Tynan brought the kiss to an end. Zach was the one who forced him to come to work today. Since he was here, he needed to clear the work that had accumulated because of his trip abroad.

When his workload wasn’t so heavy, he would invite Zach to his office and bend his lover over his desk. He would make sure to enjoy the opportunity he was passing on today.

Zach took a step back, putting some distance between him and Tynan. “Every time you get that look, I know you are thinking about something perverted.” Zach straightened his clothes and buttoned his shirt. There was an obvious bulge in his pants.

Tynan took a moment to enjoy Zach’s hooded eyes and disheveled look. “What are your plans for the day?” He put on his jacket, not quite sure when it got removed in the first place.

“I was putting it off, but I am going to touch bases with Theo to see what he managed to get out of Rain. I also need to start tracking Brad’s movements.” Zach also needed to track down a few pieces of equipment. They weren’t illegal, but the government would prefer to know if you owned them. If he had more time, he would have liked to build some of his own components, but that would have to be done later. It would have been easier if he was willing to go to Pe City.

“Despite how things turned out, Rain is pretty astute. He was part of our circle for a reason.” Tynan was careful with the words he chose to use. Zach was not a fan of Rain for multiple reasons. While he liked seeing his lover being jealous on occasion, he wasn’t trying to make his partner feel that way.

It was hard for Zach to be objective about Rain. The man was a pain in his ass from the moment they met. To make things worse, Rain was in love with Tynan. “He is astute when you aren’t involved. From you are in the picture, his intelligence drops into negative numbers.”

“Isn’t that good for us?”

He grabbed Tynan’s tie and pulled him down for a kiss. Rain intelligence didn’t disappear around Tynan; it went away around Zach. He was the actor's Achilles heel. He didn’t know how successful Rain’s plan went during his past life, but he was sure his actions had some success. “That isn’t something to gloat over.”

“Who cares about Rain? It is your intelligence I want to disappear when I’m around.” Tynan was often tempted to take Zach and run. They would both retire, spending their days having sex and lying on a beach. If he was sure his uncle would leave them alone, he would do it right now.

A deep rumble echoed out of Zach's chest. “Kiss me enough, and I don’t even remember my name.” The words were spoken against Tynan’s lips.

It was Tynan’s turn to increase the distance between them. They needed to be in separate rooms because anytime they were alone together, things escalated. “Run along. I will never get anything done if you are here.”

Zach closed the distance, giving Tynan a goodbye kiss. “I will see you at home.”

“Don’t wait for me to eat. I might have to stay late.” Tynan saw Zach nod as he left the room. He turn to the pile of documents that required his attention.

***

Zach confirmed with Theo that Rain was still being held at the same location before arranging a visit. He didn’t know if Morris had done it already, but Zach also planned to brief Theo on the visit from Brad.

The driveway wasn’t paved. Instead, it was lined with gravel. Despite the weather being chilly, the garden was in full bloom, though the flowers were drooping.

He was able to see the house better during the day, or maybe he was preoccupied on the night of the party and didn’t pay attention. It was a sweeping three-story mansion. The architecture wasn’t what he was used to seeing in S country. Instead of clean modern lines, it was reminiscent of a church with tall arches and stained glass windows.

Theo was waiting for him as the car pulled to a stop.

“Morris says that Brad, you, and I are similar,” Theo said by way of greeting.

Zach didn’t know how to react to that. They were similar in the past, but Zach did die. It warped him in ways he didn’t know if he would ever truly comprehend. “That doesn’t say much other than he is dangerous. Men like us have our place in the world and there are reasons we exist.”

Theo’s smile was a mix of self-loathing and self-deprecating. “It is other people who don’t want us to exist.”

“Isn’t that the truth.” He didn’t remember the callus looks on the faces of his wife and children as much these days, but he would never be able to forget. “We aren’t the type to quietly die.”

“I see what you meant when you said that it was better not to have Maxwell as an enemy.” They walked through the house. Theo brought Zach to greet Cain, who was in a meeting.

Zach realized that Theo timed the meeting so that Cain would have an excuse not to be involved. “He isn’t a direct threat. He had no reason to act like that unless he was indicating that he wasn’t targeting Tynan.”

“It could have been him trying to get us to lower or guard.” Theo didn’t lead him to the basement room from before. Instead, they left the main building and had to travel into a forested area.

“Would you do that?” Zach asked. He’d also considered that possibility, but when he factored in what he would do and what he knew about Brad, he realized it was unlikely.

“There are better ways to go about things.” Theo brought them to a log cabin. When they entered, there didn’t seem to be anything special about the room, but Theo rolled a table out of the way and lifted a trap door up.

Theo supplied the answer before Zach could ask the question. “I don’t want Cain to have access to Rain. These woods have several cabins like this that are used during hunting season. Not all of them have secret rooms though.”

“Do you think Cain would free Rain?” Theo didn’t answer right away, but Zach didn’t press him for an answer.

“No.” Theo went down the step ladder first. “He’s not naive enough to fall for whatever lies Rain would tell. However, Rain has the power to hurt him. He feels guilty, and I don't know what that guilt would manifest as if he was confronted by Rain.”

Guilt could be more dangerous than anger. Correcting a wrong or perceived injustice could lead to a person betraying their own moral compass. “Rain would know how to manipulate that emotion. Why does he feel guilty?”

“It changes, but it all stems from the fact that he wasn’t good enough for Rain to love. None of this would have happened if Rain was able to fall in love with him.”

It didn’t make sense to Zach, but that was how emotions were. Sometimes they didn't even make sense to the person experiencing it. “Has he thought about talking to someone?” Zach was careful as he raised the issue. Getting help from a professional was seen in a negative light.

“I’ve mentioned it, but he doesn’t want to go.”

Theo didn’t seem inclined to continue the conversation, so Zach dropped the subject. He expected that response. Speaking about your mental health became more normalized, but even when he died, there were certain groups and people that viewed it as unnecessary or a weakness.

For therapy to be effective, it had to be something that Cain admitted to needing and sought out for himself. It might have a negative effect if people forced him to attend.

“What about you?” Zach asked as they walked along a narrow corridor. Since his rebirth, he didn’t enjoy confined spaces. He needed conversation to fill the silence, or he wouldn’t be able to bear it.

“I have never had a problem admitting my faults. I have someone I speak to. Though I would be lying if I said I told them everything. I don’t trust doctor-patient confidentiality that much.” They game to a metal door that had a keypad. Theo entered the passcode.

Zach had to smile at Theo’s words. He was in a similar situation, but he couldn’t speak because his therapist might recommend that he be institutionalized. He bundled his past life experiences as dreams when he needed to discuss something important with her.

Theo allowed Zach to enter first. Rain’s state now resembled someone who was being imprisoned against his will. His hair was disheveled. The air of superiority he gave off before was gone. In its place was a man who was starting to panic.

“Guess who I met today?” Zach asked. Rain head snapped up, and he didn’t bother hiding the anger or hatred he was feeling.

“Get out!” The restraints on his hands and feet clanked as he moved. “Out!”

Zach smiled and moved further into the room. “Good to see you too.”

“Arghhhh. I’m going to kill you.”

“Good luck with that.” Zach moved to sit on a chair that was in the corner. From the scuff marks on the floor, he could tell it was a place in the room that Rain’s chains wouldn’t allow him to move. The scraps on the floor suggested he’d tried many times. Theo probably sat here when he questioned Rain.

“What was I saying?” Zach turned to Theo.

“You were going to tell Rain who you have the pleasure of meeting today.” Theo leaned against the door his legs crossed at the ankles and his arms folded over his chest.

“Ah.” Zach slapped a hand against his thigh. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Brad Maxwell.”

Theo lowered his head to keep Rain from seeing the laughter on his face or the fact that he was rolling his eyes. Zach never met Brad. The meeting took place between Morris and Tynan. Zach was devious, and he was very good at riling up Rain’s emotions.

“Your lying. He would have made sure I went free.” Rain managed to get himself under control. His eyes still were quite right, but he wasn’t acting deranged.

“I knew you would say that. I made sure to bring you a present. Zach pulled out the image he had downloaded from the security cameras at Tynan’s office. “Here. Do you recognize this man?” Zach flicked his fingers. The picture sailed through the air before skidding to a stop on the ground.

Rain did his best not to pounce on the picture, but in the end, he couldn’t hold back. The last time they met, Zach had also pulled out pictures that ruined his life. His knees gave out, and he crumpled on the floor when he looked at the photo. “He asked for me!”

It wasn’t a question. “Desperate isn't a good look on anyone.” Zach kept his voice light even as Rain screamed. “You weren’t the only person he was interested in. He was grooming other pawns. Do you even know what he wanted you to do? I bet you don’t.”

“I do! He needs me to get close to someone.”

“You really do like to think of yourself as special. Are you the only person he can use? James Caster is just as handsome and twice as sane. You have been abandoned.”

“James isn’t as active in B country. I might not know who the target is, but I was in the best position to get the job done.” Rain pulled on the chain as he tried to reach Zach. His hands were outstretched, and his fingers clenched and released as though he were imagining them tightening around Zach's neck.