Light After Dark: The Base Christmas Edition Read online

  “I think I’ll make it,” Alasdair answered, trying as hard as he could not to flinch away from the man’s touch.

  “And I think I better help you,” the reply came in the same soft tone from earlier.

  There must have been some substance in the water because, after only a couple of minutes, the kid started to relax as the man washed him all over with a very soft cloth. Looking into the redhead’s eyes, Ardan gave him another cloth.

  “For your private parts,” he said, looking away. “I thought you would like to wash them by yourself.”

  “Thank you,” Alasdair replied, taking the cloth. “I’m afraid of you,” he dared.

  “Because I killed that bastard? I would do it again and again. But there are some things I would, or rather will never do. I’ll never lay a finger on you or deprive you of sleep, warmth, light, food, or water. I’ll never touch you in a sexual manner until you are of age and only with your consent. I’ll never abandon, share, or lend you. And I’ll protect you and anyone else you want me to protect. That’s a promise.”

  CHAPTER 4

  “Wake up, sleepyhead. Time for breakfast! You’ve slept enough. It’s already seven o’clock,” Ardan spoke softly as he put the breakfast table on the bed. “Breakfast is served. Enjoy,” he continued, heading to the door.

  “Mmm, it smells delicious.” Alasdair peeked from under the blankets. “My favorites ever,” he said in a happy voice. Leon sure knew how to get to his little pancake and orange jelly-loving heart.

  “I’m glad you like it,” Ardan said, sighing inwardly. Soon, the boy would realize he was not at home, and his appetite would be ruined. It was the same story every morning since he’d saved the little redhead from the clutches of the abusive asshole his boyfriend was two weeks prior.

  “Oh, it’s you again.” Alasdair looked at the man with obvious disappointment. However, that day he had to make an effort and be nice to him because the news from home was not great, and he needed to go back badly.

  “I’m sorry to disappoint you again, but yes, you are still here, stuck with me,” Ardan apologized in the same soft voice from earlier. “I’ll leave you now.”

  “No, please don’t go. I want to talk to you about something important. It’s not that I don’t like you or anything, in fact, you guys are great, but I was just dreaming about being home again with Leon and Ezra. I...”

  “Don’t lie, Alasdair. You suck at it. In fact, you hate my guts. You’ve shown that each and every single day since you’ve been here. For you, I’m nothing more than a psycho who killed your boyfriend in cold blood. Never mind that said boyfriend was a sadistic bastard who would’ve killed you in the end. What do you want from me?”

  “I want to go home, but only for a day or two. I spoke with my friend Peyton last night, and they told me something very bad has happened to Ezra, one of my roommates, and... Please, let me go!” the kid said in a desperate voice, his eyes full of fear.

  The man stared at him with his strange, turquoise eyes hidden behind glasses, shook his head very slowly, then stared at the boy some more. His pale lips were as tightly pressed, as usual, his expression unreadable. All of a sudden, Ardan’s eyes were filled with pain and defeat as he spoke.

  “I can’t believe it! After all this time, you’re afraid of me, of what I may do to you. A psycho with a gun. That is all I am for you, isn’t it, Alasdair? Someone who finds sadistic pleasure in taking a person’s life. A bastard who killed your goddamn abusive boyfriend!”

  “Yes, you killed Paul, and I’m afraid of you. I told you that on the first day. And I still wait every night for you to come and ask me to pay you for saving me from the beatings and humiliation, but you never show. I’m even more terrified that you will take me by surprise, and that is why I fall asleep so late at night,” Alasdair blurted out in one go.

  Ardan didn’t say anything, a sad smile on his pale lips. Then, he went to the desk, lifting the redhead’s phone and carefully holding it. “You know what this is? That’s right, it’s a phone connected to the Internet. And this one,” he pointed to the computer on the desk, “is another Internet-connected device.”

  “W-What do you mean?” Alasdair stuttered, finally realizing what Ardan was trying to say. The kid felt ashamed for being so stupid. He didn’t dare to look into the man’s eyes. “I-I’m sorry. I’m very sorry,” he said, lowering his head.

  “I believe you,” Ardan said, the sad look never leaving his face. “Only I don’t know why you’re sorry. For wasting your time with me and the others or for misjudging me? I think the first is most likely the right one. Eat your breakfast, and then I’ll tell one of the guys to escort you home.”

  “I’ll come back. You have my word on that,” Alasdair whispered as Ardan put the phone back on the desk and headed to the door.

  “You’re free to do whatever you want, kid. I gave you my word on the first day you came here.”

  As soon as the man left, the redhead dug into the food like there was no tomorrow, enjoying the combination of tastes and texture of pancakes. But the sensation didn’t last for long as the guilt started to gnaw at Alasdair. He was an asshole. A very big one, the biggest in the world, as he had never given Ardan a chance, never thanked him or the other guys.

  But instead of slap or shake some sense into him as he deserved, the man always looked at the redhead with his sad, turquoise eyes, always hidden behind his thick glasses, then left the room in silence. Alasdair mentally slapped himself for being such an insensitive brat, promising himself that he would make it up to Ardan for behaving as he had.

  “Hello, kiddo. Did you sleep well?” Seymour, the other guy in charge of him, stepped inside the room, going straight to the redhead and ruffling his soft curls. Just like Drew, he was a giant with a heart of gold and very devoted to Ardan.

  “Not quite.” Alasdair yawned, stretching his arms above the head. “But I ate very well. The pancakes were divine. Compliments to the chef.” He grinned widely.

  “Well, you can tell him yourself as he’d like to check on you one more time before we leave for your home.” Seeing the confusion on the teen’s face, Seymour added, “I’m talking about Ardan. He’s the one who cooks breakfast for you and everyone else.”

  An hour and a half later, Alasdair was on the porch of the house he shared with Leon and Ezra. To his great and somewhat unpleasant surprise, the older man was not in sight. After all that had happened with Alasdair, the absence of the one who protected them was not a good sign.

  Stepping into the house, Seymour in tow, Alasdair let out an audible sigh of relief as both men were in the living room: Ezra lying down on the couch, back propped on pillows, and Leon sitting in an armchair in front of him. The latter was holding a little bowl filled with fruit, cut into small pieces, and fed the teen from it.

  “Well, hello there, folks!” Alasdair waved, bringing a small smile to Ezra’s pale lips. “Did you miss me? This here is my friend Seymour.” He gestured to the solidly built man who had already shaken hands with Leon.

  “Hi, Ezra. Nice to meet you.” He extended his hand, smiling brightly, only to make the younger male shy away, shaky and scared. But it seemed that Seymour was familiar with that kind of reaction because he didn’t insist on touching the boy.

  “Where’s Peyton?” Alasdair asked as he looked around, and although he knew the answer, he wanted confirmation from one of the two men.

  Since Julianna, Leon’s adoptive mother, had barged into Leon's house, assaulting and almost raping Ezra, he’d refused to communicate with anyone except Leon, leaving Peyton broken-hearted and confused after their first kiss. They were devastated, thinking they were unworthy of love because of the ugly secret their body kept hidden.

  Alasdair knew he had to go and visit his friend, offering them a much-needed shoulder to cry on. After warmly hugging Ezra one more time, the redhead went to the kitchen to where Leon had disappeared and was washing the dishes.

  “On a scale from one to ten, with ten bein
g the worst, how bad is he?” Alasdair asked, without further small talk. “No fancy lies, just the truth.” He gave the man a piercing stare.

  “On a scale from one to ten, I’d say twenty-five.” Leon sighed, his beautiful, dark-brown eyes clouded by sadness. “He’s far worse than when I found him behind the club and brought him home. Much, much worse.”

  “What are you going to do about it?” Alasdair spoke again as bluntly as the first time. “His aggressor, do you know them? Do you intend to let them get away with it?” The teen kept pushing, not seeming to notice Leon’s reactions to his questions.

  “She’s someone from my past; the worst kind of devil the pits of hell spawned, and then threw into the world. That woman is the embodiment of evil, and I’ll deal with her in due time. Until then, Ezra is my top priority,” the man said in a determination-filled voice.

  “And that means what? Checking him into a clinic and finding a good therapist, someone he could trust? What exactly is your plan?” Alasdair insisted.

  Leon looked at the boy in front of him, a smile forming on his lips. The geeky kid, whose mind had only been interested in studying, had vanished overnight, replaced by this mature young man who was interested in his friend’s well-being, pushing him to find the best solutions. “I’ll take him to his family. They will know better what to do,” he answered.

  “His family?” Alasdair was disappointed in Leon for the first time since the two of them knew each other. “But Ezra expressly specified that...”

  “I’m not taking him to his mother. I wouldn’t sign his death sentence. I’m talking about the paternal side of his family,” Leon said, then he abruptly fell silent.

  The truth was, he’d only thought about leaving the boy in the Blooms’ care seconds earlier, and it was more a reaction to Alasdair putting pressure on him. But then, the more he thought about it, the more attractive the idea appeared to the man.

  “Do you know them? Ezra’s paternal side of the family? Do you know what kind of people they are, or would he end up worse than if he lived with his mother?” For some reason, Alasdair was hellbent on finding out everything about the subject.

  Leon smiled, liking that side of the kid. In fact, being so inquisitive was a huge advantage if he eventually decided to become a doctor. “Yes, I know one of his cousins. He’s a hell of a good man, who protects his family at all costs. And I also know Ezra’s great-uncle, who was my dad’s superior officer and the best brother in arms.”

  “What are you waiting for, then? If his folks are as good as you say they are, the longer my friend stalls here, the more difficult his recovery period will be.” Alasdair gave Leon a ‘think about it’ look.

  “I guess you’re right. I’ll talk to him about it, and hopefully, he’ll agree.” The man sighed, heading to the living room. “I was going to check on him anyway. Your buddy has been in there with him for too long.”

  To Leon’s great surprise, Ezra was completely relaxed in Seymour’s presence, the two of them engaged in a light conversation. The older man let out a loud sigh, taking a seat and starting to talk to the teen. Again, Alasdair’s friend proved to be a great help, backing up Leon with logical arguments spoken in a soft, soothing voice.

  Finally, Ezra agreed to give his paternal side of the family a chance, so helped by the redhead and, strangely enough, Seymour, he started to pack his things. By the time everything was ready, it was already evening, so they decided to leave first thing in the morning.

  “I want to talk to you,” Alasdair told Leon in the kitchen while helping him with the dinner dishes.

  “Sure, go on.” The man gave him an encouraging smile. “What’s up?”

  “Well... A good friend of Seymour invited us to spend the summer with him, and I was wondering... you know...” The teen shifted his weight from one foot to the other, a light blush colouring his cheeks.

  “Sure, you can go to this friend of yours, especially if he is friends with this Seymour guy, who seems a very nice fellow.”

  “Yeah, Ardan’s... he’s a very nice guy,” Alasdair whispered, blushing violently.

  Leon nodded without saying anything. He dreaded the moment when he would come home to an empty house with no one to greet him. The man knew he would miss the banter between the two kids, the redhead’s big mouth, even his yelling out of the blue.

  Anyway, it was for the best, Leon thought, because now Julianna had discovered where he lived and who he was protecting, she would continue to attack the kids, knowing that it was the only way of bringing him to his knees.

  So, the next morning, at the crack of dawn, he loaded Ezra’s bags and boxes into the trunk of his car while the kid was saying goodbye to Alasdair, hugging him tightly, and to Seymour, whose hand he shook quite strongly. He continued to wave to the two of them until they were no longer in sight, then turned around, blankly staring out of the window.

  However, as soon as the car entered the mansion’s grounds, Ezra’s eyes widened in awe at the sight of the lush gardens surrounding them, a completely different sight than that of his mother’s home, with its perfectly manicured lawn but no trees, bushes or shrubs. The landscape put a small smile on Ezra’s face, making him look forward to meeting this side of his family.

  Indeed, not long after Leon pulled the car onto the driveway, a young redhead in his early to mid-twenties came outside. His eyes widened at the sight of the car and the man who just stepped out of it, starting to unload the trunk. In the meantime, Ezra climbed out of the vehicle, helping his protector with the bags.

  “Welcome, my friend! Who did you bring home this time?” The redhead smirked, giving Leon a bear hug. “Glad to see you again, man!” he said in a light-hearted voice.

  “Glad to see you too, Liam.” The other man smiled brightly, patting the redhead on the shoulder. “And this is...”

  “Ezra! Oh, by all the gods, dead, alive and unborn, man! Where did you find him? We have been looking for him for months, but he was nowhere to be found!” Liam exclaimed.

  “Sorry for not bringing Ezra to you earlier, but he was in a pretty bad shape,” Leon said, pain in his eyes. “Actually, he’s not in a happy place now, either so take it easy on him, okay?” he continued, lightly stroking the kid’s pitch black, soft strands.

  “Of course, don’t worry. Our cousin will be well taken care of now that he’s home.” Liam turned to Ezra, giving him a warm, reassuring smile. “Do you want to step inside for a little, Leon? There are people who miss you a lot here.” The redhead winked.

  “I’m afraid it’s not possible. I have to be somewhere in an hour,” the man said, well aware of the meaning behind Liam’s words. He didn’t want the beautiful, delicate Darien to be part of the dangerous lifestyle he was being forced to go back to, no matter how much he wanted to have him in his arms.

  Meanwhile, Alasdair and Seymour got back to what the crew called ‘The Base,’ greeted by Ardan, Drew and a few other guys with high positions in the gang’s hierarchy.

  “Welcome back, kid, and happy early birthday,” the boss said, giving the redhead a tentative hug. “We bought you some presents. They’re in your room. Also, there’s someone excited to meet you. I hope you’ll like it,” Ardan whispered, looking down.

  Alasdair hugged the man, then ran to his room where he saw two big boxes. One was nicely wrapped, placed on his bed, while the other, much bigger, was on the floor, strange noises coming from it. With careful movements, the redhead opened the box on the floor, two Golden Retriever pups greeting him and licking his face with great enthusiasm.

  Once the little dogs calmed down, Alasdair moved to the box on the bed, unwrapping and opening it. He gasped in surprise at the sight of the medicine books, taking them one by one from the box. As the redhead picked up the last book, he saw the rectangular white card, written in cursive letters.

  To the greatest neurosurgeon in the world. Use your brain to cure others. A.

  CHAPTER 5

  “Look, Ardan, you are everything to me: the
father I never had, the older brother who watched over me, the god I worship, the center of my Universe. You gave me hope when I had none, made light for me in the dark, comforted me when I was scared. However, I have to tell you that this time you are wrong.”

  “Why am I wrong, Seymour?” The man looked into the eyes of the one who spoke, the same pained expression on his face. “For wanting him to be safe? For keeping him away from this kind of life? Alasdair has to go away for good, and that’s it! You shouldn’t have brought him back in the first place. He was better off without us, without me.”

  “It was his choice to come back three months ago, Ardan. I couldn’t do anything about that. However, if you want, you can send him away yourself, although I strongly advise against it,” Seymour said in a low voice. “If I were you, I would talk to him. I would explain...”

  “Explain what?” Ardan cut him short. “The kid is afraid of me already, he told me himself. You should have seen the look in his eyes when he did. What should I tell him? That I do worse than just shooting abusive assholes between their eyes, that I spend days torturing them, watching the last drop of life leave them?”

  “That’s exactly why you need Alasdair in your life,” Seymour insisted. “You need someone to keep you in line, to be there when you lose it, to bring you back, and the kid is perfect for the job. Go talk to him. Explain everything that needs to be explained. I know he’d understand in the end.”

  “Tell you what,” Ardan gave Seymour a piercing look, boring his turquoise eyes into the younger man’s hazel ones, “you have a month to find his family. I trust you won’t lie to me and say he has no one. Contact your hacker friend working for the Feds and tell him to use his magic. I don’t care what the two of you do as long as you find Alasdair’s relatives. One month, Seymour.”

  “Okay but talk to him. Tell him everything about you and why you do all those horrible things, take him on a tour and if he wants to stay...”

  The door was cracked open, allowing Alasdair to not only hear but see the two men as they were seated on opposite sides of Ardan’s desk. Ever since he’d come to the compound, the redhead liked Seymour with his soft voice and mild manners. The type of guy who was incapable of hurting a fly, or so he thought, until that moment.