It wasn’t until after they left, promising to be in touch and reminding him they were only a phone call away, that Jaime realized—all of that was absolutely true.
Hewasfine. He did feel safe.
It was such a stark shift from the last time he’d parted ways with the detectives after being patched up by a medic, tucked under Sam’s arm in a daze and feeling like his life had been ripped from him.
He’d seen three men who he had thought were just normal people turn giant, hairy, and growly right in front of him, but he was ok. And it didn’t feel like shock. It felt more like, before, nothing had made sense. The way that Vera had died so quickly and violently hadn’t made sense. But now, he had arational explanation for it. Or well, maybe not rational, but an explanation, nevertheless.
There were things going on that Jaime had been kept in the dark about, which were making him feel lost, confused, weak, and afraid. But somehow, facing the reality of who was after him made him less afraid.
Or maybe that was the three giant, growly men on his side, protecting him.
Now that he knew what to look for, it seemed obvious that Finn, Silas, and Sheppard were different. The way the three of them moved in tandem, somehow communicating without speaking, making sure that at least one of them was never out of reach from Jaime the entire time the house was swarmed by police, showed him how serious they were in doing their job well. So yes, he did feel safe with them.
He felt safe with Finn.
Finn, who wouldn’t stop staring at him every chance he got. It didn’t bother Jaime, most of the time he stared right back, giving him a reassuring smile. Jaime wasn’t sure what came next—he had no idea what he was in store forlater, when Finn explained everything that was going on—but he knew he would listen. He wanted to listen.
Last night, holed up in his room, throwing his own pity party had shown him that. Yes, Finn had hurt him by not sharing what he knew about Jeffrey Dugan, but it wasn’t the same as the way Sam had made him feel this past year. And Jaime knew that Finn’s words earlier were true—he wouldn’t keep things from him anymore.
I know you may be frightened of me like this, but I’m in control. I won't hurt you.
Oh, Finn. Of course he had kept so much from him at the start. He honestly couldn’t say what his reaction would have been if Finn had tried to tell him. Finding out this way, whilejarring, may have been best all around. And no matter what Jaime found out, no matter what Finn shared with him, he was very certain about one thing.
He wanted all of Finn.
This Finn, standing protectively in front of him with his arms crossed, a plaid flannel stretching across his broad shoulders. And he wanted the other one, too, the fanged and clawed and hairy one that he met upstairs. The one who’d protected him and snarled and growled at the man who tried to hurt Jaime, and then turned those big, chocolate, puppy dog eyes on him that pleaded with him not to turn away.
Yes, he wanted them both.
Jaime stoodin his living room with Finn, Silas, and Sheppard, and watched as the last police cruiser trundled back down his driveway. Finn was still staring, like he expected to see the moment the shock wore off and Jaime finally realized that he was alone with three giant predators.
He’d better fix that.
“I don’t mind your staring, Finn. I actually quite like it. But please stop looking at me like you expect me to lose my marbles and bolt for the trees at any minute.” He turned to see Finn blush and shuffle on his feet, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.
Silas smirked. “I told you to rip the bandaid off. See?” he gestured at Jaime and gave him a winning smile. “Everything worked out.”
Finn growled at him.
Sheppard gave a long-suffering sigh, and made a face at Jaime like he’d dealt with their brotherly shit for too long andhad no patience for it left. “I’m glad you are alright, Jaime, and I’m sorry if we gave you a shock. Our background doesn’t usually come up in most cases. This is a unique situation. I know that Finn has offered to fill you in on everything, but I want you to know that I will keep you fully informed from this point forward, too. Now that you know about us, there’s no sense in keeping you in the dark anymore.”
Jaime heaved his own sigh, this time in relief, and listened as Sheppard continued.
“However, regarding your brother,” Sheppard looked between him and Finn, “it isn’t in our usual practice to disclose more than is absolutely necessary with people who aren’t directly involved in our lives. I’ll leave it up to you and Finn to make a final decision, but my recommendation would be to refrain from sharing certain details with him, at least for now.”
“Thank you. For now, let’s stick with what we’ve told the police,” Jaime said.
Sheppard nodded. “Good. Well, I’ve got paperwork coming out of my ears back at the office, so I’m headed out. I’ll work on sorting out the safe house. Jaime, if rooming with these two idiots gets to be too much, let me know, and I’ll get you a hotel room.”
They all chuckled, and Sheppard waved before he also got in his truck and disappeared down the end of the driveway.
The damage to Jaime’s front door was extensive enough that he would have to stay somewhere else for a few days before they could get someone out to fix it. Plus, Dana, DA Rivera, and Sheppard had all agreed that it would be better if Jaime stayed in an unknown location until the trial.
Sheppard had told him he would ready one of the security team’s safe houses that they used for clients when necessary, but it would be better if he stayed in a hotel or with Finn and Silas fortonight so the safe house could be opened up and stocked before they arrived.
Through a blush, Jaime had mumbled that he would be fine at Finn’s if he was ok with that, and then he’d laughed out loud when Finn nodded his head in agreement so vigorously it looked like it might pop off.
Silas turned to Jaime, grinning ear to ear. “Sleepover time. This is going to be so much fun!”
