Page 20 of Winds of War

“They are quiet kids who avoid getting into trouble. In the morning, they have classes or, in Elias's case, a business to run, and only gather together in the afternoon. Sometimes, all these boys crash for the night at my honorary stepfather’s, Advisor Bloom, and other times they flock at Leon's place or at my house.” Ardan smiled affectionately. “Dunbar or Elaine will fill you in with everything you may want to know.”

Kieran nodded and headed to the door, then stopped, turned around, and went behind the desk, bending over Ardan's chair and hugging him. The other man reacted by wrapping his arms around Kieran and softly rubbing it in circles. After staying like that for a few good seconds, the men disentangled from the embrace and wished each other a good day.

Once out of the administrative building, Kieran plopped down on the nearest bench, the last part of the conversation he just had with Ardan playing in his head. Suddenly, the man realized that everything was planned from the very start by The Base's boss and Ian Saint-Clair, the prosecutor in charge of his case.

The revelation made Kieran wonder who Ardan MacNamara was and where all his power and influence came from. During the short weeks since he was at The Base, the man heard all kinds of stories about the leader's connections with people in very high places. Kieran also found out about the alliances he forged with the most prominent Mafia families and gangs from New York City, Chicago, Detroit, and, more recently, San Francisco.

Kieran's thoughts took another turn as he made a mental note to talk to Dunbar and ask him some questions about Ardan's son and nephews' preferences, habits, and favorite places to hang out. Also, he should ask about the boys' friends who were part of the little group he was in charge of guarding.

Dunbar. There was something about the guy that made Kieran's heart race every time he was around him. Kieran couldn't explain that feeling, especially since he wasn't into men, and Dunbar was almost always in the company of that Elaine girl, most likely his girlfriend. A light pat on his shoulder made Kieran flinch violently. Raising his head, he gasped loudly at the sight of the man before him.

CHAPTER 16

“Um...hello again,” Dunbar awkwardly said, surprised by Kieran's reaction when he saw him. “I...my presence makes you uncomfortable, which is understandable, so I'll make this as short as possible. Come on, there’s no school today, so you can see the kids in their natural habitat, so to speak.” Dunbar gave Kieran a weak smile.

“I'm not feeling uncomfortable in your presence. On the contrary. It's just that I was thinking about you...I mean, I was making a list with what I should ask you, and all of a sudden, you appear before me like a genie...Okay, that sounded weird.” Kieran scratched the back of his head, blushing.

“Oh, I see now. I would have reacted the same in your situation. This way.” Dunbar gestured to the alley that led to one of the mini-parks that were scattered around The Base where Tarrin, Nico, and their group of friends had a special spot. ”So...now that you’ve met Ardan, what do you think of him?”

“The guy is a real-life hero.” Kieran's answer came in an enthusiastic voice. “To be honest, I kind of misjudged him at first, but after talking to him for a bit, I realized how wrong I was. I imagine the boss's kid is a lot like him: affectionate, kind, generous, and always ready to help.”

Indeed.” Dunbar nodded in approval, a smile spreading on his face, brightening it. “All of the MacNamara kids are like that,” he added, then dropped his voice to a whisper. “We are getting close, so let's be as discreet as possible. This is the best observation point since it offers a very good view, plus you can hear very clearly what they’re talking about.”

“Wait, are we going to eavesdrop? I don't like that.” Kieran frowned, “Ardan said you would tell me everything I need to know about the boys' preferences.”

Dunbar sighed in defeat. “We can go back if you want, and I'll answer all your questions. However, there are things these kids don't open up about, not even to their loving, supportive parents. Things you can use if they would ever be kidnapped again.” Dunbar fell silent a few moments, shaking his head, then spoke in the same whispered voice from earlier. “Sorry, I keep forgetting you are new to The Base.”

“That makes two of us. I should stop making everyone's life difficult by questioning their reasons and actions and be grateful for the help and support I get.” Kieran lowered his head. “All of you have been nothing but good to me since I came here.”

“You’ve made it easy for us.” Dunbar patted the other man on the shoulder, giving him a warm, understanding look. “Now, shall we go back?”

“No, I'll stay. As you pointed out earlier, any piece of information can be useful in case of emergency. The Base is heavily guarded, but with the street war threatening to break, one never knows.” Kieran paused, looking into Dunbar's ice-blue eyes, suddenly clouded with sadness. “Thank you for...everything.”

The other man nodded with a smile, then turned around and walked back to the administrative building. Kieran watched him until his silhouette disappeared out of sight, then went to the spot Dunbar referred to as the “observation point,” and took a comfortable position. The guy was right, he thought. His visibility from there is perfect.

From where he stood, Kieran could see the boys very well. There were three blonds and one with chocolate-brown, long, curly hair and caramel skin sitting next to each other. Two other black-haired boys, most likely related, were flanking the four, the sight all of them offered melting Kieran's heart.

All the kids had their heads slightly tilted backwards, the warm rays of the morning sun gently caressing their faces and making them scrunch their noses and grin. Except one of the blonds and one of the black-haired kids, who looked smaller and younger, all of them seemed to be in their late teens.

Another blond boy carrying a huge brown paper bag came from the school and headed straight to the bench Ardan's son, nephew, and their friends sat on. Kieran became tense like an arrow ready to be released from the bow as he wasn't sure about the newcomer's intentions. Deep inside, he was convinced the boy approached the bench with good intentions, but he was ready to intervene in case of aggression.

Eyes still closed, the kids on the bench moved almost instinctively, making room for the newcomer, who sat down and started to make noises with the paper bag, opening and closing it back from time to time. One by one, the occupants of the bench opened their eyes, casting greedy looks in the paper bag's direction.

With a big smirk on his face, the owner of the bag started to get muffins and brownies out of it, passing them among the occupants of the bench. Each of the boys got a muffin and a brownie, except the slimmest of them, who got double the amount. To Kieran's surprise, no one protested. On the contrary, all the others gave the skinny boy encouraging smiles. They started to talk, and soon he could put names to the boys' faces.

“Hello, brownies and muffins,” Tarrin said, grinning from ear to ear. “Isn't Cian here the best older brother in the whole universe?”

“Calm down, small one.” Elias dragged the words. “All the credit goes to Leon. He was the first one who discovered that bakery.”

“I agree with you there,” the blond kid nodded in approval, his turquoise eyes filled with affection. “Your father is everyone's guardian angel. Look how Evon bonded to him.” He ran a hand through the slim boy's hair.

“Mister Stanley is...I don't know. I've always imagined my father, the one I didn't know, to be just like him: big, warm, and protective. Someone I could talk to about everything, who could understand and support my choices. This ideal father would ask me what my boyfriend is doing and would want to know him.” Evon blushed a delicate shade of pink.

“Uncle Leon is all these things and more.” Cian smiled radiantly. “He is so much like Pater, no wonder the two of them are such good friends. This boyfriend of yours”—he turned to Evon—”is he also hypothetic, or...”

“No, he's real. His name is Cahal, and he's two years older than me. Except for kissing and holding hands, we haven't done anything yet because I'm underage. He’s very sweet and patient, but I can't wait to turn eighteen so we...you know...” Evon lowered his head, the pink on his cheeks turning crimson.

“Speaking of boyfriends”—Tarrin turned to Cian—“aren't you supposed to be in Soames's company? He still has to patrol around the school even though there are no classes today. Or aren't the two of you on good terms anymore?”

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