Chapter 3

Leaving Quint in the very uncomfortable position of deciding whether he should get between Rhodey and Jared. Hopefully before the underlying tension between them snapped and left one hell of a mess to clean up in a house that was supposed to be... Well, safe.

“What the hell was that?” Jared made a disgusted sound, stepping closer to Rhodey. “That boy isn’t like your other subs. He and Jamie lived sheltered lives—without any sense of normalcy or security they could count on. Without people who genuinely cared for them. It’s already a struggle for them to trust they have that now and you’re taking it away from him.”

Rhodey folded his arms over his chest, bracing his shoulder against the wall. “I don’t want him to be like my other subs, but he is mine. Let me worry about how to manage him. If he needs to be cuddled, feel fucking free.” He gave Jared a level look. “How’s my nephew?”

“Sleeping.” Jared’s eyes narrowed as Rhodey nodded sharply, then pushed away from the wall and headed toward the front door. “This discussion isn’t over, Rhodey.”

“Then have it with someone else. I have work to do.”

The door opened and closed quietly, leaving Quint standing alone in the hall with Jared, whose icy blue gaze had turned sharp enough to draw blood.

He brought his focus to Quint. “You lied to that boy to get him here, didn’t you. You of all people should damn well know better.”

Quint winced, but didn’t shift his gaze. His Dom was right, their own history gave him a unique perspective on Danny’s situation. The thing was, he wasn’t that young man anymore. He’d lived a whole life around decisions that had been made for him. He loved Seth, so he understood his choices.

It had never been more obvious that Jared didn’t. Not fully.

“Was it a lie of omission? Yes. I couldn’t guarantee I’d be able to have them meet up with him here. I’d hoped to. I still do.” Quint fought not to let the disapproval in Jared’s eyes hit too hard, but he could only bury his submission so deep with a man he’d always wanted to give it to. “Sir...would you have left him there?”

Rubbing his hand over his eyes, Jared sighed. “No. I would have dragged him out of there kicking and screaming if necessary. And Jacks and Shea wouldn’t expect any different. That doesn’t make this situation any easier to swallow.”

That was true. Quint smiled at his Dom, doing his best to lighten the mood. “I can see Rhodey’s methods not pleasing you, sir. Especially with a sub you’d practically claimed yourself.”

Jared’s brow shot up as he lowered his hand to his side. “You can do your job perfectly well after I beat your ass. Don’t tempt me.” His gaze snapped toward the kitchen at the harsh clang of what sounded like a dozen pots and pans hitting the floor. “Jesus, what now?”

They didn’t have to wait very long as they cut across the hall to get the answer.

“Pike, don’t eat the flour raw, that’s disgusting. Joder, who the hell stuffed all the pots under here like this?” Keiran’s tone was rough with agitation. “Danny, please help Pike check the supplies for more sugar. I put it on the list, there’s no way we can get a whole month with this many people with just one bag.”

As Quint and Jared reached the kitchen, Danny made a strangled sound from under the table. “A month? But—”

“It won’t be a month, that’s what we planned around for the worst case scenario.” Quint shot Danny a bracing smile, bending down to help Keiran pick up the scattered cookware. “We’ll need fresh fruits and vegetables long before then. And I don’t want to see what Keiran will throw at me if I make him ration more than he’ll already have to.”

Pike looked up from where he was transfering a bag of flour to a large, clear plastic container, the white powder dusting his cheeks. “Wait…ration? I don’t like the sound of that. There’s already nothing to eat and I’m fucking starving.”

Without a breath of warning, Jared crossed the kitchen, looping his arm around Pike’s waist and bringing him over to the sink. He pinned Pike against the counter, taking advantage of Pike’s shout of surprise to pour a thick gob of dish soap over his tongue.

Hand firm under Pike’s jaw, Jared held his mouth shut, easily restraining him despite his struggles. “Two minutes. Count yourself lucky I didn’t decide to add up all the times you’ve disrespected myself and every single one of the Doms who watch over you with that mouth of yours.”

Not that Quint could fault his Dom for drawing some hard lines with Pike—the sub could test the patience of a saint—but...that was part of his charm. Standing back while Pike was disciplined, his eyes tearing, pleading with Quint to help him, was worse than any torture Quint had ever endured.

What if Jared was being harsh because he subconsciously blamed Pike for what had happened to Noah? Holding his breath, Quint watched the clock on the wall, even tick of the long, thin hand like a needle piercing deeper into his skin.

He managed to stay where he was. Reminded himself Jared was a good Dom. A tough one, but not unreasonable. He looked back at Pike, giving him an encouraging smile when the other sub finally stopped fighting and accepted the punishment for what it was. Something he could learn from. A reminder that he could do better.

“There we go. You may spit.” Jared turned Pike over the sink, waving Quint to him. “Help him rinse out his mouth, but don’t coddle him. He knows better.”

Nodding, Quint went to Pike’s side, turning on the water and patting Pike’s back as he gagged, filling his mouth with water and spitting repeatedly. As Jared took a seat at the table, Wren slipped into the kitchen, looking around and seeming to quickly assess the situation. He went to the counter, picking up the kettle, waiting until Pike was finished before approaching the sink to fill it.

“Would you like some tea, sir?” Wren glanced over at Keiran, who was sitting on the floor in front of the cupboard, re-organizing everything.

Jared’s sub would’ve done a much better job at putting everything in order, but Quint had been in a hurry to make things here as comfortable as possible when their injured parties arrived. He’d let Keiran pack anything from The Asylum kitchen he thought they’d need, since there had only been the barest necessities here before. While Keiran had been sent out to secure the area with Dallas, Quint had Pike do the unpacking.

Another mistake to add to the list. Not that Pike hadn’t done his best, but expecting him to meet Keiran’s standards was no different than what Jared had pointed out about Danny and Jamie. The core came from so many different backgrounds, any attempt to treat them the same as he would a group of mercs under his command would fail.

Clearly having already gotten his answer from Jared, Wren began to take a few mugs out of the cupboard. “Would you like one as well, Quint? Everything seems to be going all right. It would be good for you to relax for a bit. We need our doctors well rested.”

“Yes, thank you, Wren. That would be very nice.” Quint brushed his fingertips over Pike’s cheeks, drying his tears and speaking for his ears alone. “Are you okay?”

Sniffing, Pike gave a quick nod. “Yeah, I’ll live. But don’t tell Seth, he’ll be so fu—friggin’ pissed. And I don’t wanna stress him out.”

Right now, Quint was less worried about Seth’s reaction to Pike’s fairly predictable behavior than he was about how he’d react to Jared being the one who’d punished him. He could never tell what would set his Doms off, but he did know their truce was...precarious.

If Jared and Rhodey were already butting heads, Jared and Seth wouldn’t take long to get under each other’s skin.

“He won’t be angry as long as he sees you making an effort.” Quint smiled a little as he watched Wren crouched down by the table, unwrapping a piece of string from Danny’s wrist and putting it around his neck. “Why don’t you go get your sketchbook and come sit at the table while I see if I can get you a few snacks so you won’t be scared that you’re going to go hungry here.”

Pike rubbed his wrist under his nose. “Okay, but...you don’t gotta worry about me. I was just being a punk. I’m sure I’ll survive, it just...kinda sucks. All of this. I ain’t gonna make things harder on you, I swear.”

Even though it didn’t make any sense, the last thing Quint wanted was for Pike to shift into self-sufficient mode. Taking care of the other sub was one of the few pleasures he allowed himself, but it was hard to express that without encouraging Pike to be a complete brat. It might be a bit twisted, but he loved catching Pike before he mouthed off, or got himself in trouble. Loved being trusted by both Seth and Pike to watch over him on that level. It was almost like Wren’s need to make sure everything was clean and polished and he tended to every one of his Dom’s needs.

But this wasn’t things or tasks. This was a young man who was precious to Quint. And maybe he was disobeying Jared now, but he couldn’t resist picking Pike up and carrying him over to the table, sitting and holding the other sub in his lap. He cupped Pike’s cheek. “Listen to me. You’re allowed to be a mess over this entire situation. You’re allowed to fixate on small details, because you can’t even begin to absorb the bigger ones. I was trained to deal with having my entire life upended in a moment. You weren’t.”

“I have you.” Pike rested his head on Quint’s shoulder, his gaze following Wren across the kitchen as he prepared the tea, then served it along with a plate full of cookies and crackers and cheese Keiran had arranged on a small tray. He seemed to relax a bit when Wren took a seat beside Jared, idly petting Danny’s hair and feeding him a cookie. “This will never end, will it? I started something and...it doesn’t matter if I didn’t really understand what I was doing. I should have. And so many people are paying for it. Saying I’m sorry isn’t enough.”

Quint wrapped his arms around Pike, brushing a kiss over his rumpled blue hair. “Maybe not, but you’ve done a lot to prove you want to fix it. You risked your life for Curtis. You chose a side. That means something, my sweet little brat.”

The edge of Pike’s lip quirked. “How do you make being a brat sound like a good thing? We both know I drive everyone else nuts.”

“You keep things interesting. I think, if we’d never come here, they would’ve gotten bored all wrapped up in silly drama.” Quint kissed the sensitive skin just behind Pike’s ear. “Sometimes, I think people don’t see how good they’ve got it until they face the kinds of challenges that are our whole reality. They assume what they have will always be there and we know it might not be. That the people we love could be taken from us in the blink of an eye. Finding love and really trusting it? It’s not easy. But we see how lucky we are and we’re willing to fight for it, rather than against it, every step of the way.”

“I love you, so damn much.” Pike curved his fingers around the collar of Quint’s shirt, looking into his eyes. “Thank you for loving me. All of me, even when I’m impossible.”

“You’re never impossible.” Quint let out a soft laugh, brushing his fingers through Pike’s hair and giving it a little tug. “The last time I was here, it was with a dozen mercs. I was in charge of all of them. The youngest one, Malcolm, was just a bit older than you, but he’d been training since he was very young. A child soldier who was pulled out of a warzone. He was always trying to prove himself. When I first started working with him I woke up a few times to him standing at the end of my bed with a knife in his hand. I’d pretend to sleep, giving him a chance to decide what he’d do next.”

Pike’s eyes widened. “What did he do?”

Picturing the young man, hair shaved down to nothing, light brown skin marred with scars, his smile almost a shock whenever he felt safe enough to share it, Quint felt the pang of his loss. “He put the knife away and went back to bed. And he told me about it every morning over breakfast. One of my guys, Zack, asked me a few times why I didn’t just take him out. He offered to do it until we finished a mission and Malcolm took a bullet for him. After that, I think he’d have slit my throat himself if I’d ever suggested it.”

Fingertips brushing Quint’s throat, Pike studied his face for a moment. “They’re...all gone, aren’t they? You cared about them, and you lost them all.”

Quint exhaled roughly. “I cared about them as part of my team, but I knew it was inevitable. I’m not there anymore. I’m...not as good at letting go.” He put his hand over Pike’s. “I couldn’t with you.”

“I promise, you’ll never have to. I’m in this for good, Quint. I love you. And I know when people say that, sometimes it doesn’t mean anything. But I haven’t said it a lot and I never say it for nothing.” Pike gave Quint’s collar a little tug. “Because of you I’m a better person and I want to keep being that. You believing in me means everything.”

There was nothing Quint could say that could express how much it meant to hear that. He hugged Pike tight, swearing to himself he’d protect Pike as he became the man he was meant to be, despite all odds. The world could be so cruel, people so selfish, and not everyone came into it on a level playing field. Pike had grown up needing to survive among the worst kinds of people and still somehow believed in something good.

Whatever Quint had to do, he’d make sure this young man, one who’d been put in his path for all the wrong reasons, would thrive with him and their Dom at his side.

Steady footsteps approached and Quint looked up as Seth came into the room. Without pause, Seth came to them, laying his hand on the small of Pike’s back. He frowned as he brushed his thumb over Pike’s bottom lip. “What happened?”

Holding his breath, Quint did his best not to look over at Jared, who he could feel watching them. He didn’t expect Pike to lie to their Dom, but if he said the wrong thing, the uncertain peace could be torn apart.

Pike gave Seth a shaky smile. “I was bad. You taught me better and…” He shifted his gaze to Jared before lowering it. “Thank you for reminding me of that, sir. I know you have a lot to deal with and you shouldn’t have to put up with me too. But you took the time to correct me and…” Tone uncertain, like he just realized he might’ve revealed too much, Pike met Quint’s eyes. “That was good. I...needed that.”

Tightening his hold on Pike, Quint nodded, glancing up at Seth. “You’d be proud of him, sir. He took his punishment well.”

All right, so that was up for interpretation, but this was Pike they were talking about and he really hadn't done that bad, considering.

Seth’s lips thinned, but he nodded as he stroked Pike’s hair. “Good boy. Next time I hope someone will let me know. You’re still learning and I want you rewarded for your accomplishments, rather than just torn down for not being who others expect you to be.”

The last made it very clear Seth wasn’t talking about Pike at all. He watched Jared with Wren as though searching for...something. But Quint wasn’t sure what.

“Seth.” Jared’s tone was level. Calm. “I hope you know me better than that. However I feel about you, I’d never take it out on your sub. Pike is part of the core. I am showing him what that means. All the Doms here will if you let them and he’ll be better for it.”

At first, Seth’s whole bearing tensed, as though he was braced for a fight. But then he closed his eyes and nodded slowly. “I do. But he’s not like your boys, my man. And he...I need him to know he’s not paying for things he had no part in.” He gave Quint a sideways look. “Don’t tell me you haven’t considered the same. We all know why we’re here. I won’t have Pike feeling like he has to apologize every damn minute for choices we all made. His signature was put on something controlled by people with much more power than him. How long will he have to pay for that?”

“He doesn’t. Not with me.” Jared patted Wren’s shoulder as he finished off his tea and rose to his feet. “If he still feels like he does, that’s something you’ll have to deal with, with him.” Tone distant, Jared headed toward the large, ground floor bedroom. “Noah’s coming to. I want things calm for him. Whatever issues you have? Keep them out here. He needs time to feel like he doesn’t need to keep fighting and I won’t let anyone close who makes him unsure about that.”

Seth let out a cold laugh. “I’m not the one you need to keep away from him, in that case.” He pulled over the chair Jared had vacated, tugging Pike into his lap. “What is it you always say to me? That he does? Focus on your own household and I’ll focus on mine. I’ll let this slide, but I’d consider very carefully how well your boy would do if I decided to step in with his discipline.”

Standing by his Dom’s side, Wren blinked, looking stunned and probably wondering what he’d done to make Seth want to ever punish him.

But Quint was well aware that the Doms weren’t discussing Wren.

“Tread carefully, my man.” Jared nudged Wren toward the bedroom. “I was trying to help your sub. If you’d rather I not, I won’t. You’re right. That kind of guidance can’t be reciprocated at the moment. But Jamie’s been in this lifestyle for years.”

“Has he?” Seth’s tone took on a chill it hadn’t had until Jared began training him as a Dom. “My apologies. I couldn’t tell.”

Jared held Seth’s gaze for a moment before disappearing into the room with Wren. Standing, Quint went over to the counter to take over peeling potatoes for Keiran. Nothing he could say would make this situation any better and he wouldn’t waste his time trying.

But his Dom knew him too well. He felt Seth’s eyes on him as his Dom spoke. “Say what’s on your mind, my boy. I know Pike deserved to be punished. He knows it. But I was here and there’s not a fucking reason anyone could give why I wasn’t told about it. Tell me he’d accept me punishing Jamie or Wren that way. That Noah would.”

Hands braced on the edge of the counter, Quint sighed. “No, sir. They wouldn’t be okay with it.”

“Next time, you come find me.” Seth hushed Pike when he started to protest. “Jared may be your Dom as well, but he’s not Pike’s. And there’s too many complications. Pike isn’t paying for what people blame him for again and again. Don’t tell me that’s not what this is. I see where I stand and I can take it. I will have better for you. And for him.”

Before Quint could answer, Rhodey strode into the kitchen, drawing his attention. “Reed’s in a lot of pain. I know you said his procedure doesn’t come with many risks, but I won’t have him fucking suffering for helping someone.”