Declan turned away, suddenly a little embarrassed for himself. “Trust me,” he said to try to change the subject. “I do things for myself.”
“I believe that,” Seb said with a soft, warm laugh. “Anyway. Thanks for quitting smoking for yourself.”
Declan grunted a laugh back. “Sure. No problem.”
When he turned back to Seb, he saw a funny look in his eyes. He always carried himself with strength, one of the first things that had attracted Declan to him. Even when he was in danger or worn down, it was still clear that Seb knew himself. But now, there was something fiercer than that passing through his vision, something even stronger.
“I’ve got to do things for myself, too,” Seb said. “I’m the only one who can take responsibility for my life.”
“That’s right,” Declan said. “Nothing like taking your destiny in your hands, kid.”
Seb shook his head, then smiled. “Has Ellie been out lately?”
“I was going to take her for a walk in the sun. Why? You want to come?”
“No, thank you,” Seb said. “There’s some things I should do here. If you want to go now, though, I can make lunch while you’re out.”
“Sure,” Declan said, surprised by the change in the conversation. “That sounds good. You don’t need me to finish reading these emails first?”
“They can wait,” he said. “I’ve got a couple things I should finish up on the computer here, anyway.”
Back in his jacket and outside, Declan led Ellie from the driveway and into the yard. Whatever attempts he and Seb made to find her a home had gotten pushed aside with the home invasion, and at this point, they were both acting like she was there to stay, even though they’d never had a conversation about it. She played at Declan’s feet, making these little growling noises that tickled his gut, and he tried to remind himself that she wasn’t actually his dog.
“What do you think, Ellie? Maybe you’ll live around here with Seb for the rest of your life? That sounds pretty sweet to me.”
With the sun still shining, he left his head uncovered and appreciated the warmth on the top of his head. The birds were calling through the trees, and Declan was relieved that there were no signs of anyone sneaking around, leaving tracks through the mud.
“Peaceful,” he muttered to Ellie. “Don’t you think?”
That afternoon, kicking through the mud, Declan let himself fantasize about a different kind of life with Seb. If the kid was going to make a break from his dad and start off on his own in the world, maybe Declan could be something more than just a bodyguard to him. Maybe this weird life they were living together could really be something.
He grinned to himself, then pushed aside a heavy tree branch as he passed. He never would have thought his skills as a fighter and a bodyguard would earn him a respectable life, but the more time he spent with Seb, the more something like that seemed possible. He’d never go for the straight and narrow on his own, but with Seb in the picture, things could be different.
He shoved his hands in his pockets, embarrassed to entertain the fantasies. That was all for later. But maybe after all this chaos passed, after the dust settled and the guns cooled, maybe then would be the time for something more. He might try sticking around the area for a while, take the opportunity to spend more time with Gray, even try to be a mentor and send the kid on a safer track.
Hell, he could ask Seb on a proper date. Nothing stopping him.
Rounding up the side of a hill, Declan stopped. He smelled something in the air, sweet and acrid at the same time. Ellie squealed at his feet, and Declan snapped to attention, the fantasy disappearing in a flash.
Smoke.
He jerked his head and spotted it, rising in a gray column above the house. He couldn’t see through the trees well enough to know anything else, but he did hear a loud crack, like wood snapping in two.
“Seb,” he gasped, then scooped Ellie in his arms and starting running.
Declan’s feet pounded the ground, slipping on the mud and sending him careening through the trees. A cold sweat covered his body as he raced through the possibilities. “What the fuck is it now?” he gasped as he ran, his words swallowed by the air.
Fear and adrenaline were two of Declan’s oldest friends. They let him know he was alive. They made him smarter, faster, stronger. But the fear he felt when it was his own neck on the line was easy. He knew it like an old friend.
The fear he felt when Seb was at risk? That was a motherfucker of a whole different order. After everything else that had happened, if Declan were to go and fuck it up now, he’d never forgive himself. He’d spend the rest of his life, sick with the knowledge that Big Paolo was right, and he was a horny old man, incapable of doing a job right.
No way in fucking hell Declan was about to let that happen. He and Seb had both been betrayed by the people they trusted, but so long as they had each other, they weren’t alone.
“Seb!” he hollered as he emerged from the path and into the driveway, his voice choking into a cry. Immediately, the heat and glare of the growing fire smacked him in the face. Orange and red flames flickered inside the laboratory, casting lights and shadows across the big windows. Plumes of black and gray smoke leaked out the sides, wrenching Declan inside out.
“Declan!” Seb hollered from a spot safely away from the house. “I’m right here.”
Declan’s heart dropped from his throat. He set Ellie on the ground as he ran to Seb, pulling him into an embrace. “Fuck,” he whispered, stroking the back of his head. “You’re okay.”
