Guarding His Heart

by R. Cayden

  “I know,” he said, holding his hands in the air. “I can’t get caught. Trust me, I got it under control. I’ve pulled plenty of stunts in my day and never got caught before, you know.”

  “And you can’t get distracted,” Gray said, stabbing a piece of apple pie with a fork. “Start acting all lovey-dovey or some bullshit, then catch a bullet.”

  “Says the kid who surrounded himself with a crew of hot young men. You telling me those two aren’t a distraction when you’re running jobs?”

  Gray grinned, then popped the pie in his mouth. “They found me. What am I supposed to do, turn them away?”

  Declan laughed, then relaxed back in his booth. “I trust the guy. He’s not going to go screwing things up and getting me in trouble. He’s too smart for that. Too careful and clever.”

  “You must trust him, considering you met Reed and you’re still taking risks.”

  “You know Reed?” Declan asked, surprised it hadn’t come up before.

  Gray nodded. “We’ve met. He usually plays different games than we do. Lots of corruption, stuff that at least looks like it’s above board, but you could probably tell—”

  “He’s one of the bad ones,” Declan said, cutting him off. “I could smell it. He’d shoot me in the back if he thought it would make him a dollar.”

  “Did you get anything from him? Anything you can use?”

  Declan grunted. “I’m still figuring that out, but we might have.” He took another drink from his mug. “I’m surprised he plays with all those corporate types, though. That office didn’t look like it was made for the public, if you know what I mean.”

  “He’s got different offices for his different businesses, as I understand it.”

  “Right,” Declan answered. He pushed his hand through his hair, battling down a fresh wave of irritation that the pieces still weren’t fitting together, then gritted his teeth when another pang of nicotine withdrawal hit him.

  “Aw, fuck,” Gray muttered, then took a big bite of the pie. “I should tell you.”

  Declan narrowed his eyes. “Tell me what?”

  “It’s old news,” Gray said quickly. “Didn’t even matter by the time I found out. I thought about it and figured it wouldn’t help you any to know.”

  “Spit it the fuck out, Gray.” Declan hated people beating around the bush.

  Gray swallowed, his throat bobbing. “The Blue Devils were bragging around town before they made their move, saying that someone had set the place up with a bodyguard.”

  Declan shook his head. “What? What does that mean?”

  “Someone behind the scenes paid Reed off. Got him to hire a bodyguard who they thought would fuck the job up, make sure the plan to get the jump on your client succeeded.”

  For a second, it felt like the room was spinning, and Declan couldn’t make any damn reason out of the words spilling from Gray’s mouth. “Paid Reed off,” he repeated.

  “I’m sorry to tell you that, Uncle,” he said. “It’s real shit. And anyway, you showed them, right? They might have wanted some washed-up old man, but you took their guys out both times.”

  “Big Paolo wanted me for this job because he thought I’d fuck it up,” Declan said, repeating the words slowly so that he could hear them for his damn self. “That must be why Reed reached out to Big Paolo in the first place, to find some washed-up joke they could trot out one last time.”

  He felt sick to his stomach, like right then, Reed and Big Paolo and every other asshole he’d rubbed shoulders with over the years were sitting somewhere, laughing at him. Shame spiraled around him. He thought about the years that had ticked by once he quit working for Big Paolo. He must have looked pathetic to the guys in Vegas, drinking his days away and growing weaker, softer every minute.

  Some loser who couldn’t even win a game of poker.

  His eyes narrowed, an image of Seb slicing through the shame and grabbing him back to attention. “It’s good you told me, Gray,” he said, then rose to his feet. “Thank you.”

  “Wait, that’s it?” Gray asked, standing himself. “You’re going?”

  “If Reed is in on this, I don’t want to leave my guy alone. It’s not safe. The rest of the security could be compromised, for all we know.”

  Gray chuckled. “You really do like him, don’t you?”

  Declan clasped Gray’s shoulder with a hard squeeze. “See you soon, Gray. And thanks again.”

  As he threw on his jacket and hurried to the truck, Declan tried not to reel through his emotions. Plenty of people had said plenty of horrible things about him over the years, but there was a real sting to hear his reputation had been ruined, that those last years of laying low and playing games in Vegas had cost him the name he had built over the years.

  A man needed a purpose, and before he came to New York, Declan had somehow lost his. No wonder Big Paolo thought he would screw up the job.

  He gritted his teeth as he steered back down the road and into the mountains. Whatever those assholes thought, he had come out on top. People might just see him as a useless drunk, but he’d kept Seb alive. Maybe he wasn’t good for much more, but that was fine.

  So long as Seb was okay, none of the rest of seemed to matter, anyway.

  Sebastian

  With all the pieces of the puzzle laid out on the laboratory counter, the picture was finally crystal clear.

  “Unbelievable,” Alexandria muttered, a hand on her hip. “Your father is such a dog, Seb.”

  “A snake,” Seb whispered. Anger, frustration, and fear all chilled his body at once. When Alexandria placed her hand on his back, he startled and tensed away before recovering himself. “I’m sorry,” he said, stepping back and under Alexandria’s arm. “He’s just such an asshole.”

  In that moment, Seb wasn’t at all surprised that his father had broken their contract and mined every bit of research that had passed between them for his corporate projects. Certainly, the man had a building full of lawyers somewhere, fully capable of tearing the contract apart, sentence by sentence. It had been naïve of Seb to assume it would go any other way, he realized, and he tightened his hands into fists, furious with himself for making such a mistake.

  But the evidence was there, undeniable. Horizon Zed had profited off of Seb’s work from the very start.

  “It’s not your fault,” Alexandria said, reading his mind. “You took all the precautions. Your father just doesn’t play by the rules.”

  Seb snorted. “To say the least. It’s more like he gets some sick pleasure out of breaking my trust. Look at this! My research went directly into the hands of the exact people I wanted to keep it away from! His weapons manufacturers must have made a fortune by misapplying my data at this point!”

  Alexandria patted Seb’s back, and her slow rhythm helped to calm him down. He took in steady breaths and fought to steady himself as the world swam and wobbled.

  “Everything I’ve done is tainted,” he said with a sigh.

  “That’s not true. But this does mean that it’s time for a serious change in your relationship with your father.”

  The lights flickered, letting them know someone was coming up the drive. Seb puffed out his breath. He was just barely starting to process what the information meant. It was so disorienting, a part of him wanted to find Declan and cling to the older man, but just as urgently, he wanted to stay strong himself and to show Declan who he really was.

  “There’s still so much to sort through,” he said to Alexandria, glancing back down at the papers they’d printed. “Will you stay the night?”

  “Duh,” she said, then took a swallow from her bubbly water. “I’ll have you know I already canceled my club plans.”

  Seb groaned. “I’m always keeping you from the cool parties.”

  “Just like I’m always keeping you from your work,” she said with a wink. “Although I’m glad I’m not alone in that anymore.”

  Ellie barked at the door as Declan stepped in. He crouched enough to pet her h
ead for a minute in the doorway and let her nip at his fingers. “Alexandria,” he said with a nod. “Glad you’re still here.”

  “How are the diners in this part of New York?” she asked.

  “Good coffee,” Declan answered, rising back up to full height. “Pie wasn’t that great, though.”

  Alexandria laughed warmly, and for a brief moment, Seb started to step forward, to greet Declan by embracing him. Just as quickly, though, Declan crossed the room, casting his eyes out on the yard.

  Seb frowned, torn between craving his touch and feeling overwhelming gratitude that Declan was there in the first place.

  Maybe, Seb considered, he was needing Declan to be too many things at once. Seb lived alone in the woods, after all. It was unreasonable of him to think one man could satisfy everything he needed out there.

  Although it did explain why every inch of his skin came suddenly alive with desire the second Declan entered the room.

  “We made some progress,” Alexandria said, pulling Seb from his thoughts. “Big progress, in fact.”

  “Yeah,” Seb said. “You’ll never guess what we found.”

  “Reed is in on it,” Declan said, crossing to peer out the windows in the other direction. His voice was raspy, like he was pissed.

  “How’d you know?” Alexandria asked, then turned to Seb. “How’d he figure that out?”

  Declan finally turned back to them. “Doesn’t matter. I haven’t figured out much more than that. Have you?”

  Seb nodded, then stepped forward, proud to show Declan what he’d accomplished. “Horizon Zed hired Reed’s company to provide security, but someone else was paying Reed off behind the scene. Reed had copies of a bunch of corporate documents, all stolen from Horizon, and it looks like the intruders were trying to their hands on more of the Horizon Zed research. Those documents showed the existence of my laboratory, as well as the projects my father was using my research for.”

  “Projects?” Declan asked.

  “His dad was using the research to build the kind of technology Seb hated,” Alexandria explained. “Totally breaking the contract, too.”

  Declan scowled. “Asshole,” he muttered. “So what, someone figured out how much this research is worth and came gunning for it?”

  “Something like that,” Seb said, pulling the printout of an email from the file. “We weren’t sure we were reading this right, but thought maybe you could understand it better?” He slid the paper to Declan, who frowned and nodded slowly while he read it.

  “Damn,” Declan said. “Whoever was paying Reed, they put some serious money into this job. It looks like the Blue Devils were just another pawn, intended to lead the cops down the wrong path.”

  Seb nodded, glad at least to have confirmation. “I just don’t understand why Reed would hire you in the first place. The rest of the security had basically no experience, but you definitely knew what you were doing.”

  Declan grimaced, then turned his eyes back out the window. Seb watched his shoulders tighten. He wasn’t sure why the question affected Declan so strongly, but he did know that he wanted to make that tension disappear. He stepped forward, then placed his hand on Declan’s back, breaking through the invisible barrier.

  Declan relaxed, then turned. Seb felt held by the warmth between their bodies when Declan casually pulled him close, squeezing him tight before letting go. He shook his head back and forth slowly, still frowning. “Those fuckers,” he said. “I’m sorry your father lied to you, Seb. And I’m sorry those lies almost got you hurt.”

  Seb held his eyes on Declan, and a little thrill shot up his chest. “Except that you beat them off,” he said. “Every time intruders came here, you chased them away.”

  Declan got a strange look in his eyes, one Seb hadn’t seen before. He shook his head again, then coughed. “It’s not like that,” he said. “Anyway, we should be focused on what happens next now that we have this information.”

  Seb let out a puff of air. He felt suddenly like he had more questions than answers all over again. If Alexandria and Declan hadn’t been there to steady him, he probably would have disintegrated into a million worried pieces.

  “Did you find out anything from your nephew?” he asked.

  “Nothing quite like this,” Declan answered, then glanced to the emails. “Do you mind if I read through these?”

  Seb nodded. “Sure, I figured you might want to.”

  “Considering they sold me out and almost got me killed, I probably have the right.”

  “In that case,” Seb said. “I might call it a night while you catch up.”

  “Sure,” Declan nodded. “Smart idea.”

  Seb wanted to go to Declan and pull him in for a kiss, but he still had a strange edge to his energy, one that hadn’t been there before he went to the diner. Instead, he turned to Alexandria, who caught him off guard with a wink. “I’ll stay up a bit,” she said. “Let us know if you need anything.”

  * * *

  DECLAN

  All Declan really wanted to do was read through those emails. There was nothing quite like digging up dirt on a lowlife who had just disrespected him. And whatever job Declan had been hired to do in the first place was suddenly out the window, much more important work smacking him in the face.

  It was going to take a hell of a lot more than a bodyguard to get Seb through this mess safely and out the other side.

  He could have sat there reading that boring shit all night, combing through for anything that would help him out, but Alexandria was finding quite a few ways to make that difficult.

  She pushed a bottle of beer across the counter. “Here. I told you. One beer actually helps you think. It’s after the second beer that the lines get wobbly.”

  Declan grunted, then accepted the drink. “Suit yourself. My lines don’t get wobbly, though.”

  Alexandria laughed. She had bright eyes, like Seb did, and the dash of something silver and sparkling across her lids caught the light when she fluttered her lashes. “I believe you.” She leaned forward, then took a sip of the beer she had grabbed for herself. “Do you like being at the mansion, Declan? When it’s not under attack, I mean.”

  Declan chuckled despite himself. He pulled out the lighter he was still carrying, then used it to flip the top off the bottle. “You’re pretty charming, Alexandria, but don’t think you’re going to charm anything like that out of me.”

  Alexandria pouted. “That’s a shame. Because I would think you’d be dying to talk to me.”

  Declan turned fully away from the papers. Maybe it was an effect of being holed up in that house too long, but it felt hard to resist her banter. “Oh yeah?” He narrowed his eyes, enjoying the fun of playing up his rougher qualities for her. “Why’s that?”

  Alexandria stuck her tongue against the side of her cheek. “You’re spending an awful lot of time with a certain someone. Wouldn’t you be curious to talk with his best friend?” She narrowed her eyes back at him. “Or is this just a job to you, Declan?”

  Declan was caught off guard by the question, but he kept his composure. “I don’t stick around jobs that almost get me killed,” he answered, then grinned. “Although if you needed saving, I’d stick my neck out for you.”

  “Oh yeah?” she asked, surprised.

  “Yeah,” Declan answered, then nodded toward the floor. “You might be Ellie’s favorite human. I couldn’t bear to see her sad.”

  Alexandria laughed as she petted Ellie, who was curled up at her feet. “Okay, fair enough. And thanks for looking after Seb.”

  Declan nodded, satisfied he was holding his own in the conversation. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, then took another drink from the beer.

  “You know, he sometimes gets lost in his work. It’s good if there’s someone to come along and pull him out every now and then.”

  Declan nodded, glad for the advice. “Sure,” he said. “I’ve noticed that.”

  Alexandria stared at him expectantly. Declan got the idea he
was supposed to do something, although he had no idea what, outside of reading those papers she was distracting him from.

  “What?” he finally asked, barking the question.

  She sighed, then started speaking to him like he was a child. “Go check on Seb, Declan. He probably doesn’t want to be alone right now.”

  Declan blinked a couple of times, then nodded. It did seem kind of obvious, now that she mentioned it, even if his training taught him to focus on work first. “Sure,” he finally said, glad for the excuse to do what he wanted to do anyway. “You got everything you need?”

  “Nighty night,” she replied instead of answering his question, then offered him an air kiss.

  When Declan got to Seb’s room, Seb was curled up in bed with his back to the door. The moonlight was silver through the window, and Declan watched from the doorway for a moment while Seb’s chest rose and fell beneath the blanket.

  His head was still spinning with all the new information, but as he matched Seb’s breathing, he came to settle down again, letting the quiet of the room do something to him.

  Seb shifted, then raised his arm in the air, lifting the blanket. “I’m not sleeping,” he said softly. “Come lie down.”

  “Sure,” Declan replied. He stepped to the windows, glancing out and then back to the bed. He left his clothes on and climbed straight under the covers, then tucked his arm around Seb and against his bare chest, smooth and firm.

  They kept breathing together and settling into the warmth. Declan knew he’d have to pull himself away eventually and that his mind wouldn’t settle until he did another security check. But until then, he was more than happy to stay right there.

  “Good,” Seb whispered. “Now I can sleep.”

  Declan curled up close, grateful to have one thing he could do, one small way to make things better.

  “Night, Seb,” he whispered.

  “Good night, Declan.”

  Declan

  Alexandria took off the next morning, and Declan spent the early part of the day sitting at a desk in the laboratory and reading through the emails Seb had printed out. It was warm enough to melt the snow, and whenever he took a break to check on the property, he ended up with mud splattered on his boots.