"Damn, she kept everything."

Hunter pulled open another drawer of the file cabinet and went through the files packed in it.

This was just one of eight tall cabinets in the office. There were boxes stacked in a closet and even more information on the computer. Fitz was going through the digital data while Hunter looked through the hard copies.

"I think I got it," Fitz said from the desk.

"Me too," Hunter pulled several files from the drawer and joined Fitz at the desk.

"These are all labeled Mancini," he explained, stacking the files before he sat down next to Fitz.

"Yeah, this is the case file here," Fitz clicked and sat back.

The file contained hundreds of folders, organized by date. Hunter grabbed a folder and flipped it open, going through the papers.

"Okay, this is the first report from Luc's father. It says he heard plans to assassinate a government official who was opposing attempts to loosen oversight on businesses dealing in weapons."

"Shit," Fitz whispered. "The case is still open. Look," he moved the mouse to the last file. "This is dated three years ago, but the last entry was less than a week ago. Somebody has remote access to these files, or Luc's got a shadow agent that's still lookin' after him, and he doesn't know it."

"Shit," Hunter muttered. "We need to ask him about that."

"I doubt he comes in here at all, but nothin' in here is dusty," Fitz pointed out. "He keeps it locked, so somebody knows where the keys are or has their own copy and came in here recently."

"Luc!" Hunter got up to open the door and flip the light switch off.

"Royce?" Luc stood in the doorway. He had clay on his hands and narrowed his eyes.

"Hon, do you know if anyone has access to this room?"

"I have the only keys. No one touches my work area, ever. Why?"

"There's no dust," Fitz told him. "None, anywhere. Does your cleanin' team come in here?"

"No, I always keep this locked. Even Jordy has never been allowed in here. My office is in the other spare bedroom next door."

"Luc, baby, this file was updated about a week ago," Fitz told him gently. "Do you know if Pru was workin' with anybody on your case?"

"She never told me," he frowned. "Does this mean the case is still open?"

"It looks like it, baby," Fitz said. "What worries us is that this computer is either linked to another that's got free access, or somebody has access to this room, and you don't know about it."

"The only person in my life that would come close is Jordy, but I have my doubts that he is CIA. We were childhood friends."

"What about his mama?"

Luc shook his head. "Miss Gladys was a friend of Pru's. She was the only one she would allow me to stay with if she had to leave me alone. That's how I ended up friends with Jordy."

Fitz typed and clicked. "Gladys Kelsey. Looks like Pru had her in here and spent a lot of time with her. She could be a partner."

"Dio mio," Luc whispered. "I haven't seen her in years. She moved out of state just after Pru died."

"According to this," Fitz sighed, "she's still in Texas."

"So, she could be the one updating the file," Hunter surmised.

"We need to speak to Jordy, Luc," Fitz said. "And we need to find out if she's workin' this case and where she is on it. We need to know if you're still in danger."

***

"I didn't even know you had another office!" Jordy protested. "I thought that was a closet."

"Calm down," Hunter said.  "The questions have to be asked."

"Your mother is in Pru's files," Luc pointed out. "Do you know that she is still in Texas?"

"What? No! She's in New Orleans."

Fitz passed over a file with papers he printed out. "According to Pru's files, she's in Grandbury, and somebody updated the file recently. Mrs. Kelsey could be the one doin' it, and we need to know if she took on Pru's role of protectin' Luc or not."

"My mom would never hurt Luc!" Jordy yelled.

"Sit down, Jordy."

Luc's voice thundered across the room and Jordy dropped to his chair at once.

Luc drew a deep breath. "No one is accusing Miss Gladys of anything. The detectives were nearly killed today, on a false call involving the same case I've been dreaming about. They need to know if Miss Gladys is protecting me, as Prudence did, and where she is. They are just trying to figure out whether I am in danger from my father's work, this current case, or both. Do you have her number?"

Jordy swallowed. "Yes."

"Please call her now and put it on speaker."

They were gathered in the dining room around the large oval table. Luc sat at the head of the table with Fitz and Hunter on either side of him. Jordy sat at the other end of the table.

"Mom? Hey, how are you? Yeah, I'm here with Luc and...some of his friends. He wants to talk to you. Yeah, hang on I'm putting you on speaker."

"Miss Gladys, ciao Signora."

"Luc, baby, are you okay?"

"There are detectives here working on a case. They found your name in Pru's files."

"Oh, I see. Go into Pru's office, hon."

They all blinked when the line went dead.

"The hell?" Jordy frowned.

Luc stood and moved down the hall. Fitz and Hunter followed him with Jordy trailing behind.

Halfway down the hall, they heard a phone ringing. Luc stepped into the office and picked up the phone on the desk.

"Yes. All right."

He put the receiver down and punched the speaker button.

"Jordy, go home," Gladys said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Mom, what the hell?"

"Go now, Jordy," Gladys snapped. "This has nothing to do with you, baby."

Brown eyes simmering, Jordy stomped out of the room. They waited in silence until the door closed behind him.

"Is he gone?" Gladys asked.

Luc tilted his head, then nodded slowly. "He is."

"Okay," she sighed. "Who are these detectives, Luc?"

"Detectives Fitzgerald and Carlisle," Luc replied.

"And why are they going through Pru's files?"

"They want to know if I'm still in danger from my father's case," Luc answered. "Apparently, it is still open."

Gladys was silent a moment, then spoke in Italian.

"They understand you, Gladys, and yes, I do trust them," Luc replied in English.

"Right," she sighed again. "I called you on this line because it is secured. I was Pru's partner. We both looked after you. Before Pru died she gave me access to her system. What do you need to know?"

"Miss Gladys, this is Detective Kai Fitzgerald. I'm with the Fort Worth PD. We believe Luc may be in danger from the perpetrator in our case. Detective Carlisle and I just want to know if you are still involved in the Mancini case."

"I am," Gladys confirmed. "As far as I can tell, he is not on their radar at all. There's not much I can discuss, of course, because the case is ongoing and highly classified. Luc's protective detail was kept small to minimize leaks.

"His family had a full contingent of agents protecting them, and Luc is the only one who survived. Pru and I thought it best to make Luciano disappear."

"So, there is a death certificate for Luciano?" Hunter asked.

"Yes, I'll upload it to Pru's database. We even had a funeral. All of this took place while Luc was still in a coma. That lasted for almost a month after the explosion."

"So why are you still workin' the case?" Fitz asked.

"The bastards that did this are still at large," Gladys sighed. "Pru was sure they would try to get at Luc eventually, even with everything we put in place to prevent that."

"I know this is against regulation," Hunter said, "but could you possibly give us any information on the case? We have a personal stake in looking after Luc."

"It is highly against regs, but everything Pru and I have done is outside the standard anyway. I'll send you what I have. The Rafael crime family is deeply involved, but we never had enough to nail them. Pru and I both believed Don Feliciano Rafael gave the order to kill the Mancini family in Italy and again here."

"Dio mio," Luc muttered, shaking his head. "I know nothing! I was a child, and Pappa never spoke of these things in front of us."

"Rafael is a scorched earth kind of guy," Gladys said. "He doesn't believe in loose ends, and he wanted to be completely sure the Mancini family was wiped out. My intelligence shows he is unaware that Luc survived."

"Thank you, Miss Gladys," Luc said. "I hope you are well."

"You're welcome, baby, and I am so sorry for not telling you. Pru didn't want you to worry anymore."

"We'll take good care of him, Miss Gladys," Fitz promised. "I'll be lookin' for those files."

***

Cleo arrived shortly, and Luc brought her up to speed in quick concise Italian.

"Now, sugah, is there anything I can do for you?"

"We still don't know who's been keepin' that office clean," Fitz pointed out.

"So, we need to know who has a key and how they're getting in there without Luc knowing about it," Cleo surmised.

"We should change the locks," Hunter suggested. "All of them, and all of your codes too."

"Do it," Luc nodded. "Today."

Cleo whipped out her phone.

"I got it," Fitz stopped her, hitting the speed dial on his phone. "Jack, hey, it's Fitz. Yeah, I'm good. Listen, I need a full security rework for a client. Yeah, Lucien St. John. There's been a breach in his home, and we need to tighten that shit up. Yeah, I'm here now. Hey, you know he has special processes for entry, right? Okay, stick to that shit like Velcro, ya hear? All right, see ya soon, and hey. Double his security detail. Yeah, I know, but I got reasons. Okay, bye."

"Thank you, Horatio," Luc murmured.
"My pleasure, baby. I'm gonna go check on those files Gladys is sendin'. Hunter, lemme know when my guys get here."

"Well," Cleo chuckled, watching him walk away. "Men of many talents."

"It pays to have a boyfriend who happens to own a high-tech security company," Hunter winked.

"Oh, we're boyfriends now?" Cleo arched a brow.

Luc smiled. "I would like to be," he said. "Are we?"

"We are," Hunter assured, stroking his hand. "Very much, Luc."

"Good," Cleo nodded. "Luc needs a good man and now he's got two."

"I'm pleased you approve, cara."

***

The upgrades to Luc's locks and security arrived within an hour of Fitz's call. Hunter thought having the CEO standing over them had something to do with it, but they were efficient and very careful. Cleo discreetly repositioned a few chairs and a table in their wake. She trailed behind them, leaving it to Fitz to speak to them, straightening things up when they moved on to another area.

Hunter kept Luc company in the studio, going through his record collection while he fiddled with a pile of clay on his worktable.

"Do you have everything Elton did?"

"Close," Luc answered. "His piano is beyond compare. I enjoyed the Piano Man tour he did with Billy Joel, very much."

"Oh, did you get to go?"

"Pru had someone record the New Orleans performance for me."

Hunter pulled out a few records and wandered to the turn table. "You have a broad range of tastes. There's some Hendrix and Beatles. Jim Croce, Herb Alpert. Yanni?"

"Butterfly Dance is a very moving composition," Luc slapped his clay without turning around.

"I'm not judging," Hunter chuckled, earning a nod. "I saw some Earth, Wind, and Fire too."

"The R & B movement is born of the blues movement which has its roots in pre-American Civil War Negro spirituals," Luc said quietly. "They couldn't create anything for themselves, but they had their voices. Did you know, they would often sing to help escaped slaves avoid capture? Wade in the Water and Steal Away as well as Swing Low, Sweet Chariot for example. They didn't have maps, but the songs would tell them where to go and warn them if they were in danger."

Hunter finished setting up the records and started the first one. He wandered over to Luc and arched a brow when he tossed a cloth over the clay he was working on. "I did know that. I didn't know Swing Low was one of the songs they used, though. I don't figure you spent much time in a traditional elementary school, hm?"

"No, Pru had tutors, many of them by phone and later by internet. I'm sure extensive precautions were taken."

"So," Hunter rested a hand on the stool, playfully tugging it back and forth, "your education wouldn't be as slanted as mine towards standardized testing."

"No, I don't think it would be. Why are you twisting me?"

"What are you working on over here?" Hunter chuckled at the blush that blossomed in Luc's cheeks and crept down his throat. "Oh my god, you're adorable."

"Am I?" Surprise lifted Luc's pale brows. "I don't believe a Dom wants to hear this from his sub."

Hunter slipped gracefully to his knees and rested his chin on Luc's thigh. "Can we call you 'Daddy'?" he whispered.

Hunter watched those remarkable eyes darken and a soft smile curved his lips. "Ah Royce, tesoro. I would be honored to be your Daddy," he whispered back. "Does Horatio want this as well?"

"Yes, Daddy," Hunter purred, and Luc swallowed hard. Even under the loose lounge pants, Hunter watched him harden. "We want to be your boys, your dolci ragazzi."

"I want that, too," Luc responded, his voice deeper with emotion. "I do not want to jeopardize your relationship with Horatio. You have loved each other for years. I will not be an interloper."

"You wouldn't," Hunter assured him, stroking his ankle. "We didn't commit to each other because...well because I didn't want to lose him. I was afraid we would grow apart if we didn't have someone we could submit to. We can have that with you."

"So, I will be a boyfriend to both of you?" Humor lit those dark green eyes.

"You'd be our Dom, our Daddy," Hunter corrected him. "Fitz...Horatio, I mean, has been wanting your collar for a while."

"So, he was not teasing when he said he would be mine if I wanted him," Luc murmured. He threaded fingers into Hunter's hair. "And you, Hunter? Don't you want to explore the field before settling with me?"

"Not at all," Hunter sighed. "I'm not like Fitz. I can't submit to just anyone. I mean, dominant men are attractive, but I don't want to be another knot in a flail. I want to be valued."

"Of course, we all do," Luc agreed. "I never claimed Horatio because I wasn't sure he would be satisfied to serve me exclusively. I didn't want to be selfish with him."

"We would both happily wear your collar, Daddy," Hunter said softly, watching Luc blink rapidly. The pulse at his throat grew erratic and he closed his eyes.

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the top of Hunter's head. Hunter sighed when he rested his cheek on his hair.

"I don't know what I could have done to be so lucky," Luc murmured.

"You reported your dreams to the proper authorities," Hunter quipped.

Luc sat back with a small laugh. "So, I did. But I have been playing with Horatio for months at the Club. Whenever he was there, I sent for him. Perhaps in that way, I was selfish with him."

"I'm sure he didn't think so," Hunter grinned.

His knees should be aching, but they weren't. He was completely at peace kneeling before Luc like this. This was what he and Fitz wanted; a Dom that pushed all their buttons and wanted to keep them.

"So, would we live the lifestyle outside the bedroom, too?" Hunter asked.

"That is a discussion we should have together, and soon. I would be delighted to have you both wearing my collar in public, but you are police detectives. If I understand correctly, even being gay is not wholly accepted. I wouldn't want to cause problems for you."

Hunter shrugged and winked at Fitz as he sidled into the room. "We can work that out when we have to. Either way, I know I will never be ashamed of who I am, and I won't hide my Dom's collar."

"And you, Horatio?" Luc smiled, turning toward the other man he adored. "Would you proudly wear my collar in public and call me Daddy?"

"Fuck yes," Fitz dropped to his knees and crawled over to lay his head on Luc's other thigh. "I knew that the first time we played."

"My boys," Luc whispered, kissing their foreheads. "Are we moving too quickly? I wouldn't want regrets."

"No regrets, Daddy," Fitz whispered, eyes slipping closed. He reached for Hunter's hand and tangled their fingers together.

"None," Hunter agreed, lifting Fitz's hand to his mouth for a kiss. "We've always loved each other," he added and held Fitz's amber gaze when he blinked them open. "It took you to show us we could be together."