Joker said through a grunt.

Gio gave Chip one last ear scratch before Chip returned to sit at Joker’s heel. Gio opened his mouth to say something as Ace and Lucky appeared to say hello to the guys, or more likely because they couldn’t be at ease if they weren’t breathing the same damn air as their men.

“You look handsome,” Gio told Joker.

Joker peered at him. “You’ve seen me in this before.” Same black tee with the Four Kings Security logo on the front left breast pocket and the company name on the back in bold white letters, black tactical pants, and boots. “I’m wearing the same uniform everyone else is.”

Gio leaned in, his lips quirked at the corners in that roguish way of his. “But no one looks as good in it as you do.” His voice was low and silky, not that Joker was paying attention to the throatiness of Gio’s voice.

Joker glanced toward the end of the stage, where Saint stood, the sleeves of his T-shirt straining against his bulging biceps. He was over six feet tall, all broad shoulders, thick thighs, and sculpted male perfection. The guy looked every bit the Navy SEAL he’d once been. Gio turned his head to see what had caught Joker’s attention, then turned back to Joker, his smile knowing.

“I stand by my statement.”

Joker snorted. “Right.” Not that he had any hang-ups about his body. He was toned, fit, and had twice the stamina most of the guys at Four Kings had, even the guys younger than him. He could run circles around all of them. He was agile, adept at sports, and a natural gymnast. Maybe if the universe hadn’t been such a dick, he’d have been given a little more height, but whatever.

“Will you and Chip be at Colton’s tomorrow for the barbecue?”

Joker replied without thinking. “Well, yeah. Obviously.” Shit, wait…

“Great! I’ll see you then.”

Damn it. Joker should have known. Fuck it. At first, he’d avoided any event where Gio might be but quickly realized there was no point. Gio was back for good and a part of their lives whether he liked it or not, even if Joker couldn’t figure out why the sudden return. The guy had traveled the world for years doing who knew what in the name of charity, and out of the blue, one day he calls Laz up and says he’s coming home for good? Why?

“Sacha?” Jack’s voice came through his earpiece.

Joker sighed. He hated to be called by his real name, but Jack had known him for decades, long before one of their fallen brothers-in-arms had given them their nicknames. “What?”

“One of the stagehands bumped camera three with a prop he was carrying onto the stage. Must have knocked it pretty hard. It’s out of alignment. Can you go check it out?”

“Sure thing.”

Aw, what a shame. “I need to go. Duty calls.”

“Stay safe,” Gio said, his expression sincere.

Joker nodded. He ignored the way his heart did a stupid little flip. None of his friends understood why he was such an asshole to Gio, which was funny, considering Joker was pretty much an asshole most of the time, but something about Gio got to him, and that pissed Joker off like nothing else. From the moment they’d first spoken, Joker had a visceral reaction to the guy, and he hated it. No one was going to have that kind of control over him. No one.

“Come on,” he told Chip. They headed backstage, where he removed the small tablet from his pocket and signed into the secure event portal Jack had created for this job. He located camera three and frowned. It was just outside Nia’s dressing room. Giving the command, Joker sent Chip to sniff around.

They’d already checked this area several times, but over the next few hours, they’d be making several more rounds. His earpiece came to life, and King’s low grumble sounded in his ear.

“Listen up, guys. Nia and her crew are on their way. Check in with your teams.”

“Copy that,” Joker replied, along with Ace, Lucky, and Jack. He followed Chip as his partner left no corner unsniffed. Joker stopped in front of camera three outside Nia’s dressing room and peered up at it. The camera hung at an odd angle. “Jesus, what did he hit it with, a brick?” He’d just returned the tablet to his pocket when Chip gave his low warning growl. Turning, he found Chip with his nose pressed to the bottom of Nia’s closed dressing room door. Joker tapped his PTT button. “Jack, is Nia onsite?”

“Not yet, but members of her entourage have started arriving.”

“Copy that. Chip’s not liking something in her dressing room. I’m going in to investigate.”

“Let us know if you need backup.”

“Will do.” Joker hissed out another command in German, and Chip swiftly returned to Joker’s heel. They slowly approached the dressing room from one side. He silently turned the knob, but found it locked. This couldn’t be good. He knocked on the door. “Security. Is everything okay in there?” No answer.

“Security.” He pounded on the door. “I need you to respond. Now.” Still no answer.

Chip growled again, his hackles up, and Joker took a step away from the door.

“Okay, if you don’t answer or open this door, I’m coming in. You have five seconds. Five, four, three—”

The door cracked open, and a pair of blue eyes glared at him. “What do you want?”

Joker arched an eyebrow. “Who are you?”

“Who are you?” the guy snarled. A low growl rumbled from beside Joker, and the guy snapped his gaze to Chip. His eyes went huge, and he swallowed hard. “I mean, uh, hi, sorry. Can I help you?”

Joker grabbed the edge of the door with a smirk. “Yeah, you can tell me who you are and what you’re doing in there.”

“I’m Jiles. I work for the props department.”

“Doesn’t answer why you’re in this dressing room, Jiles.”

The guy opened the door and stepped to one side so Joker and Chip could enter the room. Chip immediately began sniffing everything, and Joker remained alert as he scanned the huge room. The doors to the two bathrooms were open, the curtains to the changing rooms also open. It was a brightly lit space decorated in black and white with pops of bright pink. Multiple mirrors and vanities were positioned across the seating area.

Something red blinked from a vase of flowers on the bigger vanity, and Joker strolled over. Considering Chip hadn’t given him the signal, he was confident it wasn’t an incendiary device. He reached into the flowers and pulled out what looked like a small camera. Turning, he held the camera up to Jiles, who’d gone so pale Joker wondered if the guy was about to pass out.

Jiles didn’t pass out. He took off running like someone had shot him out of a cannon.

“Fuck!” Joker shoved the camera into his pocket as he shouted a command to Chip, who bolted after Jiles. Upon seeing the black demon dog on his heels, Jiles shrieked loud enough to shatter glass and plowed through the curtains onto the stage.

Jiles’s first mistake had been to run. His second and biggest mistake had been to run toward Leo, who was so absorbed in whatever was on his phone screen he didn’t hear Joker shouting at him. Gio, however, did hear Joker and sprang into action, putting himself between Jiles and Leo right as Chip tackled Jiles.

Jiles plowed into Gio, knocking him off his feet, the two hitting the stage hard, with Chip’s jaws around a mouthful of Jiles’s cargo shorts. Where exactly Jiles thought he was crawling to with a Belgian Malinois attached to him was anyone’s guess. Jiles yelped as Chip dragged him away from Gio as if he were nothing more than a sack of potatoes.

Several of their guys reached Jiles, so Joker gave Chip the command to disengage and then turned to help Gio, only to find Saint with his arm around Gio’s waist as he helped him to his feet.

“Shit, man. You okay?” Saint asked, a hand to Gio’s chest.

What the fuck? Gio hadn’t been hit thathard. There was no need for him to be held. Either way, Gio was up now, so Saint could let go.

Okay, this needed to stop. Joker shook himself out of it. First of all, who the fuck cared if Saint was touching Gio? Saint was Joker’s friend. He was also straight.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Gio replied, running a hand through his hair. “Thank you, Saint.”

Saint smiled brightly, his cheeks looking a little… flushed. “You’re welcome.”

That was not how a straight man smiled at another man. Wait, what? The adrenaline must have gone to Joker’s head, because that thought had to be the most ridiculous thing to ever cross his mind. With a snort, he turned back to Jiles. Behind them, a large figure emerged from the shadows, and Joker grinned. King had walked on stage, and he looked pissed.

Joker patted Jiles’s shoulder. “Nice knowing ya.” He waited while King went straight to Leo, gently moving him to one side so he could talk to him privately. He took hold of Leo’s chin and murmured something to him. Leo nodded, his cheeks pink as he said something in return that led to King hugging him tightly. It was a quick hug, but enough for those who knew King to know he’d been shaken at the possibility of Leo being hurt. King stopped next to Gio and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Thank you for protecting him.”

Gio shook his head. “No need to thank me. Any one of us would have done the same. I was just closer.”

“Regardless, I appreciate it.”

Joker groaned. Great, because Gio wasn’t on a high enough pedestal already. King patted Gio’s shoulder, then stalked over to Joker, who handed him the camera he’d found.

“This was in some flowers on Nia’s vanity. My guess is Jiles here was the one who took out camera three, then locked himself in her dressing room to plant it. I’d have someone sweep the room in case there are more in there.”

King took the camera, looked it over, then lifted his icy-blue gaze to Jiles. “Bring him to the security office,” he growled as he stormed off.

They hauled Jiles away, and Joker was pretty sure that before the police arrived, Jiles would be all too agreeable. Whether he was a perv or had been intent on making a quick buck by filming Nia, he was in for a world of hurt. With that handled, Joker headed over to Leo, who now stood with Gio.

“It’s okay, Leo,” Gio said, placing his hand on Leo’s shoulder. “I’m fine. I promise.”

Leo nodded, but he still looked upset. Only one thing—or rather one fur ball—could change that. Joker scratched Chip’s head and murmured, “Go give Leo a kiss.”

Chip bolted over to Leo and repeatedly jumped like a kangaroo so he could assault Leo with doggie kisses. There was no way to keep a serious face as Leo laughed and giggle-snorted while he attempted to stop Chip, who was determined to give Leo all the kisses in his canine arsenal.

Joker stopped next to Gio, who laughed at Chip’s hijinks. “Thanks for doing that,” Joker grumbled. “Though maybe next time, just move him out of the way instead of turning yourself into a human shield.”

“Were you worried about me?” Gio asked, his smile reaching his eyes. Joker was about to squash that sentiment, but Gio went pale and threw a hand out, gripping Joker’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” Joker asked. Not even thinking about it, he wrapped an arm around Gio’s waist, his free hand going to Gio’s chest. “Talk to me, Giovanni.”

“I think I’m a little dehydrated.”

Gio needed to sit before he fell.

“Over there.” Joker motioned to a closed steel trunk a few feet away.

“Gio, are you okay?” Leo asked worriedly. Chip whining at Gio’s side was not a good sign.

“I’m fine. Simply a little dehydrated.”

Joker helped him over to the trunk and pressed his PTT button. “Saint, bring me a bottle of water.”

In no time flat, Saint returned with the water and handed it to Joker, who twisted the cap off and held it out to Gio.

“Drink.”

“Thank you.” Gio took the bottle from him, his fingers covering Joker’s, surprising a shiver out of him. Pretending he hadn’t felt the jolt and ignoring Gio’s knowing look, Joker took a step back. He turned to Saint.

“Thanks.”

“Everything okay?” Saint asked, concerned.

“Yeah, he needs water. You can get back to it.”

Saint appeared momentarily shocked by the dismissal. Why? Joker had no idea. It wasn’t the guy’s first time working with him. He had a job to do, and it wasn’t to hover around Gio. “Oh, right. Sure thing.” With a nod, he walked off.

“Are you sure this isn’t my fault?” Leo asked quietly, his boyish face filled with worry.

“Not your fault,” Gio assured him. “I promise. I had a charity brunch this morning that was outdoors, and I should have hydrated more.” He lifted the bottle of water. “I’m feeling better already.”

“Okay.”

Colton called Leo over, and Leo excused himself.

Not wasting any time, Joker frowned at Gio. “Not drinking water while outdoors is stupid.”

“Agreed.”

“You’re in Florida now. Hydration is important. Even when it’s cloudy, the sun will still bake you.”

Gio nodded. “I know that now.”

“Well, make sure you don’t forget it,” Joker growled. “Drink the whole bottle.” It wasn’t like this was Gio’s first trip to Florida. The man had been born and raised here.

“Yes, sir.” Gio saluted, and Joker rolled his eyes. Smartass. At least the color had returned to his face. Gio lifted his eyes to Joker’s. “Thank you.”

“For what? Sending someone to get you a bottle of water?” Joker waved a hand in dismissal. He wasn’t that much of an asshole. Not even to Gio. Springing into action when something was wrong was his default, and had been since his years in the military. Just because he and his brothers weren’t serving anymore didn’t mean they forgot years of training or life experiences.

“You must know a lot about dehydration, working these kinds of events,” Gio said.

“Yep. It’s serious shit. August will be the worst. Our guys spend a good deal of the time bringing people water at outdoor events because people forget how fucking brutal the heat and humidity can be.”

Gio finished the bottle of water and stood. Much to his annoyance, Joker caught himself reaching for the guy. He quickly dropped his hand.

“All good?”

“Yes, thank you.” Gio smiled sweetly, and Joker forced himself to avert his gaze. He was going to say he had to get back to work when someone called out from across the stage.

“Gio!”

A gorgeous woman with flawless tanned skin and waves of shimmering black hair, dressed in a black silk robe precariously tied around her slim waist, hurried toward them.

Nia was even more stunning in person than she was on screen, with ample curves and long legs that put her at least four inches taller than Joker, and that was without the three-inch heels she had on. Her lips were full and pouty, her eyes so dark they were almost black, and her presence was so raw it seemed to sucker punch everyone she swept past. She looked more like a goddess than a pop star, and she headed straight for Gio, arms wide.

“When they told me what happened, I couldn’t believe it!” She threw her arms around Gio, hugging him. “I was so worried! Are you okay?” She pulled back enough to cup his face.

“It was nothing. Really. It’s so good to see you.”

“I’ve missed this face.” She kissed one cheek, then the other, her smile dazzling.

Well, that was his cue. Joker turned to leave, but Gio called out to him.

“Wait! Sacha.”

Joker stopped and rolled his eyes. Now what? All Joker wanted was to get through his shift and have a couple of beers after work, and maybe a steak. Was that too much to ask? He turned, his expression telling Gio exactly how unimpressed he was.

“Yeah?”

“Sacha, I’d like to introduce you to Nia. Nia, this is Sacha Wilder. He’s the one who found the man in your dressing room and caught him.” Chip barked from behind Joker, and Gio laughed. “I’m so sorry. Chip was technically the one who caught him.”

“Oh, he’s beautiful,” Nia cooed. “Such a brave boy.”

“Yes, he is,” Gio said, his gaze on Joker rather than Chip, who Nia fawned over, though to her credit, she hadn’t tried to touch Chip.

Chip wagged his tail slowly, suspiciously, as he stared at Nia, making Joker hold back a snicker. That’s my boy. Chip looked from Nia to Joker and waited for the verdict.

“Say hello,” Joker finally said. It wasn’t Nia’s fault she was stunning. Besides, if she was interested in Gio, it was none of his business. She’d also known Gio longer than Joker had, which didn’t matter since Joker wasn’t interested in Gio.

As soon as Nia finished greeting Chip, she turned to lavish her attention back on Gio. Time to get gone. Joker excused himself. He had a job to do, and it didn’t include babysitting the billionaire and his “good” friend.

Chip came to heel and remained at his side as they headed backstage to make another round. They’d just turned away from the dressing rooms when Nia and Gio emerged through the curtains, their heads close together as they spoke quietly, her arm wrapped possessively around his as they headed for her dressing room. Whatever they were talking about seemed to have Gio mesmerized.

Chip whined, and Joker dropped his gaze to his furry friend. “It’s fine. Like I care?”

“And once more with feeling,” Ace said, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

“Where the fuck did you come from?” Joker hadn’t even heard Ace, and that was a freaking terrifying notion because when didn’t you hear Ace?

“You must have been too busy being fine over the hot pop star wrapped around the guy you definitely don’t care about.”

Joker narrowed his eyes at Ace, and his friend threw up his hands in surrender.

“Only an observation.”

“If I want your observation, I’ll give it to you. Now fuck off.”

With a chuckle, Ace walked away. If his friend thought he’d meddle in Joker’s love life, he had another think coming. Not that Joker had a love life. Which was exactly the way he liked it. He had a sex life, and a very active and glorious one at that. Love had nothing to do with it.

Okay, so maybe he was in the middle of a dry spell, but it would pass. Work had been busy, and he’d been doing a lot of overtime, so he hadn’t been to Sapphire Sands in a while. None of the hookups on his app had been particularly enticing. Didn’t mean a thing.

“It’s fine,” he assured Chip. “A momentary setback. We’re good. It’s all good.” He got another side-eye from Chip. “Listen, mister. I don’t need any of your sass, okay. Get to work. Earn your extortionate bone-and-toy budget.” Chip barked and trotted off ahead of Joker to do his thing.

The rest of his shift went on without incident, and he certainly didn’t spend any time at all thinking about Gio or what he and Nia might be getting up to in her dressing room. Thankfully, his shift was officially over. The arena was a thrum of bustling activity as teams of people ran around making sure everything was ready while crowds of people lined up outside.

Ace approached him by the security office. “Hey, Colton and Gio got the Boyfriend Collective a bunch of rooms at that swanky guitar-shaped hotel about twenty minutes from here. My shift ended, so I’m gonna hang out in our room and order room service while Colton’s at the concert. Wanna come? You can feed your beast and chill.”

“Sure, why not.” The rest of the guys had been invited to watch the concert from the manager’s box with Leo, and Joker wasn’t about to turn down some tasty—and more importantly free—room service from Colton’s fancy hotel suite.

They checked in with King before hopping in Ace’s red Corvette Stingray Coupe. Being married to a billionaire certainly had its perks. Colton loved to spoil Ace, and Ace loved to be spoiled. Joker wasn’t sure exactly how they managed it, but the two were disgustingly happy and in love, so whatever they did worked.

A couple of hours later, they’d ordered enough food to feed a small army and eaten every single delicious morsel. No one could eat his weight in french fries like Ace. With all three of them fed, they popped open a couple of beers and settled in to watch some TV. Chip was out of his work vest and lay on the couch on his back, paws in the air and head on Joker’s lap, because why would he lie on the floor like a sucker when there was a comfy couch and someone’s lap?

“Your dog is ridiculous,” Ace said, his smile wide. Chip let out a huff, making Ace laugh. “He seems to have really taken a liking to Gio.”

“Wow, was that you trying to be subtle? Because I hate to break it to you, pal, you’re about as subtle as your Cuban mama.”

Ace barked out a laugh. “She asks about you every time she calls.”

“I’m sure she does,” Joker said with a hum. Heaven forbid one of her boys not be in a relationship. “Tell her I’m perfectly happy having lots of amazing sex.”

“If you think I’m going to even hint to the word sex while talking to my mother, you’re nuttier than I thought.”

“Maybe if you two didn’t gossip about everyone’s love life, it wouldn’t come up.”

Ace blinked at him. “But then how would I know that my cousin Lolita’s best friend’s father’s second cousin’s nephew showed up to his sister’s quinceñiera party with his straight best friend, and the two got caught making out in the janitor’s closet?”

“I…” Joker shook his head. “I don’t even know what to say to that.”

“See? That’s vital intel.”

“Of course it is.” Joker snickered and shook his head. They went back to watching TV and ribbing each other over nonsense. Joker had just dozed off when Ace’s phone rang.

“Hey, baby. Miss me— What? Are you okay? Are you safe? Hang tight. I’m on my way.”

Joker jolted awake. “What happened?”

Ace hung up and shot to his feet. “I gotta go. Colton went to meet Gio at Nia’s tour bus when someone shot at Nia and Gio.”

“What?”

Chip rolled off Joker as Joker jumped to his feet, his heart pounding in his ears.

“Security thinks they meant to hit Nia and Gio got in the way. Either that or the guy, lucky for us, had shit aim. They tackled him and restrained him. The police are on their way.”

Joker grabbed Ace’s arm. “Is Gio okay?”

“I think so.”

“You think so?” Joker asked, incredulous. He was going to kick Ace’s ass.

“Colton said he looked okay.”

“Jesus Christ! He looked okay? I’m going with you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ll be busy with Colton and Red’s in the middle of a job over an hour away. Plus, he’ll have his hands full with Laz. The moment Laz finds out about Gio, he’ll freak out.”

Ace pursed his lips. “Your argument is sound.”

“Shut up and let’s go.” Of course his argument was sound. He quickly made sure Chip had water in his bowl and some dry kibble, just in case. With a scratch on the head, he told Chip to stay, then quickly left the room.

As soon as Laz discovered someone had shot his brother, he’d lose his shit. “Have you told Red?”

“Unless Colton called him, he doesn’t know. Laz was with Fitz, waiting for Leo and the others.”

Which meant Laz didn’t know. They had some time.

“Colton won’t call Red or Laz,” Joker assured him.

“How do you know?” Ace asked as they hurried to the elevator. Joker did his best not to think of worst-case scenarios. If Colton said Gio looked okay, then it was probably nothing. That’s twice in one day Gio had put himself in harm’s way. For fuck’s sake. The guy was a trouble magnet.

“Gio won’t let him. He’s a stubborn shit.”

“Yeah, I mean, trying to protect his little brother.” Ace shook his head, his lips quirked in amusement. “What an asshole.”

“Shut up.”

With the concert let out, traffic was a nightmare. They’d had to park blocks away and run to the arena. Joker made no apologies to the assholes who didn’t heed his warning and get out of his fucking way. They were still dressed in their uniforms, so flashing their credentials meant they were allowed past the barriers and security behind the arena, where Nia’s ginormous tour bus was parked.

“Where the fuck is he?” Joker demanded of no one in particular. The crowd parted and people got the hell out of his way as he thundered toward the ambulance and the tall figure with broad shoulders he’d recognize anywhere, much to his annoyance. From the looks of it, Gio was alive and well. How dare the bastard cause him concern!

A growl rose up in Joker’s throat. “What the fuck did you—” He stilled at the sight of the bloodied shirtsleeve. He swallowed hard as Gio turned to face him, the left side of his torso bare, his shirt hanging off one shoulder to reveal the white bandage around his arm. It was a stark contrast against his tanned skin.

“Sacha,” Gio said, warmth filling his tone, a warmth that reflected in his dark eyes.

Joker snapped himself out of whatever stupid trance he’d been in and narrowed his eyes at Gio. “Don’t call me that.”

“What are you doing here?” Gio asked softly.

“I’m here because you got yourself shot, asshole.” Why the hell did the guy look so amused? He’d just been shot. Fucking Gio.

“Why do you say that so accusatory?”

“What happened?” Joker demanded.

Gio cocked his head to one side, his lips quirked up in the corner. “Someone shot at me.”

Sweet Jesus, give me strength. “And someone’s about to shoot at you again,” Joker hissed. “What the fuck happened?”

A weary sigh escaped Gio, and Joker’s anger subsided despite his better judgment. It was only then that Joker noticed the dark circles and harsh lines. Gio was exhausted. No. Nope. You are not going to feel bad for him. He’s an asshole, remember?

“The truth is, I don’t know what happened. One minute Nia and I were leaving the bus, the next minute someone screamed and I saw the gun. I pulled Nia behind me and felt my arm burn. By then the man had been tackled to the ground. I’ve never seen him before in my life, and believe me, I have an excellent memory when it comes to people.” The heat in his eyes told Joker exactly which memories he was revisiting. Not that Joker thought about that night backstage. Nope. Not ever.

Don’t meet his gaze. Don’t look him in the eye. It’s a trap, and you know it.

Joker’s jaw muscles tightened. Fuck that. He was no coward. Defiantly, he lifted his chin and met Gio’s gaze. A slow, wicked smile spread across those full lips, and Gio took a step closer. He stood looming over Joker and leaned in, his lips next to Joker’s ear. His breath was hot, his words a low, sultry purr.

“I was hoping you’d come for me.”

Fuck.