With Caution

water in it and jerked his head toward the table.
    “Let’s eat.” He set his glass down and went to the microwave, pulling out a plate of bacon. After setting it on the table, he grabbed the dish rag, opened the oven and extracted a plate with several pieces of toast. “Couldn’t find the toaster.”
    Damn, Jake and Sterling had made bacon and toast too? “Sterling broke the toaster.”
    “Broke the toaster?”
    “Yeah, he had three cups of coffee one morning while he was making breakfast. The toaster jammed and he threw it against the wall. That’s why he’s only allowed one cup now.” Remi took another drink of coffee and sat at the table.
    Jake sat next to him, scooting his chair close. He picked up his fork, and his brow furrowed. “I hate to bring this up, but last night…”
    The dream. Fuck. “What about it?” Remi asked hesitantly.
    “I need you to think about it. I know it has to be painful, but if you can come up with something to prove it was real, we can nail his ass.”
    “What if it wasn’t real? What if it’s all in my head?” Then again, what if it did happen? Remi couldn’t recall very much about that period in his life. Hell, he barely remembered Billy. Had he blocked out his relationship with Billy too?
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    With Caution
    Jake shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think it’s exactly what happened to you. I’ve already got Rhys looking into it.”
    Remi dropped his gaze. Fuck. He knew Rhys was Jake’s partner, but…
    “He’s had run-ins with Dirk before.”
    “Huh?” Remi raised his eyes.
    “Rhys worked for the FBI. His ex-boss worked that case. Said it felt wrong to him even back then. Apparently, your father made an impression on most of the agents, and it wasn’t a good one.” Jake cupped Remi’s cheek. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
    “I know. I’m not ashamed of that. Dirk is fucked up, he always has been, I’ve always known that. But what if it really happened and I didn’t tell anyone? What if I let Dirk get away with it?” Not only would he have failed Billy, but all this time he could have been rid of Dirk.
    Jake kissed Remi’s forehead. “Even if you had remembered it sooner, do you honestly think you could’ve made a difference? On reservations the FBI oversees murder investigations, but even they dropped the case. Who the hell knows who Dirk has in his hip pocket? Let me find out more and we’ll go from there.”
    Remi nodded. Jake was right. They should make certain the dream was real and see who all was involved first. He’d have to rack his brain and see what he could come up with. Maybe talking to his friends would help jog some memories. If that dream had been real, he didn’t want to remember it, but remembering would help Remi get Sterling away from Dirk. Speaking of Sterling… “Sterling.”
    “Coming,” Sterling yelled from the other room.
    Jake ran his finger down Remi’s cheek. “You look damn good this morning.”
    Remi smiled. He felt damn good this morning. He’d never imagined actually having a real relationship, much less one like he and Jake had. He’d never thought that far ahead.
    “Thank you, sir. Thank you for saving me…for changing me.”
    A slow grin spread across Jake’s lips. He blinked a few times, his eyes misty, then kissed Remi again. His lips were soft and gentle. “I hate to admit it, pup, but I did it for selfish reasons.”

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    J.L. Langley
    “Because I’m your mate?” Remi whispered against Jake’s lips.
    Jake nodded. “You’re mine.”
    “I’m glad.”
    “Hold on and I’ll let you talk to Jake,” Sterling said, coming into the kitchen.
    Handing the phone to Jake, the little shit grinned from ear to ear. What had he seen? “It’s Rhys.” Did he just sigh?
    Nah, must be Remi’s imagina— Rhys? What was Rhys doing calling Sterling’s phone? More to the point, how’d he get the number?
    Frowning at the phone, Jake gave Sterling a hesitant look and put the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
    Jake asked what Rhys wanted and how he got that number, but Remi turned to Sterling. “How does Rhys have your number?”
    Taking the seat across from Jake, Sterling shrugged. “Don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me. He said he was a PI, it was his job to find out things.”
    Hmm… “You need to keep it turned off unless you’re calling me. What if you got a call at home or something and Dirk heard it ring?”
    “I usually