Double the Heat Brewed by The Asylum-Part Eight

Matt didn’t bother lifting his head at the exchange, just held on to Lawson, his pulse slamming to the inside of his skull as he listened to Lawson’s heart beat.

It sounds normal, so that’s something, right?

A snap close to his side made him jump. He glared at Jared.

Who focused on Keiran and Avery. “Both of you stay put. You’re not to leave until I’ve tended to your Dom.” His attention went to Dallas, who sat gingerly in one of the chairs Jamie and Wren brought over.

The dance club had gone quiet, music off, the members all being cleared out by Jacks and Shea. Danny had disappeared, and Pike was...standing out of the way, eating someone’s leftover chili fries. If Matt wasn’t still trying to keep himself from freaking the fuck out, he might’ve laughed at the sight.

After pulling on a pair of gloves, Jared inspected a deep cut on the outside of Dallas’ thigh. “What in the world happened to you two? And where is Rhodey?”

Lowering to the second chair, one arm still around Matt, Lawson tipped his head to the side as Seth compressed a cut on the side of his neck. “He brought the...young man we hit to the clinic. Dallas spotted him at the last second—he ran right out in front of us. He swerved to avoid him, but he went right through the window of the cafe.” He pressed his eyes shut. “We got to him as quickly as we could. There was...a lot of glass.”

“You got all cut up from a window?” Matt wasn’t sure whether to shake his Dom or hug him. This was better than the mob-style torture he’d imagined, but still… “You do know there’s professionals to handle stuff like this, right? Why didn’t you call the police? Or the fire department? What if the whole thing had come down on you?”

Dallas snorted, wincing as Jared prodded at another cut. “It did come down on us. But if we’d left the stupid fucker there, he would have been done for.” He took Keiran’s hand as his sub crouched down beside him. “The gang was hanging around. I think this was some kind of test for initiation or something, because they fucking cheered when I swerved. They probably thought he’d cause a wreck, but the SUV can take a hell of a beating.”

“Considering both you fools ended up putting yourselves in harm's way, it seems they were still successful in doing some damage.” Jared gave Lawson a hard look. “I would expect you to know better, at very least.”

As much as Matt agreed, he wasn’t about to let anyone to give his Dom a hard time. Not while he was still fucking bleeding. He narrowed his eyes. “He’s not a fool, he’s a good person. Maybe you should take fucking notes.”

“Enough, my boy. You’re both right, it wasn’t the smartest move.” Lawson stroked his back, hissing in a breath when Seth checked his arm, clucking his tongue as he took in the long gash. “But the man—the boy—was so young. When I looked at him I couldn’t help see…”

Garet. Matt swallowed, lowering his gaze. He didn’t want to remember how his brother had looked once the gang was done with him. How he’d been pulled out of the trash, discarded like he was worthless to them, now that they couldn’t use him anymore.

“I would’ve probably done the same thing, sir.” Matt glanced at Seth, then away, his stomach turning at how he was poking at the open wound with a pair of tweezers. “Umm, shouldn’t we move this to the onsite clinic?”

Seth nodded, but didn’t stop whatever he was doing. “As soon as I make sure all these wounds are superficial. I don’t want to move him and have any of the glass do more damage. So far, so good. Only a few of these need stitches.”

“You were not so lucky, my man.” Jared inspected the back of Dallas’ shoulder. “This one is nice and deep. I’ll save it for Quint if you don’t want a pretty scar.”

The people around here are so fucked up. Matt rolled his eyes, straightening as Seth motioned for Lawson to stand.

While Jamie was covering his eyes with his hands, Wren had crept closer, staying out of Jared’s light as he looked at the glass in Dallas’ shoulder like it was a shiny new toy. “A bit higher and it would have severed—”

“Wren, I love you, but please don’t.” Keiran paled, showing for the first time in a while that he hadn’t become completely numbed by the merc-side. “We need to do something about that goddamn gang before they get someone killed.”

Dallas patted Keiran’s hand, then ducked when Jared cuffed him upside the back of the head. “Ow, what the hell was that for?”

“Don’t move.” Jared put something around the glass, securing it in place. “I’d like to avoid nerve damage. Wren, love, get the stretcher. It will be easier to carry him into the clinic—”

“I can walk.” Dallas started standing, a bit unsteadily. Then sat back down. “Just give me a minute. Or five.”

The incredulous look Jared gave Dallas didn’t get him too far. Neither did his muttered “Goddamn mercs.”

But Seth’s sharp tone stilled Dallas. And got both Avery and Keiran’s attention. “You’ll get the medical attention you need. That’s an order.” His lips curved when Jared frowned at him. “Chain of command. You’re welcome.”

Not waiting to see how Jared would react to that bit of information, Matt stuck to Lawson’s side as they passed through the empty gym. By the door on the other side, Curtis was talking to Blain. The second he saw Lawson, he cut off whatever he’d been saying and ran over.

“Jesus, Law, I heard there was some kind of accident, but…” Curtis raked his fingers through his hair, shaking his head. “Did you go through Jigsaw’s funhouse?”

Lawson’s brow furrowed as Seth led him into the clinic. “Who?”

“One of Wren’s movies...nevermind.” Curtis put his hands on Matt’s shoulders, massaging lightly as Lawson got up on the exam table. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted things closing early, so I’m having Blain give a round to everyone who stays, on the house. He’s setting up a demo in the dungeon for anyone who doesn’t feel like hanging out in the bar. Should keep folks from bitching too much.”

Lawson inclined his head, continuing the conversation like Seth wasn’t picking small pieces of glass out of his shoulder. “There’s no need to close for this, there isn’t an immediate threat. But I asked Connor to keep an eye on the cafe while we figure out how to keep it safe for the night. The glass will need to be replaced tomorrow, everything cleaned…” He met Matt’s eyes. “I’m sorry, my love. But we won’t let this ruin what you’ve created. You shouldn’t have to stay closed longer than a day.”

Brow furrowed, Matt shook his head, not sure what Lawson was talking about. Then it hit him. His mouth went dry. “The...cafe. Fuck, I wasn’t even thinking about…” He took a deep breath, shaking his head a bit harder to clear it. “Sorry, sir, but I don’t care about that right now. The glass can be fixed. You can’t.”

“He can. I am in the process of doing so.” Seth winked at him, his light tone making everything seem a bit less serious. “Let me make a few calls, I’ll bring in some people the gang won’t want to play with. And I’ll put in some bullet-proof glass. I don’t know why Rhodey didn’t make you do it in the first place.”

Leaning back against Curtis, Matt lifted his shoulders. “I didn’t think I’d need it and I refused to let him pay for it.”

Seth’s brow rose. “And he went along with that?”

“He was going to change it out the way he usually does everything, he just hadn’t gotten around to it yet.” Keiran backed into the clinic, carrying Dallas on a stretcher with Avery, Jared directing them to the room on the other side of the glass partition, where all the surgical shit was. “After this? I doubt he’ll even pretend to let any of us have a say.”

Avery perched on the end of the exam table once Dallas was moved to it, dodging a smack from Jared. “Maybe not. After he interrogates the boy, he might just finish off the gang. Then it will be business as usual.”

“God damn it, he can’t—” Lawson let out a low growl when Seth firmly held him in place. “The boy we hit is barely out of his teens. He’s already in serious condition.”

Cocking his head, Avery seemed a bit confused. “Yes, sir. That will probably make it easier to get whatever intel he has. Don’t worry, Rhodey won’t let anything be traced back to you.”

“That is not the issue, little snake.” Jared let out a heavy sigh as he bent over Dallas’ shoulder. “The gang recruits children from the neighborhood, preying on those with little means and manipulating them until they’re so deeply entrenched in the gang’s criminal activities, it’s difficult for them to escape, even if they want to. Matt’s brother fell victim to those tactics. Coal was born into it.”

“Oh…” Avery tugged one of his lips rings between his teeth. “Sir, Rhodey knows that?”

Jared lifted his gaze. “Yes, my boy. That’s why I’m not worried. And if he forgets, Quint will remind him.”

The man’s words seemed to reassure Lawson, because he stopped trying to get up. It took a while for Seth to finish, cutting away bits of Lawson’s clothes until he was left in nothing but his boxers.

With the blood cleaned off—most of it obviously not Lawson’s—the whole thing didn’t look that bad. Other than his arm and one spot on his forehead, Lawson didn’t even need stitches.

But Matt still took his time looking him over to make sure Seth hadn’t missed anything.

He smiled up at Curtis when his other Dom nudged him forward. “Go on, he’s looked worse after a round with me in the ring. He’ll be a’ight.”

When Matt hesitated, Lawson stood, tugging him close and wrapping him up in a solid hug. “I’m sorry for scaring you, my love. Let’s go upstairs so you can tell me how the rest of your grand opening went.”

Nodding quickly, Matt took the robe Seth handed him and helped Lawson shrug it on. “I’d really like that, sir. So much happened today, but it went...really well.” He glanced over to where Jamie was standing with Noah in the doorway, smiling at the other sub. “Jamie helped a lot.”

“I’m pleased that the two of you are getting along.” Lawson inclined his head to Noah as they passed, then brushed his hand over Jamie’s hair.

As they passed through the gym, Lawson was quiet. They took the security stairs up to the second floor to avoid the crowd in the bar. He didn’t speak again until they were in their own loft, Curtis having stayed behind to keep an eye on things.

Sitting on the sofa, sipping the tea Matt fixed up for him, Lawson gave Matt an unreadable look. He set his mug on the coffee table, taking Matt’s hands in his. “You mentioned discussing a few things with Stephan. Has any of that been resolved?”

“Do we have to talk about that now?” Matt sighed when Lawson’s brow lifted. “Yeah, some stuff is better. He’s probably gonna give me grief over not doing the homework he assigned me, but, like...I don’t think I need to? I’m not having as many nightmares and me and Jamie are copacetic.” His lips quirked. “I should get him to try to spell that.”

Lawson shook his head. “Please don’t. And that’s good to hear, but it might take more than one day to resolve whatever issues there were. I don’t expect everyone to get along all the time, but...I enjoy feeling like we don’t have to constantly fight one another. Dealing with the gang, with whatever else might come up, is hard enough.”

“Yes, sir. And...with how things were at the cafe? I could get used to that. I hate when you and Noah are at each other’s throats. Tonight, it was Jared and Seth. Wren seems to think it’s the same as me and Jamie, but it’s not. We were just…” Yeah, he had no clue. Which was probably what Lawson was getting at. Without knowing what set him off when it came to Jamie, how could he stop it from happening again. “All right, I’ll do my homework. And talk to Stephan.”

“Good boy.” Lawson squeezed his thigh, then picked up his tea. “Now, tell me everything that happened at the cafe from the moment I left.”

Later that night, sitting in Lawson’s office, Matt leaned over his journal, the bottom of a pen against his lips. He stared at the blank page, thinking over Stephan’s instructions. How he reacted to Jamie. How he felt around him. How he might connect to something in his past.

All he could think of was the gang fucking things up.

When he thought of Jamie, it was his lips, all shiny and red with the lipstick Noah had put on him. How soft they looked, all pouty and…

Nope. Full stop. I’m gonna give myself a whole different kinda nightmare.

Or...something.

Not helpful.

Then there were his eyes, way too pretty with the eyeshadow, the eyeliner framing his green eyes.

This was getting him nowhere.

Groaning, he dropped the pen on the notebook and decided to try again in the morning. In bed, cuddling up between Lawson and Reed, breathing in the scent of candy that always clung to Reed like he was made of the stuff, he fell asleep with a smile.

“Tell them Garet is sick.” Dayes sat at Matt’s kitchen table, watching him as he made excuses for his brother being absent from school. Again. He shoved the stack of bills across the table. “You might want to hurry up, your brother’s too pretty to stay in lockup for very long.”

Pressing his eyes shut, Matt tried to block out that smug smile. The eyes that held a hint of interest he might’ve returned if he didn’t know how twisted Dayes was. And he’d heard what the gang did to...people like him.

Unless...what if that could change things? What if Dayes was hiding who he really was and he just needed...needed someone to be himself with? Maybe this whole tough guy routine was his way of protecting himself.

“Let him out of the gang, Dayes. Please.” Matt opened his eyes. Searched for any trace of humanity in the green eyes that looked back at him. He stood, moving closer to the other man. Lowered his voice. “If there’s...any way I can help you, I would, you know.”

At first, Dayes didn’t move. Matt almost thought he’d gotten through to him.

Then his back hit the wall and Dayes’ hand was around his throat. “If you ever say anything like that to me again, if you ever look at me like that again, I will fucking kill you. Then I’ll kill Garet. Are we clear?”

“Yes.” Matt leaned heavily against the wall, sinking down and staring up at the man who had the power to destroy his whole life. To destroy his brother.

And in his eyes, where he expected to see rage, or fear…

He saw nothing.

A pit of nothingness. Matt was falling into it. Endlessly, with no way to escape. A scream ripped from his throat. He sobbed as strong arms came around him. Someone was rubbing his back.

“I can’t. I don’t want to…” Matt trembled, trying to focus on Lawson’s voice. Reed’s. Curtis’, somewhere near. “Why didn’t Garet see who he was? Even after everything, he kept going back. I couldn’t stop him! He wouldn’t listen to me! The man’s a fucking monster!”

“I’m right here, my love. Garet is all right.” Lawson gently tipped his chin up, using his thumb to dry Matt’s tears. “Who’s a monster?”

“Dayes. He came to the cafe today. It’s just…” Air coming in gasps, Matt shook his head. “Don’t make me talk about him. I can’t breathe. I can’t…”

Curtis motioned to Reed, who dashed from the bed. The front door opened and closed.

Stroking his back, Lawson spoke in a soft, soothing voice. “Breathe with me, Matt. Try to slow your breathing. You’re here with me. With Curtis. You’re safe.”

Hearing Lawson, feeling him there, helped, but Matt couldn’t fight back the panic clawing at the inside of his chest. The black eating at his vision, where he knew Dayes waited on the other side. Of all the things to fuck with him, why this? He’d met scarier fuckers.

But he couldn’t forget that smile.

Or those eyes…

A cool hand touched his cheek. Jared sat on the bed beside him. “Little poke. This will help you relax.”

“I thought I didn’t like you. I was wrong.” Matt watched his arm swiped with alcohol, then the needle piercing his skin. Calm washed over him and he breathed out a laugh. “Right now, you might be one of my favorite people.”

Jared let out a soft laugh, petting his hair. “I will remind you of that the next time you’re testy with me, my boy.” He looked at Lawson. “I suggest you bring him to Stephan in the morning. Curtis and Reed can oversee whatever needs to be done at the cafe. For now, this will help him sleep, but it won’t erase whatever trigger brought him to this place.”

Easing Matt back on the pillows, Lawson tucked him in, concern shadowing his eyes. “I’d already told him to speak to Stephan. To do the work Stephan asked him to, but maybe the timing was wrong. After everything that’s happened today, it was too much.”

“Putting in the work to heal won’t be easy, my man. But it will get better. Trust me.” Jared patted Lawson’s shoulder as he stood, then gave Matt a long look. “I will be consulting with Stephan from this point on, so be sure you’re doing everything he recommends.”

Matt had a feeling Jared already knew about the parts he’d been avoiding. But he was feeling real good at the moment, so he just nodded.

Jared was the coolest. And he had really neat eyes. Like a superhero.

The only not cool thing was that he’d be on Matt’s ass about the stupid journal.

And homework, even as an adult, fucking sucked.

****

Part Nine