Guarding His Heart

by R. Cayden

  “No, this is where my lab is. If you’re confident in the extra security, I’d like to remain with my work.”

  At that moment, the doors flew open to the other wing, and Declan wandered out. He had a black thermal shirt over a pair of scuffed-up jeans, and he stretched his arms over his head and yawned widely as he strolled into the kitchen, flashing his gold tooth. “What’s this racket about?” he asked.

  Seb caught the look on his father’s face, which hit a middle ground somewhere between disgust and disdain. He blushed, horrified his father was about to say something insulting or hurtful to Declan, or Declan something that offended his father.

  “Father, this is Declan, the man who kept me safe during the invasion,” he said quickly. Something inside of Seb grew a bit when he said it, proud to name what Declan had done. It was actually very heroic, he realized, although he got the impression Declan wouldn’t want him to say as much. “And Declan, this is my father, Mr. Peterson.”

  Seb’s father squinted, scrutinizing Declan, and Declan stared back, unfazed. Finally, Seb’s father nodded. “Thank you for your work,” he said. “You’re residing in the house here, is that right?”

  “And I didn’t even get any blood on the carpet,” Declan said with a grin.

  “Yes, I see,” Seb’s father answered, his voice cool. Luckily, he seemed to lose interest entirely when his phone buzzed. “I’ll take this,” he said dismissively, then walked out onto the back porch.

  “You feeling okay this morning?” Declan asked once the door slid shut. His voice was rough and low, but there was still a tinge of kindness at the heart of it. “Manage to get any sleep?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Seb lied. “I think I’ll be okay.” His hand trembled, and he grabbed the edge of the counter to hide it. “You?”

  Declan creaked his neck, then stretched his elbows. “Just a little sore. Slept fine, though.”

  The night before, he had made Seb promise not to thank him again, so Seb bit his tongue and turned to make a cup of coffee instead. “The extra security is already on the front of the house. I guess they’re not too worried about a repeat attempt.”

  Declan nodded. “They’d be fucking fools to try something else right away. But I’m going to go for a little ride today, anyway.”

  “A ride?”

  He nodded as the coffee machine started to gurgle. “Just do a little asking around, see if anyone local has some information. I’ve got a nephew out here I should see anyway.”

  “Oh, okay,” Seb said softly, his heartbeat suddenly spiking with anxiety at the idea that he would be alone in the house.

  Declan must have caught the panic in Seb’s eye because he cleared his throat. “I’ll get going right away, so I’ll be back before the cleaning crews leave. Maybe your father and his security detail will be around for a while, too?”

  Seb turned outside and saw his father on the deck, storming back and forth and screaming into his phone. “Hard to say,” he answered.

  Declan caught the sight, then chuckled. “He must be pretty pissed about what happened, huh?”

  “What? No, I imagine he’s upset about the price of oil or maybe a new regulation on one of his industries.” Seb spun his finger in the air, gesturing to the house. “He started forgetting about this the second he confirmed there wasn’t any serious property damage.”

  Declan tightened his jaw, and the storm in his eyes felt like validation to Seb, like someone else was actually seeing the man his father was for once, instead of just sucking up to him for his money. “I guess we all have our priorities.” He rose up from the stool, then nodded Seb’s way. “I’ll get some breakfast on the road. Do me a favor, Sebastian. Stay inside and keep your head down until I’m back. Never hurts to play it safe.”

  “Right,” Seb said. “Play it safe.”

  A funny thrill warmed his chest, softening the pain he felt at Declan leaving. Just the fact that Declan cared enough to ask him to stay safe made Seb feel loopy and weird, like he had chugged a couple glasses of champagne.

  When he saw his father take another phone call, Seb wandered into the bedroom and laid back down and finally caught a couple of hours of sleep.

  * * *

  DECLAN

  Declan was still kicking himself when he arrived at his nephew’s joint.

  Do me a favor. Keep your head down. Play it safe…

  Who the hell did he think he was? It was his job to deal with any threats, not to talk to Sebastian like Declan was his fucking keeper.

  Maybe it was just seeing what a dick his dad was that got Declan all worked up. His own pops had been a mess and a criminal, but at least the guy seemed to care whether Declan lived or died. Sebastian’s father was like every other corporate drone, so consumed with his own fortune he didn’t see what was happening right in front of his face.

  Declan parked his car at the address Gray had texted, a run-down property outside Albany. His nephew’s place was only about an hour drive from Sebastian’s huge estate, and Declan had promised himself he’d find a way to visit while in New York, but the move on Sebastian had given him a kick in the ass.

  “Uncle Declan?” Gray hollered. “Holy shit!”

  He was standing in front of the squat brick building where he lived, bundled up in a big jacket and a scarf. Declan almost wouldn’t have recognized him, except the sharp lines of his face recalled so clearly memories of his mother, Declan’s sister. “Fucking hell, Gray. Look at you!”

  They met in the middle of the driveway for a hug, slapping each other’s backs. Beside the house there was a sizeable garage and a worn old sign advertising the services of a mechanic. The house was far enough on the outskirts of the city that there was ample space from neighbors, and plenty of trees crowding the property line for privacy’s sake.

  Gray slapped Declan’s back a few more times as he led his uncle inside. “I can’t believe you’re here. Last time I saw you was, what, ten years ago?”

  “Twelve, I think,” Declan said, then chuckled when he thought back to his nephew, no more than seventeen years old at the time. Back then, he acted like a total firecracker. A bunch of the family had gotten together for Declan’s uncle’s wedding, and Gray had spent the whole weekend trying to steal booze from the adults. “You behaving yourself?”

  “Does anyone in our family behave? Come on, a couple of my guys are in the back. I want you to meet them.”

  They wandered through Gray’s house, which reminded Declan of a hunting lodge, but if it were owned by a metalhead instead of an outdoorsman. He spotted a few old pictures of their family around the place, but for the most part it seemed like a true bachelor’s pad.

  “What are you getting up to out here? You’re a mechanic now? I never heard that.”

  “That’s a business a couple of my guys run.” As they turned the corner, Declan saw two men, roughly Gray’s age. “Horatio here is the mechanic,” he said, pointing to a man in a pair of coveralls and with longer hair held back by his stocking cap. “And this is my roommate, Raiden.”

  Raiden stood up, extending a hand, his arm ropey with muscles. “Nice ink,” he said. “You Gray’s uncle? Are you the good part of the family or the shitty part of the family?”

  Declan barked a laugh. “Good part.” He didn’t even have to think about that one. Compared to what half his family got up to, he and Gray were definitely the good guys.

  They all took seats at a small table in the den at the back of the house. Cups of coffee and a couple of ashtrays dotted the table, and some fast rock music Declan didn’t recognize thrummed over the speakers. “How’s Albany treating you, Gray? Last time I talked to your mom, she said you were making it good.”

  “Bought this house,” he answered.

  Raiden chuckled. “I don’t know if you’re still making it good when you get the down payment by stealing a couple of cars.”

  Gray waved his hand in the air. “Don’t listen to him, Uncle Declan. Those cars belonged to crooked cops. I was doing the to
wn a favor.”

  “Damn, Gray,” Declan chuckled. “What the hell? You know your mother would have your ass if she heard you were stealing from cops. There’s no need to take a risk like that!”

  Gray grinned, clearly happy with himself. “Trust me,” he said. “They were crooked enough to make it worthwhile. And I’m good enough that I won’t get caught.”

  He took after his mom even more than Declan realized. Declan turned to assess the crew, watching as Raiden eyed him right back, and Horatio turned his attention to a pack of cards he was shuffling idly. They looked tough enough, that was sure, but Declan could tell they were green, too. He made plenty of mistakes when he was that age, always trying to impress someone else, and he hoped those two were smart enough to keep Gray in line.

  They all talked for a while, exchanging stories and catching up. Like Raiden suggested, there was a rift in the family. Declan’s father had always kept the family under control, and back when he was still in charge of things, it had been a different game. Since he’d died and Declan’s uncle took over, though, the family business had gone darker and darker. They’d started selling opiates and running guns, which was bad enough, but when Declan had been asked to help arrange a hit on one of their arrivals, he’d finally called it quits, skipping town for good. Declan ran one more gig with his best friend to squirrel away some money, then escaped to Vegas, looking for a new life, same as Gray’s mom had packed up her house and moved her son to the other side of the country.

  Gray was definitely from Declan’s side of the family. He might have an outlaw complex about being some kind of Robin Hood hero, holding up crooked cops like he was, but at least his heart was in the right place.

  Declan stubbed out a cigarette, then cracked his knuckles. “Nice as this is, I did have some business I needed to ask about.”

  “Yeah, what’s up?” Gray asked, leaning forward across the table. “You said someone made a move yesterday?”

  “Tried to kidnap the guy I’m protecting. Blue Devils? You heard of them?”

  They all exchanged a look. “The Blue Devils made a move?” Horatio asked. “What’s your job again?”

  Declan gritted his teeth, hoping he could avoid the full story of how he ended up there in the first place. “Just a standard bodyguard contract. His father is a big wig at Horizon Zed. As far as I know, the plan was to hold the son for ransom.”

  “My uncle fought those motherfuckers off,” Gray said. “Didn’t you, Uncle Declan?”

  “They ran,” Declan answered. “Nothing too exciting.” If he’d had a good brawl, he’d definitely share the story. The truth was, though, those Blue Devils ran so fast, he doubted they were prepared to fight in the first place.

  And hell, what was he going to say? He’d stayed behind to play out some weird fantasy with Sebastian? He’d sound like he had his head up his ass.

  “The Blue Devils are a local crew,” Gray said. “They usually can’t get their shit together to pull off a job once, let alone twice.”

  “Sure,” Raiden agreed. “But every now and then…” He turned his eyes to meet Declan’s, and Declan saw an intense flash behind the steely concentration. “They’re unpredictable.”

  “How violent?” Declan asked.

  Raiden grimaced. “Violent enough.”

  “Got it,” Declan said. “They’re inefficient but dangerous.”

  “You want us to help with anything, Uncle Declan? They don’t tangle with us, but I got some strings I can pull. Ask around, see what the word on the street is?”

  “See what you can find out. If something else is coming, I want to know about it.” The looks of the security and extra cameras that had appeared at the house put Declan’s mind at ease, but now that he had promised Sebastian he would keep him safe, he wouldn’t sleep right until he knew he’d done everything he could to that end.

  “Want to smoke a joint?” Gray asked. “I’ll show you the garage, maybe get your take on a couple jobs we’re thinking of running?”

  “Next time,” Declan answered, clasping his shoulder. It felt really good to be around family, and it was a relief to spend time with people who understood his life, but the day was slipping by, and he felt an urge to head back.

  Sebastian

  That evening, the windows were repaired and Seb’s laboratory was reassembled, almost like the whole thing had never happened. He stood in the middle of the large room, grateful all over again that Declan had noticed what was going on and jumped to action before any real damage was done. But as he looked over the peaceful hillside, he didn’t get the same wave of relaxation and focus he usually found in the mountains.

  He just imagined people in masks, crawling through the snow.

  Seb shivered. Then a knock at the door brought him back to attention.

  “Sebastian?” Declan asked. “Can I come in?”

  “Yeah,” Seb answered, running his hand through his hair. “Come in!” One benefit of nurturing a crush on the guy who had maybe saved his life: Seb was motivated to groom and dress himself properly, instead of slouching around like a distracted scientist in his robe. He’d even ironed his shirt that day and tucked it into his best pair of slim-fitting jeans.

  Declan’s brow was furrowed, and Seb noticed the way his thick neck stretched when he swallowed. “I just wanted to check in, make sure you’re doing alright.”

  “Oh, thank you,” Seb said. “Here, come in.”

  Declan crossed into the laboratory, and Seb watched as he trailed his eyes across the equipment and computers. There was a sharp intensity to his gaze, like he was assessing everything for danger, but Seb could tell he was curious, too.

  “Try to tell me what it is you do again,” Declan said. “I’d like to understand what all this stuff is.”

  A smile tugged up the corners of Seb’s mouth. “Sure,” he said brightly. “Did you study much science in school?”

  Declan shook his head. “I barely finished high school, went straight to work.”

  “Well, you might remember, water is made up of two things, hydrogen and oxygen.”

  “Right, H2O.”

  “Yeah, exactly.” Most people knew more science than they realized, but Seb was aware the concepts were difficult to grasp, the same way he was useless at carrying a tune and absolutely wretched at spelling. “One thing that we know how to do is to take water and then to split it so that it’s oxygen and hydrogen again. When we do that, the splitting creates some energy, which we could in theory use to do things like power cars and cities. I’m trying to help find ways to make that process work better.”

  “Turning water into energy,” Declan said. “Cool.”

  Seb smiled, then gestured to the windows. “The other main ingredient is sunlight. That’s where the energy comes from in the first place. It’s why I like it in the laboratory here. The view helps me focus on what matters.” He suddenly became self-conscious, like he was getting too enthusiastic, and folded his hands behind his back awkwardly. Very few people cared about the things that Seb cared about, and even his professors at school had told to stop obsessing over hydrogen power and to find something more practical.

  “Sunlight and water. You can do all that with computers?”

  Seb caught Declan’s eye, and a flush spread across his chest and up his neck. “I can do parts of it. I have some other experiments, too.” He gestured to the cabinets, filled with old equipment and research. “I’ve been out of school for a few years and mainly working on my own projects here since then.”

  Declan grinned. His mouth was big and wide, and when he spread his lips, Seb caught the glint on one of his gold teeth. “So you’re a genius, is what you’re saying.”

  Seb laughed. “No, I’m really not. There’s no such thing as geniuses, anyway. Different people are just good at different things.”

  “Sounds like some bullshit a genius would say.”

  He laughed again, relieved to feel something different than worry and fear. “I had a lot of opportuniti
es. My father was very unsentimental about my education. He just had a bunch of experts test my aptitude when I was a toddler and chose the schools based on that.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Declan said dryly.

  Seb minimized the window that was still up on his computer, then turned to Declan. “I don’t think I’m going to get any more work done tonight, actually.” He paused, working up the courage to say what came next. “Would you like a soda or a beer? I have some in my lab fridge.”

  Declan tilted his head slightly. There was a small black heart, tattooed behind his ear, that made Seb smile. “A soda,” Declan answered. “I’m staying sober the next couple of nights, just to keep a clear head in case those guys come back.”

  “Soda. Got it.”

  “My father pushed me into work, too,” Declan said. “Also based on my ap-ti-tude.” He pronounced each syllable like he was spitting the word out, which made Seb chuckle.

  “Into work as a security guard?” He grabbed a soda from the fridge, and when he turned around, Declan was standing right there.

  “Something like that,” he answered, taking the drink. “It’s the same business my pops did. No surprise that I got a knack for it.”

  “I’d say you do,” Seb agreed, thinking of the day before and how quickly he had moved, how even in the morning grogginess, he had been alert.

  Declan turned to the window, and they each looked out across the view. For the first time that day, Seb was able to appreciate the light on the snow and the shadows of the trees without worrying there was something lurking there, waiting to try to grab him.

  Without really thinking, he took a small step closer, just enough to take in a deep breath and remember Declan’s scent.

  “What if your old man hadn’t tossed you in science school?” Declan asked. “What do you think you would have been then?”

  “A scientist,” Seb answered with a laugh. “What about you?”

  “A criminal, probably.”