by Wolfe, H. M.
"Where is Peyton?" Alasdair looked around, although he knew the answer, but asked anyway, wanting confirmation from one of the two men.
Since the attack on Ezra, he'd refused to communicate with anyone else except Leon, leaving Peyton brokenhearted and confused. They were devastated, thinking they were unworthy of love because of the ugly secret their body kept hidden.
Alasdair knew he had to go and visit his friend, offering them the so-much-needed shoulder to cry on. After warmly hugging Ezra one more time, the redhead went to the kitchen, when Leon was washing the dishes.
”On a scale from one to ten, with ten being the worst, how bad is he?” Alasdair asked, without further introduction. ”No fancy lies, just the truth,” he gave the man a piercing stare.
”On a scale from one to ten, I’d say twenty-five,” Leon sighed, his beautiful, dark-brown eyes clouded by sadness. ”He’s far worse than when I found him behind the club and brought him home. Much, much worse.”
”What are you going to do about this?” Alasdair spoke again, as bluntly as the first time. ”His assailant, do you know them? Do you intend to let them get away with it?” the teen kept pushing, not seeming to notice Leon’s reactions to his questions.
”She’s someone from my past. The worst kind of devil the pits of hell spawned and then threw into the world. That woman is the embodiment of evil, and I’ll deal with her in due time. Until then, Ezra is my top priority,” the man said in a determination-filled voice.
”And that means what? Checking him into a clinic, finding a good therapist, someone whom he could trust? What exactly is your plan?” Alasdair insisted.
Leon looked at the boy in front of him, a smile forming on his lips. The geeky kid, whose mind was only to study, vanished overnight, replaced by this mature young man who was interested in his friend’s well-being, pushing him to find the best solutions. ”I’ll take him to his family, they would know better what to do,” he answered.
”His family?” Alasdair was disappointed in Leon for the first time the two of them knew each other. ”But Ezra expressly specified that...”
”I’m not taking him to his mother, that’s more likely to sign his death sentence. I’m talking about the paternal side of his family,” Leon said, then he abruptly fell silent.
The truth was, he only thought about leaving the boy in the Blooms’ care seconds earlier, and it was more like a reaction to Alasdair putting pressure on him. But then, the more he thought about it, the most attractive that idea appeared to the man.
”Do you know them? Ezra’s paternal side of the family, do you know what kind of people they are, or would he end up worse than if he’d live with his mother?” For some reason, Alasdair was hellbent on finding out everything about the subject.
Leon smiled, liking that side of the kid. Being so curious was a huge advantage if he eventually decided to become a doctor. "Yes, I know one of his cousins, he’s a hell of a good man, who protects his family at all costs. And I also know Ezra’s great-uncle, who was my dad’s superior officer and the best brother in arms.”
”What are you waiting for, then? If his folks are as good as you say they are, the longer my friend stays here, the more difficult his recovery period would be," Alasdair gave Leon a think about it look.
"I guess you are right. I’ll talk to him about that. Hopefully, he agrees," the man sighed, heading to the living-room. "I was going to check on him anyway. Your buddy has been in there with him for too long.”
To Leon’s great surprise, Ezra completely relaxed in Seymour’s presence, the two of them engaged in a light conversation. The older man let out a loud sigh, taking a seat and starting to talk to the teen. Again, Alasdair’s friend proved to be of great help, backing up Leon with logical arguments spoken in a soft, soothing voice.
Finally, Ezra agreed to give his paternal side of the family a chance. So, helped by the redhead and, strangely enough, Seymour, he started to pack his things. Because by the time everything was ready, it was already evening, and they decided to leave first thing in the morning.
"I want to talk to you," Alasdair told Leon in the kitchen while helping him with the dinner dishes.
”Sure, go on,” the man gave him an encouraging smile. ”What’s up?”
”Well...A good friend of Seymour’s invited us to spend the summer with him, and I was wondering...you know..." the teen shifted his weight from a foot to another, a light blush coloring his cheeks.
”Sure, you can go to this friend of yours, especially if he is friends with this Seymour guy, who seems a very nice fellow.”
”Yeah, Ardan’s... he is a very nice guy,” Alasdair whispered, blushing violently.
Leon nodded, without saying anything. He dreaded the moment when he would come to an empty house, with no one to greet him. The man knew he would miss the banters between the two kids, the redhead’s big mouth, even his yelling out of the blue.
Anyway, it was for the best, Leon thought, because, once Julianna discovered where he lived and who was he protecting, she would continue to attack the kids, knowing that it was the only way of bringing him to his knees.
So, the next morning, at the crack of dawn, he loaded Ezra’s bags and boxes into the trunk of his car, while the kid was saying goodbye to Alasdair, hugging him tightly, and to Seymour, whose hand he shook quite vigorously. He continued to wave at the two of them until they were no longer in sight, then turned around, blankly staring at the window.
However, as soon as the car entered the mansion’s grounds, Ezra’s eyes widened in awe at the sight of the lush gardens surrounding them. It was a completely different sight than that of his mother’s home, with its perfectly manicured lawn, but no trees, bushes or shrubs. The landscape put a small smile on Ezra’s face, making him look forward to meeting this side of his family.
Indeed, not long after Leon pulled the car onto the driveway, a young redhead, in his early to mid-twenties came out of the mansion. His eyes widened at the sight of the vehicle and the man who’d just stepped out of it and started to unload the trunk. In the meantime, Ezra also stepped out of the car, helping his protector with the bags.
"Welcome, my friend! Who did you bring home this time?" the redhead smirked, giving Leon a bear hug. "Glad to see you again, man!" he said in a cheerful voice.
”Glad to see you too, Liam,” the other man smiled brightly, patting the redhead on the shoulder. ”And yes, you guessed correctly, this is...”
”Ezra! Oh, by all the gods, dead, alive and unborn, man! Where did you find him? We have been looking for him for months, but he was nowhere to be found!” Liam exclaimed, pulling the blue-eyed boy to his chest.
"Sorry for not bringing Ezra to you earlier, but he was in pretty bad shape," Leon said, pain in his eyes. "He’s not in a happy place now, so take it easy on him, OK?” he continued, lightly stroking the kid’s pitch black, soft strands.
”Of course, don’t worry, our cousin will be well taken care of, now that he’s home,” Liam turned to Ezra, giving him a warm, assuring smile. ”Don’t you want to step inside for a little, Leon? There are people, who miss you a lot here," the redhead winked.
”I’m afraid it’s not possible, I have to be somewhere in about an hour,” the man said, well aware of the meaning behind Liam’s words. He didn’t want the beautiful, delicate Darien to be a part of the dangerous lifestyle he was forced to come back to, no matter how hard he tried to have him in his arms.
Hugging Ezra and the redhead once again, Leon climbed behind the wheel, driving away from the one who had captured his heart and haunted his dreams, because that was the best way of keeping him safe.
”Was Leon the one you were speaking to earlier?” Darien asked, sensing Liam’s presence. But, instead of relaxing, he tensed, because of the stranger who accompanied his best friend.
”Yes, Dar-Dar, it was him again. Apparently, the man is an angel in disguise, with the mission of finding all the strays in our clan and bringing them home. This time, it’s E
zra the one your Leon left in our care.”
Darien raised his head, a bright smile blooming on his beautiful, sensual lips. Liam always had a way with words, he thought, because he and Leon were soul-mates, they belonged to each other forever.
Meanwhile, Alasdair and Seymour got back to what the crew called the base, greeted by Ardan, Drew and a few other guys with high positions in the gang’s hierarchy.
"Welcome back, kid, and happy early birthday," the boss said, giving the redhead a tentative hug. "We bought you some presents. They are in your room. Also, there’s someone excited to meet you. I hope you like it,” Ardan whispered, looking down.
Alasdair hugged the man, then ran to his room, where he saw two big boxes. One was nicely wrapped, placed on his bed, while the other, which was larger, was on the floor, strange noises coming from it. With careful moves, the redhead opened the box on the floor, two Golden Retrievers pups greeting him and licking his face with great enthusiasm.
Once the little dogs calmed down, Alasdair moved to the box on the bed, unwrapping and opening it. He gasped in surprise at the sight of the medical books, taking them one by one from the box. As the redhead picked the last book, he saw the rectangular, white card, written in cursive letters. ”To the greatest neurosurgeon in the world. Use your brain to cure others. A.”
CHAPTER 41
Darien felt Leon’s breath fanning against his skin, as the man started to kiss his forehead, moving to the brows, eyes, cheeks, and jaw, then descending to the neck. There, he stopped for a few seconds, then started to nip on the sensitive skin, tentatively at first, then he dared more, making Darien let out small whimpers of need.
”Are you enjoying this, sweet boy?” Leon asked in a gentle voice, but the young man knew he was smirking.
”Yes, very much,” Darien managed to form the words, his voice barely audible. ”I want more, please!”
”Happy to oblige,” his partner replied in the same voice from earlier, lightly biting the delicate skin on the young man’s neck.
After a while, Leon’s mouth descended again, this time to Darien’s chest, kissing every inch of it. From time to time, he stopped to whisper sweet words of love, his hands replacing the lips on the young man’s torso. Using the tips of his fingers, Leon traced lines everywhere over Darien’s body, stopping just above the navel, never going past it.
Suddenly, the older man stopped, and the boy could feel how his love-filled gaze took in every inch of his body, every dip, curve, and angle, like a camera, recording that moment forever. Then, Leon lowered his head again, capturing Darien’s sweet-tasting lips in a passionate, hot, wild but also tender kiss, pouring all his feelings into it.
The heat in the younger man’s groin became unbearable, and he started to whimper, quietly, as if he was asking his lover to do something about it. After a few moments, Darien felt Leon’s hot breath against his pubic area, the man’s tongue skillfully working the underside of his cock, turning him into a moaning mess.
The young man was already on edge as the result of his lover’s previous actions, so he arched his back, bucking the hips against Leon’s lips. He got the silent plea, starting to suck and tease the head of Darien’s cock. By the time the man took him into his mouth, the boy had lost the battle with his own body and pent-up desire. With a forceful thrust, he...”
"Oh, by the name of all the deities in the Universe, I’m so pathetic! Like I was some horny teenager, and not a twenty-one year old!” Darien thought, exasperated by the way his treacherous body conspired against him. One thing was clear: he couldn’t go back to sleep all wet and sticky, so he got out of bed, heading to the drawers holding his boxers and pajama bottoms.
Taking one of each, Darien went to the bathroom, peeled all his clothes off, took a short shower, dried off and changed into the clean clothes, then hopped into the bed, waiting to fall asleep again. As he laid relaxed and comfortable, the young man started to think about the most recent, incredible changes in his life.
Until Leon, Darien didn’t have any fantasies of him and another man in bed, the horrible things he experienced as a sex slave when he was a mere child continuing to haunt him. The tentative, long-distance relationship he’d had with Carter, the other guy who helped him, didn’t have any positive effect on his life.
It didn’t boost Darien’s level of confidence and self-esteem, on the contrary. Each time he and the other man were talking over the phone, cold chills ran down his spine, a sensation of discomfort and uneasiness lingering over him long after the call ended. Besides, Carter’s voice was somewhat cold, commanding and dismissive, it was nothing like Leon’s, calm, warm and sexy.
When the man first called him, Darien suspected something was not quite right, but he still got involved in the long-distance relationship, out of an exaggerated sense of gratitude. Almost immediately, the man started to flatter him, but, told in that flat, cold voice of his, the compliments sounded off, unnatural, as if Carter was reciting them.
Shifting in bed, Darien sighed. He should have put a stop to that relationship right away, it already took too much effort to sustain. Picking up the phone off the nightstand, he opened the voice mail and started to talk.
Carter was in the middle of a meeting with his associates when his phone started to buzz, signaling an incoming voice message. A savage rictus formed on his lips, when he checked the identity of the sender. So, the pathetic little shit was finally falling in his carefully set trap, making the first move, without waiting for Carter to get in contact with him?
Maybe the naive, oh so innocent boy was asking him on a date? The man started to get hard thinking about the things he would do afterward to the deliciously sweet boy, how he would ravage that perfect little body...With his mind filled by cruel, depraved fantasies, Carter pressed play and started to listen to Darien’s message.
”Damn snotty kid! How dare he!” the man hit the table so hard, that the plates, glasses and everything else started to clatter, threatening to spill.
”What’s wrong, Carter, who’s got you so upset?” Julianna asked, lightly touching the man’s hand.
"This boy I was planning to make mine dumped me! Probably that redneck he calls friend filled his little head with shit about me. And to think he was such easy prey, sweet, helpless, blind..."
”Did you say blind?” Julianna flinched, the trademark predatory look in her eyes. ”What’s his name?”
”Look, miss, with all the shit we’re currently dealing with, there’s no time for our friend to take care of such trivial matters,” Roberto Schilacci said sourly.
”Darien Sander-something,” Carter said, ignoring the Italian and his acid comment. ”Why it’s so important?” he turned to Julianna, who smiled evilly.
”It’s Darien Sandrigham, and we hit the jackpot, gentlemen, all of us. The said snotty boy is the only obstacle between us and one of the greatest fortunes in the whole world, the Duke of Sandrigham’s estate.”
”Miss Julianna, as I stated from the beginning of our collaboration, for us, the Schilaccis, money doesn’t matter. Honor and respect are the most important,” the Detroit mobster said in the same sour voice from earlier.
”On the contrary, Don Roberto,” the woman replied, her voice sweet, yet firm, ”money matters now more than ever. With the Delle Rovere’s emissary finding Cesare Brentano-Fenelli and delivering the message, things became very complicated. War is the only honorable way out. Or, to start and finance a war, you need lots and lots of money.
The Italian looked at the woman, and he couldn’t help admire her sharp mind and flawless logic. If she had been a man, Julianna Nixon would have made a hell of a great Don, he thought. A real one, not the piss poor excuses of cappi who hid behind written agreements, refusing to honor the promises of their ancestors.
"So, what do you suggest?" Professor Winters, who hadn’t said a word by then, spoke.
”Well, Don Roberto here will provide the location and two strong men, Carter will lure the wimpy kid there, and
I will take care of the rest," Julianna replied. "When I finish the job, I’ll message you, and we'll meet again, to agree on the next step of our plan of action.”
After the departure of his associates, Carter composed the message to Darien, using all the right words and putting his most convincing, sweetest voice in it, hoping the pathetic little wimp would fall into his trap. The answer came almost right away and, as the man expected, the naive kid accepted to meet him.
A loud, long sigh of relief escaped from Darien’s lips when he listened to the voice message Carter sent him. The guy also wanted to break up with him but was afraid of hurting his feelings. He also said there was someone else in his life, a person who made him feel special and told Darien to meet the two of them so that they could part ways on good terms.
The kid smiled. Finally, once he broke up with Carter, he would be able to confess his love for Leon. Darien understood the man’s hesitation when it came to seeing him, most likely caused by Liam or Elizabeth accidentally mentioning that he was engaged in another relationship, even if it was only a long distance one.