Three the Hard Way by Sydney Croft Read Free Book Online Page B

wasn’t detectable to the touch, was even smaller than the microchips used to identify lost pets. But still, Ian didn’t breathe again until Tag’s hands dropped to his ribs and spine.
    A moment later, they moved under the waistband of Ian’s long johns, and he sucked in a harsh breath as they snaked lower, along his ass.
    “You’re going all the way with this?” he murmured to Tag over his shoulder, without breaking Justice’s gaze. In response, Tag’s hands slid forward, under his balls, his strong hands running along his cock, between his legs, and yes, he was going to go there . . .
    “Are you fucking kidding me, Tag?” Justice asked. “You’re using this as an excuse to feel up your former lover? The one who fucked you over—in more ways than one.”
    “Would you rather check him?” Tag antagonized. “Were you having fun with the enemy?” And yeah, really not a good idea for Tag to be pissed when his hands were on Ian’s cock. Talk about Ian’s life in Tag’s hands . . .
    Justice’s gaze snapped up to meet Tag’s. “I’m trained for this.”
    Tag laughed bitterly. “For feeling up men?”
    “No, that’s Ian’s job,” Justice said calmly, and Ian winced internally. Not because he wasn’t right, because of course he was, and Ian had never been ashamed of what he did, but hell, he was too used to being the nameless one. The one you could talk about like he was a piece of meat and it didn’t matter. They didn’t even need him here for this.
    “Let go, Taggart,” he growled, and Tag complied quickly. He jerked his jeans back up and moved out of the way. Glanced at the fridge because he could really use a beer right now, and Tag was never without half a dozen longnecks.
    “Right, Justice—wouldn’t want to get in the way of your job as a Big Bad ACRO agent. You know, the job you left me for.”
    Justice pushed Ian out of the way, and he gladly moved. Swiped a beer from the fridge. These men had their own battle to fight, and Ian would just try to make sure they didn’t kill each other.
    Or at least, that Tag stayed alive. Justice? Well, he had good hands, but . . .
    “The job you ran from like a coward.” Justice’s voice had deepened, and his body shook like he was ready to implode. “The job that you didn’t want to take because you’ve always been goddamned motherfucking selfish.”
    With that, he lunged toward Tag.

Tag wheeled away from Justice’s attack, but he still caught a glancing blow to the jaw. Jesus, Justice was just as bullheaded as he’d always been. Hell, maybe he was even worse now. ACRO had taken a strong-willed kid and turned him into an immovable rock of a man.
    “ You left me!” He slammed the side of his fist into the cabin wall hard enough to make Ian look up from pretending to be fascinated by the beer he was nursing on the couch. “We could have told ACRO to fuck off and gone somewhere together. Somewhere where no one is a freak with special powers. We could have been normal and happy, like we were in college.”
    “I wasn’t happy,” Justice said softly.
    Tag stared at him. “Liar.”
    But even as he said it, he realized Justice was telling the truth. Worse, some small part of him had always known Justice wasn’t happy at college. He’d denied it at the time, but there’d been a lingering doubt that had spurred him to make sure Justice was well sexed and taken care of, all in hopes that someday Justice wouldn’t leave him for ACRO. He’d sensed his discontentment but only on a level he’d not admitted even to himself.
    “I was happy with you ,” Justice said. “But not with our life. I needed more.”
    “You needed ACRO ,” Tag snarled. “I lost everything that day. I lost my family. My home. You.” He jabbed his finger at Justice. “And then you took off and left me to deal with the aftermath alone. It was real fucking nice that you handled the funeral arrangements and sale of the properties through an ACRO attorney.”
    Tag glanced