Page 19 of Ride the Whirlwind

“Who's next?” Tarrin stepped back into the room, a huge towel wrapped around his slim waist, completely disappearing into the closet. “This weather drives me crazy. I don't know what to wear anymore,” he whined.

“Why don't you go for some comfortable jeans or sweatpants with a thin, long-sleeved, turtleneck shirt? You can put on a hoodie or something like that if you feel like,” Elias suggested in a soft voice, grateful for the change of subject.

“You can use the bathroom if you want.” Ira stretched his arms, yawning. “I'll wait until the small one decides to wake up and let go of me.” He affectionately smiled, running his fingers through Abernathy's raven-black hair.

“I'm not small,” the younger boy said, opening his big, sapphire eyes. “I'll be your age in... okay, so what?” he pouted, much to Ira and Elias' amusement. “You call Tarrin small, too, so I'm in a select company.” With these words, Abernathy left the bed, going into the bathroom.

“Well, it seems we are the last ones again,” Elias said, “but that's fine. I don't mind waiting. He offered Ira a shy, small smile.

“Thank you, bro. it won't take long. I'm starving and want to get into the kitchen before Rowan does, or I'll kiss the breakfast goodbye,” the other boy replied, feigning horror.

Twenty minutes later, all showered and wearing day clothes, the boys went to the kitchen, racing on the stairs as usual. “Yay, we won.” Tarrin performed a little victory dance, sticking the tip of his tongue at the older boys. “The small ones beat you big guys again,” he said, showing all his teeth in the cutest grin.

“Good morning, Uncle Fabian, Uncle Lance.” Elias hugged the men, who kissed him on the forehead. “Ira and I let the small ones win every time. Tell them. You’re the voice of wisdom. They'll listen to you.”

“The voice of wisdom all of you chose to ignore told you to slow down on those stairs. One day, you'll break your necks and our hearts,” Fabian gently spoke, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Elaine came a little earlier and took Rowan's breakfast upstairs, so all the food on the table is for you. Say hello to Mister Danvers. He and your Uncle Lance used to be co-workers.”

“Hello, Mister Danvers. Nice to meet you,” the four boys said in sync, making the young man smile, then they sat around the table and started to scarf down the food like there was no tomorrow.

“So, you work for the CIA, right?” Ira turned his attention to Matthew as he filled his plate for the second time. “That's great,” the kid continued before the man had the chance to answer. “You can help Miss Nicole find Ardan and bring him home.”

CHAPTER 15

“Um...well,” Matthew coughed to hide his embarrassment. “I can't help you, I'm afraid. The Agency...they let me go a few days ago. I'm sorry to hear about...”

“Oh, I see,” Ira answered dryly. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I thought that because you and Grumpa are friends...Never mind.” He waved his hand dismissively.

“Kids, Mister Danvers will only stay here for a couple of days, and he'll be too busy searching for a new job and a place to stay, so won't have a lot of free time on his hands,” Lance intervened, looking straight into Matthew's eyes, making him lower his gaze.

“There is something I’ve been thinking about for quite some time”—Fabian turned to the four kids—“and I want to ask your opinions, too. Miss Nicole is very dedicated to finding out what happened to Ardan, but she has very limited resources, and not even Elijah, with his outstanding computer skills, could help her very much.” The man sighed.

“Let me guess. It's about that secret prison, right? They don't have access to classified and top-secret information, which means someone very important is behind the whole thing.” Elias frowned, wrapping Tarrin in a compassionate, warm gaze.

“Exactly. However, there is someone, or better said a handful of someones, who can and will give us all the help we need, and I don't know why I didn't think about it sooner. I'm going to talk to Daniel and Tarquin and ask them to summon their former teammates, or at least a few of them, and...”

“Do you want to reunite the Special Ones?” Tarrin gasped in surprise, covering his mouth with one hand. “I can't believe it. Those guys are legends. Pater and Spitfire told me a lot about them and the complex cases they solved.”

“I've heard a lot of stories about that team of crime-fighting superheroes back when I was a rookie in the CIA, but I didn't think those people were real. I mean, so much power...” Matthew timidly spoke, shaking his head.

“The Special Ones are the secret everyone talks about.” Fabian benevolently smiled. “They are the shortcut national crime-fighting structures from around the world use when a certain situation becomes too tangled. Also, their assistance is essential when the criminal organizations have ramifications spreading across more countries.”

“Dar-Dar will be ecstatic at the news,” Elias lively spoke, his eyes shining like sapphires. “He told us a lot of stories from when he was part of the team. They were unstoppable; no challenge was too big or too hard.”

“Indeed, dear nephew, those boys were ten times better than us, their fathers, and uncles. They were more than teammates. The bond they shared went much deeper than that.” Fabian's voice was a mix of pride and fatherly affection, his eyes dampened.

Lance swept his gaze over his husband's face, heart filled with love and admiration for the man who’d endured so much and never gave up, no matter how hard the blows life gave him were. At the same time, he studied Matthew's face, intrigued by the sadness and pain in the young man's eyes.

Thirteen years earlier, Lance's reputation was tarnished, and his career destroyed, just as he suspected it happened to his former trainee. However, he wasn't affected so much by the whole thing, but maybe the circumstances were very different, the man thought, the lost expression in Matthew's eyes affecting him more than he wanted to admit.

Back when Lance trained him as an undercover agent, the rookie had a major crush on him, which he was aware of. At that time, Lance was happily married with a woman who gave him an intelligent, funny, outgoing son, but he started to question his sexuality. The constant presence of Matthew with his long, arched lashes, innocent, doe-like eyes, and supple body didn't make things easier. On the contrary.

Lance was impressed by the rookie's potential and his will to learn and try new things, but he also started to be attracted to him in a romantic way, almost giving up to the temptation. But the course of Lance's life was brutally altered soon after Matthew completed his training, and the image of the young man became more and more blurred until it completely disappeared out of his mind.

And here he was, fifteen years later, staring at his former trainee from across the table, studying his face and wondering what caused the immense sadness in those soulful, hazel eyes so full of life back then. Lance's protective instincts kicked in, and he fought hard the urge to leave his seat and wrap his arms around Matthew.

Just like it happened to Fabian, he thought, turning to his husband, who was engaged in a lively conversation with Elias, Abernathy, Ira, and Tarrin. No, that man trusted him with heart and soul long before they exchanged their vows, one-and-a-half years ago, and he promised to take care of them. Lance couldn't shatter Fabian's soul or break his heart, not after all the man had been put through, and he was determined to end everything then and there.

Everybody finished their breakfast, and the four kids rubbed their flat bellies in contentment, bragging about how full they were, a part of the morning ritual Lance and Fabian loved very much. Elaine came from upstairs, bringing the plates Rowan emptied, and joined the boys, their crystalline laughter filling the air.

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