Violent Angel (Pretty Broken Things #1)

12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

O ne more test and the job would be official. Damon grinned as he pulled on the jacket to the suit Virgil had him fitted for, then completed the look with the chauffeur cap, admiring himself in the gym’s bathroom mirror. He’d worn fancier clothes in his teens to accompany his parents to red carpet events, but this was different.

This felt… earned .

Only a month after he’d first come to The Inn and he’d been put through his paces in every way imaginable. Sure, a lot of the time went to healing, but whenever the doctor cleared him for an activity, his days became a little fuller.

And he didn’t mind, so long as his nights belonged to him and Elliot.

A couple of times there’d been exceptions, like when Gerard wanted to see how fast he’d get to the car while being shot at. The rubber bullets weren’t supposed to be lethal, but getting hit with them close range definitely wasn’t a fucking party.

He was damn grateful to Parker for bringing him the offered bulletproof vest.

Him sticking around after, when Elliot had come out to watch, helped a lot, too. Between them, they’d managed to keep Damon’s man from attacking his handler when he spotted a particularly nasty welt on the side of Damon’s neck.

Gerard’s reaction had been pretty predictable. After telling Elliot to cool it—the very best way to get anyone to relax, seriously —he deemed Damon’s performance passable.

Today’s test would include everything that might happen on a mission gone wrong, including tactical driving, which would be the biggest challenge. Other than a few short trips to do groceries in a rental, Damon hadn’t spent much time behind the wheel since before he went to prison.

“You ready for this, my man?” Parker clapped him on the shoulder, nudging for Damon to turn so he could fuss with his tie. “You should be fine with Hart, he’s good at following orders. I’m glad Virgil didn’t let Gerard stick you with Gael, he’d mess with you for shits and giggles and Elliot would do something drastic.”

Damon grunted his agreement, smoothing his hands down the front of his jacket and giving himself a last once over. “Like tear Gael’s throat open with his teeth?”

“Exactly! I love how good you’ve gotten to know him. You two are sickeningly cute together.” Parker chuckled at Damon’s dry look. “Relax. I’m seriously happy Elliot has you. He’s my best friend, but I don’t think he knew it until recently. He’s always had a hard time connecting with people. You changed that.”

A soft smile curved Damon’s lips, and he laughed when Parker pointed at his mouth and arched a brow. Okay, so maybe he and Elliot were kinda cute together, in the context of living among carefully regulated serial killers.

Not something Damon would ever call any of them out loud, but he’d silently agreed when Tig had claimed the title a few days ago, explaining why it fit in one of his excited bursts.

Right before going back to hacking some foreign government or something. According to Virgil, the redhead was almost as dangerous online as he was with anything sharp in his hand. Since they didn’t have anyone with the skills to monitor him, his internet access was limited unless he’d been given specific jobs.

While he was still recovering, Virgil seemed to have found quite a few tasks to keep Tig busy.

And probably saved several lives.

Glancing over at Parker as they made their way outside, Damon considered how the younger man always looked out for Elliot and Lux, never making a big deal about it. Sometimes, he acted like it was part of the job, or a favor he was returning, and Damon hadn’t noticed the pattern at first.

But Elliot struggled to ask for help, and considered repaying debts a matter of life or death. Doing anything for him, while asking for nothing in return, got him stressed and confused. Even though he didn’t hesitate to do for others, and actually seemed to enjoy helping out when given the chance, the concept of someone just caring about him still hadn’t clicked.

Which made sense, considering he’d started training at fucking six and everything had been somewhat transactional since then.

If he’d ever had parents to love and provide for him, Damon would be surprised.

The compulsive need to keep everything perfectly clean, his reactions to anything being out of place, didn’t come from his training. Parker had trained with him, and the guy had no problem getting his hands dirty—with something other than blood, which was Elliot’s only exception.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I know how you guys are about your ‘past lives’, before Eros’ Eight, but…” Damon stepped through the exit at the back of the gym, his polished black shoes clicking sharply against the stone path. “Is there anything I should know that might help Elliot? Were his parents…?”

Parker’s expression hardened. “Pieces of shit like most of ours were? Oh yeah. Don’t ever bring it up to him, let him tell you when he’s ready, but…one thing I will say is keep an eye on him if he’s ever stressed and goes to take a shower. His mom was…” His throat worked. “I only know because we shared a dorm and he had really fucked up nightmares. He’d scream for her to stop…” He shuddered. “She was obsessed with things being clean, too, from the sounds of it. And that’s all I’m gonna say about that.”

Nodding, Damon reached out to give Parker a one-armed hug. “That’s plenty. Thanks, Park.”

“No problem, but you owe me a beer.” Parker patted his back, then moved away, winking at Damon as if to say he knew he’d figured out his methods with Elliot. “Go show those fuckers some Gone in Sixty Seconds badassery.”

Damon grinned, pulling out the keys to the Benz he’d be doing his test in and twirling them around one finger. “No Mad Max ?”

“Naw.” Parker jogged backwards on his way to joining his crew and all the security and staff who’d come out to watch. “Save that for the real thing!”

Sensing Gerard’s gaze on him, Damon turned to where the man stood by the sleek black car with his husband and Lux. A huge smile on his face, the complete opposite of Gerard's scowl, Virgil looked at Damon like he did the guys of Eros’ Eight sometimes, when they impressed him during training.

Like a proud dad.

A twinge of longing deep in his chest faltered Damon’s steps, how much he missed his own dad hitting him harder than it had in years. He wasn’t sure if Dad would be proud of him for getting this job in particular—breaking the law, then working in the gray areas of it was iffy—but maybe he would.

His father had always been so driven, scoring roles in blockbusters, his face all over magazines, talk shows constantly calling to have him make a guest appearance. And he’d done tons of charity work, never satisfied with the one or two his PR department recommended, constantly reminding Damon they were in a position to make a difference.

Damon didn’t have the money or the status anymore, it hadn’t really been his anyway, but he finally had a purpose. This job didn’t just keep him close to Elliot, it let him support all the guys when they needed it. Driving them was more than getting them from point A to point B, it was making sure they got there safe so they could do the job.

Eliminate one more evil fucker who might be able to avoid jail time, but couldn’t escape a single one of these guys once they set their sights on him.

That in mind, he held his head up a little higher as he stopped in front of Gerard. The man wasn’t impressed with him, yet. But he would be.

Their goals were the same.

And I’m about to fucking prove it.

“Hart is dead.” Gerard’s tone was sharp, his delivery blunt as always, and he didn’t give anyone—including his husband—time to absorb the news. From Lux’s bloodshot eyes, he was the only one who already knew. “Lux will be doing the test with you.”

Rubbing his hand over his mouth, Damon chanced a glance at Virgil, the big man’s throat working as he grabbed Gerard’s shoulder. “Let Parker do it… God… We should delay the test and tell the rest of the guys. How the hell did this happen?”

“We’ll discuss it later. The test happens now.” Gerard gave Damon a cold look, like he was somehow to blame for everything that’d gone wrong. “He’s healed enough to start earning his own keep—unless Elliot’s supposed to be responsible for him indefinitely?”

Damon’s jaw ticked, but he inhaled slowly, determined to keep his cool. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Then let’s begin.” Gerard reached under his leather jacket, pulling out a small pistol, and aiming it at Lux’s head. “Now.”

Diving forward, Damon grabbed Lux, rolling as he dropped to avoid crushing the smaller man under his weight. On his knees, one arm around Lux, he half crawled behind the car as rubber bullets thunked against the passenger side door. He opened the rear one, his hand on the back of Lux’s head as he urge him to climb inside.

“Stay down.” Damon waited a beat for Lux’s acknowledgement. He got nothing. The kid looked lost in his own head. “I’m so fucking sorry, Lux. You shouldn’t have to do this, but I’ll get you through it and we’ll go see Elliot, all right?”

Still nothing.

Glass splintered as something much harder than rubber hit the bulletproof windows, and Damon shut the door, getting into the front. He started the car and hit the gas before he’d even fully settled in his seat, veering around the side of the house to get out of range.

Hitting a dip in the dead grass of the yard, Damon bit back a curse as water and mud covered the windshield. He opened the driver’s side window, sticking his head out so he could see where the fuck he was going.

Something hit the ground a few feet away from the car.

A fiery blast blinded him. He spun the wheel, skidding tires squealing as he managed to avoid the explosion. For all he knew, there were some high tech special effects set up and there was no real danger, but he also wouldn’t put it past Gerard to have some of his men lobbing grenades from the roof.

The objective was to leave the grounds of The Inn and get his charge safely to town, with the cafe as the destination, taking place of a safe house. Snipers were positioned everywhere, taking shots at the car, and random obstacles along the route made what should be a short, pleasant drive potentially deadly.

Virgil had prepared him for every single test, all based on actual situations the Nexus driver’s who took care of transporting Eros’ Eight had faced.

Back on the long driveway, almost at the end, Damon let himself take a few calming breaths. He wouldn’t celebrate just yet, but Virgil’d said getting away from the home base of the threat was always the hardest part.

Which made sense. Much like robbing a bank, the main force would be around the perimeter.

Wiping dried mud away from his eyes, he glanced at the rearview mirror. “How we doing back there?”

Lux must still be down low, because Damon couldn’t see him.

But he heard him shifting around.

Moving in a blur, Lux shot up, directly behind him. Latching onto Damon’s seatbelt, he wrapped it around Damon’s neck.

The car swerved as Damon held onto the steering wheel with one hand, the other clawing at his throat. “ Lux! ”

“Die! You have to die!” Lux sobbed as he clung to the improvised noose. “If you’re gone, Elliot won’t be next. He can’t be next, I still need him!”

Foot off the gas, Damon eased the car to the shoulder of the road, stopping and pulling out the knife he had tucked under his jacket, on his belt next to his gun holster. Slicing through the seat belt, he gasped when the pressure released from his neck.

Opened the door and stumbled onto the street, barely managing not to end up in the ditch.

Bracing his hands on his knees, he caught his breath, glancing back now and then to make sure Lux didn’t attack him from behind. But the younger man was still in the back seat, staring forward with tears glistening on his cheeks.

Back in his old life, his ‘normal’ one, not a single person would blame him for walking away. This level of fucking insanity wasn’t what he’d signed up for. As fast as he was falling for Elliot, he couldn’t brush off almost being murdered by his brother for him.

But he could do it for Lux.

The kid looked like he needed it. And Damon hadn’t taken the job as a Boy Scout leader—none of these guys ever had the kind of life where they could enjoy anything so tame.

This isn’t part of the job. This is for the delicate man I heard crying in that bathroom.

I couldn’t walk away from him then.

And I’m not doing it now.

Straightening and rubbing his neck, Damon approached the back of the car and opened the door. When Lux lowered his gaze, he crouched and tipped his chin up. “Did Gerard put you up to this?”

He doubted it, but he had to make sure.

Lux shook his head.

“Okay, so let’s see if I can guess the issue. You found out Hart died, you were scared, had all kinds of big feelings, then decided killing me was the best idea ever.” Damon arched a brow when Lux blinked at him in surprise. “Am I close?”

“No, Elliot could—”

“Your brother is your hero, Lux. You know he’s strong enough to take on the world, even with me making him smile a little more.” Damon wasn’t sure if this was the right approach, but it couldn’t make anything worse. If Lux tried to kill him again, he’d try something else. “There might be a bit of jealousy in there, but you don’t really believe I’ll make Elliot weak.”

Rubbing under his eyes with his fists, Lux shook his head again. “He’s…different. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want him to hate me…” Fresh tears spilled. “He’ll hate me for this.”

“I think he’ll understand. None of you think like guys your age, but that doesn’t mean shit won’t come up. You just handle it a bit…different.” Damon chuckled when Lux stared at him, like maybe he was the crazy one. “You don’t need me out of the way, you need to talk to Elliot and sort things out. As for Hart? I’m sorry he’s gone. He was your friend and that’s gotta hurt.”

Bottom lip trembling, Lux buried his face in his hands. “I can’t cry. If I cry, they’ll know—”

“That you’re human. That you’re sad. Come here.” Damon opened his arms, gathering Lux to his chest when the younger man threw himself into them and sobbed. “I don’t like the whole debt thing you guys got going here, but I’m gonna use it, just this once. You owe me for saving your life, right?”

Lux nodded with his face tucked against Damon’s shoulder.

“Okay, then you’re gonna repay me by letting me be here for you. Like this. For hugs, or to talk, or whatever.” Damon hugged Lux a little tighter, then gave him a gentle shake. “Be honest with me when shit’s bugging you.”

A little sniff. Then finally, another nod. “And no more trying to murder you?”

“That would be a real nice bonus.” Damon leaned back. “Friends?”

Giving him a shaky smile, Lux brought a hand to Damon’s cheek. “Friends. And I’m sorry for choking you, but…you’re a really great driver.”

Damon kissed Lux’s forehead. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure if I still had it—turns out it’s just like riding a bike. Only the bike’s on fire and trying to eat my ass.”

His reward for that goofy-ass analogy was a quiet giggle as Lux relaxed back into his seat. The younger man did up his seatbelt, peering up at Damon as he got up to close the door. “Do you think you’ll be my driver for my next mission? Gerard got me a special one.”

“I don’t know, but I can ask.” Damon took a few seconds to clear the worst of the mud off the windshield with his sleeve, cringing at the thought of Elliot seeing him like this. Next time, he was packing a spare suit, just in case. “Do you usually go on missions by yourself?”

“No. Hart…Hart was supposed to come with me.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah…maybe Gael will take his place?”

Not unless Gerard wants to wake up to find the flirty little twink’s head on his pillow.

The conversation continued as Damon drove down the road to town, navigating around a roadblock of burning cars, and taking a detour when he spotted a suspicious looking bush, puffing on a cigarette.

When he parked in front of the cafe, he was greeted by the most beautiful sight in the fucking world. His man, stepping through the front door with a brilliant smile on his face. Elliot ran to him like he didn’t give a shit who was watching—including a few of Eros’ Eight and the Nexus security—and threw his arms around Damon’s neck.

Pulling back abruptly, Elliot looked him over, brushing his fingers gently along Damon’s throat. “What happened?”

“A small lack of communication?” Damon sighed when Elliot’s eyes narrowed. “It’s fine. We can talk about it later.”

Lux slipped to his side, hugging himself and staring down at his sneakers. “I choked him with his seatbelt.”

Not at all how I wanted Elliot to find out, but…I guess we’re doing this.

“ Why ?” Elliot grabbed the front of his brother’s jacket and tugged him close. “If you were anyone else, I’d fucking gut you for that.”

“I know.” Lux’s voice was small, and he bowed his shoulders as if prepared for a blow, even though Elliot never so much as raised a hand to him. “I’m sorry.”

“The thing with Hart hit him hard. He heard it from Gerard, and he’s not the most sensitive guy.” Damon stroked Elliot’s arm, his voice low and calm, needing to do what he could to keep the brother’s relationship from becoming any more strained. “But me and Lux worked things out. We’re good now.”

Elliot closed his eyes, hugging his brother to his chest. “I love you, Lux. I’m always gonna love you, but…you need to tell me when things get that bad in your head.” He blew out a breath. “It’s my fault you don’t feel like you can. I’m always trying to make you tougher, telling you not to cry, but…” He stroked Lux’s back. “Cry if you need to. You’re already plenty tough, pui?or.”

A car parked behind the Benz, Gerard and Virgil getting out to join them on the sidewalk. Glancing toward the cafe, Gerard crooked his fingers in a ‘come here’ gesture, and Parker shouldered the door open, carrying a few pastry boxes, with a tray filled with coffee cups on top.

“I should take off some points for you not getting him into the designated safehouse, but I got a report about you handling an extra challenge I hadn’t anticipated.” There was some grudging respect in Gerard’s tone as his gaze flicked to Damon’s neck. “You handled it better than most would have. Consider yourself part of the team.”

Damon grinned, sticking his hand out to shake his new boss’, fully expecting to be left hanging, but he didn’t give a fuck. “Thank you, Gerard. I won’t let you down.”

Big hand surrounding his in a firm grip, Gerard let out a noncommittal sound. “We’ll see. Either way, you have your first assignment. I want you going with Lux and Parker. They’re hitting a dog fighting ring that’s suspected of holding human cargo between transactions. It’s an easy release and eliminate. Parker can explain it to you on the way.”

Parker cleared his throat, rocking his sneakers on the pavement. “Actually, I’m heading to L.A. Me and Elliot are switching spots.”

“Like fuck you are.” Gerard gave Parker a hard look. “Since when do you hand off missions I’ve assigned you?”

Always so laid back, Parker didn’t seem the type to cause ripples—and was the least likely to lose his cool—but like the rest of Eros’ Eight, that lethal edge was just under the surface. His slow smile as he stepped up to the handler sent a chill straight up Damon’s spine.

“You like me playing nice, Daddy? Don’t push me on this.” Parker handed Elliot the pastry boxes and coffees, his demeanor dangerously calm. “Elliot and Lux need to do this together. You’ve been testing them, pushing their buttons, all with the excuse of keeping them on their game. Well, I’m on my game and it would be a very good idea to give me something to do before I make this personal.”

Gerard’s jaw ticked, but just as he looked like he might press the issue, Virgil latched onto his arm and tugged him back.

“The missions will be reassigned.” Virgil met Parker’s eyes. “But only if you agree to a few sessions with me when you get home. You’re right, Elliot and Lux need this. Things have been tense. You’ve been affected as well and I don’t want you to start seeing your friends as enemies, my boy. We’re a team. Don’t forget that.”

For a few beats, Parker simply smiled that same creepy smile at Virgil, but in a blink, it was replaced by something else. A mix of fear, regret, and pain. “Yeah…yeah, I won’t. I’m gonna head back to my place and pack. I’ll…I’ll do the sessions.”

“Hey.” Elliot nudged Lux closer to Damon, passed the cafe stack to Gerard—who took it without comment—and grabbed Parker before he could turn away. Then he did something Damon’d only seen him do with Lux. He pulled his friend into a hug, speaking softly, close to Parker’s ear. “We’re gonna be all right, all of us. Thank you.”

Parker wrapped his arms around Elliot and closed his eyes, soaking in the affection like he’d been starving for it. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s everything , Parker. I don’t deserve a best friend like you.” Elliot blew out a breath. “But I’m gonna learn to be a better one. We’ll have a beer when you get back, okay?”

Grinning, Parker nodded, leaving one arm around Elliot’s shoulders as he broke the hug. “Your man owes me one, so maybe we can all go out. Pretend to be normies for a night.” He winked at Lux. “I’ll even teach you to dance.”

“That’d be awesome.” Lux moved closer to his brother and Parker, gasping with surprise when they pulled him into another hug between them. “When did everyone get cuddly?”

“When Damon taught Elliot how good it feels. I think it’s contagious.” Parker ruffled Lux’s curls. “Take care of him and your big brother, okay, kiddo? They’re your family now and you’re lucky to have them.”

Lux smiled shakily, seeming reluctant to let Parker go. “I know, but…so are you.”

A few feet away, Gerard grumbled, likely for his husband’s ears alone. “They’re all going to need to double up on their training. Do you know how many times they could’ve all been shot? This emotional shit is—”

“Healthy. They’ll be fine, my love.” Virgil took the cafe pile, heading back to his and Gerard’s car. “Come on, I think I’d like to have some ‘emotional shit’ with my husband before he buries himself in more work.”

“Oooh, the dads are gonna fuck.” Parker’s sing-songy voice earned him a dirty look from Gerard, but the hostility between them seemed to have vanished as quickly as it had come.

Watching all the men, Damon couldn’t help feeling like his job was bigger than he’d ever imagined. And even more satisfying.

Without a few years of training, he’d never be as efficient of a killer as any of them, and he had a long way to go before he’d fully grasp the inner workings of Nexus, nevermind the specialized work Eros’ Eight did. Being a driver was still an important job, but the one he’d taken on, without even realizing it, had the biggest impact.

He was the only person most of these guys knew who wasn’t fully entrenched in their dark, bloody world. Maybe that would change over time, but for now? He could give them a taste of normalcy. Show them their humanity didn’t have to be buried so deep.

But he couldn’t have done it unless the man he was falling in love with had opened the door in the first place.

And let him in.