City Knight 04 - Knights Out (CMS) (MM) by T.A. Webb Read Free Book Online Page A

thanks.”
    “Don’t thank me. I failed him.” Wick’s shoulders were slumped.
    “No, you didn’t. Even the mighty Wicked Q. Templeton can’t win them all.”
    Wick’s jaw dropped. “No. You do not know my middle name.”
    Marcus gave him and evil grin. “You aren’t the only one with mad skills.”
    “If you tell anyone, I will kill you.”
    “Goodnight, Wick.”
    Marcus closed the door and made his way to the elevator to take them back up to the ground floor. The morgue was cold and lonely, and his steps echoed through the lonely halls. There, sitting on the small metal bench next to the elevator, was Benjamin. He looked lost, like a part of him was missing. He stared off into nowhere, and only shifted when Marcus sat beside him and leaned against him. “Let’s go home.”
    Benjamin nodded tiredly and rose when Marcus stood and hit the call button. “Marcus?”
    “Yes, love?”
    “That kid never hurt anyone. I’d lay my life on it. Why?”
    Marcus shook his head. “Why? Because he could. Because different is something to hate. Because he’s sick and hateful and evil and goddammit, Benjamin, do you see now why I go so crazy about you being out on the streets? When that could have happened to you? And I think about that asshole that night, trying to pull you into his car and if I hadn’t been there? It could have been you on that slab. You beaten to death. You with nobody to care. You …”
    “But it wasn’t.” Benjamin grabbed his hand and threaded their fingers together. “I have you. But poor Travis, he didn’t have anyone. Marcus, if his parent’s won’t take his body, I’m going to bury him myself.”
    “I think that’s beautiful, baby.”
    “I’d like to think if something had happened to me that night, you might have done the same for me.” Benjamin brought his hand to his mouth and kissed his knuckles.
    His throat was clenched shut, and he couldn’t say the words. Instead, Marcus rubbed their hands against Benjamin’s cheek and hoped he knew. That he’ d die for him.
    *
    Ben wasn’t sure he was up to hosting a huge dinner thing, so he called out for Chinese after calling Frankie to find out what the kids liked. He wasn’t sure how it would work, having Marcus’s brother and his kids meeting Wick. It could be a barrel of monkeys, a boatload of fun, or, he guessed, he could unlock Marcus’s gun safe and shoot the mouthy bastard. What possessed Marcus to invite Wick over he’d never know.
    Damned if he and Marcus weren’t going to sit down and talk about that relationship. And soon.
    He stood at the dining room table, making sure he had everything they might need. Marcus was still in the shower when the buzzer rang. He’d already been downstairs and filled Charlie, the building attendant, in on the night’s activities. Someone else had reserved the rooftop garden or he’d have had the dinner up there. That way, he could have shoved Wick off the edge of the building if he misbehaved in front of the children. But…maybe next time, he thought.
    Making his way to the door, he was happy to see it was Frankie and the kids. He was even more surprised when little Marcus shouted Uncle Ben and grabbed him by leg, and Amanda gave him a shy smile and reached up to be held. “Looks like you have a fan club there, Benjamin.” Frankie stuck his hand out, and Ben shifted Amanda onto his left hip and stepped back, a little stiff legged with Marcus clinging to his left leg, and shook hands.
    “It’s good to see you guys again. But I better warn you about something. Marcus is a little—“
    “Marcus is a little what, love?” Ben turned and had to take in a steadying breath. Marcus stood there, hair still damp and finger combed in an APD tee shirt and jeans and barefooted. He had to stop and think of ugly things so his cock would calm down, and then he looked up into Frankie’s matching grin, and had to close his eyes.
    “Yeah, Benjamin, my brother is a little what?
    He heard the