by Luna, David
Cade could tell by the look on Braden’s face that even though he’d done his best not to embarrass him, Braden couldn’t keep the blush from suffusing his skin. He touched the side of his glasses shyly. “Yeah, I’ve been wearing my contacts for a few days too long. I forgot to change them out because of the migraine, and my eyes are getting tired, so I’m giving them a break today.”
Cade smiled at him. “They suit you.”
Braden avoided eye contact and stammered. “Uh, thanks. Ready to go back over to the café?”
“Yep, ready when you are.”
Once they arrived at the cafe, Maya practically attacked Braden in her exuberance to see him. They hugged for what seemed like five minutes, swaying back and forth, whispering to each other.
Cade could see tears in Maya’s eyes and though he didn’t want to see her sad, Cade loved watching it. He loved that Braden had her in his life and that she so obviously loved Braden just as much as he loved her. Cade was so engrossed watching their bond, that it didn’t even occur to him that he should leave them alone. They talked for several minutes, quietly, in the corner of the kitchen. Maya peeked around Braden several times, checking out Cade and smiling knowingly. God knows what Braden was telling her, but he kept a smile on his face, because it couldn’t be bad when she had that devilish look in her eyes. After their conversation died down, she admitted she had to get back up to the front. They hugged again, and Cade heard Braden murmur, “I love you too, baby girl.”
Braden got to work, and a certain calm came over him that Cade really enjoyed. He was in his element in his kitchen, and contentment shined through. Cade verified with Braden that he wouldn’t leave the kitchen, locked the outer door, and warned Braden not to open it for any reason. Cade told him if any deliveries came through that door going forward, he would be the one to answer it. He left Braden to his baking while he looked around the whole cafe, front to back, to figure out what security issues there might be. They had a security system that was subpar, which would need to go right away. He placed a call to his team and got Sawyer and Jackson to make the trip out with the right systems and equipment to arm the place properly, as well as Braden and Maya’s places, as it didn’t look like they had any security at all. He also asked them to bring several tracers for Braden, should they be needed.
When they’d left Custos, they’d placed it in the very capable hands of Micah Reynolds, another former captain in the Special Forces. Once they’d become large enough to justify it, he and Cooper had decided that they needed to operate much like their detachments had in the Army. They needed all of their guardians to be fully trained in their specialties and cross trained in other specialties in order to be wholly capable of managing small jobs independently, standard jobs as a unit, and large jobs as a cohesive team.
What that meant, in a nutshell, was that Cooper and Cade could leave Custos in the hands of one of a few extremely competent unit leaders and fully expect that everything would be handled as professionally as they would manage things themselves. They would still manage the business aspect of their security company remotely, the financials, the human relations, and marketing; but the day to day aspect of running operations, assigning security detail, and maintaining the status quo would fall on the shoulders of someone equally qualified. Micah was managing things for them while they were handling these cases and it was gratifying to know that they didn’t have to worry about things going to shit if they weren’t physically on site managing Custos themselves.
Feeling more at ease, now that help was on the way, he went back into the kitchen and asked Braden if he was doing all right. Braden didn’t respond, and Cade realized he had his buds in. He got closer to Braden, made sure to come from the side, so as not to spook him. Braden looked up and noticed him, pulled out a bud and smiled. “Hey, sorry, were you talking to me? I tend to zone out.”
Cade reached over, borrowed the bud, listened to the music and smiled when he realized it was Ray La Montagne, one of Cade’s top choices as well. Handing the bud back, he ran a wide, gentle hand up Braden’s back as he leaned his hip against the work counter. “Just checking on you. Do you need anything to eat or to check your blood?”
Braden looked at him, a little surprised. He smiled and showed Cade his watch on the underside of his wrist. He tapped it a couple times, brought up a screen that showed a timer and then touched Cade’s other arm. “What you saw a couple days ago was an aberration, I promise you. I’m very good at taking care of my health, Cade. I have to be, or you see what happens. That’s only the tip of the iceberg of what could happen, if I become lax in my diligence. I’ll get a snack in a few minutes, after I put these in the oven, and in another two hours or so, I’ll eat, check my levels and give myself an injection.”
Cade nodded his head sheepishly. “Of course, you’re right, sorry.”
“I’m not. I’m not sorry you asked at all. You can continue to ask me anything, it won’t upset me.”
“OK, then one more question?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“I know they have those pumps that you can get that deliver insulin automatically. Why not do that?”
Braden’s nose scrunched up, and Cade just wanted to kiss it. “I tried a pump, years ago. Hated it. I need to feel like I’m controlling my diabetes, not like it’s controlling me. The pump is connected to you with tubing, just like a catheter and I hated how it felt, how it was connected to me, how I couldn’t get away from it. I had some bad readings and some other issues with it. My Endo took me off of it after less than a month, and I was happy to see it go. I manage my diabetes with MDI, which means I have to have at least four injections a day, sometimes more, if needed.”
“What’s MDI?”
“Multiple daily injections, some of them slow acting to last all day, others fast acting around meal times. To some, it seems like a reason to get on the pump, but for me, it’s a reason to keep going with injections, because I’m very regimented and scheduled, so it helps me keep my numbers more in check that way. It’s what works for me and my lifestyle.”
“I didn’t know it was that complicated. Will you share your schedule with me, so I can understand it?”
Confused, but somewhat intrigued by the idea, Braden’s brows rose. “You want to know my insulin schedule?”
“Yeah, I do. I think it would be good for me to have it, if that doesn’t bother you.”
“No, it’s fine. I don’t know why you’d want or need it, but it doesn’t bother me at all to give it to you.”
“OK, good, thanks. I hate to bring it up, but we need to talk about the notes. I need to get information from you in order to know how to go about figuring out how to get this guy. I don’t want to get in your way here, but since it’s been a couple days, we can’t put it off any longer. Are you OK to keep working while I ask the questions?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
For the next few hours, Braden baked and Cade asked probing questions to learn as much as he could about the stalker. Braden had been receiving notes from his stalker for about three months. They arrived in his mail box, on his car windshield, in the business mail slot and taped to the back door of the cafe. Some weeks he would receive three, some none, with no discernible pattern in their delivery. The only common thread that Cade could find was that they all seemed to revolve around Braden’s running schedule, as that is when he was out in public most often, and readily available to the stalker. As he’d mentioned before, he was pretty set in his routine and wasn’t very social. Mostly he worked, and he ran.
After the first month or so, he began to take things more seriously and pay close attention to his surroundings, but he never noticed anyone lurking. He changed his schedule, in that he didn’t run at night any longer, but the notes continued. He told Cade that he hadn’t even dated in a little over a year, so there were no recent rejections or scorned lovers wanting to scare him. He admitted that he had received several hang-ups over the last several months, but he had never th
ought to tie them to the stalker, because nothing had ever been said. He also stated that there were no break-ins and that he’d never felt that someone had been in his space at work or home.
The difficult questions began when Cade started asking about all of his past relationships. For now, Cade wanted to focus on the last five years, which would mean Nick Stevens, Owen Hoffman, and Eric Pollard. Braden began feeling stressed out about answering these questions and Cade could see it in the set of his shoulders and the stilted way he began moving. Prior to that line of questioning, Cade had enjoyed the fluidity in which Braden seemed to move. Everything in the kitchen was where it was needed and the way Braden moved and worked was almost like a dance. That ended immediately upon the questions involving his last five years of relationships.
Cade knew he needed to tread lightly, not so that he could get all of his questions answered, though that was part of it, but more because he could tell this was taking its toll on Braden and he was here to fix the problem, not make Braden feel worse. Cade took a few seconds to settle himself and be completely calm for Braden, knowing that how he asked these questions and how Braden would react to them would be hard to overcome if it wasn’t handled just right. Just as he was about to begin with the questions, Braden’s watch alarm beeped. Cade could tell that the alarm felt like a “saved by the bell” moment for Braden, so he suggested that Braden go get his insulin dose while he grabbed them some lunch at the deli down the street. Braden smiled at him in relief, already relaxing knowing he had a small reprieve.
After getting Braden’s order and his promise not to leave the cafe, Cade ran up to the front, surprised to see how busy the place was. He asked Maya and Layla if they wanted him to pick up anything. He took his time walking down to the deli and called Cooper on the way. “Hey, how’s the Kensington job?”
“Boring and easy, but the place is a palace, so it’s time consuming. They just want us to upgrade the system and cameras, but they want to stick with their own security people at their gate. Mrs. Kensington looked decidedly uncomfortable after I asked if she felt she had the right people for the job. Blushed down to her roots and admitted that the owner of that security firm was a cousin, or something. Guess we’ll hear from them if they have issues there. I should be done at the end of the day tomorrow, if all goes as it should.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it covered. I’m going to need you on this once you’re free. I’ve got Jackson and Sawyer on their way here with full systems for the cafe, Braden’s place, and Maya’s along with tracers for Braden. They’re also bringing other supplies and firearms we might need. Olivia has them on a flight tomorrow so they have time to pack everything up. She’s got a car rental for them and a hotel room as well. They should be here no later than tomorrow evening. They have a shit system here that a 12-year-old could bypass and as far as I can see, a deadbolt on their front doors is the only thing they’ve got in their homes.”
“Good, yeah, I read Maya the riot act about that yesterday as well. She didn’t want my interference and made a promise that she’d get a system set up for herself back when they started up the cafe. She thought that the crap system they had installed there was enough to feel like she was keeping her word. I didn’t call in the troops because I knew that was something you’d take care of today. I need my little sister safe, and I get the feeling that you need your boy to be safe as well.”
Cade grumbled at that. “He’s a man, Coop. Don’t piss me off.”
“Yeah, he’s a man, but he’s your boy. You’re all growly and protective around him, and from what Maya has said he’s not used to it, but he likes it, a lot. Admit it, you’re already thinking of him as yours, aren’t you? I told you it would happen sooner than you expected. Shit, I’m good.”
“It’s too soon to know, but if you’re asking if I’m protective of him, fuck yes, so keep the jokes to a minimum.”
“See? Growly. Too soon to know, my ass, Cade, you’ve never acted like this with anyone before. Not to mention, he seems to be exactly the type you need. He’s your boy and you know I won’t disrespect that.”
Cade sighed. He couldn’t help but admit it. “Yeah, I do. OK, so I haven’t gotten much that we can use so far. He was more forthcoming with me than he was with the cop, but there’s not much there. However, when I began to steer the conversation towards his past relationships, he tensed up like crazy, so I think that’s where we’re gonna get what we need, but I have to be careful not to set him off. I’m going into the deli to buy everyone lunch, so let me get to it, and I’ll talk to you tonight once I’ve got more info regarding some suspects. My gut says the shitty relationship that Maya mentioned to us that first night is going to be where the goods are, but we’ll see.”
“Agreed. Talk to you later.”
Cade placed his order and waited for it to be ready. He drew some admiring glances from other customers, both male and female, but was able to stave off any come-ons by focusing on his phone where he responded to a few work inquiries. He grabbed his order when it was ready and went back to the café, already feeling uneasy about Braden being without his protection for so long. He needed to get someone else to run out for lunch going forward.
Braden finished with his injection and walked back into the kitchen to check on some muffins in one of the ovens. He was hungry for lunch, but also nervous about telling Cade about his past mistakes--and that’s what the last five years’ worth of relationships had been. He knew he’d have to share a lot of information he’d much rather keep to himself. He knew Cade was aware of his unease. He seemed to be able to read him like a book, which made no sense, but was true, nonetheless. Cade knew exactly when he needed a break, so he’d come up with an excuse to give Braden a few minutes to get his shit together.
Braden had just removed the muffins from the oven and was just about to start a batch of cookies when Cade arrived with lunch. They spent a relaxing 30 minutes just eating and chatting about music and other non-threatening things. Braden got up to walk back to the kitchen to begin baking the cookies and told Cade that he was ready to talk.
Braden figured he needed to metaphorically pull on his big boy shorts and get this awful conversation over with. Cade needed the info, and at this point Braden just needed to get it off his chest. He started by discussing his relationship with Nick. He gave him Nick’s full name, occupation, and the information he had about his last known address and phone number.
He went on to tell Cade the embarrassing story of his relationship with Nick, such as it was. Cade asked him a lot of questions about things he hadn’t even thought of telling him. They had been seeing each other for about six months, and Braden had thought it was going really well, until the night he’d gone to a local gay dance club with Maya to have some fun and let off some steam, a night he had been told that Nick had to work late. He’d caught Nick on the dance floor, plastered all over some bear. He went on to tell Cade that Nick had tried to call him repeatedly after getting caught, but Braden had never answered the phone and had tossed out the flowers that had been delivered to the cafe. There had been about five phone calls and messages and numerous texts, but after receiving no response, Nick had given up, and they’d never spoken again.
What he didn’t tell Cade was that Maya had wanted to hightail it out of the club that night immediately, but he’d insisted on staying and waiting until Nick saw him there. He’d ordered a beer, which he never did, chatted with Maya like nothing was amiss, and when a startled Nick looked up from his make-out session into Braden’s eyes, Braden had saluted him with his bottle, tossed the rest of it back, grabbed Maya’s hand and walked casually out of there, like he hadn’t been heartbroken. Of course, he also didn’t mention that he’d cried the whole cab ride home in Maya’s arms and had been depressed for several months after that.
Next, he told Cade the story of Owen, the guy to follow Nick. He had dated Owen for only about four months. They’d agreed to be exclusive, something that Braden had wanted discussed prior to g
oing very far in the relationship as a response to the Nick disaster. Braden had really liked Owen and had a lot of fun with him. Just when Braden thought things were getting pretty serious, Owen had taken Braden out on a date on a Saturday night. They’d both come back to Braden’s apartment, and Owen had spent the night. When Braden woke up, Owen was gone, and he’d left a note saying that it had been fun while it lasted, but he’d accepted a job in LA, was packed and moving that day to start a new job on Monday. He’d never contacted Owen after that, and Owen had never contacted him.
Cade asked probing questions and had him tell the story and then tell that same story again, his questions revealing more details. He started to see a pattern to what Cade was asking and when he thought about it, he realized that Cade was really good at getting details he would have otherwise forgotten. What he thought would maybe take an hour at most to discuss all three of his exes turned into nearly two for just the first two men. He felt wrung out and yet, his respect for Cade grew.
Cade knew exactly what to ask, how to ask it, and when. He was polite and yet knew when to push to get what he needed. Braden could tell that he was very good at his job. Cade had been typing up notes on his laptop the whole time he’d been talking and yet Braden didn’t feel like just another job to Cade. When Cade asked a question, he made sure to make eye contact with Braden. It was almost like Cade was reassuring Braden the whole time he was talking. Not that it made Braden feel much better about having to go through it all.
At that point he’d rather not think about how pathetic he now seemed to Cade. He hadn’t even begun to talk about Eric and he felt humiliated. He knew he needed to get it over with, but damned if he wanted to discuss that pain with a near stranger. Scratch that, Cade didn’t feel like a stranger at all, and that was probably the biggest issue right there. Perhaps it would be easier to tell a stranger, but telling this big, virile, ridiculously sexy man who was in turn so gentle with him, so honest with him and was genuinely interested in him was going to be one of the hardest things he’d ever done.