Ana and Darling were the reasons why they always took separate vehicles to work. In case one of them had to leave, the other one had a way home.
Maris followed them to the door so that he could make sure Ture actually got her into his transport. He smiled as Ture continued to run around like a scrambled mess while he tried to help her in then went to his side of the car then came back to make sure she was inside and secured. All the while, Ture was breathing so rapidly, it was wonder he hadn’t passed out.
That man did not handle a crisis well. His neurons synapsed in so many directions that he could never focus on a single thought or task. It was something his past boyfriends had despised about him, but Maris found it oddly adorable. And when it’d really mattered— when they’d been escaping the prison, Ture had managed to hold it together with a strength that still amazed him. It was only now that he knew Ture better that he fully appreciated how hard that had been for him.
Stepping inside, Maris locked the door then cleaned up Ana’s mess before he hurried through the paperwork. He had no doubt that Ture would be pacing a donut-shaped hole in the hospital floor until he got there. Maris was the only one who was able to calm him when he was in one of these frenetic moods. Mostly because he’d learned to keep a lid on his emotions in battle. And because Ture’s anxiety brought out the protector in him, instead of his impatience. That one vulnerability made him feel needed.
Because other than that, Ture was extremely self-sufficient and very proud of that fact.
Maris paused as he saw a shadow at the door. Instinctively, his hand went to the small blaster he kept holstered at the base of his spine. At first Ture had been terrified of the fact that Maris was always armed, but once he saw the price on Maris’s head, he’d insisted that Maris carry even more weapons than he had in the past.
And after the last round of contracts had been issued from the League against them, they were all on high alert.
Using the shadows for cover, he made his way to the front. Since the person was visible through the frosted glass, he doubted they were League trained. But it could still be a thief out to rob them.
Maris tilted his head so that he could see through the small line of clear glass while making sure that the person outside couldn’t detect him. He relaxed as he recognized Bristol.
Rolling his eyes, he moved his hand away from his weapon and settled his jacket back into place. He opened the door. “Can I help you?”
“Where’s my brother?”
“He’s not here.”
Bristol scowled as he stared at him for a minute. “You the guy I met at Ture’s a few weeks ago?”
“I am.”
“Wow, Ture’s been with someone for over a month. That’s a first.” He narrowed his gaze on Maris. “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you with your clothes on, and without Ture’s dick in your ass. What was your name again?”
Maris profaned violence, but right now... He could definitely see the appeal of knocking that smugness off Bristol’s face. “I didn’t give it.” He locked the door and set the alarm with the remote in his hand, which made Bristol even more curious.
“Ture doesn’t let his boyfriends have keys to his restaurant. Where is he?”
Maris slid the security card into his pocket. “He had to leave early.”
Anger snapped in Bristol’s eyes as he glared at him. “Don’t play this shit with me. I’m his brother. Now where is he?”
Maris ground his teeth at the frustration of dealing with this. Ture had been very insistent that he never give any information to his brother. The less he knows, the better... Trust me, Mari. Don’t engage him. Unlike me, he has no loyalty or inhibitions.
Since Ture knew his brother much better than Maris did, he deferred to Ture’s warning.
“I can have him call you when I see him.” Maris started past, but Bristol stopped him with a rough grip that made his vision dim.
“You better answer me, you cock-sucking quim. Or I’ll beat the hell out of you.”
Maris dropped his voice an octave and fell into his staunch military training. “Boy, you’re about to head down a path that’s going to lead you to a really bad year. Now take your hand off my arm, two steps back, and you might get through the night without an ambulance ride.”
Shock replaced the smirk. Still, he didn’t loosen his grip. “You don’t act like a faggot.”
“And I don’t hit like a girl, motherfucker. Now unless you’re craving extensive dental work and reconstructive surgery, get out of my face.”
That growl succeeded in making Bristol release him. “Who are you?”
“The lucky bastard who happens to be your brother’s boyfriend. And I’ll make sure he calls you before he sticks his dick in my ass later. Now goodnight.” Maris stepped around him and went to his airbike that was parked a few feet away. As he pulled his helmet on, he glanced back to see Bristol still eye-balling him.
Whatever.
Every family had its asshole. And in Maris’s case, his had a solid dozen. Putting it out of his mind, he headed for the hospital.