A Business Pleasure

Chapter 29: Serpents

Ordinarily I'd say I was attracted to Ant more but when Dec looks at us like that I get confused 😂🥵

⚠️Warnings for: Language (as in all my books) , Violence, Death, degrading names, Mentions of rape and abuse.

Exhaustion rippled through every bone in Ant's body... 20... maybe 30 men down? Too many to count and it seemed the stream of them was endless.

After pinning a perfectly aimed bullet in the right side of one man's chest and then chucking his empty gun at the head of another, effectively knocking him out, the dark haired man hid quickly in the shadows, his heart thudding so painfully in his chest he had to close his eyes for a minute to remember how to breath.

There was a break in the constant waves of men and Ant's ears perked to listen for any sign of attacks... but none came. The young man let out a sigh of relief and checked his watch, it had been 6minutes since he'd seen Philip and the violence hadn't stopped since then.

Ant knew he was running out of time before his brother stepped into serious danger, but the sudden gasp had him distracted and spinning around only to be met with a bundle of Declan jumping in his arms.

Wrapping his arms around his lovers small, delicate body was like pulling out a plug and all letting all the tension flow from the dark haired man's body all at once. The two boys clung to each other tightly and Dec buried his face in Ant's neck, tears dampening the skin from the tortured he'd felt from having thought he'd lost him.

"Anth... come back... c-come home. I-I cannat lose youse again... p-please baby. 'M need youse." Dec whimpered and his crying, along with how he hadn't crawled down from his body, instead just trusted Ant to carry him, broke Ant's heart. But the taller man knew he couldn't carry that trust right now, he couldn't until he was free.

"I'm sorry Decs... I can't." Ant whispered honestly, squeezing the brown haired Geordies and slamming his eyes closed to hold back the tears.

"B-but I need you." Dec slowly slid down from Ant's strong body to hold onto his muscled bicep and stare up at him pleading.

Ant couldn't say anything as his deep blue eyes flickered open to look down at Declan's sad green ones. He wanted to stay... he wanted more than anything just to put it all behind him... to move on, go back to the man he once was... to live and love the way Dec taught him to. But that chance was ripped from him... every memory, every thought and feeling was tainted... and Ant just wanting some dignity and identity back. He wanted his humanity back so he was no longer just some man's escaped pet.

"I-if you love me Decky..." the dark haired man sucked in a breath and gently stroked the tears from Declan's cheeks, "If you love me you'll let me do this. You'll stay here and let me go."

Dec's heart cracked that little bit more and he unconsciously stepped closer, his eyes murky with tears as he stared up his lover. "D-Dont do this to me Anth... you know I love you..."

"I know you do." Ant whispered with a small smile edging at his hollowing features. "I always knew."

Dec choked back a sob as Ant's feet took gentle steps backwards, slowly moving out of his reach so that he was left curling his outstretched hand into little fists to gesture him back.

"I never forgot your love which is why I know you're going to do this one thing for me Decky. No matter what you hear... you'll stay safe for me? You'll look after yourself..." The emotion caught in Ant's throat as he choked out "and Cat."