Page 28 of Winds of War

“He's a very handsome guy, kind, compassionate, and who loves his fiancé immensely. He also has great tactical thinking and a lot of self-restraint. I like him a lot.” Cahal smiled. “The fellow fed that Montemayor bastard a huge pile of bullshit, and the idiot swallowed it all and asked for more.”

“Wow, that's the best news I've heard lately,” Evon said, barely containing his joy and excitement. “Seamus sounds like a great guy to have on your side. Maybe his plan, whatever it is, would keep the Mexican busy and he'd forget about this goddamn war.” Evon paused a little, his eyes shining with amusement. “What about Spyros and Van? Are they still alive? Anyway, it won't be long, and these two will end up killing each other.”

“I wouldn't bet my money on it.” Cahal smirked. “On the contrary, they seem to be on very good terms, so good that they make great efforts to keep their hands off of one another, and that makes Montemayor's assistant insanely jealous. That's a bit strange because she's a woman, and the guys are openly gay, so she has no chance with either of them.”

“Well, you know how the saying goes, a girl can dream.” Evon winked, but a few seconds later, the expression on his face became tense. “I met Ardan MacNamara, and he's nothing like your father told you. The man is a magnet for little children, one of the kindest, purest souls I've met. Please, give him a chance to demonstrate he is not the monster you were made to believe he is.”

“Seamus told me a lot of things about MacNamara, all great. I was going to meet him, anyway, to see how much of what I found out is true,” Cahal said, his forehead creased by a frown.

“You know,” Evon started after a few seconds of pause, “I never hated anyone in my entire life, not even Bob and Tim, although I had a lot of reasons to. I was afraid of them, but never hated them. However, I hate Nigel and George Warthon for feeding you all those horrible lies about this man who would sacrifice his life to save yours in a blink of an eye.”

Evon's words, spoken in a pained voice, pierced Cahal's soul, his heart aching for his boyfriend. “I'm sorry. I should have realized you bonded with these people. They took care of you, did all the things I should have done. I promise to try to see the man like you see him, to listen to his words without prejudice.” An idea crossed Cahal's mind, making him smile. “We can go to see MacNamara right now if you want.”

“Thank you so much. You are the best, most understanding boyfriend in the world.” Evon kissed the older teen on both cheeks, his voice becoming lively again and his eyes regaining their shine. “Just give me a minute to message Tarrin to come here and keep Ravyn company while we are away.”

He punched a message into his phone, then took a change of clothes from the closet, humming a happy tune. Cahal's heart sang when he saw his boyfriend so full of life and carefree, like he only rarely saw him before. Something was telling him that Evon was like that most of the time since he befriended that group of boys his age.

Maybe sending him to The Base was the best, wisest decision I ever made, even if the initial reason was wrong, Cahal thought, finally leaving the bed and searching the closet for clothes his size. He found them almost instantly, neatly folded and stacked in categories. Again, the boy appreciated the care, affection even, someone put into arranging the content of the closet.

Evon came back into the room already dressed in a pair of indigo jeans and a plain white t-shirt. Cahal noticed how the clothes hugged his boyfriend's slender form, making him even more attractive. For once, the blond wasn't wearing baggy clothes but ones that fit him perfectly, and the thought made Cahal smile again.

Hand in hand, the two of them left the house, walking to Ardan's office. Every other minute, Evon pointed to a building, telling his boyfriend in an enthusiastic voice what purpose it served. From time to time, they met people, mostly men, who recognized the blond and stopped to exchange a few words and shake hands with Cahal, who everyone seemed to know from Evon's stories.

The older teen suddenly wanted to be part of this community that welcomed his boyfriend with open arms, without questions, and offered him unconditional support and affection. After seeing how people interacted with Evon and the blond's response to those interactions, Cahal understood the pain in his boyfriend's eyes when he spoke Ardan MacNamara's name in a cold, suspicious voice.

Lost in his thoughts as he was, Cahal didn't notice the slight change in Evon's mood. Only when the younger boy squeezed his hand a little harder did he see that the other one's body posture had become somewhat tense. In a small, shaky voice, the blond told his boyfriend they were about to step inside the so-called administrative building where Ardan's office was.

Closely followed by Cahal, Evon stepped into the building, walked down a narrow, well-lit corridor, and stopped in front of a door. Swallowing hard, he knocked two times, then opened it, letting himself inside, his boyfriend hot on his heels. The two men in the office greeted the teens with big, bright smiles.

“Hi, Mister MacNamara, Mister Bloom,” Evon hesitantly started. “Sorry if I’m interrupting anything, but you said I could bring Cahal to meet you whenever he's ready, and...” The blond silently gestured to the other boy.

“Here we meet again, dear child,” the older of the two men softly spoke, giving Cahal a paternal smile. “I hope you had a good rest,” he added, examining the teen's features.

“I slept very well, thank you, sir.” The older of the two boys returned the smile as he recognized the kind man who held him and Ravyn so tight in his arms. “I'm very happy to meet you again.”

“Please, sit down.” The other, younger man sitting behind the desk gestured to the two chairs facing his armchair. “My name is Ardan MacNamara, and this is my adoptive father and most trusted advisor, Fabian Bloom. Welcome to The Base, Cahal. I'm honored to meet you.”

“You are...” The boy shook his head in disbelief, staring at the man on the other side of the desk. “I thought...I imagined you much older, around fifty or something. I mean, judging by Nigel's stories about you being his nemesis for almost twenty years...”

“I started to take down child traffickers at seventeen, so, yes, I've been in the business for twenty years.” Ardan gave Cahal a pale smile. “It's never too early to start fighting the good fight, but you already know this, don't you? Your sweet boyfriend here told me about how you did your best to keep him safe and warm. To keep him alive.”

“I...” Cahal looked into the turquoise, incandescent eyes of the man who was starting to fascinate him. “All I want is to see Evon happy and smiling, to put enough food in his belly and a roof over his head. For another year, my hands are tied because that asshole who beats and starves my boyfriend is his legal guardian. Emancipating him costs a lot of money that I don't have.”

“And you thought to get it from Nigel Warthon, who would rather have his limbs amputated without anesthesia than give up on the fortune he accumulated by selling children into sexual slavery.” Seeing the shocked look on Cahal's face, Ardan changed his voice from sarcastic to compassionate. “I deeply apologize. I didn't realize you didn't know. You shouldn't have found out this way.”

“Damn him! How could he do something so horrible? That goddamn beast deserves to die a thousand deaths!” Cahal clenched and unclenched his fists, rage threatening to overtake him. “And I thought...” The boy lowered his head and fell silent, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Ardan's heart broke when he saw the teen like that. Leaving his seat, he went to the other side of the desk and put his arms around Cahal, rubbing soothing circles on his back while the boy quietly sobbed. That's it, kid, let it out, keeping everything inside won't do any good for you or Evon, the man thought.

Cahal put his head on the man's shoulder and closed his eyes, a sigh of contentment escaping from his lips. The teen never knew how a little child would feel in his father's arms. It was a sensation he’d never experienced, but he imagined it should be very similar to the state Ardan's hug induced in him.

He hasn't looked so relaxed and carefree in a very long time, Evon thought, smiling at the sight Cahal enveloped in The Base's founder protective embrace, offered. Scratch that, he never looked this way, the blond said to himself, remembering the first time Ardan hugged him after telling him about his father.

The realization he forgot to tell Cahal about that important subject made Evon freeze, but it didn't last long as he made a mental note to talk to his boyfriend right after the meeting in Ardan's office ended. Lost in his thoughts, the blond didn't notice Fabian also went where Cahal was sitting and put his arms around him. Evon joined the group hug, the four of them staying like that for a while, enjoying one another's presence and the comfortable silence in the room.

“I want you to keep in mind one thing,” Ardan spoke in an affectionate, but firm voice, disentangling from the embrace and staring into Cahal's cobalt-blue eyes. “You are nothing like Nigel Warthon or his father. If you want, I can help you pay the bastard back for everything he put you through.”

“Yes, I want that more than anything in the world.” As Cahal spoke lively, his eyes regained their shine and filled with hope. “I also want that piece of shit Montemayor to pay for all the pain and damage his malevolent actions caused.”

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