by Ruby Moone
Christian tried to hang on to his composure, but he was rapidly losing it. “I am not naive.”
“Yeah?” The belligerence in Daniel’s tone made Christian wonder if they were now arguing about something else.
“I am not naive, I am not stupid, and neither am I helpless. I won’t allow you to make me feel helpless or worthless.” He didn’t say ‘again,’ but got the feeling that Daniel heard it judging by the look on his face.
He stepped closer, eyebrows rammed down in a ferocious frown. “Worthless?” he said, the words were a low growl.
Christian didn’t move. He held his ground and held Daniel’s gaze. “Yeah. Worthless.”
The air shimmered between them. Febrile and dense.
Daniel’s phone pinged and separated them.
Not taking his gaze from Christian, not even blinking, Daniel snatched up the phone and answered. “Yeah.”
Christian couldn’t hear what was said, but Daniel hung up and pointed the phone at Christian. “Don’t think for a second this is done with.” He stalked out. When he returned, he had three men with him.
“Christian, let me introduce your team.” He nodded towards them.
“Asher Malek.” He pointed to a small, slender man. Dark skin, dark eyes, and longish, wavy dark hair. There was an interesting sense of stillness about him, and he was very attractive. Christian held out a hand a little awkwardly as he still felt unsure about extending it fully. Malek hesitated before shaking with a light grasp. “Asher manages all my security; you will have his undivided attention until Bryce is resolved.”
Christian wondered if resolved was another way of saying neutralised.
Daniel pointed to one of the other men, a tall, burly guy with dark hair. “Sam Hillingdon.” Christian shook hands with him.
“And David Keene.” Christian shook hands with David. He was taller still, slender, brown hair, but had a smile in his eyes whereas the other two looked like they wouldn’t have the first idea about humour.
Malek stepped forward. “Mr. McCafferty, you will be safe here. We just need you to be mindful of the rules.”
Christian put his hands on his hips and nodded. “What rules might they be?”
Malek seemingly noted something in his tone as he flicked a glance at Daniel. “I need to you to cooperate with us. Whatever I say goes, otherwise I cannot guarantee your safety. I cannot do this if I have to fight you.”
Christian raised his eyebrows and looked at Daniel.
“Christian…” There was a warning note to Daniel’s voice.
Christian turned to Malek, ignoring the interested looks from the other two men. “First, call me Christian. Second, whatever you have planned you will need to re-plan with me involved. If you are supposed to be keeping me safe, I insist on being involved in every step. That way, I know that if your say goes, your say can be trusted.” He raised an eyebrow.
Malek regarded him, then gave a short, sharp nod. “Agreed. Are you busy?”
“You have my undivided attention.”
Daniel let go of the breath he’d been holding as Christian led Asher to the kitchen. He turned to Sam and David and rolled his eyes. They both smiled at him.
“He’s not much like you, is he?” David said.
Daniel shook his head. “No. Not at all. We didn’t grow up together. Our fathers chose different paths. We only really got to know each other in our late teens.”
“He doesn’t look too pleased at the thought of protection.”
“He isn’t. Under normal circumstances, he’d be okay, but he’s injured. That makes him vulnerable. I suspect he doesn’t like it.”
David nodded.
Sam scratched his head. “Makes him touchy too.”
“Yep.” Daniel tapped one hand against his leg, wondering what Christian was saying to Asher. What they were agreeing to. He wouldn’t see any kind of watering down of the protection he had planned.
“Isn’t he a security expert anyway?” Sam asked.
“Cyber security. Not physical protection.”
Sam nodded.
Daniel glanced at his watch. He’d give them another minute.
They all stood in uncomfortable silence.
“Excuse me,” he said after about thirty seconds, and strode off towards the kitchen, following the voices. As he came into view, Christian looked up at him.
“Are you agreed?”
“Kind of.”
Daniel looked at Asher who nodded.
“Is everything sorted?” Daniel asked, unsure about what Christian meant.
“Not quite. I’m asking Asher who is protecting you if all his security men are protecting me. He doesn’t seem to have an answer.”
“I don’t need protecting.”
Christian raised an eyebrow. Daniel noted with irritation that he was good at that. “It’s true. Bryce wants to hurt me. He doesn’t want me dead. If I’m dead, he can’t extort money from me.”
Christian considered this for a moment. “What if you’re wrong?”
“I’m not wrong. I know Bryce. I know how he works. He’s sadistic. He likes to see people suffer. He isn’t a clean killer. He likes to play with his prey.”
His stomach tightened into knots at the thought of what Bryce might do to Christian, and for the first time in his entire life, wished he could speak to his father. At least with Kenneth at the helm, Bryce stayed in the shadows. He wasn’t his father, and Bryce knew it. He lacked the cruelty that characterised his father. Daniel knew he could be ruthless, but he lacked the brutal, sadistic streak that made his father so dangerous and unpredictable.
He took a breath and lifted his chin. “Asher?”
Asher nodded. “Bryce is an unusual man. On the face of it, a thug and nothing more. However, we have been observing him for a little while, ever since the incident with Jack Whelan, and discovered that fear and intimidation are what he goes for. He also likes to inflict pain. There were a few young people, male and female, that he managed to convince they owed Daniel money. Jack was only one of them. We burst open that little enterprise, and he’s never forgiven Daniel. The side-line he had going with sex parties that got Travis Baker hooked? Much bigger operation and busting that meant that he’s narrowly escaped the police, and it’s cost him a lot of money and a lot of custom. Now, not only is he annoyed, he’s out of pocket and owes a lot of people money. With Kenneth’s passing, he seems to have decided that he’s got the balls to take Daniel on.”
Christian was frowning. “It sounds like the fucking wild west. What’s going to happen? You guys going head to head? Shoot out? Drugs? What’s your weapon of choice, Daniel?”
The anger and bitterness in Christian’s voice was loud and clear. He needed to talk to him, but not in front of Asher.
“We can discuss this later.”
A muscle ticked along Christian’s jaw.
“Are you happy with the arrangements?” Daniel waited.
Christian nodded and looked at Asher. “Thank you. It’s thorough. I appreciate the time and thought that’s gone into the planning.”
“Pleasure. It’s good to work with someone who understands.” Asher smiled, and so did Christian. Daniel was shocked at the kick in the guts that gave him. Asher rarely smiled. He went about his business in a quiet, methodical way, without giving much of himself. He’d worked with him for years, and never had that kind of smile from him.
Asher stood. “I’ll set everything up.”
Daniel had bedrooms set up for his security team, and as the men were getting settled, he set off to find Christian. He found him peering in the fridge.
“Do you have any beer?”
Daniel shook his head. “Sorry, no.”
He closed the door.
“Coffee?” Daniel nodded at the machine.
“No thanks. I’ll be bouncing. Need something to bring me down. Wine?”
“Nope.”
“Gin?”
Daniel took a breath. “I don’t have alcohol in the hou
se.”
Christian frowned. “Sorry, that was thoughtless.”
Surprised, Daniel shrugged awkwardly. “I think there’s some chamomile tea somewhere?”
Christian wrinkled his nose. “Do you have honey? It tastes like grass without.”
Daniel breathed and tried not to sound relieved. “Sure.” He rummaged in the cupboards and found teabags and honey. He got out mugs while Christian filled the kettle and put it on to boil.
“What do you think of Asher?”
“He’s excellent. Where did you find him?”
“He found me. And yes, he’s that good.”
Christian leaded against the kitchen counter, folded his arms, and looked at the floor. “I appreciate you doing this. It probably doesn’t look like it, but I do.”
“No problem.” Daniel fiddled with the box containing tea bags and avoided looking at him.
21
Christian turned off the en-suite light and climbed into bed. It was a magnificent room, like the rest of the house. Rather like a show home. Christian wondered if it was the ex-lover who’d designed it. He was curious about the ex-lover. More than curious. It was damned well gnawing away at his insides.
He settled into the downy pillows. The high-quality bed linen was soft against his skin. He wished Daniel lay next to him, the way he’d done all those years ago. He sighed. There’d been a lot of sex, but it had been more than that. There’d been a tentative, gentle kind of intimacy. The kind of intimacy he’d never experienced with anyone else. Ever. Many nights, they’d just curled up and talked in the darkness. Content to be in each other’s arms. Sometimes it led to sex, sometimes it didn’t. Daniel had been his best friend, his lover, and although it sounded corny to say it, his soul mate. Or at least he thought he was.
He rubbed his eyes and put all the emotion down to the shock of being stabbed in the street. It still made him go cold and nauseous when he remembered it. When he got that way, he just wanted Daniel to take him in his arms and hold him until the fear subsided. Yet here he lay, in an enormous bed, with Daniel in an equally enormous bed in another room. He wondered if Daniel was missing him too. He wore boxers. He usually slept naked, but he’d felt the need for boxers tonight. Stupid really.
He shifted into a more comfortable spot. The wounds were starting to feel itchy now, but still pulled painfully if he moved suddenly. It was sickening how vulnerable he felt. He thought back to the incident and remembered Finlay shouting and holding him. To think, if Finlay hadn’t been there, he could have bled out there and then on the street with all the shoppers looking at him in bewilderment. To think that life could be so fragile, so transient was horrifying. Like most, he’d always seen himself as well-nigh indestructible. He’d never thought about dying, never really had to. He’d come too close though, and it seeped into his consciousness far too regularly. It wasn’t a good feeling. The cold nausea roiled through his stomach making him queasy and sweaty.
His phone pinged on the nightstand. He picked it up and peered at it. Michael.
Michael: Hey, how’s it going?
Christian: Not bad. Got my own security team!
Michael: We’ve decided to do round the clock for Jack, Aaron, and Travis as well.
Christian: Good. You too?
Michael: Yep. No point taking unnecessary risks.
Christian: True. How is everything? I can work from here while I recover so if there is desk stuff, send it my way.
Michael: And incur the wrath of your protector? I value my balls.
Christian: He got to you then?
Michael: Did you doubt it? He’s beside himself. I’m sorry I got you into all of this.
Christian: Not your fault. I didn’t have to ask him.
Michael: True, but it really helped Jack and I’m eternally grateful for that.
Christian: Not a problem.
Michael: See you soon?
Christian: Of course
He put the phone back and closed his eyes. It was easier to leave the light on than stretch out and switch it off. He was still trying to settle when the door opened quietly. He opened his eyes. Daniel stood in the doorway, frowning.
“Do you want the light off?”
He shook his head.
“Do you need any more painkillers? Anything?”
Christian shook his head again. What he wanted, ached for, was for Daniel to get naked, crawl in beside him, and hold him close. He wanted to feel the warmth of his body and the security of his arms. Wanted to go back to when they were kids and life was simple.
Hold me.
He managed a weak smile. “No. I’m fine. Thanks.”
Over the next few days, they settled into an oddly domestic routine. Christian discovered that Daniel was right when he said he did nothing but work, because it was apparent the man was a total workaholic. He never stopped. Even if they were watching something on the TV, his phone would come out and he’d be emailing for ages. He didn’t seem to be able to sit still. They slept in separate rooms, ate dinner in the kitchen, and watched TV in the room that Christian discovered was slightly smaller and less oppressive than the other rooms. Daniel either worked in his study or went to the office in Manchester, leaving him with Asher and company, sometimes leaving before he was even out of bed.
Christian’s strength was definitely returning, so he spent much of the day working on the projects Michael had started sending through, and some of it resting and reading. He’d managed to shower without feeling dizzy, so he counted that as a win. All in all, he was ready to leave, yet somehow felt reluctant to say that.
He sat in the kitchen, hair still damp, and watched Daniel at the huge table eating a mountain of toast and reading something on his laptop. Mavis was sprawled on his lap and every now and then he reached out blindly for his mug of coffee and took a long drink. It was domestic. In the extreme. They sat at opposite ends of the enormous counter in silence. Christian was disturbed by the way his stomach clenched every time he looked at him. By the way his heart leaped when he walked in a room. How he wanted to be closer. Not good. Particularly as Daniel showed no inclination to get any closer to him.
Asher Malek came into the kitchen with three empty mugs clutched in one hand. He put them in the dishwasher.
“You want the bad news or the bad news?”
Daniel looked up. He closed the laptop, and lifted Mavis onto the floor before standing.
“Go on?”
Asher looked annoyed. “Well, the police can’t make any connection to Bryce. I’ve been in touch with them this morning, and they’ve exhausted everything. The CCTV footage wasn’t clear, no identifications could be made, the people who witnessed the attack could only give the vaguest of descriptions, and…well, they’ve nothing to go on.”
“Find them something to go on.” Daniel’s voice was a low, angry growl.
“There were people filming on phones,” Christian said. It was the one thing that stuck in his mind. The fact that he’d been attacked, and was bleeding badly, but all some people were doing was filming him. “I’ve asked Michael and Finlay to find them. Have you spoken to Mikey?”
Asher nodded. “I’ve been in touch. So far they’ve not been able to turn up anything, but he’s got people on it.”
Christian sighed, and Daniel paced, hand rubbing the back of his neck.
“That’s not all.” Asher was frowning.
Daniel went still. “Go on.”
“Bryce has managed to go to ground yet is still shouting his mouth off.” Asher looked uncomfortable. “Reckons he’s under your protection and working with you. Stuff like that.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Daniel muttered. He ran a hand over his mouth.
Christian put his mug down. “Like I said, it sounds like it’s you who needs protection, not me.”
“Yeah.” Daniel looked thoughtful. “Sounds like I’m going to have to move faster than I wanted to.”
Asher nodded.
“Move on what?”
“I take it you’re not going to be running them?” Christian asked.
Daniel frowned. “No.” He looked at Christian for a moment and apparently made some sort of decision. “Would you excuse us?” he said as he gestured to Asher. The two walked from the room, leaving Christian with Mavis. He scratched the cat’s head, and then pulled out his phone and dialled Michael.
“Hey.”
“What have you found out?”
Michael hesitated. “Well, the police don’t seem to be able to pin anything on Bryce.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Christian muttered. “Daniel said as much. This is ridiculous. Did you manage to find the people who were taking pictures?”
“Not yet. Lewis is on it, and Finn has followed a few leads that have all come to not much. Trouble is, I’m not close enough to the whole gang thing to get enough information. Jack has tried some of his contacts, but I believe Daniel’s people are struggling too?”
“Yeah, pretty much.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and a headache started pushing behind his eyes. “I’m feeling a lot better, so I’m probably not going to stay here much longer.”
“Fair enough. Let me know if you want me to come and get you.”
“Thanks. I’ll let you know when. Keep me posted?”
“Sure. Hang in there.”
Christian hung up and tapped the phone against his lips. The headache was intensifying. He was definitely well enough to go home, but some weird part of him wanted to stay with Daniel until it was all over. Needed to be close to him, be part of his thinking. Because he knew that once he went home, that would be the end of the contact. For the time being he could tell himself he was worried for Daniel. But deep in his heart he knew the reason.
Mavis jumped on the counter and came to rub against him.
“I’m a sad bastard, aren’t I?” he murmured as he stroked her soft head. She purred.
Daniel came striding back into the room. Dark frown on his face, eyebrows rammed down. Hands balled into fists at his side.
