Sleight of Hand by Charlie Cochet
Twelve
What a day,and his shift wasn’t even over.
Joker headed back to the festivities with Gio and the dogs. Everything was back underway, despite the disturbances caused by their team apprehending William’s crew. Thankfully, the pier had been far enough away that guests had no idea what had gone down until the police arrived on scene. None of them had expected a hostage situation, and it wasn’t the type of thing they usually had to deal with, but they managed it. For all the crazy they’d experienced over the last few years, most jobs tended to go pretty smoothly. They were good at what they did.
Gio gave his speech, and Joker’s heart swelled with love as he watched Gio up on that stage, thanking everyone for coming. The man was adorable, and he was all Joker’s. Had someone told him a year ago that he’d end up falling for Gio, he’d have told them to fuck off. In fact, he’d done that on several occasions to his matchmaking friends. Or rather Ace.
Gio finished his speech, and everyone cheered. He waved at the crowd and left the stage, Cookie trotting alongside him. When he searched the crowd and caught sight of Joker, his smile stole Joker’s breath away. Gio headed toward him, shaking hands with a few people along the way. For the first time in a long time, he looked rested, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Gio stopped in front of Joker and brought him into his arms. He kissed him, a brief but passionate kiss, and Joker melted against him.
“Hey, baby.” Joker led Gio to the other side of one of the tents so they could have a little privacy, the dogs at their sides. He stepped behind a large tree and brought Gio against him, kissing him, letting all his love and desire for this amazing man come through in his kiss. He loved the way Gio hummed in pleasure, how he soaked in everything Joker had to give.
When they were forced to get some air, Gio brushed his lips over Joker’s temple. “You’re off the clock in an hour. How about I buy you some funnel cake?”
“Ooh, now we’re talking. I might even let you buy me a soda too.”
Gio threw his head back and laughed. “Big spender.”
The rest of the day went quickly. There were a few incidents, but nothing out of the ordinary for this kind of event. A couple of kids got separated from their parents and were promptly found and returned. Some teenagers got a little too rowdy and had to be given a talking-to—that sort of thing. Joker changed out of his uniform when his shift ended, and he locked it away in the trunk of his car, along with Chip’s vest, before returning to the fair to enjoy the day with his boyfriend.
Gio bought Joker a funnel cake bigger than his head and a soda. There was a stall that sold organic treats for dogs. It stunk to high heaven, but Chip and Cookie gobbled those things up so fast, Joker wondered if they’d even bothered to chew.
Then Gio stopped by a water gun game and gasped, then turned to Joker.
“There’s a stuffed dog toy that looks like Cookie.” Gio’s eyes widened innocently. “If only I had someone who was a great marksman who might procure said adorable stuffed toy.”
Joker pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. His boyfriend was ridiculous. “Would you like me to win you that toy?”
“I would very much like that. Yes.”
“Okay.” Joker popped a kiss on Gio’s lips. He removed five bucks from his wallet and handed it over. “I remember when these things used to cost a quarter.” The teen behind the booth blinked at him.
“Was that, like, in the 1940s or something?”
Joker peered at him. “What? No, it wasn’t in the forties. How old do you think I am?”
The kid opened his mouth, and Joker waved the water gun at him.
“Never mind. Step aside, freckles.” Joker positioned himself, closed one eye, and aimed. He hit every target that tried to dart past him, a satisfying ding going off with each shot until a siren sounded and a red light flashed. Joker twirled the water gun and returned it to the plastic holster. “And that’s how you do it.” He arched an eyebrow at the kid and pointed to the stuffed dog. Rolling his eyes, the kid grabbed the dog and handed it over. “1940s, my ass.” He turned to Gio, who had the happiest, sappiest expression on his face. “Your prize.”
“Aw, you do love me,” Gio teased, taking the toy from Joker. Never mind that the guy could buy out the contents of every toy store in the city several times over; he was thrilled about this one.
Joker shook his head at his boyfriend. Jesus, would he ever get used to that? As he strolled through the fairgrounds, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d done anything like this. Probably because he never dated. He was more interested in hookups and sex than getting to know anyone or spending any alone time together. It was nice. Despite everything that happened earlier, it was a great day. So this was what life with Gio would be like.
“Oh my God.” Gio stopped abruptly and threw a hand out across Joker’s chest. Instantly, Joker went into high alert mode, and he scanned the area for threats.
“What? What is it?”
“Fried snack cakes.”
Joker slowly turned his head to stare at Gio. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Fried snack cakes,” Gio said excitedly. “I’ve always wanted to try it.” His dark eyes glittered with pure joy, and Joker couldn’t even be mad.
“Come on,” Joker grumbled. “I’ll get you a fried snack cake.” Was there anything he wouldn’t do for Gio? Probably not. Well, the okra was still not happening, but everything else was fair game. After he bought Gio his fried Twinkie, they sat together beneath one of the large trees, the dogs settling into the grass beside them. “This is nice.”
Gio hummed in agreement. He held a finger out to Joker, talking around a mouthful of deep-fried cake. “Want to lick my cream?”
Joker barked out a laugh. When he sobered up, he took hold of Gio’s finger, their eyes meeting. “I always want your cream,” Joker said, his voice low and husky. Thankfully Gio had swallowed his food by then because he broke into laughter. He started laughing so hard he was in tears.
“Okay, that was bad,” Gio said with a snicker.
“Really? And ‘want to lick my cream’ wasn’t?” He popped Gio’s finger into his mouth and sucked it clean. Gio’s eyes went dark, and he licked his lips.
“I didn’t think this through, did I?” Gio grumbled, shifting uncomfortably.
“Nope,” Joker said, popping the p.
“Maybe we should go home and—”
Joker covered Gio’s mouth. “The next words out of your mouth better not be an innuendo or bad pun involving the word cream.”
The laugh that reverberated behind Joker’s hand was infections, but Joker remained firm. He could not let Gio believe that sort of humor was acceptable. These kinds of boundaries had to be set early on in a relationship or he could end up like poor Colton, doomed to a life of terrible puns. Eyes narrowed at Gio, he slowly moved his hand away.
“What I was going to say was that we should go home.” He leaned in to nibble on Joker’s ear before whispering, “I want to get you sticky.”
Heat flared through Joker, and he got to his feet so quick he startled Chip. His dog scrambled to his paws and barked at Joker.
“I’m sorry,” Joker said through a laugh. “But a guy’s got needs.”
Chip let his displeasure be known until Joker promised to give him a piece of bacon when they got home.
Home.
Joker liked the sound of that.
As he walked hand in hand with Gio out of the park, their furry companions at their sides, Joker couldn’t remember the last time he felt so at peace. The man next to him loved him. Yes, his brothers-in-arms loved him, but it was a different love. Gio wanted him, loved him, every surly inch of him. He didn’t want to change Joker, didn’t expect him to be someone he wasn’t. Arguments were sure to happen, but Joker was confident if they talked it out, they could get through anything because there was no one he wanted to try for more than Gio.
* * *
Joker had beenwrong about Gio. Well, sort of.
Gio might not be perfect, but in Joker’s eyes, he was as close to it as someone could get. Nothing else explained the absolute goodness of the man’s heart. The two of them shouldn’t have worked, but the more Joker got to know Gio, the more he realized no other man would have been good enough. There had been a time when he’d believed he wasn’t meant for love. He’d spent years doing everything to avoid it, only to have a bunch of troublemakers worm their way into his heart. Then he’d let few more people in. Bibi, Nash, their sweet daughter, Lily. Colton, Mason, Leo, Fitz, and Laz. Every year, someone new seemed to join their family, and for a while, it had scared the shit out of him. Especially when his brothers started falling in love. He’d braced himself for the day he’d be left out in the cold, just him and Chip, but that day never came, and whatever happened with Gio, Joker knew that day would never come, because of love.
Chip whined, and Joker scratched the top of his head. “Don’t be jealous. You know Daddy still loves you and Cookie best.” Joker smiled from his position along the side of the huge white tent. It was muggy as balls out here, but at least there were plenty of fans blowing icy air. Gio knelt on the ground, not caring one lick if he got grass stains on his expensive cream-colored linen suit. He was in doggie heaven petting a German shepherd puppy. Cookie sat happily at his person’s side.
“He’s something, isn’t he?” King said, appearing next to Joker.
Joker nodded, pride filling him. “Yeah, he is.”
Helping people was what Gio did, but his life had taken a new path, and with it, so had his charity work. For days after William’s arrest, Gio had been thinking about his work, about what he loved. Then, like with all things, he made up his mind and made it happen. Gio had been in talks with Ada for a long time about having her join him in his organization since she did the same type of charity work, just on a smaller scale. He’d known Ada for years and trusted her, so he brought her onto his charity’s board of directors and then resigned, leaving everything to Ada.
“He’s found his true love,” Joker said, a lump in his throat.
Gio spent weeks putting together his new charity organization, and today was its official unveiling. He’d kept the details close to the vest, which Joker respected, even if he didn’t understand it. Either way, he offered Gio whatever help he needed. Gio had worked hard for months, but he’d kept his word and didn’t overdo it.
When the time came to launch the new charity organization, Gio asked him to work the event. Joker hadn’t planned on missing it. He could have done without all the press, but he trusted Gio to know what he was doing. The place was packed, and Joker recognized a few faces. Some of them were politicians, others were from the police force, and half a dozen or so were from various branches of the military. Val, the fire chief, stood looking imposing in his dress uniform. He kept sneaking glances at Saint, who pretended—pretty poorly if you asked Joker—that he didn’t notice. Something told Joker that Saint was in for a revelation or two.
King had hired extra security in case Joker decided he wanted to end his shift early. Why the hell he’d want to do that was anyone’s guess, but whatever. It was King. Speaking of… Joker glanced at King, who looked a little too calm for his own good. Granted, King was always calm. Stoic wasn’t just one of his traits, but a freaking mission statement. Still.
“There something you’re not telling me?” Joker asked him.
King simply pointed to the front of the tent where Gio was taking the stage. Everyone clapped as he walked onto the stage with Cookie and stopped in front of the microphone. When everyone quieted down, he spoke.
“Thank you all so much for joining me on this new adventure. Those of you who know me, know I spent most of my adult life traveling the globe, helping people through my charity, an organization that is now in the beautiful hands of the amazing Ada.” Gio motioned to Ada in the crowd, and she blew him a kiss as everyone clapped and cheered.
“It was during one of my trips that something happened, something that changed my life forever. It wasn’t until recently that I discovered I was suffering from PTSD, and even then, it’s taken me some time to come to terms with this new part of me. Thanks to my family and my loving partner, I know now that I’m not alone. That it’s okay to ask for help, to lean on others. It was love that brought me this sweet boy right here. This is Cookie, my service dog.” Gio smiled down at Cookie, who lifted his head and gazed at him in adoration.
“I’d been lost for a long time, and then one night, I sat on the couch watching TV, and I glanced over to find my boyfriend asleep on the couch with our two dogs sprawled on him, snoring softly. He looked so at peace, and it struck me then. I’d found my purpose. With that, I would love it if you’d join me in supporting my new charity, one that is extremely close to my heart of hearts.”
Joker waited with bated breath as Gio pulled on the gold rope hanging from a huge white banner. The banner floated to the floor, and Joker gasped.
“Oh my God.” Tears filled Joker’s eyes, and his heart threatened to beat out of him. He took a step forward, his eyes glued to the sign.
Gio met Joker’s gaze over the crowd and smiled. “In honor of one of our fallen heroes, I give you, the Echo K9 Foundation.”
Joker put a fist to his mouth and shook his head. He turned to King, whose eyes looked suspiciously glassy.
“Yeah, definitely something,” King said.
“Did you know about this?” Joker asked, his voice breaking.
King smiled warmly at him, patted his shoulder, and walked away.
The crowd was still clapping, cheering, and whistling. Gio held up a hand, and the crowd went quiet again. He wiped a tear from his eye and laughed softly. “As you can see, this charity means the world to me. The Echo K9 Foundation will provide service canines to military veterans at no cost to them, along with vet care, training, food, counseling, and a host of additional services to help them on this new path. Thank you. If you give me five minutes, I’ll be over there to answer questions.”
The crowd clapped and cheered, watching Gio as he made his way over to Joker, who’d wiped the tears from his eyes and cleared his throat. He pressed his PTT button, and King spoke before Joker could utter a word.
“Enjoy the rest of your day.”
Joker shook his head. Fucking King. He pushed aside the flap in the tent and stepped outside with Chip, Gio and Cookie right behind them. Security was walking the grounds, and there were some people milling around chatting, but they’d have more privacy out here than inside the tent.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Gio said. “I wanted it to be a surprise. I hope it’s okay.”
Joker stared up at him. “Is it okay that you named your charity after my dog?” He sighed as he brought Gio into his arms. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I can think of a few things,” Gio teased quietly as he leaned in and kissed Joker’s cheek. “There’s also a bronze statue of her in the lobby of my organization’s new building. Everyone who walks in will know what a hero she was.”
Joker wrinkled his nose, the backs of his eyes stinging again. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Gio laced their fingers together. “I love you, Sacha, and I hope that I get to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much.”
“I love you too, Gio. And I plan on letting you show me how much you love me,” Joker replied with a smile. “Especially since I’ve got something similar in mind.”
Gio kissed him, and Joker leaned into it, his hand on Gio’s waist. He squeezed him gently when he heard a camera click.
With a chuckle, Joker pulled back. “Go on. They’re waiting for you.”
“I’m going to grab some water and a quick snack before I start answering questions. Meet me after for dinner?”
“You got it.”
Gio popped a quick kiss on Joker’s cheek before heading back inside. For the first time in his life, Joker felt… settled. He was exactly where he belonged. A long time ago, he’d vowed never to lose his heart, when the truth was, over the years, he’d been giving away pieces of it to the people who’d claimed him as their own, to his found family. In return, they’d given him pieces of their own hearts, trusting him with something precious, and he hadn’t realized that until Gio.