Page 21 of Love and Chaos

“Alexei made the drop in the guy’s drink as Tanner was leaving to go to the restroom, and when Soren came up to order a beer from the bartender,” Charlie explained.

“No!” Izzie gasped. “I watched Alexei the entire time.”

“You looked away for a second at Soren because you recognized him. A second was all it took.” The target had just shifted away from his drink as he slid off his stool at the bar. At the same time, Soren distracted the bartender so he wouldn’t see Alexei tampering with the other man’s drink. They arranged for him to have a mild sedative to put him into a deep sleep, allowing them to work without the risk of discovery.

“Can you stop giving Izzie tips?” Kairo growled in his ear over the tiny communication device they were all wearing. “He doesn’t need to know these things.”

“Of course I do,” Izzie whispered. He lifted his drink and took a sip to hide his wide grin.

“We ready?” Charlie inquired.

“Cameras are under my control. I’ve got backup control of the door locks in case Soren couldn’t come through.”

“Fuck you,” Soren broke in softly. “I got the master key card with no problem.”

“Ed just checked in. He and Max have Will on camera doing touristy bullshit. His alibi is secure.”

Charlie smirked as he took a drink of his scotch and water. Everything was in place. It was time to get his revenge for his love and his furry son.

Fifteen minutes later, their target was stumbling away from the bar, blinking heavily. The potent combination of alcohol and sedative was mixing in his system. He would be lucky to get out of his suit before he passed out.

Kairo gave the all-clear call less than thirty minutes later after watching the asshole through a tiny camera he’d hidden in his hotel room while he was in the bar.

Charlie paid the bar tab with cash and took Izzie up to the eighth floor where Soren and Alexei were already waiting for them. They slipped on gloves and used the master key card Soren had swiped off the housekeeper to sneak into Tanner’s room, where they found him loudly snoring, stretched out on top of the covers, still wearing his suit.

They stood by the bed, grinning like lunatics. Soren pulled around the backpack he was carrying and withdrew a black leash and a coiled bright-red rope. “Who wants to tie him up and who wants to decorate?”

“Oh, shibari,” Izzie whispered, his expression scrunching up. “I’m out of practice. I think I’d be better at decorating.”

“Yet another thing I didn’t know about you.” Alexei giggled. “We need to get together and swap stories.”

“No, you don’t,” Kairo muttered.

“Mind on the job. Soren and Alexei, strip him to his underwear and tie him up. Izzie and I will redecorate.”

Yes, this was going to be an unforgettable visit to Paris for Jacob Tanner.

“Charlie! Charlie! Where the hell are you?”

Will’s strident calls echoed through the apartment as he crossed through the different rooms before finding Charlie seated on the small balcony, enjoying his coffee and a croissant. Charlie looked up, adjusting his face to mild curiosity while Will glared at him, Oscar following right on his heels. The cat abandoned him to jump into Charlie’s lap and sniff at the remains of his coffee.

“What’s up?”

As soon as Will reached him, he turned the tablet he was holding to face Charlie, nearly touching the screen to the tip of his nose. “Was this you?”

“What are you talking about?” Charlie jerked his head and grabbed Oscar to keep him off the table. With his free hand, he plucked the tablet from Will’s hand and held it so that he could see it showing a news article lightly mocking a tourist who’d had to be rescued from his hotel room after he’d been left tied up by a dominatrix he’d hired for the night. There wasn’t a picture of the man, but his name had been used because the silly American had caused a ruckus in the hotel and refused to leave unless the hotel handed over its security footage. The police had been called to escort the man off the premises.

The article hinted in a very tongue-in-cheek way that Tanner claimed he was the victim of a “vicious” attack. However, it was clear the writer believed he was making such claims to hide his embarrassment at being caught in such a position.

Sadly, there was no picture of Tanner when he was discovered, but the news agency had somehow gotten its hands on a picture of the room, which had dozens of black leashes dangling from the ceiling above the rumpled bed, where the red shibari rope still lay.

“Why would you think I did this?” Charlie replied casually as he handed the tablet to Will.

“You mean other than the fact that it’s the same dick who said horrible things about Oscar and hurt my feelings? Not to mention all the leashes hanging in the room. This all just happened to coincide with Ed and Max coming to town and demanding that I take them sightseeing in some of the most highly visible spots in all of Paris while you had to go on some last-minute errand.” Will narrowed his eyes at Charlie and lifted his chin. “Who else is in town? You didn’t do this alone.”

The jig was up. He’d always known that Will would discover the truth. He’d just hoped it would be a little later in the day.

Charlie put Oscar on the floor, gathered up his mug and plate, and rose. “Alexei, Soren, Izzie, and Kairo are also in town. We’re going to meet up with them for dinner tonight along with Ed and Max.” He then pressed a kiss to Will’s forehead while his man stood there with his mouth hanging open.