Page 30 of Boy Toy Not Included

Kuba had known he was adopted for as long as he could recall. Krystof had never behaved like anything other than his dad, so it was easy to forget. That was until Dread’s face was on every sports channel. He was right here in the same town. His mom’s pain had been real and excruciating to watch. The man had vanished, and then there he was. Kuba had secretly wondered if Dread had moved here on purpose to taunt her, but he could never figure out why. Well, now he had his why. No doubt Dread had wanted to toss his success in her face. She had died believing the man she loved had abandoned her. Well, now he had his hundredth reason to hate his grandfather.

Setting all that aside, Kuba had some shock to wade through with Krystof’s confession of his own life. “What happened to the man you lost?” Kuba knew his dad knew. He had too much money and power to ever be in the dark.

A melancholy smile touched Krystof’s lips. The gesture made him look younger, as if his face had been made for sadness. Krystof stared at nothing. “He expanded his security company to Los Angeles and became highly successful.” Krystof focused on Kuba. “Making the decision to let the world see you for who you are won’t be easy, but don’t repeat my mistakes. I loved yourmother. She was my twin flame. But Steel was my soulmate, and I destroyed every shred of love he ever had for me. You don’t want Diesel to look at you with the same hatred as Steel shows me. His hardened eyes that used to look at me so softly are the only thing I see when I close my eyes. Don’t do that to yourself.”

Kuba swallowed past the lump in his throat. That was what Kuba had seen in Diesel’s eyes before he walked away for good: pure hatred. “Too late.”

Krystof shook his head. “It’s only too late if you give up. Maybe don’t go after him tonight, though. If Diesel is anything like Steel, he might actually kill you.”

His dad smiled as if he found that endearing.

Kuba hadn’t seen that smile in a long time. He realized how badly he wanted Krystof to be happy. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“If it’s not too late for me, then it’s not too late for you.”

Krystof’s smile turned even brighter. “What do you think I’ve been doing in L.A. these last few months?”

“Any luck?”

“None.” Oddly, his smile didn’t dull. “But I have no plans of stopping until he puts me out of my misery one way or another.Hate and love are two sides of the same coin. That much hatred only comes from the same intensity of love. Even if I fail, at least I’ve gotten to see him again. That’s more than I dreamed I would have.”

Kuba sniffed. “That’s sad, Dad.”

Krystof laughed. “I’m a bit of a romantic.”

Kuba snuggled deeper into his seat, putting his feet up and matching his dad’s pose. “Yeah, I can see that about you.” Now Kuba had to find his inner romantic. It was way, way deep inside him, but he couldn’t lose Diesel. Dread was a topic he would deal with another day. He was too mentally drained to know how he felt about that revelation. His brain felt too stuffed and clouded tonight. Fuck, he wished Diesel was there. His arms felt empty. There was no way he could sleep in their bed without him. The chair it was. Tomorrow, his new life would begin.

Krystof waited until Kuba fell asleep before quietly moving to the kitchen and out of earshot. Anger was draining, and Kuba was exhausted. Krystof made himself a glass of ice water and then sat at the table. For a while, he sat with hands flattened on the table, trying to stop himself from doing what he wanted. When had his hands started looking so old? They had been so young when they had caressed Steel. He could still feel the warm skin beneath his palms. While Krystof knew he had done the right thing all those years ago, knowing he had raised an amazing son didn’t stop the aching in his chest. Giving in to temptation, Krystof reached for his phone. He scrolled through the one-sided messages he had sent these past several months. There was no doubt in Krystof’s heart that Steel would never forgive him. That didn’t mean Krystof would stop. Steel hadn’t blocked him yet.

Just the thought sent a sliver of panic running through him. He pressed the call icon and brought the phone to his ear. It rang once.

“For fuck’s sake, what do you want?”

Even hearing Steel’s voice filled with rage made him smile. “Good evening to you as well, Steel. I’m calling about business.”

“Say what you need to say, then.”

Krystof closed his eyes and savored every syllable Steel spoke. “Mr. Jayme Martin is no longer employed by this family. Please remove his security.”

“Done. Anything else?” The barked words were like beautiful music to his ears.

“I’d also like to send a sizable bonus to Diesel for his outstanding service.”

Steel snorted. “Of course you would think fucking a client was exceptional work. Nonetheless, just let me know how much, and when I receive the funds, I’ll forward them to Diesel.”

Krystof pursed his lips for a moment but was incapable of staying silent. “My son loves Diesel, but Diesel has been nothing but professional. He’s done an amazing job. My hope is he’ll continue on with us, but that’s up to him. I won’t press the matter.”

Silence followed his spiel. Finally, Steel cleared his throat. “My team filled me in on what happened after the fight tonight. Maybe you’d like to fill in the blanks for me at some point.”

That voice. Krystof could swim in it for the rest of his life. “Maybe over dinner some night.”

“Don’t push it.”

Krystof chuckled. Wickedness bled from the sound. “Goodnight, Steel.”

Steel hung up on him, just like Krystof had known he would. Still Krystof smiled as he sent money through his Steel Security account. Krystof knew Diesel would be part of his family soon, and he took care of his family. No one could look at the love and despair in Kuba’s eyes and believe otherwise. Just like Krystof would win Steel, Kuba would win Diesel. It was inevitable.