Guns n' Boys: Homicidal Instinct (Book 2) (gay dark mafia erotic romance) (2 page)

Chapter 2

Seth made sure no one
followed him and used the spare key he’d gotten from Peter to open the door.
Unfortunately, being here didn’t feel all that much safer. First thing, he
rushed to the bedroom to see Dom and leave the documents in the suitcase. Apart
from passports they got driver’s licenses for the same fake names, which seemed
like a good move on Dom’s part.

When Seth was closing in
on the living room, a sweet smell assaulted his nose with the power of pumpkin
spice and gingerbread rolled into one. The scent was shouting through a
megaphone to talk over coffee. It was only when someone called his name that he
understood the scent was a sweet fucking latte with double syrup, and the man
behind it was Neil, Peter’s best friend since high school. This was bad.

“What is this prick
doing here?”

Seth cleared his throat
and stopped in the doorway, knowing it was too late to hide. “Neil.”

Neil’s hair was as
freakishly purple as the last time Seth saw it. And there the menace of Seth’s
life was, standing in the middle of the room with the fucking latte in hand
like a banner for the innards of Neil’s mind.

“So that was where the
freaking risotto came from,” hissed Neil, casting a sideways glance at Peter
and Zach, who were sitting in the loveseat like two hostages. “I knew it. Both
of you can’t cook for shit.”

Seth took a deep breath,
and faked a smile even though Peter’s little poodle ran up to him and attacked
his sneaker. “I just dropped by… Hope you’re enjoying the food. You always
liked my cooking.” Seth hated sucking up to Neil, but he needed to be on good
terms with him for as long as Dom was here.

“What the fuck is he
doing here?” asked Neil, waving his tattooed hand toward Seth but not really
looking at him. “He dumped you
over the phone
.”

Peter shifted closer to
Zachary and cleared his throat, pale as a wall. “He just... briefly needed a
place to stay, that’s all.”

“Right, and when he
leaves, you’ll look like a half-breed panda again.” Neil walked straight at
Seth in all his hipster glory, black-rimmed glasses with no lenses and all. The
guy could be the poster boy for Williamsburg.

Seth’s eyes opened
wider. There was only so much his nerves could take today. “Jesus Christ, Neil!
What is wrong with you? Our problems are none of your business. I needed a
place to crash, and they gave me a hand.”

“It was the Christian
thing to do,” Zach added.

If looks could kill,
Zachary would be six feet under already with the way Neil frowned at him. “The
Christian thing to do would be to stop
fornicating
with another man, but
that’s not what we’re gonna do here, so maybe start thinking with your brain,”
growled Neil before stepping closer to Seth. A few inches shorter, and much smaller
in the chest than Seth, Neil still had the guts to dig his finger into Seth’s
breastbone. “Get the fuck out of this house, you freaking psycho!”

Peter exhaled, cradling
his head in both his hands. “I’m so getting a migraine.”

“You little dick…” Seth
inhaled deeply, trying to calm down despite the dog barking between them. “It’s
not your house to throw me out of. We’ve worked out our shit with Peter, and
you’re the one who should be leaving.”

“You’ve
not
worked shit out with him. You fucking left him, and there’s no place for you
anywhere near Peter. And if
they
won’t kick you out the window, there’s
no way I’m gonna leave,” growled Neil, folding his arms across his chest.

“Peter, please tell him
something. For fuck’s sake! I don’t have the energy for this bullshit.” Seth
pushed Neil back slightly, tired of the fucker getting in his face.

“Me? I want to go to
bed, but my bed’s taken,” hissed Peter.

Neil rose to his toes,
getting even more in Seth’s face. “You took his bedroom?”

“It was necessary!” Seth
yelled at him and threw his arms up in the air. “I have problems bigger than
your stupid issues, Neil!”

“Maybe I’ll take Fluffy
out,” muttered Zach and picked up the dog, but the poodle started twisting in
his big hands and ended up jumping off only to growl at Seth and Neil again,
like a tiny fucking tractor one could theoretically kick into the wall if it
didn’t mean being banished from the house immediately. Peter’s patience tended
to end where Fluffy was concerned.

“Oh, yeah? What kind of
problem could you possibly have, Mr. Luxury-Living-Without-Needing-A-Job, huh?”
Neil showed off his teeth in an ugly grimace that was strangely reminiscent of
Fluffy.

“I’d tell you, if it
weren’t for the fact that I can’t trust you keeping a secret for shit. I have
some family problems,” Seth growled, hoping it would calm Neil down. No such
luck.

“Like what? Being cut
off for being gay? Maybe you should have thought of that first before you blew
it with a guy for whom you meant the world,” said Neil, completely ignoring
that Peter’s new boyfriend was there to listen.

Peter gasped. “Neil,
can’t you--”

“No, I can’t. There’s no
way I’m leaving you alone with this piece of shit,” said Neil, frantically
browsing something on his cell phone.

“Don’t you think about
calling the police!” Seth hissed at him and snatched the phone out of Neil’s
hand. This ship was sinking all too fast.

When his balls shrank in
pain, he didn’t know what hit him. Until Neil squeezed his crotch so hard Seth
believed he’d already become sterile and impotent.

“Police? What did you
do, prick, huh?”

Seth reached down to
Neil’s wrist in panic. “Let go! I can’t leave just yet!”

There was a loud thump
behind Seth, and his heart beat so quickly he almost forgot about the searing
pain in his balls when he heard Domenico’s voice.

“What’s this noise?”

Peter shot to his feet.
“He’s awake.”

Seth dropped Neil’s
phone and managed to squeeze out of his grip to come up to Dom. He’d hug him
and kiss him if it weren’t for the fact that he didn’t want to stir up any more
trouble with Neil.

“Dom, you should be in
bed,” he said, barely breathing from the tension.

Domenico was not only up
but walking as well. Even with the layer of bandage on his face, he looked
amazing when compared to the dead weight on the pillow he’d been a few hours
ago.

Domenico blinked, his
striking eyes trailing all around the room. He opened his mouth to speak when
Neil joined the two of them at the door. “And who’s that, huh? Another lover
boy of yours? He sure looks the part. What did he do? Add too much salt to your
fucking soup?” he asked Seth, waving toward the bandages on Dom’s face.

“Christ! No! Is this
really what you think of me? I do have a temper, but come on. And this is my
brother
if you need to know.” Seth came up to Dom, who was dressed in only a pair of
loose pajama pants. He looked into Dom’s eyes intently, but he was sure Dom
would go with it and just ask to be filled in on the details later. “He’s had
an accident, so I needed Peter’s help.”

Neil frowned. “Yeah?
What did he do? Got run over by a lawnmower?”

Domenico mirrored his
expression behind the bandages, but he said nothing, just leaning against the
doorframe, probably in pain. Seth could hardly look at it. But no, Neil needed
to open his piehole again.

“Yeah, I imagine that happened
when the fucking macho, from this fucking traditional ultra-conservative family
of yours, realized his brother is a big fag. You know he actually owns a thong,
right?” Neil said to Domenico.

Seth inhaled with a hiss
and pushed on Neil’s chest. “It was a fucking prank gift from Robert, you
idiot!” He turned to Dom. “Don’t listen to this little bitch. I’ve
never
worn a thong!”

Seth knew it was a bad
thing to say when Neil’s eyes flared up. “You probably only wore it for Robert
when you were fucking him behind Pete’s back,” he snarled before looking at
Domenico again. “Because that’s the kind of fag your brother is! Hope Mommy and
Daddy are proud.”

Seth scowled. “At least
I don’t wear a fucking fedora. Peter, please keep him on a leash. I need to get
Dom back to bed.” He gently put his arm under Dom’s to lead him back to safety.
Domenico had to be in shock because he’d never be so quiet around Neil’s
obnoxious shouting otherwise.

“I am calling Jamie
over,” announced Neil as if the president himself was waiting at the door.

“That’s literally the
last person we need here,” growled Peter from his seat.

“As long as you don’t
call the police, you can call Santa Claus for all I care.” Seth shook his head,
already leading Dom back to the bedroom.

Domenico held on to him
so hard Seth had to practically carry him whenever he had to on his hurt leg.
“Who’s Jamie?” Dom uttered.

Seth would sure as fuck
tell him who Jamie was as soon as they were behind closed doors. They entered
the bedroom, and Seth helped Dom sit on the bed. The pale shade of Dom’s skin
was nothing good, but at least he woke up properly.

“From the beginning.”
Seth took a deep breath. “Neil is here. A stupid, quarrelsome, lying cunt.
Don’t believe one word that comes out of his lips. He wasn’t invited, but he
probably forced Peter to have him over with his fucking pumpkin latte. He’s
claiming he’s here to help out, but I know him all too well! He’s just happy
about new things to gossip about. And his husband?” Seth began pacing around
the room. “He’s just as dumb of a motherfucker and wouldn’t know a good pizza
if it hit him in the face. Anyway, he works in an Abercrombie store, so that
speaks for itself.” He looked at Dom, hoping it was all sinking in, and soon
enough Dom would come up with the right plan to deal with this bullshit.

Domenico stared at him.
“And what about you? My brother?”

“What about me?” Seth
uttered. “I got our passports from Elephant. That guy is a freak.”

Domenico pressed his
lips together, his amber eyes so wide it was frightening. “I-- I woke up here,
and I just don’t know. What happened to me?” he whispered.

Seth stopped pacing and
got a better look at Dom. The way he was speaking wasn’t like him at all.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Seth asked and scooted in front of him.

Domenico’s nostrils
flared. “I think I need to go to a hospital,” he uttered very quietly. It was
as if a black hole opened under Seth’s feet and started sucking him in.

“No, no, no. You’re
getting better, Dom. Peter sewed up your face, and the leg is just a flesh
wound. Peter said so. It’s all right.” He patted Dom’s arm gently.

Domenico slowly put his
hand on top of Seth’s. “I... but my head’s just an empty jar. I don’t even know
your name now. Was I in an accident?”

Seth’s heart plummeted.
“I-- I’m Seth…” he uttered, looking into Dom’s eyes. This couldn’t be
happening. Not Dom, not now. “You… you’ll remember. I’m sure it’ll all come
back quickly,” he said, but his whole being was screaming, “He doesn’t remember
you!” Seth could as well be Dom’s brother if Dom had no recollection of who he
was, what they’d been through together.

“What happened?” Domenico
asked with his brows slightly drawn together. “Why am I not in a hospital?
Where is this?”

Seth took a deep breath.
This was not the time to break down, and the last thing he needed now was for
Dom to freak out. “This is my ex’s house. He’s been kind enough to let us stay.
Dom, we don’t come from a good family. We were shot at, and we had nowhere else
to go. They would have found us at the hospital.”

Domenico shook his head,
and his hand squeezed on Seth’s wrist like it was the one thing separating Dom
from a deathly fall. “What did we do?”

That was a good
question. Seth hesitated for a moment. He couldn’t just tell Dom that he was a
fucking mafia assassin and didn’t do his job. What if this
messed-up-in-the-head Dom turned on him? What if getting too stressed affected
his healing process? “We cheated them out of money. You were their accountant.
There’s no going back now. As soon as you’re a bit better, in a day or two,
we’ll leave. I need to get a car for us, and we’ll be heading for Mexico.”
Pretending he knew what to do was the only option. Seth needed to take control
and be whatever Dom needed him to be.

Domenico shook his head
and pulled back his hair. “Shit. And what role are you playing in all this?” A
glint of worry flashed through his eyes. “Did I pull you into it?”

Seth swallowed, looking
up into the eyes of a man who meant the world to him yet who now didn’t
remember even one kiss they had shared. A part of Seth wanted to tell Dom all
about it, but another was diving into despair. If Dom didn’t know him, why
would he want to be his boyfriend? Would he even want to, knowing they were
brothers? What was he to lie about, and what was supposed to be true?

“No,” Seth said in the
end, sitting his ass on the carpet in front of Dom. “It was my idea, but it
fell apart. You weren’t planning any of this.”

“I still did it,” Domenico
muttered, embracing himself. Much of his face was obscured by the bandages, but
what Seth could see was making his heart ache. At the same time, raw panic was
flooding all his veins and pumping into his heart. What was he going to do now?
It had been Dom’s plan. How was
he
supposed to carry it out? All he had
were two fake sets of IDs, a vague idea of needing to head off to Mexico, and
about a million bucks in a suitcase. He did also have a gun. He needed to make
it work, take care of Dom the way he was now. Dom would have done it for him.
And maybe with time Dom would come to love him again? Or even remember him?
This stuff happened to people all the time. Seth needed to look it up on the
Internet.