Mateo ran a hand through his hair. Fuck. Tristan’s contact got caught. He was dead, but Mateo wouldn’t admit to knowing about that. “Maybe you got more enemies than just me, because I didn’t do shit.”

“Not even man enough to admit what you do? Well I am. I tried to have your little maricone killed all those years ago, because it’s what your father would have wanted. He never wanted a maricone for a son. When you left New York, I didn’t give a shit about you. I was done helping you for your father. All I care about is doing what’s best for Los Deminos. We should be bigger than we are. We should own the fucking streets. Then when you sent people to kill me, I did what needed to be done. They could have set your boy on fire, too, that night. You’re lucky I didn’t tell them to.”

Burning, hot rage tore through Mateo, ripping every part of him. Incinerating his insides. “Don’t touch him. Don’t fucking hurt either of them, or they won’t find any pieces left when I’m done with you.”

“You don’t want them hurt, then be the man you never were. Get your ass back to New York. Take me on face-to-face, instead of sending people to do your shit. And the fuckin’ Manhattan lawyer, what did you think he would do?”

A bomb dropped into Mateo’s gut.

“He’s pretty. Do you let him fuck you too? Do you sell yourself to him? How the fuck do you have money to have a lawyer in your pocket?”

Ben. He fucking knew it had to be, knew that Tristan had talked to the man, and he probably decided to do a little digging on his own. “Is he dead?”

“Not yet, but he will be. Unless you can save him the way you saved your little boy in the alley.”

Teo couldn’t see, could hardly make out the words as Javier told him where to go and when. He knew he didn’t have a choice but to go, because if something happened to Ben, it would kill Tristan. And Javier already tried to hurt Josiah more than once.

Mateo wouldn’t let either of them get hurt.

He’d kill the motherfucker first.

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

Josiah

“Wake up, mi precioso.”

Josiah wrapped an arm around Teo as he nuzzled his neck. He could tell by the lighting in the room that it was early, but it wasn’t like he would complain about getting woken up by one of his lovers.

“I’m up,” Josiah whispered back. His body went rigid and then relaxed when Teo palmed his erection.

“Not this kinda up, but I like this, too. Come on, we’re goin’ to feed the birds.” He kissed Josiah’s lips, then his neck. “Get outta bed. I’m gonna get Tristan up.”

Josiah watched Mateo in the dim morning light as he crawled over Josiah’s body to straddle Tristan. Watched as he leaned close to Tristan’s ear the same way he’d done to Josiah and whispered, “Wake up, mi pieza perdida.”

“I’m awake,” Tristan said in his raspy morning voice. “I was listening to the two of you and waiting for my turn.”

Josiah grinned as Teo kissed Tristan the same way he’d done Josiah. Mateo’s hand slid down, and Josiah watched as he briefly stroked Tristan, before getting out of bed.

“Isn’t it supposed to be me who gets everyone up early to feed the birds?” Josiah stood beside the bed and stretched.

“Not today.  You’re always the one givin’ us a good day. It’s my turn today.” Mateo walked over and started grabbing clothes.

Maybe this would be the new start of their lives. Lord knew it hadn’t been easy on them. Josiah thought that once they became one, things would change; only it hadn’t happened that quickly. Maybe they needed to go through all the hardships they had to get to this place. They knew what happened when they didn’t communicate now, when they didn’t each play their roles, and none of them wanted that. He thought maybe, for the first time, they didn’t just all want to be on the same path; they were.

They would feed the birds together every day, and work on a new coffeehouse. Teo would take pictures, and Tristan would find his passion, too. They’d find a way to deal with all the stuff with Javier and the fire, because after all the shit they had been through, they deserved happiness. Josiah would do his job in believing it enough, that their dream had no choice except to come true.

It didn’t take them long to get dressed before they were out the door and walking down to the Wharf. Josiah held a bag of bread pieces in his hand, and Teo his camera. He took pictures of everything as they walked.

“I entered an amateur photographer contest for him. The winner is announced in a few weeks.”