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I have to push this feeling to the side and do what I was born to do. This empire was my father’s, and his father’s before him, and now it’s mine. It will last as long as I want it to, as well as my legal business. It takes effort, but I shake off the unease and step out of the car. Shortly after, Paddy pulls in with three cars loaded with hardened Irishmen, men who I’ve worked with for years and know by name.
“Savage,” Paddy intones in his deep Irish accent after he exits the car and walks towards me. Most people would find it hard to understand what he says, but I’ve been around this man since we were teenagers and heard him speak for decades. “How are you, lad?”
“Good, Paddy.” I shake his hand, and he brings me in for a quick hug. “Shipment is ready for you. You want to place your next order?” We usually get this part done when he picks up, to lessen the time we actually have to spend with each other so cops or the Russians won’t catch us together for too long. We’re already pushing our luck by meeting like this, but we both must have the same sense of loyalty to each other.
He walks over to the one of the crates, opens the top to pull out an AK and runs a functions check. Nodding, he puts it back inside. I’m not offended by this. I know most people would be, since we’ve done business together for so long, but you have to inspect your products. You never know when they won’t be up to snuff. I’d question anyone that didn’t check their shit.
“Very good, Savage. Same shipment in six months, yeah? We’ll have to get together before then, huh?”
I nod and we shake. “You got it. Anything else?”
“Nay. We’re good here,” he says, then looks over his shoulder. “Load ‘em up, boys.” He turns back to me. “A pleasure as always, Savage. Until next time.”
They load their shipment, pile in their cars, and drive away. We stay put until we get word they made it safely away from the docks.
After the deal is done and we’re on the way back to the office, I call Michael for a status check of Abel’s move. “Where are you?” I ask when he answers.
“Taking your guy home. He stays about an hour out.” I get a funny feeling in my gut when he calls him “my guy.”
“Remember to bring him back to the office when you’re done with his packing.” Might as well call ahead and get a room ready for him. Janet will know what to do. I’ll tell her which one to fix up for him and then expect her to get it ready. A few doors down from my bedroom works perfectly.
Janet, my housekeeper, has also been with me since before the accident, so she pays my shitty moods no mind. If I had a dollar for every time she walked away during one of my rages, I’d have enough money to solve world hunger. She and her son, Adam, have been around since he was born, and his piece of shit father ran out on them. He’s not afraid of me, either. He grew up seeing my scars and hearing my yelling—he thinks I’m funny.
Hanging up with Michael, I FaceTime Janet.
I could just as easily put Abel in the east wing of the house, where he will be at least six bedrooms down from me, but I don’t want to do that. I tell myself that I might want him to suck my cock in the middle of the night and it would be inconvenient to walk to the other side of the mansion, but it could be something else. I’m not quite sure yet and I don’t dwell on it.
Janet doesn’t pick up, Adam does. Smiling, something I so rarely do and only occasionally for Adam, I say, “Hey, little monster. Where’s your mom?”
He giggles and hops down from what looks like the kitchen bar. “Hey Savage. When are you coming home? I haven’t seen you in forever. Will I see you today? Mom says you work hard and I’ll have to see you when you’re not busy. When are you not busy?” It doesn’t matter that he asked me a question. He doesn’t give me time to answer, he just keeps talking and talking. I grin and let him go on.
After a minute, I hear Janet’s voice. “Who are you talking to?”
“Savage,” Adam says and hands her the phone.
Her face slides into view and I notice—like I always do—how closely they resemble each other. He looks exactly like her, something I’m sure she’s thankful for so she has no reminders of his father. She’s a plump woman with short hair that has some gray on the sides, even though she’s only about forty. Her brown eyes are wide and kind—one of the reasons I hired her.
Giving her the same small smile—the only one I can really muster—I say, “I need you to set a bedroom near mine for a guest. Get it cleaned and have fresh sheets on the bed.” She opens her mouth to speak, but I continue with one last request. “And use that lavender spray you use for my sheets.” That comes as a surprise, even to me. Usually, I don’t give a fuck about anyone else’s comfort. But it means something that Abel is comfortable this year. I don’t know what the stuff is she uses, but it always relaxes me when I lie down and with the pain flaring up sometimes, relaxation is a godsend.
The way she perks up is obvious, and I fight not to roll my eyes. “A guest, sir? Really? Who is he?”
“That’s none of your concern,” I snap. “Just do what I tell you to do.”
Janet is unfazed by my snapping. Her face remains impassive, and Adam giggles in the background, just as unfazed by my shouting as his mother. “Right away, Savage. I make the ‘lavender stuff’ just for you.” She air quotes the words. “It’ll be nice to make a bit more now and then to keep me busy. Right, baby?” She leans down to kiss Adam on the head, and he lets out another high giggle.
“Right, mom.” His face slides into view when she bends to kiss him, and he smiles at the phone and waves.
I know I shouldn’t snap at Janet. She’s a great woman, but sometimes, she’s way too nosey for her own good.
It’s no secret that I’m gay, so it’s no wonder Janet asked whoheis. It was a big thing when my father started grooming me to take over for him, since those in opposition said I couldn’t father children to take over for me. But in the end, I was the right man for the job and the most barbaric of everyone in my crew, making it apparent that I was not to be fucked with. Savage was not a nickname given to me because I look like a beast—it’s a name I earned and what I am.
When we get back to the office, I look down at my watch and curse. I have a meeting soon—one that I don’t want to be in—but the sooner it’s over, the sooner I can be in the company of Abel. The beautiful boy who gave himself to me. This will be an interesting year.
Chapter Four
Abel
Ithoughttherideto my apartment would be spent in silence, but Michael is talkative, something I’m thankful for because I’m still a bit scared. Okay, a lot scared, but it’s better to talk than to sit with the heavy weight of what I’ve done pressing on me. I really gave myself to a man for my brother’s life. What will he do to me? Will he be gentle? Kind? Yeah, kind is doubtful. I scoff, which makes Michael look over at me.
