by Delmire Hart
“It’s okay, she’s not upset.” Demetrius gaped at him as the woman continued to sob against his chest. “Well, more like happy? She’s just been looking for you for a long time is all. She is the owner and editor of a soulmate magazine called Soul. I freelance for a lot of their photos.”
Understanding flashed across Demetrius’s face and he carefully gathered her up in his arms to hold her tightly.
“I’ve been waiting for you too.”
May sobbed even louder at that and Daniel gave them both an understanding smile. He pulled out his phone and snapped off a photo. He would send it to both of them later, they might like a small memento of their meeting. After all, it was a once in a lifetime occurrence.
Chapter Twenty-six: Crisis
Daniel waved off his guards and bounced up the steps to Marcus’s apartment. He knocked on the door to announce his presence before just letting himself in and slipping his shoes off. A yell indicated that his friends must be in the lounge. As he made his way further inside, he discovered his two best friends on the couch. Rafael lay spread across the couch with his head in Marcus’s lap, arm thrown across his face, hiding it.
“Hey guys! What’s up?”
“Hey, Dan, Rafael’s having an existential crisis,” Marcus said, with an exasperated smile.
“Really? Why?”
Marcus laughed and poked his soulmate on the shoulder. Rafael groaned but otherwise didn’t respond. Daniel took a seat on the floor in front of the couch and looked at Marcus curiously.
“So, what’s going on?”
“I was kind of hoping you might have some advice for our poor confused friend here and I thought a games night with beer might also help Rafael with his drama.” Marcus poked his soulmate again. “Are you going to tell him or do I have to?”
“Dan!” Rafael wailed as he sat up and turned to focus pleading eyes on Daniel. “How do you date guys?!”
“Ehh?!”
“Rafael apparently didn’t realise that he liked both guys and girls. Which is funny because I’ve known forever but didn’t think anything of it. Turns out I figured it out years before he did.”
“But I don’t know how to date another guy!” Rafael exclaimed.
“I’m pretty sure it’s exactly the same as dating a girl, well, for the actual dating part. You’ll have to ask Dan about the rest.”
“Me?! I haven’t exactly dated anyone. I mean, does William even count? We’re soulmates and just kinda fell into it.”
“Yeah, but you’re the only guy I know dating another man! Help meeee!” Rafael wailed dramatically, reaching over to grasp Daniel by the shoulders and shake him. He was balanced precariously and would have fallen off the couch if Marcus hadn’t hauled him back up. “You’ve been on dates though, right? You’ve told us that he’s taken you out.”
“Yeah but…Marcus is right, what's different from dating a girl when it comes to just dating?”
“You know my dating record is crap, right? I can’t even date girls right, how the hell am I going to be able to date a guy?!”
“If you want proper dating advice, shouldn’t you be asking Marcus? I mean, he’s married. He’s been the most successful out of all of us when it comes to a relationship,” Daniel suggested, feeling rather bewildered.
Marcus chuckled before responding, “Apparently my advice isn’t wanted.”
“All you told me was to just go for it and be myself and look where it’s gotten me so far!”
“You just need to find the right person.” Marcus turned to Daniel and explained, “We were getting coffee at the place around the road from Rafael’s work and he pointed out that the barista was cute so I told him he should ask him out. And this is how the whole existential crisis happened.”
“How did you not realise?” Rafael groaned at the question and covered his face with his hands. “I’ve never thought about it but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard you comment on guys' appearance before,” Daniel said as he shared an amused gaze with Marcus. Rafael flopped dramatically back down so he lay across the couch with his head back in his soulmate's lap.
“I dunno. I guess I always thought I should be dating girls. Mom is always calling me and asking me if I got a girlfriend yet. The guys are always talking about girls and trying to hook up with girls. Speaking of that, did you know Scott is now dating that chick from Flux? Everyone’s getting a date but me!”
“Really? Which? I don’t remember seeing him with just one girl.”
“That’s because you were drunk off your face, Dan. She seemed nice though, I spoke with her a little before she left. She said she doesn’t go clubbing much and was out with her friends to dance rather than drink. They seemed to have a few interests in common, so hopefully it goes well for them,” Marcus replied.
Daniel pouted at drunk comment. “I wasn’t that drunk,” he mumbled.
Marcus raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? You were slurring and couldn’t walk properly. Speaking of which, you are only allowed one beer tonight. I am not looking after your drunk ass again anytime soon.”
Rafael suddenly sat up with a wicked grin in place, crisis forgotten for now. “That’s right! Damn, I wish I had been seen it!” Daniel stared at his friends with wide eyes and a sinking feeling. “You’re the funniest drunk Dan! I had no idea you were so kinky!”
“What?!”
Marcus looked pained as he elaborated, “You share way too much information when you’re drunk. I appreciate honesty but I really don’t want to know that many personal details.”
“So, Dan.” Rafael leaned forward with a shit-eating grin. “I heard you were learning how to deep-throat?”
Daniel spluttered and felt his face heating up. Marcus groaned as he stood. “Okay, you guys are welcome to talk about this but I’m going to head to the kitchen and grab those beers. I’ve heard way too much oversharing already.”
“Hey, it’s not like we haven’t talked about sex before,” Rafael pointed out. “This also might be useful information for me now!”
“Well, you ended up getting over that crisis pretty quickly. And I don’t mind talking about sex but I would prefer the specific examples to stay out of it thanks. I’m pretty sure I’m going to meet William again and I really don’t want to be thinking about Dan’s oversharing dick information when I do.”
It was Daniel’s turn to groan and he covered his bright red face with his hands. “You guys suck.”
Rafael cackled. “Nope, but apparently you do.”
He was still laughing even after he took a pillow to the face and was toppled from the couch.
It was a little while later that Rafael finally calmed down and Marcus had returned with a beer for everyone.
“So, Dan, did you talk with William yet? When you were drunk, you mentioned that you had found out about his past.”
“Oh. Yeah, I confronted him about it the next day, actually.”
Marcus gave him a small smile. “I thought you might. You’re not one to sit on something for so long and I figured you might put your foot in it pretty quickly.”
“Oh, I didn’t know anything about this?” Rafael sat forward, unusually serious. “Is this about that soulbond feeling you were getting?”
“Yeah.” Daniel look a sip of his beer while he tried to arrange his thoughts in order. “It turns out his girlfriend and best friend both died in front of him and he blamed himself. I had no idea someone could feel so much pain and guilt. He carried it around for nearly ten years, never talking about it. William also told me a lot about his past but he still skipped over a lot of things about what he does now. He seems to have started healing but I’m sure there’s still so much about him I don’t know.”
“Just give him more time, you’ve got him opening up to you now but it’s not something you can rush.”
“I know,” Daniel replied with a sigh. “I just didn’t like seeing him in so much pain and after today I feel like I really should know more about what he does.”
“What happened today?”
Both his friends were shooting him concerned looks now.
“Ah, Matt from work took a photo of me and William together. He thought I was trying to bust him and wanted in for the money. I had to tell both him and my editor it wasn’t like that and he was actually my soulmate. Gil warned me about Officer Mino. Apparently, he is trying to bring William down and I should be careful but I don’t know anything. I know what he told me about his past but I have no proof or evidence of anything he does currently.”
“That’s probably for the best Dan. If you don’t know anything then they can’t get anything from you. Although I doubt they would get past your guards.”
Daniel frowned. “I don’t need three guards but I do feel a bit better having them around after that warning.”
“You said William had lost his previous lover and blamed himself, right?” Daniel nodded at Rafael. “It might seem excessive but if he’s lost someone before…”
Marcus gave his soulmate a proud look. “Sometimes you actually make a lot of sense.”
“Hey!”
“I guess. Oh, but something good did happen today! My normal guards are doing a training thing today as the whole team and so I had some of William’s guards. One of them found their soulmate! It was really nice to see. They were both so shocked and happy. It reminded me of when I met William. It’s interesting watching it happen to someone else now I know what it feels like.”
Both of his friends let the sudden topic change go without comment thankfully. After the day he had, he wasn’t too keen sitting around pondering William’s pain and why he had such a strict security force.
***
Daniel was glad to have his regular guards back. He only had William’s guards for one day but they were so stiff and boring. If he was to be followed around all day and babysat, he could at least enjoy the company.
It had been a week since the coffee shop soulmate incident and Daniel had been pleased to hear Demetrius and May’s first date had gone well. Demetrius actually pulled Daniel aside one time when he went to the office to meet William for lunch and thanked him for being the catalyst of their meeting. Demetrius still offered his thanks even after the photographer tried to say he wasn’t really responsible. He had even overheard Ken say he had never seen the stoic bodyguard so happy before. The man could always be seen with a slight smile gracing his lips now. Daniel secretly thought the whole thing was a little bit cute.
He was exiting the newspaper office with more concrete information over where Lawrence’s next trade was taking place when he was stopped by a familiar voice.
“Daniel Miller.”
He froze on the spot and slowly turned to face someone he had been hoping to avoid.
“Officer Mino.”
“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you in person. Nice work with the Barrett bust, you made a lot of people in my department very happy. Your photographic evidence combined with the evidence from our undercover agents led to a tight case. No loose ends, no wiggle room. Just a straight ticket for Barrett to life in prison.”
“Thank you. After working on the case for nearly a year myself, it was good to finally bring it to an end,” Daniel replied, overly polite.
The officer inclined his head in acknowledgment. He stood stiffly and his tone of voice was a kind of forced politeness. He looked like he was on the verge of snapping.
“I have been informed that you are now working on a case that might interest me.” He paused but carried on after Daniel didn’t reply. “One of our undercover agents heard your name mentioned along with a name that is of great interest to my division within the police force. I’m sure you know who I mean.”
Daniel could see his guards hovering from the corner of his eye, they looked about ready to barge in. He gave a slight shake of his head to keep them back.
“I am working on a number of cases right now that may or may not be interesting to you,” Daniel said stiffly. “But as of right now I have nothing solid. Remember that I am a freelance photographer, I will notify the correct people if I get a scoop worth selling or enough evidence to help put criminals away.”
He tensed as the officer took a step towards him. “Oh, but that’s not good enough. You are going to be my little mole and help me bring down one of the big bosses of the god forsaken underworld. You can even sell your ‘scoop’,” he sneered the word, “And get your glory.”
“I don’t work for you,” Daniel spat. “I work alone and whatever you think I’m doing, I’m not.”
“I don’t know where you get off being William Hunt’s little fuck toy, or perhaps I do,” Mino gave Daniel a cruel smile, making the photographer flinch away. “But if you co-operate, I’ll make sure you get everything. Money, recognition, you name it. Nothing good ever comes from playing in the big boy’s territory, kid. Even little pets like you can end up in with concrete shoes.”
“I don’t care who you are. You can fuck off.” Daniel stood firm, straightening his back and raising his eyes blazing in defiance.
Mino stepped even closer, raising his hand as though to grab his shirt. “Why you ungrateful little—”
“That’s enough!” Ueda stepped between the two and got up in Mino’s face, forcing him to back up a few steps. “I would advise you not to harm Mr Miller lest I retaliate with force.”
“Who the hell are you?” Mino snarled.
“I am the leader of Mr Miller’s security force and am tasked with keeping him safe. It is a duty I take very seriously. I do not care if you are a police officer, you raise a hand to my charge and I will personally take you down.”
The officer looked as though he was going to reply but he seemed to notice the two other looming figures that were now flanking Daniel with murderous faces. He seethed in anger but didn’t take another step forward.
“Mr Miller, huh? You think you’re all that because you got in some rich guy's pants? So much for the bright-eyed youth who promised to take all the ‘dirty criminals’ down. Mark my words, Miller,” he spat out the name with venom. “Willing or not, you’ll be helping me take that bastard out.”
He spat on the concrete at Ueda’s feet before turning and stalking away.
No one moved until he was out of sight. Ueda turned to face Daniel with concern. “Are you okay, Daniel?”
Daniel managed to give a small nod and realised he was shaking. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. It seemed to have the opposite of the intended effect because he suddenly burst out, “That fucking bastard!”
There was a pause as all the guards stared at him for a second before they all seemed to relax. Daniel still seethed in rage though. That man dared to threaten William! There was no way Daniel would take that sitting down. Like hell he was going to just meekly hand over his soulmate to him. If anyone was going to bring William down, it was Daniel and Daniel alone. It would be his choice. His decision to weigh up and make. No one would make that choice for Daniel and no one would force him to dance to their tune. He wasn’t a meek little puppet to be used.
He didn’t even realise that he was striding forward, attempting to walk off his sudden energy, until a hand gripped his shoulder forcing him to a stop. Daniel looked up to find Ueda looking alarmed.
“Oh no, I'm not letting you run off now. I do not feel like going for a massive sprint across rooftops again just so you can blow off some steam. We are going to get in the car and go to the gym where you can run and jump as much as you like.”
Daniel sullenly let himself be led to one of the waiting vehicles and remained quiet until they reached the gym.
He proceeded to lap all his guards when they joined in on the course and even set a new course record for the gym. He bet that record twice more before he collapsed on a spare landing pad, energy and rage both finally burnt out.
All three guards were very relieved that they didn’t have to chase him down considering he was at it for nearly an hour before he ran out of steam. One of them managed to capture a video of the record-setting lap and sent i
t around to the other members of the security force.
A mixture of awe, pride, and no small amount of fear met the video.
Chapter Twenty-seven: Intuition
William was fuming. Ueda had reported the incident with the police officer a few hours ago and he still couldn’t calm the anger surging through his veins. Daniel had burned off his frustrations over the whole thing and was already tucked up at the penthouse for an afternoon nap. Unfortunately William was held up at the office an unable to join his little lover. Even Daniel finally treating the penthouse as a second home couldn’t lift his mood.
Even worse was that none of his contacts within the police could confirm if something was about to happen. He knew Officer Mino and the man wouldn’t confront Daniel unless they were about to make a move. Stefan was still on the loose as well.
A heavy foreboding feeling sat in his gut.
Daniel had a last-minute stakeout planned for tonight, having only just confirmed the location that morning. The warehouse location was one which they had scouted before so they had good information on the area. With the anonymous tipoff on the meeting's location also being so last minute, no one would know where Daniel was, barring a handful of Synnite employees.
Yet William couldn’t shake the bad feeling in his gut.
The feeling was the only thing dimming his rage over what was reportedly said to Daniel. Like hell he would take threats to his soulmate sitting down.
“Willing or not, you’ll be helping me take that bastard out.”
So far, he had upped Daniel’s escort tonight to four of his own guards and two of William’s. The two men from his security team were there to watch Stefan if he showed up as well as keep Daniel safe. They couldn’t be certain, but it was the same location as the last meeting Stefan was seen at with Lawrence and they were hoping to finally get answers out of the man so he could be safely removed. The waiting and covert operations was wearing his patience thin. William would far rather resort to other tactics but there were still far too many variables in play.
