Centrepiece

Chapter
25

Subtitle: Threat

Author: Jedi Princess Clarrisani

I
wonder what will happen when Tala and Kai find out

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He
glanced up as he heard the flat’s door open, frowning before returning his
attention to his papers. He flicked through the printouts, making highlights and
small notes at certain points, shutting out the sounds from outside his bedroom,
even when he heard the shout. He picked up another pile of sheets, setting the
others aside and raising an eyebrow as he heard someone stomping down the
corridor before his door was thrown open.

“WHERE
THE HELL IS HE!?”

“You
tell me.” Bryan set his pen down, swinging his chair around and meeting the
eye of his team captain, nodding toward the kitten curled on his bed. “I got
home last night and found Chung Hu locked in my room. Went to put him in Ray’s
and found all his stuff gone. Figured you guys told him to get out.”

Kai
pushed passed Tala, glaring down toward the eldest in the room. “You know very
well we wouldn’t have told him to get out, just as we know you were protecting
him.”

“Read
anything into these past few days as you like, but that don’t change the fact
I have no clue where he is.”

Kai
growled. “Just you remember, Kuznetsov, if you’re lying-”

“Shut
your hole, Hiwatari. You know threats mean nothin’ to me.” Bryan shrugged,
swinging his seat back around and taking up his pen. “You lost him, you find
him. Ain’t my problem anymore.”

For
a long while there was nothing, then he heard Kai huff before the sound of
receding footsteps, the door swinging closed. Bryan shook his head, muttering
“morons” under his breath before going back to work. Well, at least they
weren’t stupid. They had worked out who was behind Ray leaving straight away.
But they had also fallen for his ‘as-if-I-give-a-shit’ routine perfectly, so
he couldn’t give them too much credi-

He
stiffened as he felt the hands settle on his shoulders, cursing himself as he
realised he had heard one set of
footsteps moving away from his room, while the other hadn’t moved at all. He
hadn’t left, instead slowly moving closer…

“Don’t
think I don’t know what you did, Bryan,” he said smoothly. “You’ve been
trying to talk Ray into leaving for over a week now. You knew he was emotionally
vulnerable and encouraged him to walk out, knowing it would be a strike against
me.” He reached up, grabbing a fistful full of hair and jerking Bryan’s head
back, pressing his lips to the elders ear as he smiled. “Don’t think
you’re going to get away with it. I’ll see to it personally that you pay for
what you’ve done.”

Bryan
gritted his teeth, growling. “Get out of my room, Tala.”

“Now
is that any way to speak to your captain?” Tala chuckled, licking the side of
Bryan’s face and smirking. “Still taste as good as you did back then. Back
when you were the one whom I had my
fun with. You know, after all these years no one ever came close. I have never
desired anyone more than I desired you, Iceheart.

“That
is until Ray came along. The moment I
lay my eyes on him I knew I wanted him, and that someway, somehow, I would claim
him. I had it all, Kai and Ray, whenever I wanted them, but now with Ray gone I
have only Kai.”

“Then
why not got back to Kai. He likes a good fuck just as much as you do.”

“Indeed
he does. And he’s quite good at it too.” Tala was calm, face almost
tranquil… but Bryan knew that in this mood Tala was at his most dangerous.
“But you see, Kai is almost too
easy. He is too much like me, I’m afraid. At least with Ray there was some
kind of battle to get the ultimate reward.” He ran his fingers through
Bryan’s lavender strands, almost studying them. “Just like it was a battle
with you. Never submissive… unless I forced the issue.”

Bryan
jerked away from his touch, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. His mind
buzzed, quickly putting two-and-two together and making him realise just what
Tala’s game was. With Ray gone Tala had one less ‘toy’ to play with, and
as he blamed Bryan for Ray’s disappearance, Tala was planning on replacing Ray
with Bryan.

“Forget
it, Ivanov.” Bryan hissed through his teeth. “As I told you years ago, I
want no more part in your bedroom games.”

“Then
you should have thought about that before you got rid of Ray.” Tala’s eyes
sparkled, Bryan’s jaw tightening as he read the almost evil intent written on
his captain’s face. “Back then you told me to find someone new, and I did
that, only you took them away again. I’m afraid that leaves but one
choice…”

“I
thought I said get out of my room!?”

Tala
shook his head and shrugged before grabbing the back of Bryan’s chair and
forcing it around, catching Bryan’s face in his grip and kissing him hard.
With a sharp movement Bryan threw him backward, Tala laughing and picking
himself up as Bryan snarled.

“Don’t
you think this is over, Bryan,” Tala told him, moving toward the bedroom door.
“It will never be over.”

Bryan
watched him go, growling at the back of his throat. Hearing a soft mew he looked
down as Chung Hu leapt up into his lap, Bryan raising a trembling hand to stroke
the kitten’s fur before glaring toward the closed door.

“Don’t
know about you, Chuny, but I think I’m in trouble.”

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And
things have just turned sour.