Oh, fuck!
“Omar, is this the brother you’ve been looking for?” asked Derek.
How did he know Omar? Then it came to him. He worked at The Back Room, so what was he doing working here? Kieran also realised he was in the way of the two brothers, so he stood up and gave Hassan space to get out of the booth. Within seconds, Hassan was out and pulling his brother into his arms, lifting him off the ground. There was a fair height different between the two of them. Kieran couldn’t believe this had happened. He knew how much Hassan had missed his baby brother, but he hadn’t been allowed to contact him. It seemed Omar was an adult now and could make his own choices. Kieran couldn’t stop his tears at their reunion, and startled when a warm arm wrapped around his shoulders. Derek pulled him into a side hug.
“I guess we’ll have to park the interrogation for another day,” he said.
That made Kieran laugh, and he appreciated it. He couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at witnessing the reunion. He was so happy for Hassan and knew what this meant to him, but it also reminded him of his sister, Kelly, and how much he missed her.
Omar had been given the rest of the day off to spend it with Hassan, and Kieran had left them to it. They had a lot to catch up on. That Omar had been disowned for being gay as well showed that they were both better off being away from the humans who’d birthed them. They could hardly be called parents.
He walked into the shop. Grant was at the counter and smiled at him. Kieran returned it, but when he saw the man standing next to him, his blood ran cold.
“This is Carl,” said Grant. “He’s going to be helping you over the next few months.”
Carl extended his hand, but Kieran was rooted to the spot. Carl was Domtop69.
CHAPTER 12
DEREK
It was Sunday, and the city was deserted. It was a shame his lunch with Kieran and Hassan the day before had been cut short, albeit for an amazing reason. What a small world it was sometimes. Having someone working for him who wanted to find his brother, and it was Kieran’s best friend. Derek was so glad Langdon had taken him on, or they might never have met. From what Kieran had said about Hassan, he wasn’t likely to be a visitor to the club, so they might never have found each other.
One thing Derek had picked up from Hassan was major daddy vibes, and his protectiveness towards Kieran was apparent, although there was nothing more to it than the love of a sibling. The way he’d held his brother and immediately been visually checking everything he could see... that was more than his being a doctor. It wasn’t Derek’s scene, although he’d had plenty of guys call him Daddy when he was fucking them, and he was happy to indulge. He suspected Hassan would thrive in a more permanent arrangement. Did he even know that about himself?
He was meeting Daniel for a drink. The guy could rarely do lunch given his workload, and evenings weren’t commonas he wanted to be home with his boyfriend, Josh. That’s what he wanted to talk to Daniel about. There was a twenty-year age gap between Daniel and Josh, and a familial connection between them. Derek hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Kieran. He’d been quiet over the past twenty-four hours. Very short replies to messages, where Kieran usually sent long rambling texts. When Derek had asked, he’d just said he was busy working with his new boss. It made sense, so Derek hadn’t pushed it any further.
“What made you want to meet here?” asked Daniel.
They were in a random city bar, rather than Knights Corner.
“It was close to your work, and it’s impossible not to bump into someone we know at Knights Corner. I wanted to talk to you in private.”
“Is someone suing you for slipping on lube in the labyrinth? I can send you my latest fee rate.”
Derek chuckled. If he ever needed a corporate lawyer, Daniel would be his first call, but he didn’t want to think about how much his bill would be. The guy was the best in the city, without question. You only had to look at the fact that he had at least a quarter of the FTSE 100 as his clients.
“Nothing like that. More of a personal... conundrum. I’d appreciate some advice from someone who’ll be brutally honest.”
“That’s me,” said Daniel, with a smile. “What’s up? Is this about that stepson of yours?”
“God, you’re good.”
Daniel laughed. “You said it was personal, and Eddie’s the sensible one of the group, so there has to be a reason you’ve not gone to him. Kieran’s your stepson, or well, he was, and Josh is my best friend’s son. Easy to make the connection.”
“Good to know I’m that transparent.”
“You’re not. I’m just that good!”
Derek shook his head, laughing, and took a sip of his beer.He’d be in the club again tonight, but he could have one. Daniel was drinking wine, as he always did. The guy oozed confidence and class, and some might think he was an arrogant twat, but he was one of the most caring people Derek knew, and it was clear he loved Josh something fierce.
“How difficult was it for you and Josh, given who he was?”
“We found out about the connection after we’d spent time together, so by then I was already gone for him, and there was no way I was giving him up.”
“How was it for Josh?”
“His dad was behaving like a cunt, so that didn’t help.”
