by A J Sherwood
What was really whirling around in his brain and causing havoc was this one question: Did he stick to Aleks’s plan? Did he accept the help, and the protection, and annul the marriage when it was all over? Or did he at least try to see if this could be real? Could his growing crush become something more while living with Aleks?
Or would it fade away when reality showed him what living with the man really entailed?
Harris really didn’t know. And right now he was so strung out, he shouldn’t make a decision anyway.
It was in fact quite easy to get married in the state of Tennessee. A valid ID, a groom, and a hundred dollars later and wham—marriage certificate. The county clerk had married them, and they were in and out with fifteen minutes. It was actually scary, how easy it was to get married. Getting married was the easy part. The rest of it, that was what Harris wasn’t sure how to handle.
Aleks stepped out from his home office, the phone to his ear, and a shark-like grin on his face. “Yeah? Wait, let me tell him. Harris, Connie tracked down the PI and had a word with him.”
For a moment, Harris considered this. “Is he still breathing?”
Connie’s muted laugh came from the phone’s speaker. She’d clearly heard him. Aleks flipped the phone to lay flat on his palm between them, putting it on speaker. “She claims he was quite reasonable.”
“By reasonable, you mean willing to run for it.” Harris surprised himself by the banter. He’d often thought of what this day would be like, when the past caught up with him. Never did he think he’d be able to joke about it.
“So far, he’s inclined to report in and not chase you down, at least,” Connie reported. There was a sort of gusty sound quality to her words, as if she were outside and walking while speaking with them. “I’m not actually worried about the PI right now. Daddy VanTech is definitely the issue. Aleks. You have a sniper rifle. I know a smuggler.”
Alarm shot through Harris. He tried to find a logical connection between ‘sniper rifle’ and ‘smuggler’ that didn’t end with some sort of international criminal incident. He was failing. “Uh….”
Aleks waved him down with his free hand. “She’s kidding, she’s kidding.”
“Mostly,” Connie said in a tone indicating not really. “We should keep our options open, is all. While you two were getting married, I reviewed that work contract. Smart of you to keep a copy on your cloud, Harris. It’s a doozy. I can’t believe he thinks it’s enforceable. Work until you’re twenty-five? $100,000 breach of contract fee, and you terminate your right to work as a coder in the security industry? Who is he kidding, no judge will look favorably on that, not when you didn’t even sign it.”
“He’s egotistical enough to think he can get by with it. And with enough bribes, he can.” Harris wiped a hand over his face and tried to think. “Honestly, when I first ran, my goal was just to keep running. To disappear completely and not deal with him. I don’t have a plan of where to go from here.”
“Hmm, yes, we do need a plan.”
Aleks’s eyes searched Harris. “I think I need to feed my new husband first. Connie, find us a good attorney? Let’s meet for dinner tonight and talk strategy.”
“Sure. I think I know the right person to call, actually, assuming he has time to take this one on. I’ll meet you at Hannabi’s for dinner, alright? Breathe, Harris. We won’t let the bad guy get you.”
Considering what he was fairly sure Connie had done before creating the company? Harris found that vastly reassuring. “Thanks, Connie.”
“For now,” Aleks informed him as he pocketed the phone, “we’re due at my parents’ for lunch.”
Harris ran that through his mind. Twice. Nope, still didn’t connect. “Why your parents?”
“I told them about the marriage—”
A wave of hot and cold washed through his nerves. Harris really had no idea what Aleks would say next, and it alarmed him thoroughly.
“—and they want to talk to both of us about it,” Aleks finished. No doubt reading the panic on Harris’s face, he caught the back of his neck and squeezed the nape reassuringly, looking at him supportively. “It’s fine. They’re upset, but only with your parents. They want to know the full situation so they know how to help you.”
That did and didn’t make sense to Harris. He’d met the whole De Sousa family several times. They were a friendly bunch and they liked to do cookouts for everyone in the company. He’d always been treated well by Mr. and Mama De Sousa. But…but… “They’re okay with you marrying a man?”
Aleks shrugged, a very nonchalant shrug. (For this, he should be chalant, dammit.) “I’m bisexual but lean more toward the guy side of the equation. My whole family’s been betting for years which gender I’d end up marrying. They’re not surprised by that. They are surprised by WHY we’re married. Now come on, we’ll be late if we don’t get a move on.”
Aleks
Aleks felt reasonably sure Harris was about one surprise away from a full-blown panic attack. The poor guy was very overwhelmed at the way his life had done a complete one-eighty in the past six hours, and really, he probably needed to just sit for a while and process everything. Unfortunately, they didn’t have that kind of luxury. They needed to figure out a plan and get it in motion before something irreversible happened.
Actually, Aleks would like to have a few hours to process too. A lot of emotions bombarded him at the moment. Protective instincts were running at an all-time high, occasionally upset by anger. Worry kept popping its head up to get a word in, and determination kept shouldering it all aside before he could get swamped. Somewhere in the back, though, another emotion waved its hand, trying to get his attention.
It felt a lot like eagerness. Or maybe it was hope?
He hadn’t admitted this to anyone (although Aleks was fairly sure his family had picked up on it—and Connie, because the woman was annoyingly omniscient), but he liked Harris. He liked Harris far more than he should an employee or a friend. Aleks had been vaguely aware of the feeling and hadn’t chosen to think too deeply about it. At least, up until the morning he’d gone to Harris’s apartment and found him sicker than a dog. Standing there, watching one of the most intelligent men he knew wobbling in place, eyes glazed over, had alarmed him. The first thought that had popped into his mind was: If he were properly mine, this wouldn’t have happened.
Aleks could admit he wasn’t quite sure what to do with that revelation at first. He hadn’t even been sure of Harris’s sexual orientation, if he’d be open to having a male partner. Not until the night at the club, when they’d danced. That night had shown a great deal to Aleks. The dark, excited light in Harris’s hazel eyes had been unmistakable, as well as the slight bulge in his pants. The happy way he’d stayed nearly plastered to Aleks had made it very clear he was interested. He was also too shy to try hitting on his boss.
The situation now was not ideal, not in many ways, but it did give Aleks a golden opportunity, if he were brave enough to take it. He had this man near him, with every excuse to touch. There was no harm in courting Harris subtly, was there? At least attempting to see if they could form a real relationship?
They reached the De Sousa house before Aleks could figure out the answer. It looked like everyone was there. Cars filled the parking pad in front of the house as well as the curb. Aleks had to park on the other side of the street.
Harris looked like a bundle of nerves as he climbed out of the truck. Aleks took his hand, and Harris held onto it like a lifeline as they walked up the short sidewalk to the two-story brick house. The door stood open, only the storm door closed, and Aleks had a full view of the interior as they approached. The main floor of the house wasn’t an open concept, so he couldn’t see all the way through, but the living room sectional was full of siblings, only his mother and elder sister missing. Even through the glass he could hear his mother calling out orders of what food needed to come off the stove, his sister replying.
His father spotted them first and raised
his voice to cut through all the other chatter. “They’re here!”
Opening the storm door, Aleks pulled Harris through it, greeting people as he did. “Papai. Davi, Leo, Thais. Don’t you have work?”
“You think we can work when something like this goes down?” his sister scolded, already heading for him. She kissed him quickly on both cheeks, then did the same with Harris. Harris had been around his family enough he took the greeting in stride, even smiled at Thais. “Harris, really, you should have said something before shit hit the fan. We’d have helped you.”
“I thought it was long over with,” Harris admitted. “Or maybe that was wishful thinking. He’s gone through eight PIs trying to find me, and none of them had, so I thought I’d covered my tracks well enough.”
“Apparently he finally found the right man for the job.” Papai hugged Harris to him, although he scowled. “I don’t know why you ran, Harris. You tell me full story, yeah?”
Harris seemed to realize that while Aleks’s father was upset, it wasn’t at him. He finally relaxed and stopped trying to break Aleks’s fingers. “Yes, sir, I’ll be glad to tell you the full story.”
Aleks’s mother came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands off on a hand towel as she moved. She tossed it over a shoulder before she kissed Harris’s cheeks and then caught his face, staring up at him in worry. Not a tall woman, she barely met Harris’s chin, and her naturally dark eyes were nearly black in concern. “You’re too pale, anjo. You come, you sit and eat. Eat first, then we talk. Everyone wash hands, come to the table.”
Well trained, the siblings all did as bid, using the various sinks in the house to quickly wash their hands and settle around the table. They held hands, said grace, and then dug into the bounty of food threatening the table’s integrity. Aleks wasn’t the slightest bit surprised by the quantity of food. His mother overcooked when she was worried.
Harris seemed overwhelmed by all the foods he didn’t really recognize, but he politely put a bit of everything on his plate. Aleks didn’t focus on his own plate until he was sure Harris was willing to eat. He’d learned in the past year that Harris had a hard time eating when stressed. It was a good sign he was willing to eat right now.
To spare him from rehashing it all again, Aleks reported the full situation as people ate. Everyone listened attentively and with growing outrage as the tale unfolded.
“That man turned his own son into slave,” Mãe fumed, holding her fork as if contemplating a good stabbing. “Harris, you not worry, you not go back to that evil man. We make sure of it.”
Nods all around the table in firm agreement. Harris gave them all a shy smile, and for a moment he looked perfectly happy before worries dragged his mood back under. “Thank you. Really. I never expected this kind of support.”
“Thank us after we get you free,” Leo advised. He’d shed his suit and tie and rolled up his shirt sleeves, looking as if he were at a casual business lunch. Of the family, Leo was the only one not in security somehow. He worked for an advertising firm. “Harris, you know the man better than we do. What’s your opinion; would he take the penalty fee? Would he stop chasing you if we paid it?”
Harris shook his head immediately. “The amount was to keep me chained to him, nothing more. He doesn’t want the money. He wants me back. He has no dedicated main coder without me.”
“So just paying him to go away is a bust,” Davi muttered thoughtfully. “Everything Aleks said makes him sound like a control freak. Is he bad tempered?”
Nodding vigorously, Harris elaborated, “Verbally abusive, too. He never physically hit his family, but there was many a time I thought he would.”
“So is it outside the realm of possibility he’ll send someone after you? Threaten you into complying?”
Harris grimaced. “I wish I could say no, but…”
“But odds are good.” Papai did not look happy about this. “Aleks, you guard your husband well.”
Aleks mentally kicked himself for not thinking of this earlier. He’d been so focused on the logistics of getting married, and getting Harris home, he’d not thought the rest of it through. “If I can’t personally, I know any of the guys will do it in a heartbeat. I’ll arrange it.”
“But is the contract even legal?” Thais objected. “I mean, we’re talking about paying it and trying to get this man to go away, but can it even be enforced?”
“Connie’s contacting a lawyer she knows to look over the contract and tell us,” Harris answered. His face drew up in a grimace. “From what I researched on it, it’s unfortunately legal. Or legal enough. It was drawn up while I was a minor, but both parents signed it.”
“So he has at least one legal leg to stand on.” The eldest sibling of the bunch, Maria, looked peeved about this. “I hate abusive, manipulative bastards.”
“We all do,” Davi growled in perfect agreement. “But if we can’t ignore the contract, and paying the penalty fee is unlikely to solve the situation, then what? What option does that leave us?”
“Nothing legal.” Thais’s expression suggested mayhem.
Aleks was in the mood for some mayhem. “Sis, please share the fruits from your evil mind.”
“Harris? You’re a very good hacker, right?”
Harris seemed a little alarmed at this segue. “Yes…?”
“And you’ve got backdoors into all of VanTech’s systems, correct?”
“Well, yeah?” Harris’s alarm mounting.
“Then can’t you just go in and frame your father for embezzling?” Thais asked, as if it were the most reasonable suggestion in the world. “If he’s facing a criminal suit, he won’t have the time or luxury to chase after you. And he can’t really pursue a civil lawsuit at the same time he’s under investigation anyway. I think.”
Aleks was a little startled at this casual suggestion. Mostly because it was entirely viable that Harris could pull it off, and it actually did sound as if it would work. One glance at Harris told him that while part of him disagreed with this method, another part of him actually entertained it.
Mãe smacked her daughter on the arm. “Don’t throw wild ideas out there. We need good battle plan. Let’s think seriously.”
The ideas kept coming. Aleks pitched in his own, taking notes on the more reasonable things suggested, but mostly letting the words and affection wash over Harris. This family gathering was mostly to show support. Color slowly seeped back into Harris’s face and he no longer moved or reacted like a terrified rabbit looking for a bolt hole. Aleks leaned back into his chair, settling. They didn’t need to meet up with Connie for hours yet. They had time to bask in a little familial love.
Aleks
John Fryne was the no-nonsense sort of attorney who would have fit into any sitcom. Middle-aged, his dark hair was just turning grey at the temples, and he was lean without being skinny, like a volleyball player in search of a court. He sat them down in his conference room, his paralegal providing drinks, and listened patiently as they explained the story.
After they wound down, he cleared his throat and tapped the open folder spread out on the table in front of him. “I’ve looked at the contract. It is suspicious that your signature doesn’t appear anywhere on this form, Mr. Vanlandingham. Or do you prefer I call you Harris?”
“Harris, please. That is my legal name.”
“I understand. You’re correct that a parent can sign a contract on behalf of their child and it’s legally binding. But especially on a work contract like this, the child’s signature should be on there as well. There’s a spot for it, but you never signed this. That’s going to raise a few suspicions in any judge’s mind. Also strange is that while the terms of employment duration, penalty fee, and all of that are laid out, not once does the contract mention the employee’s salary or benefits. Frankly, this doesn’t read like an employee contract. It reads like a bill of sale for indentured slavery.”
Aleks smiled because that was the most frank evaluation he’d heard all day and he completel
y agreed with it. He really had a good impression of this lawyer. John Fryne kept poking at the printed-out contract as if it offended him on every level. “So we can fight this?”
“We absolutely can. It might take something of a legal battle, is all. Nothing about the law is quick. Harris, I have two questions I need answered. First, what do you hope to gain by fighting the contract?”
“I want him to go away,” Harris answered in his soft, tenor voice. “I want him to leave me alone and stop hounding me for something I never agreed to.”
“I had a feeling that would be your answer. Second question, as I think this should tie into our suit. Some of what you’ve said inclines me to think your father was abusive. Is that the case?”
Harris nodded without hesitation. “Yes. Verbally and emotionally. Not physically, though, he never struck me.”
“Give me some examples.”
Aleks’s nails bit into his palm and he mentally braced himself. He absolutely did not want to hear what came out of Harris’s mouth next. On the other hand, he needed to. In order to truly help Harris, he had to know. Although it would rip his heart to pieces hearing what Harris had suffered through.
Harris couldn’t quite meet anyone’s eyes as he elaborated, his voice becoming even quieter. “I wasn’t allowed to leave the house unless I was going to the company. From the age of twelve on, I was home-schooled for three hours a day and then I was only allowed to work. He kept me under constant video surveillance, and if I took more than a fifteen-minute break, he’d call me and scream at me for slacking off. I was allowed to sleep for four hours a day, never more than that. If I left the house, I was under guard. I never stepped foot outside alone. When I was seventeen, he thought me cowed enough I wouldn’t go against him. I carefully did everything he said, exactly the way he wanted, for six months so he’d relax his guard. The day he allowed me out by myself, I ran for it.”
Aleks had the strongest urge to punch something. Since that something wasn’t available, he reached for Harris’s hand instead, holding onto it strongly. Harris gripped it in return, still not looking up, his hold tight enough to cut off circulation. Reciting all of that had clearly stirred up bad memories. Aleks was of the opinion that maybe his sister had been onto something after all. Framing the bastard for embezzlement was looking like a great idea.
