“Fitz?” Jack rounded the table.

  “Hey, mind your own business.”

  “Fitz, are you all right?”

  “Jack?” Fitz sounded groggy, and he seemed to be having trouble keeping his head up. Fuck, something was definitely wrong.

  “Keep walking, pal.”

  Jack ignored the guy, jerking the table out of the way so he could crouch down beside Fitz. “Fitz, look at me.”

  Fitz lolled his head to one side, face flushed, eyes shiny and glazed, pupils blown huge. A sleepy smile spread across his face. “Jack, is… you?” His words slurred together before he closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

  “Yeah, it’s me, sweetheart.” Jack turned to glare at the asshole holding Fitz. “What did you give him?”

  “What? Nothing. He was like this when I found him.”

  Jack gently slipped one arm under Fitz’s legs, the other behind his back.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” The guy grabbed Fitz’s wrist but pulled back quickly when Jack shot him a warning look. Carefully, Jack moved Fitz off the man’s lap and onto the booth seat. He made sure Fitz wasn’t in danger of falling off before turning to the guy, who now stood, shoulders rounded.

  “Look at him. He’s clearly been drugged, and instead of getting help, you decided to take advantage of him?”

  The guy shrugged. “Not like he said no.”

  “He has no idea what the fuck is happening, you son of a bitch!” Jack snapped, punching the guy across the jaw. The man stumbled into a group of men, who set him on his feet, their expressions less than pleasant toward the guy after no doubt hearing the argument.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Frank loomed over them, his tree trunk arms crossed over his broad chest.

  “This guy just attacked me,” the asshole spat out, wiping the blood from his bottom lip.

  Frank’s eyebrows jumped up near his hairline. He pointed to Jack. “This guy?”

  “I did,” Jack admitted, seething. “Someone drugged Fitz, and this asshole decided he was going to take advantage.”

  Frank moved his gaze to Fitz, who now lay curled up against the back of the rich blue booth seat. The dark expression that crossed Frank’s face had everyone taking a step back. With his fists at his sides, Frank turned to the guy. “What’s the number one rule on the contract you signed, Troy?” His voice was low and dangerous. This was a man you didn’t want to cross. Everyone who knew Frank was well aware of his stance on assault. Jack, Joker, and the Kings knew the reason was connected to Frank’s past, even though they didn’t know the full details.

  “Frank, come on,” the guy whined.

  “What’s the rule?” Frank barked out, making Troy jump.

  “Consent.”

  “Consent. Because nothing happens in my fucking club without consent. There are no second chances. Consider your membership revoked as of now. Get the fuck out.”

  “Wh… what?”

  “You knew the rules. You broke them. You’re out.”

  Troy’s face turned several shades of red. “You can’t do this to me. You know who I am, Frank. Who is he?” He motioned to Fitz. “You’re going to toss me out over that pissy queen?”

  Jack lunged forward, only to get stopped by Frank with a hand to his chest.

  “Easy there, Prince Charming. I’ll handle this. You take care of your man.”

  Jack left the asshole to Frank and his security guys, who were almost as big as he was. He sent a quick text to Red before hurrying over to Fitz. Helping Fitz sit up, Jack moved next to him, an arm around his waist to keep him from falling over.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Fitz smiled wide, then booped Jack’s nose. “You’re a good guy, right, Jack? Everyone says so. Look me in the eye and tell me you’re good.”

  Jack brushed Fitz’s hair away from his face. “I like to think so.”

  “You wouldn’t cheat, would you?”

  “Never. If I was your guy, I’d show you every day how lucky I was to have you.”

  Fitz blinked slowly before a sweet smile spread over his face. “You would, huh?”

  “I would.”

  Letting out a dreamy sigh, Fitz let his head rest against Jack’s shoulder just as Red appeared, Laz at his side. Jack was certain the entire crew hadn’t shown up because Laz had told them not to or they’d have been crowding Fitz like a bunch of mother hens while Mason attempted to keep Joker and Lucky from getting themselves arrested over the asshole who’d hurt Fitz. Jack was blessed to have such an amazing family, but sometimes they helped best by taking a step back.

  “What happened?” Red crouched down in front of Fitz and checked him over. He removed a penlight from his tuxedo jacket pocket and moved it in front of Fitz’s eyes. “Shit. He was drugged?”

  “Yeah. Someone slipped him something. I don’t know what, how much, or how long ago,” Jack said, knowing the information would help Red. Having a former medical sergeant on hand came in real handy.

  “We should get him to the hospital,” Red said, standing up. “I’ll have them bring the car around. Meet you out front.”

  Jack turned back to Fitz and put a hand to his cheek. “Sweetheart, do you think you can stand?”

  Fitz nodded, his hair flopping over his face. He made several sounds Jack assumed was him trying to communicate. Wrapping an arm around him, Jack helped Fitz to his feet while Laz went around to the other side.

  By the time they got Fitz outside, Red’s Genesis G80 was parked in front, engine running. Red climbed out and opened the passenger side door for them, then moved the seat up before carefully taking Fitz from them. Once Red had Fitz settled in the back seat, Jack stood to one side, certain Laz would want to sit in the back with his best friend, but when Fitz called for Jack, Laz motioned for him to go.

  Once in the back, Jack found Fitz uncooperative. He refused to stay on his side of the car so Jack could get his seatbelt on him. He put his hands to Jack’s chest and pushed.

  “Please let me help you get your seatbelt on.” Jack moved back to see what it was Fitz wanted, surprised to find what Fitz wanted was to snuggle against Jack.

  “He feels safe with you,” Laz told Jack with a soft smile. “Whenever he has a bit too much to drink, he gravitates to whoever he feels safest with, and he’s like Velcro.”

  “Oh.” Jack smiled. “Gotcha.” Reaching over Fitz, he managed to get the center seatbelt around him and fastened without any objections from Fitz. He sat curled up against Jack, head on Jack’s shoulder. Even at this time of night, there was plenty of traffic on the way to the hospital. Fitz lifted his head, his face inches away from Jack’s. He took hold of Jack’s chin and turned his face so their eyes could meet.

  “Hi, handsome,” Fitz said sweetly.

  “Hi, beautiful.”

  Fitz smiled sleepily as he ran a finger over Jack’s left eyebrow. “How are you still single?”

  “Well, you see, I have a thing for this guy, but I don’t know that he feels the same way about me.”

  Fitz pouted. “Who is he? I’ll set him straight for you.” He blinked and snorted. “Okay, not straight, obviously. Do I know him?”

  “Yeah, you do.”

  “It’s not Laz, is it? He has a boyfriend,” Fitz said loudly, eyebrows drawn together in a disapproving smile, making Laz chuckle.

  “It’s not Laz,” Jack assured him. “But someone very close to him.”

  “Gio?”

  “No, not Gio.”

  “Oh.” Fitz frowned in deep concentration. His full lips formed an O before he inhaled sharply. He dropped his face onto his hand, cupping his cheek, his head tilted to one side, his smile affectionate. “It’s me.”

  “Yeah, it’s you,” Jack replied quietly, brushing the curled lock of hair that had fallen forward away from his face. He needed Fitz to stay awake. “Why don’t you talk to me for a bit?”

  “I like you,” Fitz murmured as he settled back against Jack.

  “I like you too.”

  “But you scare me.”

  Jack froze. “I scare you?”

  Fitz nodded, a sigh escaping him. “I scare me too.” He was quiet, and it was the longest moment of Jack’s life. “I could love you.” The conviction behind his words gripped Jack’s heart, and he held his breath. “But you’ll break my heart.”

  “Or you could break mine,” Jack replied gently.

  Fitz smiled against Jack’s neck. “See? Let’s not hurt each other.”

  “What if we don’t hurt each other?”

  “We could be happy.” Fitz’s words were almost a whisper, partly because he was fighting sleep and losing, and partly because he seemed afraid to speak any louder, as if saying the words out loud might make them true, which in this case wouldn’t be a bad thing. They could be happy.

  “Maybe we could be. We’ll see.”

  “Will we?”

  “I won’t give up on us so easy,” Jack promised.

  “Us.” Fitz hummed. “I like that.”

  “I like that too. Just a few more minutes. I’ll be close by if you need me.”

  “Okay.”

  They’d just turned into the hospital emergency room parking lot when Fitz sat back suddenly.

  “What’s wro—” The rest of Jack’s sentence got lost in Fitz’s mouth, and his kiss.

  Jack was briefly aware of Fitz’s hand cupping his cheek, and it took him a heartbeat to realize Fitz was kissing him. Jack’s eyes threatened to drift shut as Fitz deepened the kiss, but he quickly got hold of his senses and pulled back.

  Fitz frowned at him. “You don’t want to kiss me?”

  “I do. Very much. But not like this. Come on.” Jack climbed out and carefully helped Fitz. They walked him into the emergency room, and Red spoke with the nurse. They helped Fitz up into a gurney and quickly wheeled him off. Since Laz was down as his emergency contact and next of kin, he was allowed to go in and wait with Fitz.

  Jack sat outside in the waiting room next to Red. He hadn’t even realized he was bouncing his knee until Red gently put a hand on it to still him.

  “Hey, he’s going to be okay. He’s in good hands.”

  Jack nodded. Someone had done this to fuck with him; he was sure of it. It was no coincidence Fitz was drugged just as Jack had been lured to Frank’s computer to see photos of Fitz. As soon as Jack knew Fitz was okay, he’d hunt the bastard down and make them answer for what they’d done. Regardless of what happened between them, Fitz was part of Jack’s family, and no one fucked with his family.

  FIVE

  Everything hurt.

  Why did he feel so awful?

  Fitz gingerly opened his eyes, confusion settling over him. He was in his bedroom. Why was he in his bedroom? Was he supposed to be in his bedroom? With a groan he sat up, a wave of nausea washing over him. He reached over and grabbed his phone. His locked screen showed a preview text from Laz asking Fitz to call him. Shit, it was almost noon. He rarely slept past six in the morning. His best friend was the only person Fitz would ever call before coffee.

  “Hey, how are you feeling?” Laz asked as soon as he picked up the call.

  “Like shit.”

  “What’s the last thing you remember?”

  Fitz stilled, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, not just from Laz’s words, but the fact he couldn’t remember. “Laz, what’s going on?”

  “You were drugged last night. We took you to the hospital since we didn’t know what you were given or how much. Your test results showed you ingested two milligrams of Rohypnol.”

  Fitz inhaled sharply, his hand shaking as he put it to his chest. “Laz…”

  “Jack found you sitting on some guy’s lap. Something wasn’t right, so he went over to talk to you, and when he saw the state you were in, he intervened.”

  “What?” His blood turned to ice. He’d been drugged, and the worst part was he couldn’t remember a thing. He was always so careful, never leaving his drink unattended, never accepting drinks from anyone he wasn’t familiar with.

  “Frank revoked the asshole’s membership and kicked him out. The guy was clearly looking to take advantage of you and the state you were in. He must have said or done something, because Jack punched him.”

  Warmth spread through Fitz, knowing Jack had been looking out for him, but his nerves were frazzled. “Was he the one who drugged me?”

  “No. But we don’t know who did yet. Jack and his team have been combing through every second of footage with you in it, but so far haven’t found anyone slipping you anything or anyone acting suspicious around you. It’s got them completely stumped. I have faith in them, though. If there’s something there, Jack will find it. Speaking of Jack…”

  Fitz narrowed his eyes at his friend’s tone. “What?”

  “He’s in your house.”

  “Why is he in my house?” It wasn’t an accusatory question; he was just curious why Jack was in his home.

  “I was going to keep you company, but you asked Jack to stay. The only time you left his side was when you were in with the doctor, and even then, you kept asking for him. He helped me get you into bed, and then you got upset when he tried to leave.”

  “Oh.” Looking around his bedroom, there was no sign anyone had been there except him. His eyes locked on the clothes he’d worn last night draped over his armchair. “Who undressed me?”

  “I did. Jack was very much the gentleman. He slept on the couch. I got him bedding from your closet.”

  “I should thank him.”

  “Okay. Call me if you need anything.”

  “Thank you. Love you, boo.”

  “Love you too.”

  Fitz hung up and sat there, allowing everything he’d learned to sink in. This was his worst nightmare. While working the runway shows and afterparties, he never took drugs and never got drunk. He remained vigilant at all times. Those he’d worked with often rolled their eyes and dismissed his cautious behavior as ego. Trust was something that had never come easy for him, so unless he was with someone he trusted fully, he wasn’t going to leave his safety in their hands. Speaking of safety…

  If Jack hadn’t stepped in, who knew where and in what state Fitz would have woken up this morning. Despite being given the impression Fitz had gone off with another guy, Jack had checked on him. Shit, he’d punched a guy. Then there was the fact Fitz seemed to have attached himself to Jack last night. He wouldn’t have done that if he hadn’t felt safe around Jack.

  Fitz got up and went into his bathroom to take a quick shower. He needed to wash the entire previous night off. If he ever saw the guy who’d tried to take advantage of him while drugged, he’d kick him in the balls. Asshole.

  Once he’d brushed his teeth, showered, and towel-dried his hair, he felt so much better. He considered wearing something cute, but he was in the mood for comfort. Something told him Jack wasn’t interested in pretenses, so Fitz opted for dressing in his favorite pair of loose charcoal-gray yoga pants, a gray tank, and a thin black hoodie. As he walked out of his room and into the kitchen, he heard his fridge make a noise it hadn’t made in a while.

  “You fixed the ice machine?”

  Jack lifted his head from his laptop and looked up from where he sat at Fitz’s kitchen counter, his mouth opening to reply, but nothing came out. He looked Fitz over, then seemed to shake himself out of it. Clearing his throat, he nodded. “Yeah, it wasn’t making any ice, so I had a look at it. You had some frozen water in the line, so I unplugged the fridge, found the shut-off valve, filled a turkey baster I found in the drawer with warm water, and melted the frozen water before putting everything back.” He stood, went to the fridge, and put his glass beneath the ice maker. The fridge rumbled, and several ice cubes clinked into the glass. Jack grinned at him. “You now have ice.”

  “Oh my God.” Fitz hurried over and took the glass from him, then pressed it to his cheek. “My precious.” He caught a glimpse of his ceiling and frowned in confusion.

  “Yeah, um, I replaced the two spotlights that were out.”

  Fitz blinked at him. “Wait a second. You rescue me, spend the night in my home looking after me, then proceed to fix stuff around my house.”

  Jack shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, his face flushed. “Yeah, sorry. When I see stuff that’s broken, I can’t help but try to fix it. It drives Joker crazy.”

  “He doesn’t like it when you fix things for him?” Fitz handed Jack his glass.

  “It’s a control thing for him.” Jack shrugged. “He grumbles about it, but he’s okay with it because it’s me and he knows what I’m like.”

  “A hero?”

  Jack let out a cute snort. “Hardly.”

  “You stopped that guy from potentially… well, you know.”

  Jack’s sparkling silver eyes clouded over. “He’s lucky Frank was there.” He shook his head and dropped his gaze to his sneakers. “I might have been a little bothered by hearing you were with another guy, and I know that’s completely irrational because we’re not, um, dating or anything, but I wanted to make sure you were okay. When I saw you, something felt off, and then you said my name.”

  “I said your name?” Fitz started to make himself some espresso. He desperately needed his morning cappuccino, even if it technically wasn’t morning anymore. Once his fancy coffee machine was working on making the espresso, he grabbed milk from the fridge and poured some into the frother cup. “Cappuccino?”

  “Yes, thank you. And yeah, you said my name. I had to check you were okay, and you weren’t.”

  “So you punched that guy,” Fitz said, turning to face Jack and leaning against the counter as he waited for their coffee.

  “He deserved it.”

  “You punch everyone who deserves it?”

  Jack shook his head, his eyes lowered and a shy smile on his face. “No, I don’t go around punching everyone who deserves it. I don’t think my hand could handle that much of a workout.”

  Fitz blinked at him before barking out a laugh. He had no idea Jack had such a wicked sense of humor. “Well, thank you. For last night, and for fixing my fridge and lights.”

  Jack cringed. “And a few other things.”

  “You didn’t have to. Is there anything I can do to repay you?”