Page 11 of Ride the Whirlwind

“An hour or so ago, Alasdair was informed via a phone call that Ardan is dead. Apparently, there was a riot inside the detention facility where they were keeping him, and he was among the victims of the shooting that followed. When my nephew told them he wants his husband's body, they replied that Ardan had been already been buried in a mass grave.”

Everyone gasped in shock and horror at Fabian's words, then the silence overtook the room again. “Let me get this straight.” Daniel was the first one who reacted. The police, or whoever it was, called my cousin to tell him his husband is dead, but they don't allow him to take the body and give it a proper burial? What the...” The man was fuming, his sapphire eyes dark and narrow.

“Alasdair doesn't believe this story about Ardan being dead, and neither do I. All of you are grown men. I can't tell you what to believe or not to, but please, don't voice it when my nephew is around. He needs all the support he can get.” Fabian's voice, usually firm, was soft and somewhat pleading.

“Don't worry, Pater,” Fergus spoke. “I don't think any of us buys this bullshit. Alasdair can count on my support. I won't let him fall. And, when the bastard who orchestrated all this dirty charade would want to attack The Base, he'll be in for a big surprise.”

CHAPTER 9

“Everly? Is that you?” The expression on Fabian's face was a mix of confusion and happiness. “I can't tell you how glad I am that you are back, dear boy!”

“Well, the vacation was good, but I've sensed things weren't quite right here, and I've decided to show up. Apparently, I was right,” the younger man said in a sad voice.

“What's the plan? According to Fergus, you always have an ace up your sleeve,” Daniel turned to the other man, smirking.

“Of course, I have,” Everly smiled mischievously. “We’re going to drive our invisible enemy crazy with frustration, waiting for him to make a wrong move and then taking him by surprise.”

“How are you going to do that, pet?” A small frown creased Xavier's forehead. “I don't want to offend anyone, but the scumbag always seems to be one step ahead of us.”

“Until now.” Everly enigmatically smiled. “As we’ve all agreed on numerous occasions since Ardan was arrested, the goddamn bastard behind this shit is hellbent on destroying everything he worked so hard to build. He thinks once the founder is out of the picture, The Base will collapse like a castle of cards.”

“That filthy piece of shit is partially right,” Lothier intervened. “You see, no matter how dedicated we are to keeping the kids safe and offering them the best living conditions, Ardan was the heart and soul of this place. Once the news about his death, true or false, will spread...”

“We'll call them liars, laugh in their faces, and make them lose the last drop of credibility they have,” Everly hatefully spat, making everyone in the Remembrance Hall stare at him in shock. “You see,” he continued in a calmer, lower tone, “Ardan and Fergus were separated at a very early age, and only a selected few know that the heir of the Trevellyan fortune was adopted.”

“But that's...” Brennan slowly shook his head, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. “Why didn't we think of this earlier? It would have saved us from a lot of headaches, not to mention the stunt we could have pulled on those police officers or whatever those bastards were.”

“There's a right time for everything,” Everly spoke in a low, flat voice. “That phone call to Alasdair announcing Ardan's death was the sick fuck's biggest mistake. Without a body to back up his claims, the whole plan will go down the drain.”

“You are right.” Xavier grinned, his eyes shining with admiration for his submissive, who was about to turn the tables in that twisted game they were forced to play. “So, what's on the menu?”

“Fergus will spend time in his brother-in-law and nephews' company, he'll interact with the kids at The Base, and will serve as a link between the authorities and the sanctuary—his daily routine. I, on the other hand, will perform Ardan's duties, and I'd appreciate very much any help I could get.”

“Just name what you need, and we’ll do everything in our power to get that thing or do whatever you tell us,” Fabian spoke in a shaky voice.

“Well, for a start, I could really use a detailed list with everything Ardan did and the exact moment of the day for each of those activities.”

Everly's voice, although very polite, was also a bit authoritative. The voice of a man who is always in control. Fabian smiled internally as he wrote down The Base's boss schedule. Calculated, strong, courageous, with a great will to succeed—those were only some of the qualities Ardan and Everly had in common.

Daniel Bloom, like all the other men present in the Remembrance Hall, examined Everly with visible interest, but the man didn't seem to notice. Back straight, a piercing look in his turquoise eyes, he was already thinking about the next move. Everyone missed Ardan's physical presence and wanted him back home safe and sound, but his spirit was there, protecting The Base, like always.

***********

“Spitfire?” The man opened his eyes and looked around, a cold shiver running down his spine when he didn't recognize the surroundings. “Where am I? And who are you?” He cast a suspicious look in the direction of the man dressed in a white lab coat, who studied him with visible interest.

“Praised be the gods, as my good friend Graeme would say, you finally opened those beautiful eyes of yours and formed coherent sentences. It's a nice change, you know. I started to get tired of your mumbling since they didn't make a lot of sense. If it wasn't for Brodie's explanations...” The man wearing the lab coat came near the bed Ardan lay on, a syringe in his hand.

“Where's Brodie? What did you do to him? And if you think I'm going to let you stick that thing in my arm and get who knows what nasty shit into my system, you are bitterly mistaken. I'm no one's guinea pig,” Ardan growled, his eyes cold and suspicious.

“Distrustful, just as your friend described you, but reasonable and calm once things are explained to you. Let's start by properly introducing myself. Douglas MacNabb, but you can call me Doc like everybody does. The nasty shit, as you call this injection, brought you back from the dead, my friend.”

“Ardan MacNamara, at your service. I'll be forever indebted to you for saving my life, and, as soon as I get home, I'll talk to Pater and find the best way to reward your kindness. Speaking of, can you please lend me your phone for a couple of minutes? I just want to let him, and Spitfire know I'm alright. They must be worried sick because of me.”

“I'm afraid that's not possible right now,” the doctor gently spoke. “You are not out of the danger zone, my friend. The injuries you sustained...I'm not sure if you can regain the use of your legs. I can tell you more once I perform a couple more tests.”

After a long moment of silence, Ardan nodded. “I understand your worries. To be honest, the thought of not being able to walk scares the hell out of me, and that's why I need my husband. He'll know what to say, how to get me out of it, literally. I don't know if Brodie told you, but Alasdair is one of the best neurosurgeons in the country, and he can...”

“There is also the problem of distance.” Doc Douglas cut Ardan short in a flat voice. “You are in San Francisco, two thousand miles away from your home in New York City. I'm against you travelling for more than seven hours by plane, and, at this particular moment, it's impossible for your family to come here.”

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