by E. M. Leya
"That's still a few years away." He laughed.
"So, it doesn't hurt to look. Anyway, there is a lot of cool stuff in the Denver area. I'm making a list, then when it's safe to come to see you, we can go check it all out." She nudged his shoulders. "Turn so your back is to me."
"I'm going to look like a fool."
"You will not. This isn't like you're bleaching it. You'll just be a lot lighter than you are now. It will look cool." She took her hand under his chin and positioned his head back a bit. "So, tell me how you're really doing. I'd be scared to death to have to start my life over as someone new."
He sighed. "Did they tell you my new name?"
Faith laughed. "Yeah, but you could always go by Bill."
He growled, careful not to move as she started putting something in his hair. "I'm going by D. It's simple and sorta close to Dyson."
"I like that. I can get used to calling you D. I was worried I'd slip up when I see you, but D isn't as hard as William. Anyway, you okay?"
He wouldn't lie to Faith. "I'm nervous, maybe even a bit scared."
"More scared than you were in jail?"
He nodded, then remembered not to move. "Sorry. Yeah, jail isn't hard, it's just boring. It's a lot of hours of thinking, which can mess with your mind. Colorado is going to be a challenge. First off, I hate the cold, then there's the fact I don't know anyone. I don't know my way around the area. It's going to be a learning process."
"If anyone can do it, you can." She rubbed her fingers through his hair. "I heard them talking last night that you're going to start a new team. I think that's great. Think of how many more kids you can help."
Dyson smiled. "Do you think you can come be my doctor? I'm going to need one."
"Right, can you give me a few years? Dad isn't letting me do anything. It's going to take forever to get through school, but if I go to school in Colorado, I could do it while I'm in school. It's not like I need a license to work with the team, right?"
He bit his lip. "That's something we'd have to look into. Beau would be best to ask about that."
"Beau is just like my dads, he wants me to slow down and take my time."
"Taking your time means fewer mistakes. Besides, you shouldn't be in such a rush to grow up. You should be out having fun with your friends, flirting with boys, and giving your dads gray hair."
She laughed. "At least I'm doing the last part well."
"Maybe you should dye their hair too."
"Maybe I'll ask if I can." She stepped back and smiled. "Okay, now you sit and wait." She took the gloves off her hands before washing them. When she was done, she sat on the edge of the tub, facing him. "Were you scared when you got arrested?"
"Honestly, so many emotions hit me all at once. I guess fear was one of them. Not knowing what would happen or if Bryon could really get me out of jail like we'd always planned. It got harder with every day. Your letters helped me so much. I knew by what you said you guys were working to get me out. I was able to hold on to that hope. I might not have known when, but I at least knew you were trying. Noam's visits helped too. I needed a friendly face that first day he showed up."
"I asked to visit, but they wouldn't let me."
"I'm glad. The jail is no place I want you to be, even to visit." He reached out and touched her chin. "You're too good for that."
She rolled her eyes, catching his hand in hers. "We're all too good for it, but it happens. If I work with a team when I get older, it could happen to me. I get that you guys all want to protect me, but I've seen the worst of the world already, and I came through it okay."
He smiled. "Yeah, you did. You came through it better than anyone could hope. You're an amazing young woman, Faith, and no matter what you do in the future, you'll be great at it." He took a deep breath. "Don't tell Xander, but out of everyone, you're the one I'm going to miss most."
Tears filled her eyes. "I'm going to miss you too. I'd hug you, but your hair's all nasty."
"Not as nasty as it will be when it's done." He sighed. "I need you to do me a favor while I'm gone."
"Anything."
"Keep an eye on Xan for me. I know he's got your dad, but I still worry about him. It's going to be hard on both of us being apart. Remind him it won't always be that way. We'll plan a camping trip or something when things calm down. I just worry this might all hit him later."
Faith nodded. "He'll be okay. If he isn't, I'll kick his butt back in shape."
"I don't doubt you could." He looked up like he was trying to see his hair. "Is it time yet?"
"The longer we leave it on, the lighter it should get." She glanced at her phone to see the time.
"In that case, it comes off now. What do I do?"
She handed him a small tube of something. "Shower, rinse your hair really well, then use the conditioner in this tube. Don't use shampoo. Then when you get out, just comb it like normal." She started for the door.
"Hey, Faith?" Dyson called as she was about to leave.
"Yeah."
"Thank you. I needed this." He smiled since he couldn't easily hug her.
"We both did." She smiled before she walked out the bathroom door, closing it behind her.
Alone in the bathroom, he closed his eyes for a moment, hoping that somehow, he could find the strength to follow the plans. Every part of him wanted to stay with this team, but doing so would only put them all in danger. This was for the best, and no matter how hard it was going to be, he would do it, because it was the only option, and if Faith believed in him, he could believe in himself too.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Dyson glanced over at Rob, who was concentrating on getting by the construction zone they were driving through. They had just left New Mexico and were finally in Colorado. The trip had been long, and they still had a few hours left to drive. They hadn't talked too much, and that gave Dyson way too much time to think.
Saying goodbye to the team had been hard, and he'd barely held it together as he hugged everyone, promising to be in touch as soon as it was safe to do so. As hard as it had been to leave, he couldn't get in the car fast enough just so he wouldn't be staring at them, wishing he could stay.
He needed to get his mind off of the old team and concentrate on the new. As overwhelming as building a new team seemed, he was actually excited. "So, have you met Jeremy?" he asked Rob.
"Yeah, I brought him to Denver right before I came to meet you." Rob glanced over at him. "He's a good guy."
"What's he like?" The more information he had up front, the better prepared he would be.
"Honestly, a bit like you. He's going through some changes, struggling to let go of the past. Pissed off and angry, but also determined to make this all work."
"What did he do before this?"
"Not my place to say." Rob glanced at him quickly before looking back at the road. "I don't give personal information to anyone. If he wants you to know his past, he'll share it with you. I will say, he's a solid guy from what I can tell. Jokes around, but when it comes to the shit you'll be doing, he's serious as hell. He wants to make a difference."
Dyson hoped so. He was used to having a trained team with everyone on the same page. He didn't have to ever ask what any of his old team members needed or wanted because they just knew how to read each other most of the time. Learning to do this with a whole new group was going to be a challenge.
Silence settled between them again as Dyson stared out the window, taking in the landscape. Colorado really was a beautiful place, but then it wasn't covered in snow like it would be in a few months. The first thing he was going to have to buy was winter clothes. Not that he had any clothes with him other than what he'd gotten from Rob. He really did need to start over in every way possible.
As they neared Denver, Rob broke the silence. "Do you want to see the team house first or your house?"
Dyson's gaze flashed to Rob. "You mean I have a house?"
"Sure. Bryon wasn't going to make you live in the team house, thou
gh you might spend a lot of nights there. You still need your own place to get away from it all. Bryon bought a home for you and got everything set up. You should have everything you need inside other than clothes and personal things he figured you'd go get on your own."
"Shit, he hadn't mentioned a house. I figured I was on my own to start over."
"Nah, he knows you left your home and money back there. The team will get into your old home when they can, Carter was working on all the paperwork. I don't know what the plan is, but I was told they'll take management of the house and accounts and go from there. He'll send you anything personal you might want and he's already set up a bank account and credit cards in your new name. I assume there is also a business account to handle all STK money, but I'm not sure on how they work all that since you need it under the radar." Rob turned off the freeway. "House or work first?"
"Work." Dyson wanted to see what kind of place the team would have. It was more important than his own home. He could sleep anywhere, but the team house needed to be in the right location and blend in with others in the community. "So what do you know about the area?"
"Not too much. I've spent a little time in Denver, but not a ton. I know Arvada is just outside the main city, and it's a small peaceful community. You won't draw a lot of attention there. When you are in the main city, be prepared, traffic is a mess, though no worse than you're used to in California. A ton of one-way streets. Winters can be a bitch, but that's coming from me, and I'm a beach bum."
"Yeah, me too. Wasn't very excited about the location." Dyson sighed.
"If you like the outdoors, you'll enjoy it here. A lot of great lakes and trails. I hear the hunting is amazing too, if that's something you're into."
"I haven't been, but sounds like something I'd enjoy." He tried to follow where they were headed so he'd know how to get around later.
"This is your street." Rob turned off the main road.
Dyson looked at the homes along the side of the street, liking what he saw. It was a simple middle-class neighborhood. It would be perfect to play off that he was just moving in and starting his life in a new state. People wouldn't question it. "Here we go." Rob turned into a driveway and parked behind a large SUV. "The Ford Explorer is Jeremy's. I think Bryon had your vehicle delivered to your home. I can give you a ride over there before I leave later today. I have to catch a flight at seven tonight."
Dyson nodded as he climbed out of the car. He quietly followed Rob to the front door, not shocked at all when he pushed it open and walked right inside. Dyson grinned as he walked in, taking in a large entryway that led to a good-sized kitchen off to one side and a living room off to the other. "So far it looks great. How many bedrooms?"
"Five."
Dyson turned at the unfamiliar voice. "You must be Jeremy?" He eyed the tall man, with a solid but not thickly muscled body, and black hair accentuated deep blue eyes.
The man nodded. "William?"
Dyson made a face. "Call me D." He offered his hand.
The man quirked an eyebrow as he shook Dyson's. "How about Blondie?"
"Fuck off." Dyson tugged his hand back and ran it through his hair. He hated his light-colored hair. It was like he was staring at a stranger every time he looked in the mirror. He was dyeing it back to his old color as soon as things calmed down. There was no way he was keeping it light.
Jeremy laughed. "Just giving you shit. I was warned you might be moody."
"Understatement." Dyson walked past Jeremy to look at the living room. "You furnish the place?"
"No, it was this way when I arrived." Jeremy gestured to the couch. "I wouldn't have chosen that."
"Yeah, me neither." He glanced back at Rob, who was leaning against the doorway. "Who picked this shit?"
"Not sure." Rob shrugged. "You can always fix it how you want it."
"I haven't touched anything but the kitchen and the computer room. Figured I'd wait until you got here to decide how we wanted to set things up." Jeremy motioned Dyson to follow him down the hall.
Dyson's gaze traveled over Jeremy as he walked ahead of him. The guy had a kick-ass body, with narrow hips and a perfectly grabbable ass. At least he'd have something to enjoy watching when they worked together.
"Two bedrooms on this floor, two bathrooms, and a computer room. Upstairs you have three other bedrooms, and two more bathrooms, though one is connected to the main bedroom." Jeremy pushed the door open to the computer room.
Six computers lined one wall, and various other electronics were cluttered around them or against the other walls. Dyson wasn't even going to pretend to know how it all worked or what half of it was. He was able to mess around with his laptop, but beyond that, his computer skills were lacking. The room was twice the size of his old team's computer room, and he liked that whoever worked in there wouldn't be sitting right on top of each other. "We secure in here yet?"
"Yep, Carter left this morning. We're set to go as soon as we decide to. There are some minor things I need to work on, but I promise no one is getting into this system unless it's Carter or someone as brilliant as him."
Dyson gave a nod. "Good." He turned and walked to the other room. It was a semi-large bedroom with a queen-sized bed and a dresser. "At my old place, we have the medical room upstairs, and I've always hated that. We have to carry people up in an emergency. I'd like for this to be the medical room once we find a doctor and get that set up."
"I'm easy." Jeremy shrugged.
Dyson raised a brow and grinned.
"Fuck off," Jeremy growled, turning out of the room.
Dyson let him go. If he couldn't take a little silent teasing, they weren't going to get along. He walked around the room, trying to decide if it was big enough for everything a medical room would need. It would have to be because he wasn't putting it upstairs. That had been the one thing Bryon did that had always bothered him.
Leaving the bedroom, he glanced at the other one, then he made his way upstairs, checking out the rooms and looking at the view from the windows to get an idea of what his neighbors were like. He was content seeing most had clean yards, and from the looks of things, there were a lot of kids in the area. He hoped the neighbors weren't overly friendly, but nice enough they could wave as he and his team walked in and out of the house, hopefully looking like nothing more than guys hanging out.
"Basement?" He glanced at Rob as he came down the stairs.
"Have no clue," Rob told him from where he now sat on the living room couch, focusing on his phone.
Dyson started to open doors, finding closets, then finally the stairs that led down into the basement. He walked down, pleased to find a large living room, and what looked like a storage area, along with another bathroom.
The one thing he'd always loved about the old STK house was the fact that they had the game room in the basement. It was the most relaxing place in the house, and after long hours of doing what the team did, they needed a place to cut loose and have some fun. The game room was a sanctuary for them to go and just relax. He'd have to talk to Jeremy, but hopefully, they could do the same things here as they had at the old house.
Walking back upstairs, he sat down in a large chair across from Rob. "This works. It's perfect other than the lack of tasteful furnishings."
Rob laughed. "You don't look like the home décor type."
"Even a loser like me knows ugly when he sees it." He relaxed back, tired from all the hours in the car over the last couple of days. "So now what?" He glanced over as Jeremy walked back in and sat on the opposite end of the couch as Rob.
Rob set his phone down and reached for a manila envelope on the coffee table. "Your new driver's license, credit cards, banking cards, and papers, the title to your home, and a bunch of other shit that Bryon said you'd need." He tossed the envelope at him. "You've got a full history from birth until two days ago, showing you born and raised in this area."
Dyson pulled the papers out and started to look through them. He glanced up and laughed. "I
have a degree in finance?"
"Makes sense," Rob said. "It will explain where all your money came from."
"Do I have a lot?" Dyson asked.
"Whatever you had saved before plus some." Rob smiled. "Bryon made sure you're covered and didn't lose it all with what is going on. He figured you'd both lost enough." Rob glanced over at Jeremy.
"I was impressed with how well they handled things. I expected to be walking the streets, looking for work," Jeremy said.
"Yeah, that's about what I thought too." Dyson smiled, glad that Jeremy and he could understand each other. He glanced at another paper. "I have a boat?"
"Every man has to have toys, right?" Rob smirked.
"I guess so." Dyson shrugged.
"I got the four-wheelers. We'll have to make a camping trip out of it." Jeremy smiled.
Okay, maybe they could be friends. It was still too soon to tell. "Yeah, once either of us figures out where to go camping. I'm guessing you're not from around here?"
"Nah, I'm from back east. This is all new for me." Jeremy sighed. "I've been here a little over a week and am still lost driving in every day."
"Great, that will be me too." He shook his head as he continued to look through the papers. "This all looks good. If I have any questions, I'll call Bryon."
"Then how about I take you home, let you see your new house, then you and Jeremy can take it from here?" Rob sat forward.
"Yeah, guess that's a plan." Dyson glanced at Jeremy. "You going to be here later?"
"No plans on going anywhere. I've got a few things to still get set up." Jeremy nodded toward the computer room.
"Then how about I go home, grab my car, and head back here in a few hours? I'll pick up something for dinner and we can eat as we talk and try to figure out a game plan. That's if I can find my way back here."
"GPS got me here pretty easily, but call me if you have any problems," Jeremy said.
"I don't have a phone."
"Oh shit. Yeah, you do." Rob stood and went into the kitchen. When he walked back, he tossed a new phone at him. "Preprogrammed with all the numbers you might need. Keep all your old contacts off it, until things settle. Once you two get things ready to go, Bryon said you can get team phones so you aren't using your personal ones, but he wanted to leave that up to you guys. If you want to get your own, go for it."