FIVE
He made his way through the darkened kitchen. Stopping to scan the property from the larger windows. He couldn’t see shit, but then the conservatory had windows on all sides and the intruder could be anywhere.
When he reached the door to the inner sanctum he heard the lock click and he let himself in. Following the same path he’d taken with Rochfort that afternoon, he found the…his…fuck it…Kit he found Kit standing in front of the half circle desk, his hair luminescent in the moonlight, his face hidden in the dark.
“I’m glad you came. I thought you wouldn’t.” The talking head wasn’t around this time. The voice coming through the speakers was low, almost like a human whisper. “I apologize for my behavior earlier.”
“Save it, Kit, and point me to the…” Something glinted in the moonlight, way out past the field of virgin snow, near the tree line. Something big was indeed out there. But from this distance, it could be a moose for all Micah knew. “Do you even get moose here?” he said aloud and the disembodied voice laughed.
“No. We’re too far south. That was a man. He moved closer to the woods. It’s like he knew I saw him.”
“He probably had binoculars and could see in through the windows.” Micah walked over to stand beside Kit and stepped in something that squished. Shit, he better not have stepped in…soup, and what was left of a tuna sandwich. And broken dishes. At least the kid…Kit had kept his body fluids in his body. And fuck he was tall. Micah didn’t like having to look up at him.
“Not possible. The windows are state of the art. Insulated against the weather. Bulletproof. And one way. I can see out and light can filter in. But no one out there can see in. The entire back wall of windows has the same coating.” Kit didn’t look over at him. He reached out a long fingered hand and clicked the keys on one of the many keyboards on the desk. The security feed came up, Kit scanned until he found the camera he was looking for and pulled up a clear color display of falling snow. He hit rewind until the figure came into focus. Still too far away to distinguish detail but whatever was out there had stood on two feet, and had arms. That was for damned sure.
“Where’s the door? I need to go check it out. See if he’s still on the grounds.” Micah didn’t have time to think about the fact that he’d been fired. Or that he didn’t have a gun or back up or that the guy could still be out there.
“You aren’t armed. He likely is. It’s not safe.” Kit looked at him finally, his face stark white with fear. Micah saw his fingers shake as he typed into the small keyboard that controlled his words. The man was terrified but holding it together.
“I’m trained for this.” Except that glint he’d seen was likely a rifle scope.
“I won’t send you into something dangerous. What if he has a gun and is hiding in the trees?”
“Then why did you call me in here if you don’t want me to go out and see what’s going on?” Frustrated. Fuck, yeah, he was seriously frustrated.
“Maybe I needed you to see. I needed someone to see. I needed someone to know I’m not losing my mind. You saw him? Tell me you saw him?” The voice was steady but the man standing before him was about to fall apart.
“I saw something that wasn’t four legged and furry. The camera picked up something. Why would you think you’re losing your mind?”
“Until the break-in my uncle didn’t believe me. They all think I’m—crazy.” He stopped type/talking his face becoming a mask of marble.
“Because you spent time in a mental institution?” He got it now. Or at least some of it. He had no idea why Kit had been committed, but right now he saw a fragile person with no one to trust. And his heart wanted to bleed.
Kit nodded. He waved a slim hand but didn’t type anything. It was almost as if he wanted to say something, really say something but his mouth had forgotten how to work. Micah saw the anguish in his eyes.
“I got my last assignment killed and nearly died in the attack. I’m not the best person to put your trust in.”
Kit stood there for a moment his eyes inscrutable. Finally he clenched his jaw and the lost little boy was no longer living in his eyes. “I read up on the case. You did everything in your power to protect that girl. You would have given your life for hers. That’s why I wanted you. I wanted you… someone to…” he lost his words and stood there with his head lowered.
“Trust? You want someone you can trust to keep you safe?”
Kit nodded. He pushed his hair back behind one ear and looked up. “I want to sleep I haven’t slept in a long time. Rochfort is an old man. I don’t want him hurt. He’s the only family I have. I’m tired. I just want to rest.”
“Okay, Kit. I get it now. You protect what’s yours. And these people are yours. Now I’m here to protect you. And I need to walk out there to those woods and see if I can find something that will help me find out who this guy is,” he said as calmly as possible. If Micah was going to be able to protect him Kit needed to let him do his job. “I’m going to keep my phone on and you’re going to keep the camera aimed at those woods and you’re going to warn me if anyone comes charging out of there.”
Micah didn’t mention the fact that likely whoever was out there wouldn’t need to step out of cover to pick him off. He’d be lying dead in the snow before anyone could even blink.
“Okay.” Kit agreed reluctantly. “And after you get back I need to clean up this mess.”
“I’ll help you,” he said hoping the man wasn’t ordering him to become his maid, because that was never going to happen.
“I can do it, I’m not helpless, but I wouldn’t mind…something to eat…if you’d raid the kitchen for me. I don’t keep real food here, just snacks.”
Micah’s stomach decided that sandwich and soup was hours ago and that he wouldn’t mind going on a fridge raid himself.
“Deal. Now where’s a door that goes outside?”
His phone rang in his pocket and he pulled it out. His voice echoed into the room around him. Fucker already had him locked in to his crazy. Yeah. Okay. One of the windows off to the side popped and swung inward. Clever door. Micah would never have thought to look for a door there and he was trained to watch for anything out of the ordinary.
“I’m locking it behind you. I’ll have you on camera all the way. Just talk normally into your phone, I’ll hear you. Please be careful.”
“This is what I do, Kit. Don’t worry.” Famous last words. He slipped out of the window/door and onto the cobblestoned patio. The skies had cleared almost completely, the moonlight bright on the new snow. He could see for miles. The cold wasn’t as bad now that the first storm had passed. He felt the bitter bite of wind on his face but the sweatshirt would keep him warm enough until he got back into the house.
He stepped out into the open and looked back at the house. Kit was right, you couldn’t see a thing inside. Only the night reflected back at him.
“Straight ahead.” The oddly toned voice spoke over his phone. Micah put it on speaker. He didn’t care if whoever was out there could hear them. He wanted them to know he was coming. He wanted them to know they’d been seen. He hoped it would scare whoever it was off.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Just keep it down some.” He smiled at the electronic sigh. Whatever program Kit was using was really…annoying, yet very real. Strange. But Micah felt better for the company.
“Sorry, just establishing a connection.”
“It’s okay, Kit. I’m glad you’re there.”
“Are you scared?”
Shitless. “No. I’ve been in worse jams.”
“In the military?”
“Yeah, that was pretty bad.”
“Would you feel better with a gun?”
“Won’t do me any good if I can’t see who I’m shooting at. Got any night vision glasses that can see through trees?”
“Night vision. Yes. Why didn’t I think to find those? But not any that sees through trees. Do those exist?”
“Only in a fantasy world. But some infrareds would have been awesome. Not that I really need them. It’s almost as bright as day out here.”
He trudged through the snow, listening as it crunched under his feet. It wasn’t deep. But thanks to the sleet earlier, it was slippery going.
“I’m not fond of snow, though tonight is lovely.” Kit’s voice sounded wistful over the line.
“I like snow. I haven’t been in it much in the last ten years. And tonight is lovely. Do you want to build a snowman?”
There was a laugh and the strains of some Disney song filtered over the line. “Bring some back.”
“It’s too wet to pick up. Maybe next time.”
He’d made it to within a hundred yards of the woods, and stopped to listen. “Stay quiet for a minute.” And the line went almost dead. He crouched down on one knee and looked around, scanning the trees for anything out of the ordinary.
When he was satisfied that he was alone he continued on. Quietly. His breathing the only sound he heard. “Are you there?” he asked in a low voice.
“Yeah,” Kit’s electronic voice answered in a near whisper. “I’m here. Watching.”
“Do you see anything?” Micah inched toward the area he’d seen the figure, going slowly to be safe.
“Nothing. Nothing is showing on the feed. I have it magnified to the maximum. Do you see anything?”
“Footprints.”
The line stayed silent.
“Leading from the tree line, but not back. He retraced his steps exactly. Which I don’t get. Why leave prints in the first place and then…” He heard a step in the snow and twisted around. He wasn’t alone. Every hair on his body stood on end.
“I thought you said you didn’t see anything?” He shouted into the phone when the butler came up behind him. “That would have meant coming from the house too.”
“I didn’t see him. I was watching you not the house.”
Micah could hear the distress in Kit even if the voice wasn’t real. “It’s okay, Kit. Don’t freak out. We’ll be back inside in a few minutes.” He disconnected as soon as the butler stepped up beside him.
“Might I ask what you’re doing out here?” Rochfort barked at him. The man really did have to relax or he was going to have a stroke.
Micah pointed to the footprints in the snow. “Someone was out here not long ago. Kit asked me to check it out.”
“Oh.” The butler breathed the word out as if the wind was leaving his sails. “Is Master Kit all right?”
“Shook up. He dropped his dinner. Better than tossing it I guess. But he’s okay.”
“Did you get a good look at the guy?”
“No, he was too far away. Even for Kit’s cameras to get a clear image. But it was definitely a person. Male. Big print. Deep impression. Big and heavy. But he moved like a smaller man, so I’m willing to say trained.”
“And you came out here unarmed? Are you out of your mind?”
“That has been the question for some time now.” Micah snapped a picture of the prints and followed the trail back to the woods. Taking pics of anything he thought would be of use. There was no snow in the woods. No trail to follow. And no moonlight. He was risking his life and Rochfort’s by being out here but he wasn’t crazy enough to go running through the woods with a winter storm bearing down on them. “I think I’ve got enough. Time to get back inside before we both freeze to death.”
“Agreed.” Rochfort hustled him back toward the house. He punched a code in the door to the kitchen and all but shoved Micah inside. “What were you doing? You shouldn’t have even gone near him.”
Before Micah could answer the disembodied voice of the resident haunt echoed through the kitchen. “I asked him to come. That’s what I hired him for.”
“Need I remind you, Master Kit, that you fired him upon meeting him,” Rochfort bellowed at the ceiling looking toward a spot over Micah’s head.
“So, I rehired him. It’s my prerogative. Is there any food? Maybe more of the soup and tuna salad…or some eggs and bacon would be lovely.”
“It’s nearly one in the morning.” The old man’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Go back to bed, Sam, I’ve got it,” Micah said softly hoping the butler would let it go.
Rochfort sighed heavily. He looked tired. “That would be nice. I came down for a cup of tea and saw you walking around outside and I think I lost ten years off my life.” His hands shook as he poured steaming water from a kettle. “I guess I can cook an early breakfast since I’m up.”
“I’ll do it. Don’t worry about it. Go rest.” Micah steered him back out the way he’d seen the man leave earlier that evening. “Don’t worry, Sam, I’m pretty handy in the kitchen.”
“You can cook?” Kit asked from the ceiling. He sounded skeptical.
“I can cook. My mother taught me how to feed myself. I’m no chef or anything but I can whip up passable dinners if pressed.” Micah found himself talking to that same spot on the ceiling, where a very tiny camera was hidden in the crown molding.
“I’ll leave you to it, then.” Rochfort looked from the camera back to Micah confusion clear on his face. “Try not to make a big mess.”
“I’ll do my best.” Micah assured him and watched as the butler disappeared into the dark part of the main house.
“My butler doesn’t like messes.” The words were whispered and held a touch of a laugh. “He’s a bit of a stick in the mud, but he’s family, what ya gonna do?”
“Well, you could take care of yourself,” Micah said to the air.
“I do take care of myself. I’m cleaning up this mess right now. All by myself. Or maybe I have a faction of robo maids hiding in the closet. You’ll never know.”
Micah went to the huge refrigerator and pulled open both doors. The thing was packed full of food. “Robo maids would be useful. No need for the real ones. We call them Roombas in the slums.”
“Ooh, a Roomba, I should buy some of those things. Wouldn’t have to do the floors and maids wouldn’t fall down stairs and sue me ever again. Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll get Amazon on the phone directly.”
Micah laughed. He didn’t know why. The sarcasm dripping from the electronic voice seemed almost real. Almost like he was having a real conversation with someone in the same room with him. “What do you want to eat? I think you have the makings for anything under the sun, some stuff I don’t have a clue what is.”
“Honestly, I just want some scrambled eggs and bacon maybe some toast. Is there any fruit in there?”
“Cantaloupe.”
“Yuck, I hate melon. How about strawberries or grapes or something?”
“Both.” Micah took out a package of bacon and a carton of eggs. “Where do they keep the bread around here?”
“Maybe the bread box by the toaster.”
“Thanks, God.”
“I like that. I’m God. Awesome. Earlier I was an asshole spying on my people.”
Micah found a couple of skillets hanging from a pot rack above the work island. “Yeah well, I didn’t understand then. Where do you keep the bowls and forks?”
“To your left. But you understand now?”
Micah found a dish pantry to his left and everything he’d need for serving inside. “Somewhat. I guess. The whole thing is a bit unusual. What kind of bread?”
“White. I like it dark but not burnt.”
“Butter?”
“Naturally.”
Micah put four slices of homemade bread into the toaster. He set the bacon to fry on the gas range and cracked six eggs into a bowl. “Salt? Pepper?” He found the containers beside the stove.
“Light on both. I need the carpet cleaner to get the rest of this up. I don’t know where they keep that. Guess that will have to wait until tomorrow.”
“Throw a towel over it and stand on it to soak up as much of the soup as you can.” Micah suggested as he whipped the eggs together. He flipped the bacon and pushed the toast down. “What do you want to drink?”
“Chocolate milk. But I have that in here. And some juices. Beer too.”
Micah grunted. Beer with breakfast sounded good. “Plain milk would be nice.”
“I’ll do that. Be back in a few. I need to wash my feet.”
Micah went to the fridge and found the butter and took out the containers of berries and grapes. He’d take the packages and let Kit help himself.
He found a serving tray on the prep island and put two plates and cutlery on it. Along with the fruit. The butter he carried over to the stove and sliced a few pats into the other skillet. The bacon was almost done, the toast popped up and the eggs went into the pan.
He buttered the toast and put the bacon onto plates before whipping the eggs into fluffy mounds. He left the dishes for later even though he promised Rochfort he wouldn’t make a mess. “Kit, I’m about to head your way, might want to buzz me in.”
He hoped the man was finished washing his feet because the food was getting cold. “Getting milk. I’m in the game room.” The voice made him jump. What had he expected? That it would sound different because Kit was in a different room. It was computer generated for fuck sake.
He picked up the tray and went back to the door to the conservatory. The lock buzzed and the door opened at his approach. Locking behind him when he stepped inside. The conservatory was empty and dark. Micah followed the light that came from the other side of the room and found Kit pulling wet hair into a haphazard bun on top of his head. He smelled as if he’d done more than wash his feet in the ten minutes had taken Micah to finish breakfast. He was dressed the same as earlier, in loose flowing black pants and a short robe pulled tight around his slender body. This one was a shade of blue that set the man’s eyes to gleaming like sapphires.
Kit stood waiting to take the tray from him. His head cocked to the side, his mouth tilted up in a shy smile. And Micah fought down the urge to drop to the floor and genuflect like some unworthy mortal upon meeting the god on the mount.
*
He’d showered. Frantically washing away the smell of panic and fear that he was sure could be sensed by the bodyguard. Kit didn’t really understand why. One moment he’d been cleaning up the food spill and chatting with the man, the next he’d felt dirty. The very thought of Beastly seeing him with his hair a mess and soup on his feet sent him fleeing to the bathroom.
And now he was clean and Beastly was standing there staring at him as if he’d grown two heads or something. He’d done the same that afternoon, and Kit had lost his composure then as well. He didn’t have his voice with him. He could only stare back. And hope that Beastly didn’t drop the food. Or maybe he wasn’t staring at Kit, maybe he was staring at something behind Kit. But there were no windows in this room. And no one could gain entrance to his rooms without him knowing.
He smiled, hoping to play it off. He knew he looked strange. The lack of color in his hair and his pale skin from years of staying inside set him apart. He was too thin and too tall. His hands and feet too big. He was awkward and strange. Even to himself. He’d not looked into a mirror in years.
He pretended that he was fine and took the tray from the man and set it on the ornate Japanese dining table. He sat cross legged on the floor and indicated that Beastly should do the same or…he pulled his voice to him and typed quickly, “Pull up a chair if you’d prefer. I have several to choose from in here.”
Beastly looked around at the choice of seating. He had everything for the gamer. A couple of huge luxury beanbag chairs. Leather rocker chairs. He even had a backless thing with an arm support that was supposed to help with posture or relieving backaches caused by sitting so long. It did nothing for Kit, but Kady seemed to like it so he kept it.
“I have never seen a television that big before. What do you use it for?” Beastly dragged a leather chair up to the table and sat across from Kit. He seemed uncomfortable.
“I had it specially made. One of the biggest in the country. And for gaming. Of course.” Kit picked up one of the plates and a fork. A proper stainless fork. Guess no one warned Beastly not to give him sharp pointy things yet. He’d learn. Eventually. “This looks delicious. Thank you for cooking.”
“It was nothing. Twenty minutes. And I was hungry too, soo…” Beastly waved away the compliment. He looked even more uncomfortable as he tried to get up to the table.
“If you would prefer one of the lounge chairs. They are very comfortable.” He typed with one hand while Beastly watched him. “Do you play video games?”
Beastly seemed relieved and took his plate to the nearest chair. “Mind if I take off my boots. I probably should have at the door.”
“No, of course not, get comfortable. Would you like fruit?” Oh so very awkward. The mute boy is such a conversationalist.
“No, I’m good. I do play. Not much. I haven’t had the time in the past few years but we played a lot in the service. Had to do something to pass the time or go crazy.” Beastly wrapped a slice of toast around several slices of bacon and took a large bite. He was a big man and ate like one. Kit found that oddly fascinating.
“What kind of games do you like?”
“Are you taking a poll?” The uptight cop was back just when Kit thought he was seeing behind the mask.
“In fact I am. You law enforcement types like games with lots of pink and add in twinkly stars and special snowflakes….no asshole, I’m a game developer. I like to know what games people like. It’s sort of a hobby.”
Beastly laughed, his face actually lost that jaw of steel look he’d had since he came in this morning. “Smartass.”
Kit almost snorted but caught himself.
“I love how your voice thingy drips with sarcasm. How do you get it to do that?”
Kit looked down at the small keyboard with pride. “I programed it to voice modulate like real people. It makes me sound normal.”
“Sometimes too normal. Your mouth doesn’t move at all. It’s mildly disconcerting.”
Kit rolled his eyes. He was good at visual communication. In this instance he resisted the urge to offer the bodyguard up his middle finger for inspection. “And half your face doesn’t move at all. So that makes us even.”
And that ended the playful banter. Kit shouldn’t have said that. He could tell the scar bothered Beastly.
He left the table behind along with his voice and went to crouch in front of the man in the lounge chair. Beastly looked startled. But Kit didn’t even consider how many lines he was crossing. He reached out and without Beastly’s permission he traced the jagged line of pink flesh from below the man’s eye to his jawline. With his other hand he loosened his robe and let it fall from one shoulder. He took Beastly’s hand and ran his fingers across the long jagged scar tissue that sliced up from his ribcage to his throat. Beastly’s hand relaxed under Kit’s and his eyes softened.
“Okay. I guess we’re probably even. I’m sorry about what I said.” Beastly didn’t withdraw his hand, and Kit didn’t move away. His skin tingled at the touch. It was…strange.
He nodded and shrugged. He’d have to let go of the man with at least one hand to sign something and he didn’t want to do that just yet.
“Do you know how incredibly beautiful you are?” The words startled Kit into flinching. He lost contact and his skin grew cold. He pulled his robe back into place and cinched the belt tight.
“Is that why you stare at me?” He found his voice and fumbled with the words while trying to eat the eggs before they went cold.
Beastly looked away, his discomfort returned, but not because of the low seating. “Yeah, kid. I like guys. You’re probably the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. It’s…not going to be an issue. I should probably shut up before you fire me again.”
“Maybe.” Kit typed and found the remote for the television. He turned on the new game he and Kady were beta playing and reset it to the beginning levels. “Maybe I think you’re beautiful too. Scar and all.” He tossed Beastly a game console. “But then again all I have for comparison is Rochfort so I wouldn’t take that to heart.”
“Not in to guys then?” Maybe there was a hint of longing in the man’s voice and Kit wondered if he was being flirted with. Over the years some of the maids had flirted but Kit was fairly sure he wouldn’t know flirting unless someone rubbed his nose in it.
“Not really into anyone. Guy. Girl. Never much thought about it one way or the other,” he said avoiding looking directly at the man. He was asexual so what? He was never going to have a chance at a normal life so did it matter. “Sex isn’t something I need,” he finished and hoped that would be the end of any further exploration of the topic.
“Point taken,” Beastly said after a moment or two. “So what’s this game about and how do I make this controller work?”