Santori Reborn (The Santori Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  SANTORI REBORN

  The Santori Trilogy Book 2

  MARIS BLACK

  CONTENTS

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Part I

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Part II

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Part III

  Chapter 19

  To be continued

  Also by Maris Black

  About the Author

  SANTORI REBORN

  Copyright © 2018 Maris Black

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior permission. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the author: [email protected]

  Cover design by Maris Black

  Model: Mike Chabot

  Photographer: Alfred Liebl

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  For my Beast.

  PART I

  CHAPTER 1

  JAMIE

  My alarm was an unwelcome intrusion on a fitful night’s sleep. I swatted frantically at my phone, somehow managing to get the snoozed activated before the alarm woke Kage. He was finally sleeping peacefully, and I wanted him to stay that way.

  After I’d left him the night before, I had done some research online about treating his bruises. Then I drove to Walmart and loaded up on bags of frozen peas and rolls of compression dressing. We should have started treating the injuries the night before when they were fresh, but I figured it was better late than never.

  When I returned, much to his dismay, I covered him with the bags as he lay in bed, treating the front of his body first and then the back for twenty minutes each. Then I wrapped the worst spots in the compression bandages. By the time I was finished, I’m pretty sure he’d wanted to kill me, but he kept his mouth shut and let me nurse him.

  After that he had tossed and turned all night, moaning so often and so heartbreakingly I had begun to suspect he was having another dream about the death of his brother. Several times I’d had to pull my hand back from shaking him awake.

  Maybe it was the drugs that had him unable to quiet his mind. Maybe it was the mugging, which I suspected wasn’t a mugging at all. Kage had secrets, of that I was certain, but the true nature of those secrets was still a mystery to me.

  I rolled out of bed, careful not to disturb Kage, and crept across the room to the picture window that framed the city beyond. The balcony called to me, and I answered, stepping out onto the clear surface and feeling the familiar twinge of fear. Of suspicion that it might give way at any second and send me careening to my death.

  Cool morning air chilled my skin, and I grabbed onto the edge of the balcony and watched as dawn’s light slid over the city, washing out the deep blacks of night. If only that light could somehow get inside me and illuminate the worry-shadowed corners of my soul. I felt so lost. So out of my depth as I white-knuckled the balcony rail and pondered the confusing mess my life had suddenly become.

  The note I’d found shoved into Kage’s desk drawer had been nothing more than a hint, a tiny clue with no context. Watch yourself. To me, those words could only mean one of two things; Kage was being harassed, or he was being warned. Either way, someone was not happy with him.

  Could the note really have to do with Kage coming out as gay? Though the timing of its arrival had coincided perfectly with the now-infamous Grace Howard interview, I had a feeling the two were unrelated and that the note was meant to communicate something much more sinister than homophobia. And what about the so-called mugging, during which nothing was stolen and all of the injuries seemed to be strategically placed to be hidden by Kage’s clothing? I was leaning toward the theory that both the beating and the note were warnings, and they had absolutely nothing to do with sexual orientation.

  But Kage seemed reluctant—no, unwilling—to share any details with me. As if he thought we could coexist in the same living space while leading separate lives based on two opposing realities. Did he really think he could get away with keeping me in the dark? And why would he want to? If I had something scary going on in my life, I would definitely want him to know about it.

  Unless…

  Oh, my God. Could that be it?

  I covered my mouth with my hand as my brain seized on another idea—one that made me panic, my breaths quickening. What if this was all my fault? What if Kage was being threatened because someone knew I had killed Santori? What if this was something like blackmail? An I Know What You Did Last Summer intimidation plot? All because of me.

  My stomach tightened as my mind filtered facts through a different-shaped sieve. I’d been keenly aware of Kage’s growing agitation over the past weeks. He was absent more and more often, and even when we were together, he would get a faraway look in his eyes. As if his body was right in front of me, but his mind was somewhere else entirely.

  I had thought seeing a therapist would fix the problem. Kage had been at least partially dependent on therapy since he was a young boy, and now that poor Dr. Tanner was missing and presumed dead, Kage’s mental health had been left unattended like an innocent little latch-key kid. Who knew what trouble he might get into while he was left to fend for himself? What emotional aberrations might manifest, especially in the wake of Santori’s death?

  Murder, my mind corrected, as it always did. It couldn’t let me forget. I kept telling myself it had been self-defense. That Santori had been an awful man, and I had really performed a public service by taking him out.

  Of course I had, because the alternative was unthinkable. And yet it was always there, lurking on the periphery of my thoughts. Leering at me. Taunting me. And if I ever looked directly at it, or listened to the insidious little voice that whispered—

  Shut up, shut up, shut up. I buried my fingers in my hair and pulled hard enough to bring tears to my eyes. My head was still vaguely sore from the last time I’d done this, and the familiar ache comforted me in a strange and unexpected way. I clamped my teeth tightly together, and there was an ache there, too, from long nights of clenching in my sleep.

  I had tried to stay upbeat and keep a smile on my face while I watched Kage drift away, trying to pretend it was just a temporary bump in the road caused by stress. I had encouraged him to seek therapy under the guise of concern, but the truth was, deep down, I was resentful. Tired of playing second fiddle to his demons. I needed him more than ever, and he had left me flapping in the wind like so much forgotten laundry.

  But now I had to entertain the possibility that the resurfacing of his demons and the very real threat of physical danger were all my fault, because I had committed murder and then made myself a permanent fixture of his life. Was I a liability? A tool to be used to punish or manipulate him? If that was the case, then maybe I deserved to be hung out to dry.

  Whatever the case, this was my life now. I needed to man up and take control of it. If I was a liability, there was nothing to be done about it now except to move forward and try to fix it. Kage was strong, and I was coming to believe that I was s
trong.

  Wow. When had that happened?

  I got dressed for work. It still felt funny calling it that, even though I was getting more confident and productive every day. Running an MMA blog wasn’t as easy as it had seemed when it was an abstract idea, but I was actually loving every minute of it. Kage may have funded it and gotten the ball rolling, but the blog was mine. I’d even called it Jamie’s Corner.

  It was the first thing that had made me feel like a man instead of a fumbling college student, and I had begun to think of it almost like my child. An adorable little bundle of potential for me to nurture and love and help grow into something more. It depended on me, and I wasn’t about to let it down.

  After I was dressed in a white button-down and slacks, I pasted my unruly curls into some semblance of order and walked through a light spray of Creed cologne, which I could admit I was addicted to. Then I left Kage a note, along with my cell phone, his pain pills, and a bottle of water.

  I bent to kiss him on the forehead, but I swerved away at the last second for fear of waking him and brushed my lips lightly against his hair. Then I grabbed my laptop and headed off to the office.

  God, I loved the sound of that. I was officially adulting, and despite the rest of the bullshit, it felt amazing. I was beginning to think maybe I could do this real life thing after all.

  Steve was in my office before I’d even gotten my laptop fired up, looking vibrant in a peach shirt, skinny khakis, and a tie striped with shades of raspberry. His blond hair had new highlights and a streak of lime green that swooped elegantly across one eye.

  “Channeling your inner rainbow sherbet today?”

  He smiled, unperturbed. “Are you saying I look good enough to eat?”

  I rolled my eyes and hit the power button on my laptop. “If that’s what you want to tell yourself, I’m cool with it.”

  “Hmmm…” Steve said. “That’s pretty close to an admission. I’ll take it.” He sat down in the chair facing my desk and sighed. “I’m bored.”

  “Your shift just started. How have you had time to get bored?”

  I logged in and scrolled through my email inbox, which was getting really busy since I’d started the blog. Fan mail, requests for coverage of certain fighters, offers for interviews. There were even people asking about advertising on my site, and I had enlisted a developer to create an ad system for me.

  It was shocking how quickly things were moving. I was actually already receiving ad revenue—okay, I had sold two ads so far. It was only a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of money Kage had invested and was still investing to make me a success. But still…

  I was nervous about my next step, which was posting regularly on my YouTube channel. Fortunately I already had a great camera, which Kage had bought me in the early days of our professional relationship. I had fashioned a little makeshift studio, with my camera mounted and ready to go on the edge of my desk, a ridiculously expensive microphone, and a backdrop with different scenes I could pull down behind me. I mean, I had a green screen, for Christ’s sake. A green screen.

  Steve leaned forward and rested his elbows on my desk, refusing to be ignored. “After last night, anything would be boring. I had a date with an investment banker.”

  Oh, yeah, right. We were talking.

  “An investment banker?” I asked, not looking up from my laptop. “That’s different. I’d figure a suit who handles money for a living would be a little sedate for you. The firefighter, the DJ, the rock climber… Those seemed more your type.”

  I refrained from mentioning the MMA fighter, because though Jason and Steve had hooked up once, it had not ended well. Steve was my new bestie, and Jason was the closest thing Kage had to a friend, so we all avoided that touchy subject like the plague.

  “Hey, alphas come in all shapes and sizes,” Steve said. “As long as they’re not afraid to explore their kinkier side in the bedroom, they’re my type.”

  I didn’t even want to know what Steve got up to in the bedroom. He made it difficult not to try to imagine, though, because he loved to throw out suggestive comments. He never got graphic, but I often found myself picturing him—against my will, of course—playing the submissive bottom for some big, rough dude. And wearing lingerie, of course. The way he dressed during the day pretty much guaranteed he’d like to dress up in pretty things for his partners.

  I thought maybe it was a good time to ask.

  “Do you…ummm…dress up for sex like you do for work?” That wasn’t exactly how I’d meant to word the question, but I was suddenly shy.

  Steve grinned knowingly. “I don’t wear khakis and button-ups to bed if that’s what you mean.”

  “Nooo…” I felt a blush coming on. “I mean colorful things. Fancy things.” Why was this damn question so hard to get out?

  “Colorful or fancy? You mean like clown suits or tuxedos?”

  “Stop fucking with me, Steve. You know what I’m talking about. I mean do you wear…” I fluttered my hand awkwardly. “Pretty undergarments?”

  That made him laugh. “Why yes, grandma. I do wear pretty undergarments. Last night I was rocking a pair of black silk panties with black stockings and a lacy garter belt. Wanna see the pictures?” He pulled his phone out of his pocket.

  “Do not show me that.” I held my hands up in front of my face, warding him off.

  He put the phone away with a shrug. “Fine, but the investment banker sure seemed to like it.”

  “I’m sure you were very lovely,” I said. “But please don’t make me look at panty pics. I have a hard enough time ignoring your sex life as it is with you telling me about it all the time.”

  “Hey, I have to hear about you and Kage all the time, too.”

  I gaped at him. “Because you ask, asshole.”

  Steve regarded me for a moment, the smile finally falling from his face. I had a moment of regret, thinking maybe I had gone too far and hurt his feelings. But nope, he was only gearing up to hurt mine.

  He looked at me with pity in his eyes. “Oh, my poor boy. You and Kage are having trouble in bed, aren’t you?”

  “What? God, no.” His comment made me feel uncomfortable, probably because it was so close to the truth.

  Steve sat back in his chair, putting more distance between us, and held up a hand to mute my protests. “Don’t lie to me, Jamie. I’ve noticed you’ve been getting awfully snippy and closed down about sex lately. It’s like you’ve been possessed by the spirit of some sexually frustrated spinster. Before long you’ll be knitting cat sweaters and wearing sensible shoes, and I am not going to stand by and watch that happen. I had thought maybe it was the blog. That you were trying to be all mature or something, but I just realized it’s not that at all. You’re just hard up.”

  “I am not hard up,” I huffed. “Besides, everything isn’t about sex, Steve. Some of us have priorities and stuff. Goals and shit.”

  Steve got up out of his seat and rounded my desk. I braced for him to slap me for being a colossal dick. Instead, he threw his arms around me and squeezed.

  “I’m sorry, Jamie. Is there anything I can do? Would you like me to speak to Kage?”

  Oh, God, this was worse than a slap. His pity and lovey-dovey bullshit made my skin crawl. I wasn’t weak. I wasn’t some emotional charity case. Kage loved me, and I loved him, and I didn’t need Steve feeling sorry for me.

  “Hell, no, I don’t need you to talk to my boyfriend.” I extracted myself gently from his hug and nudged him away. “I’m fine. I told you Kage has been stressed out for a while, and things have been strained. It’s nothing a little therapy can’t fix.”

  Steve nodded. “Well, that Dr. Key is certainly cute.”

  “Cute?” I gave Steve my most genuine what-the-fuck look. I was about to launch into an inquiry on why he thought Dr. Key’s looks had anything to do with his ability to counsel Kage into a better frame of mind, but then I realized it wouldn’t do any good. Steve had a very unique way of thinking, and a bit of log
ic wasn’t going to change him.

  Besides, I kind of liked him just the way he was. Confusing, annoying, snarky, and sweet.

  I groaned and gave in like I always did. “Okay, we’re having a little trouble, but it’s not so much sexual as communication-related. Kage and I have never been the most efficient communicators, and lately it’s even worse. I’ve already told you he seems distant, and I don’t know how to draw him back in. That’s pretty much the gist of it.”

  Confiding in someone who could only know a small part of what was going on was sort of pointless. I knew that, but the alternative was shutting Steve out.

  I’d had something of a breakthrough that morning as I stood in our bedroom contemplating everything. After all of the fear and freaking out, a sense of peace and of certainty had settled over me. Kage and I were meant to be together, I was absolutely sure of it. And we were strong, both separately and as a couple. It might take a while to get everything sorted out, and things might get worse before they got better, but I was in it for the long haul.

  If things had to get bloody and messy, then so be it. Kage was my man, and I wasn’t giving him up without a fight.

  “You know I’m here if you need me, right?” Steve said. “I may not be able to do much, but you can at least count on me to listen and to watch movies with you.”