Page 25 of Ride the Whirlwind

“Yes, please.” Keith's eyes partially regained their shine. “Master must be very lonely right now with no one to turn to now that Doc Douglas is not by his side anymore.”

“Master? Is that what you call your...” Alasdair started, but a warning glare from the doctor made him abruptly stop.

“We all call him that,” Fadyen, who hadn't say a word until then, intervened. “He took us from the streets or from our shitty families and raised us like we were his own sons. Me, Viggo, Keith, even Doc Douglas.”

“These poor souls look very tired. How about taking them to the dorms to lay down a bit? I also think the good doctor here has a lot of interesting things to share,” Fabian spoke softly, his gaze resting on Keith's face.

“Thank you for the kind offer, sir.” Fadyen offered the man a small, grateful smile. “I can go a long time without sleeping, but my poor friend here is exhausted.” He gestured to Keith, whose eyelids grew heavier by the second.

“Alasdair, why don't you accompany your friends and Doctor Douglas to the conference room while I show these two fine young men to the guards' headquarters? It won't take long, and then I'll join you, too.”

“Good idea, Uncle Fabian.” The redhead nodded in approval. “This way, ladies and gentlemen.” He gestured to the administrative building while the older man accompanied Keith and Fadyen to the guards' dorms.

“Here you are, dear boys.” Fabian opened the door to one of the rooms. “It's not much, but you can at least sleep comfortably until we'll find something better for you. If you need anything, talk to the guards. They are nice fellows,” he continued with a smile.

“Thank you for being so kind to us, sir,” Fadyen, who noticed the warmth in Fabian's gaze every time he looked at Keith, said. “No one except Master and Doc Douglas has shown me kindness in my whole life.”

“That's because you didn't get the chance to meet many good people, dear boy.” Fabian smiled affectionately. “But this is going to change. Here at The Base, you'll only meet friendly people who are always ready to help you.” The man paused a little, wrapping the two in an affectionate gaze, then headed to the door. “It's time for me to join the others, dear boys, and let you sleep.”

Once Fabian left, Keith and Fadyen changed into some comfy cotton pajamas, too exhausted to shower, and crawled under the blankets. The guard fell asleep almost instantly, but Graeme's personal assistant and secret assassin tossed and turned restlessly for a long time, a strange feeling he couldn't explain overtaking him.

Memories from a distant past, from a life that was his but wasn't at the same time, flooded Keith's mind, breaking the dam that blocked them for so long. Images of a skinny, terrified five-year-old boy crying, cowering in the corner of an enclosure, surrounded by cages filled with dogs which viciously barked at him, appeared before his eyes, whimpers of fear escaping from his lips.

An evil laughter reverberated through time, and the adult Keith shivered at the distant memory of a massive man who had fun watching the boy curling into a little, pitiful ball of fear and listening to his desperate pleas. The little boy was always cold, thirsty, and hungry, making the man's friends who came to watch the dogs wonder how it was possible for him to still be alive.

And then, Keith remembered the screams coming from the massive man, piercing and desperate, while a cold voice denied him the mercy he refused to the little boy. A thick, warm, soft blanket was wrapped around the child's fragile form, and two strong arms enveloped him in a tight hug while a man's voice whispered in his ear.

The little boy wasn't scared by the stranger whose presence he found comforting; his touch was gentle, his voice sweet and soft, and the words coming out of his mouth were affectionate and reassuring. Soon, the five-year-old fell asleep in the man's arms, as a blazing fire consumed the house he and the evil man lived in.

Then, the images became blurred, confusing Keith, who didn't give up, trying his best to remember what he felt was a missing piece of his own life. The little boy, who found out his name was Camlann and the man who rescued him was his father, started to have nightmares about that time he spent in the evil man's house of horrors.

Then, gradually, Camlann was swallowed by darkness and Keith replaced him, quickly winning the kind man's affection. He called his protector Master like all the other boys he took under his wing in spite of the man's protests. The gratitude the boy felt for the one who showered him with attention and affection soon turned into a deep, endless love, and the boy chose Master to be his first and only.

As Keith's trip down the memory lane continued, Camlann appeared again before his eyes, a handsome but shy young man who preferred the company of books over people, with a few notable exceptions. First, there was his bodyguard and best friend Fadyen, then the doctor who nursed him back to health when he was little, and his father's housekeeper, who treated him like he was her grandson.

And, above all, there was the man who gave him life not once, but twice, the one who rescued him from hell and offered him everything. That man made the scared, fragile five-year-old Camlann the center of his universe, treating him with infinite care and affection, in and out of bed. He was everything for Keith...and Camlann: savior, protector, lover, Master...and father. The one sin he won't ever seek forgiveness for because love didn't need forgiveness.

*************

“Before I start”—Doctor Douglas made efforts to hide the tension in his voice—“I want to know how you figured it out? I mean, none of you saw Keith until today...or Graeme.”

“We didn't.” Fabian slyly smiled. “I was shocked to see the great resemblance between him and Ardan, that was all, but your reaction to Alasdair's words offered us the missing piece of the puzzle. By the way, my nephew intended to say protector, not father, like you mistakenly thought.”

“I see.” The doctor nodded, somewhat amused by the situation. “You also let something slip when you said Graeme sent me, Keith, and Fadyen away for our own protection. What did you mean?”

“You are good at asking questions without offering answers.” Fabian weakly smiled. “Someone is threatening your friend's life, and we think sending you to New York City is part of the plan he and Ardan devised so they can figure out who wants Graeme dead.”

“Wait a minute.” Doctor Douglas raised his voice a little, shocked by Fabian's words. “It's true that many of his associates and allies don't agree with him appointing Camlann as his successor, but to want him dead...this is ridiculous.” The doctor shook his head, but suddenly his eyes widened. “How could I be so stupid? Of course someone threatens Graeme's life. That's why he insisted so much on appointing his successor.”

“Exactly,” Fabian triumphantly said. “How old is your friend? Fifty, fifty-five? At this age, retirement is not an option, so there had to be another reason behind his decision.”

“I'm doing this with a heavy heart because I still feel I'm betraying my best friend's trust, even if it's the only way to help him. Twenty-six years ago, Graeme brought to the mansion a girl who ran away from home to escape an arranged marriage to a powerful Chicago Scottish gangster. That's all he told me, and I didn't ask more questions. My friend was very private. He still is.”

“What happened then? Did Graeme get tired or bored of the girl and started to abuse her? Why did she leave?” Theodore turned to the doctor, waiting for his answer.

“This part is still a mystery to me after all this time,” Douglas answered in a sad voice. “She didn't leave a note or a letter behind to explain her decision. She just...vanished into thin air. Graeme was devastated. I think he loved her very much. For a few days, he locked himself up in his room and didn't let anyone in. He never talked about this, but I think a part of him died that day.”

“If your friend was so affected, why didn't he look for the girl? I wouldn't have given up so easily on the love of my life,” Alasdair asked, somehow irritated by Graeme's lack of reaction. “When they called me about my Ardan's death in prison and refused to give me his body, I didn't believe them, and...”

---