Mastering Will Read online

Lindi dropped to his knees and peeked underneath the bedframe.

  “There you are.” A small plastic box had been shoved far beneath the bed. Lindi reached as far as he could. His fingertips brushed the top of the box. Curling his fingers, he pulled the container toward him.

  As soon as the object got close to the edge, Lindi pulled the box the rest of the way. Lindi lifted the container, then sat on the bed.

  “Your boy seems to have some secrets,” Victor said.

  Lindi wiped his hands on his pants. “I guess I found what he wanted me to.” Printed on the top of the plastic lid were the words, “Open in case of emergency”. “Oh, Pet, what did you do?”

  “You won’t know until you open it,” Carlyle pointed out.

  Lindi took a deep breath. Somehow, he knew his life would change after he opened the box. He popped off the lid. A phone sat on top of a pile of paperwork. One of the disposable kind with pre-paid minutes. Lindi picked it up and set it aside. A passport, birth certificate and driver’s license were all in the name of William Finn. The picture showed his Will on the identification.

  “Hmm, sweet, pretty Will is hiding from something,” Carlyle mused.

  Victor picked up the phone. “I think Will wants you to make a call.”

  Something had frightened his pet enough for him to go into hiding. Doubt filled Lindi, what did he really know about his boy? Will never talked about his past. Maybe there was a reason.

  A piece of paper taped to the back of the phone listed the name Aengus Finn and a number.

  “I’m thinking it’s time to call your boy’s family,” Victor said.

  “Great. I always wanted some in-laws,” Lindi drawled, trying to hide his unease.

  Lindi didn’t want to call the very person Will might be hiding from, but if this wasn’t an emergency, he didn’t know what was. Turning on the disposable phone, Lindi dialed Aengus Finn’s number.

  “Hello?” A deep voice with an Irish lilt answered the phone.

  “I’m trying to reach Aengus Finn.”

  “Who’s this?”

  “My name is Lindi Samms.”

  “How did you get my private number, Mr. Samms?”

  Lindi took a deep breath, hoping he wasn’t betraying Will. “My partner has been kidnapped. Your number was in his emergency kit.”

  “Why would he have my number?”

  “Because his name is William Finn.” Lindi’s hand shook with anger and fear. He needed Will back with him. He could worry about the repercussions later.

  “Tell me what happened, Mr. Samms.” It wasn’t a request. The soft lilt took on a surprisingly sharp edge.

  He thought about it for a moment, then spilled everything he knew. Will had wanted Lindi to call Aengus. Now wasn’t the time to back out.

  “So these forgers are after you and have taken my son.”

  “Yes.”

  “We’ll be on the next flight out. We’ll find you in the morning.” Aengus hung up before Lindi could comment.

  Great.

  “Aengus Finn is on his way.” It wasn’t until later that Lindi realized Aengus had said we. Who else was he bringing with him?

  Lindi woke in pain, his hand cramped from clutching the phone in his sleep—the only possible lifeline to his beloved. Gone was the usual warm body and adoring eyes; instead, he had a cold, hard spot in the middle of his stomach and an ache in his chest. His friends had left late last night, promising to return in the morning or sooner if he needed. While he had the support of Carlyle and Victor, Will was out there alone and scared.

  Agreeing to testify against the forger had turned out to be the biggest mistake in Lindi’s life. Now some idiots had his beloved. Apparently, they didn’t care about Harkinson because the forger wasn’t part of their deal. Maybe they figured after they got their money they could disappear.

  The doorbell rang.

  Since no one had been cleared to come up to his condo, Lindi climbed out of bed quickly. Carlyle and Victor were probably back. The doorman knew them well enough to just let them up.

  He pulled on the pair of pants he’d tossed on the floor the night before. Will would’ve been appalled at the disarray of their bedroom. The thought made him smile. Lindi grabbed a fresh T-shirt from the dresser and jerked it over his head.

  His visitor rang the bell again.

  Lindi rushed over to open the door.

  A large man with miles of muscle and a hard expression in his eyes stood on the other side. He looked vaguely familiar, but Lindi knew they’d never met. “Can I help you?”

  “Are you Lindi Samms?”

  “Yes.” Lindi arched an eyebrow at his visitor. “And you are?”

  “Will’s brother, Brian.”

  Lindi scowled at his visitor. “Where’s your father? I thought he was coming.”

  “May I come in?”

  Lindi growled in frustration. Stepping back, he waved Brian forward. “Make yourself at home.”

  “Thank you.” He scanned the large condo, taking in the water view. “Nice place.”

  “We like it. Would you like some coffee? Mine isn’t very good, Will usually makes it.” Lindi blinked back the sudden onslaught of tears. He wasn’t the crying type. He wouldn’t start now when Will might be in danger.

  “Sure, I’ll take some.” Brian settled on the other side of the bar. “Da says some guys snatched Will. Why?”

  “For money.” Lindi repeated the situation with the art forger.

  Brian narrowed his eyes. “So you have Feds watching your place?”

  “Yes. Is that a problem?” Lindi did some research last night after he talked to Will’s father. He had a good idea why Will tried to hide his past. When he got Will back, they would be having a long conversation about keeping secrets. There were apparently too many between them. Will wouldn’t be able to sit down for a week when Lindi was finished with him.

  Brian hesitated before answering. “No, but it might make it difficult to retrieve Will.”

  “How many of you are coming?”

  “Three. Me, Da and my other brother Cain. Will is the youngest of us.”

  Lindi held back the urge to pounce on Brian’s words. He yearned to hear more about Will’s childhood and what led to him hide from his past, but Lindi wanted to hear about it from Will, not from his brother.

  “I don’t know how many people are in the counterfeiting ring. I can find Will, but I don’t know if I can extract him on my own.”

  “How can you find him?” Brian asked.

  Lindi poured two cups of coffee from the brewing carafe and slid one over to Brian. He wasn’t ready to confess how to find Will quite yet. He had to make sure they were both on Will’s side before he told them anything.

  “Tell me about your father. Why isn’t he here?” Aengus had said they were all going to be there in the morning.

  “Da had to let some of his associates know he was going to be in town. He’s thrilled to know Will is alive.” Brian rubbed his cheek. Lindi hadn’t noticed the bruise on it before. “I’d convinced him Will had died so he’s a bit put out with me.”

  “Why would you do that? I can’t imagine anything worse than a parent thinking his child was dead.”

  Brian sighed. “You have to understand. Will has never been like the rest of us. He doesn’t enjoy violence. Shaking someone down doesn’t make him happy. He’s always worried about someone being hurt. He’s more delicate. No one was really surprised when he told us he was gay.”

  “So you decided he was better off dead!” Lindi clenched his fists and regretted leaving his guns in his closet. He’d pulled them out of storage last night after his friends left. He polished and cleaned the Glock and the sniper rifle so they’d be ready when he went to extract his sub. “I can guarantee that not all gay men are delicate. I’d be happy to show you.”

  Lindi regarded Brian with little favor.

  “Hey, now don’t be jumping to conclusions. I love my brother, but Da has always been a bit obsessive about Will
because he’s the youngest. Will’s only chance for a regular life was if our father thought he was dead. When he ran away, I took his sweet good-bye note and fabricated his death so he’d be left alone. When you called, it changed everything. Da is going to want to bring Will home where he can be safe.”

  Lindi’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, hell no. You can’t have my boy.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “He’s mine. No way are you taking him anywhere. I don’t care who you are.”

  Brian shrugged. “You can take it up with the old man. I did what I could to help my brother.”

  “I don’t care who your father is; Will belongs with me.”

  “I’m sure my brother will have the final say. I said Will looks delicate, but he can be a vicious bastard, he just doesn’t enjoy it. He once took out a New York mobster with a butterfly knife and a well-placed kick.”

  That didn’t sound like his pet. Will wouldn’t do something like that without a good reason.

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why did Will attack him? That doesn’t sound like my boy.”

  “The bastard tried to rape Will. Let’s just say it wasn’t the first time some scumbag thought they could take advantage of Will’s pretty face. Me and our brother Cain taught Will everything he knows about self-defense.” The pride in Brian’s face made Lindi smile. Maybe he wouldn’t dislike all of Will’s family, just the ones who tried to keep Will from him.

  “Hopefully, he doesn’t take the matter into his own hands with his kidnappers.” Lindi didn’t want Will to be injured trying to escape.

  An hour later, a series of knocks had Brian jumping to his feet before the pattern was completed.

  “I’ll get it. If you open the door, he might shoot you.”

  “I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying meeting the in-laws,” Lindi drawled.

  Brian snorted. “It only gets more fun.”

  Opening the door revealed a tall man with Will’s eyes, if his pet’s pretty gray eyes had turned into glaciers. Beside him was an older man with blue eyes and Will’s chin. Lindi caught sight of Carlyle and Victor behind them.

  “Everyone come on in.” Lindi had confidence the six of them together could get his boy back.

  “I’m Aengus Finn, and this is my oldest son Cain. You must be Lindi Samms. I hear you lost my boy, Will.”

  “I didn’t lose him. He was kidnapped. I will admit that was my fault, though.” Lindi gritted his teeth as he imagined his pet frightened and being held at gunpoint.

  “We’ll get him back,” Aengus declared. “Cain is an excellent tracker.”

  “Lindi was telling me he has a way to find Will,” Brian interrupted.

  Everyone entered the apartment and sat down in Lindi’s living room. The oversized couches and chairs were quickly filled. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so many people in his apartment. Will didn’t generally like crowds.

  “Everyone want coffee?”

  “Not yours,” Victor said. “I’ve tasted what you do to a good bean.”

  Lindi frowned at his friend.

  “Have a seat, Mr. Samms. Tell me how you can find my Will,” Aengus Finn said.

  “I put a tracking unit on his collar,” Lindi confessed.

  Victor whistled. “Why didn’t I think of that? Stephen is forever wandering off with his head in the clouds. Hell, maybe I could just put one of those tags in his ear like a wildlife expert.”

  “Funny!” Lindi scowled at his friend.

  “Why did you do this? Did you think he’d be taken?” Cain asked, his tone suspicious.

  Lindi shrugged. “I have a lot of money, and Will is the most important person in my life. Anyone wanting to blackmail me only has to get hold of my boy.”

  “When you say collar what do you mean?” Brian asked.

  “He means Will is his submissive. Will belongs to Lindi. They have a binding commitment,” Victor interjected.

  Aengus raised an eyebrow. “And Will is fine with this?”

  “Will is the happiest man in submission I have ever met,” Carlyle interrupted. “Now if we can focus on getting him back, then you can interrogate him on his life choices.”

  “Won’t the Fed watching you become suspicious of all your visitors?” Cain asked.

  “Probably. Listen, I don’t care if they are suspicious or not. I’m getting Will.” Lindi didn’t even care if they arrested him for shooting Will’s kidnappers. Nothing would stop him.

  “If you give me the coordinates, I can go scout out the location,” Cain offered.

  Lindi gritted his teeth. “If they spot you, they might kill him.”

  “I’ll be careful. I’ve never been sighted before I was ready.”

  Lindi ran his fingers through his hair. Pacing back and forth, he tried not to think of how scared his sweet Will must be.

  “Are you sure you don’t want coffee?” Lindi asked.

  “It’s not very good, Da,” Brian warned.

  Lindi snorted. “I did warn you.”

  “That you did.” Brian nodded his agreement.

  “I’ll take some. I’m not so picky,” Aengus said.

  Lindi walked over to the kitchen to pour the coffee. Now he understood why Will needed to organize things when he became stressed. There was something soothing about serving others. Not enough he’d make it a pattern, but he could see Will’s side of things.

  Aengus had followed Lindi and settled on a barstool. Lindi slid a cup of coffee over to him.

  “Thank you.”

  “I appreciate you coming all this way to help out Will, but you can’t take him home with you. I don’t care who you are; Will is mine.”

  Aengus shrugged. “We’ll let Will make that decision when he’s rescued. Now why don’t you get your computer and show Cain where to find your boy.”

  “I have the money collected. If I thought for a second they would give Will over, I’d give it to them,” Lindi confessed.

  “You don’t want to be givin’ them your cash. I doubt they are men of their word,” Aengus proclaimed.

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.” Lindi took a sip of coffee, then jerked back at the taste. “That is awful.”

  Brian laughed. “I told you.”

  “It’s not so bad,” Aengus said, taking another sip.

  Lindi sighed. “I’m almost wishing I’d let them get away with the forgeries. I never thought they’d go after Will. I didn’t think they’d have the chance. I rarely let him out of my sight.”

  “Will has a way of getting into trouble.” Aengus’s knowing expression eased some of Lindi’s guilt.

  “Yeah, he does.”

  Aengus shook his head. “My poor boy went from my home to yours, never realizing you were going to get him in more trouble than ever I did.”

  “Yeah, that’s true.”

  A silence filled the air between them. “I’d be willing to leave my boy with you if I’m certain you can protect him.”

  Lindi set his jaw. “I know how to protect my man. I’ve kept him safe for years. This was an exception. Do I need to take him into hiding to keep him from you?”

  If they had to abandon everything to keep Will safe, Lindi would drop everything in a second.

  “You would do that?” Brian asked coming up to the bar. “You’d leave your life?”

  “Yes.” Lindi didn’t hesitate. There was little he wouldn’t do for Will.

  “I’ve warned the locals to stay away from my boy. You won’t be finding trouble from them,” Aengus said.

  “Will can stop hiding from us.” The expression of pain in Brian’s eyes told Lindi his lover’s family had missed him.

  “He might have been hiding from you, but he still kept your number for emergencies. You’re the first people he thought of to get him out of trouble.” Lindi wanted what was best for Will. If that was reconnecting with his mob family, then that was what they would do.

  “I did some research on you, Mr. Samms,” Aengus said.
“Everyone says Will is happy with you.”

  “He is.” He might not have known Will’s true name, but he knew Will’s character.

  The doorbell rang.

  Brian waved Lindi off. “I’ll get it.”

  “No, I’ll get it. This is still my place.” He brushed Brian aside.

  Agent Calthers stood on the other side. “Good morning, Mr. Samms.”

  “Hello, Agent Calthers. Can I help you with something?”

  “Can I come in?”

  “Sure.” It wasn’t like he could deny the agent without looking suspicious.

  “Everyone, this is Agent Calthers; he’s helping with my forgery case. Agent, this is Aengus, Cain and Brian, Will’s father and brothers.”

  The men exchanged nods but didn’t extend handshakes.

  “Rather early for so many visitors.” Calthers looked around. “Where’s Will?”

  “Out,” Lindi replied.

  “The agent we have watching your place said Will hasn’t come home. Have the two of you been fighting?”

  “Yes, that’s why we’re here,” Brian offered. “We’re trying to help them get back together.”

  “Wouldn’t that be better if Will was here for the process?” Calthers obviously wasn’t buying the three hard-edged men as relationship counselors.

  “He’s on his way home,” Lindi said. Not exactly a lie. If things went well, his pet would be back soon.

  “Mind if I wait?” Calthers asked.

  “Actually, I do. Will doesn’t know you, and I don’t want him stressed,” Lindi replied.

  Calthers swept the room with a piercing gaze. “Let me know if there’s anything I need to worry about. I’m here to help.”

  “Will do.”

  The federal agent did one more visual sweep around the room before he left.

  “If you are such an important witness, why aren’t you in custody?” Aengus asked.

  “I wouldn’t leave Will unprotected.” By himself, Lindi didn’t dare go after the kidnappers, but now that he had backup, he could share his information. “Let me go get my computer.”

  Aengus grinned. “Welcome to the family.”

  “Thanks.” Lindi didn’t know if he was really thankful, but he needed Will’s family to accept him if they were going to become part of their lives.