AU BigBang Fic: Shades of the Past , chapter 2

[cloversworld]

Title: SHADES OF THE PAST, Chapter 2/5
Author/ Artist: clover71
Fandom: BelAmi Online
READ DISCLAIMER

Links:
Masterpost  |   Chapter 1



II -




The day wore on and it was dusk when Dolph’s father had arrived. In a fucking limousine. It irritated Dolph to no end that his dad had chosen to come in a limousine with a handful of bodyguards who came riding in a black SUV and dressed like a bunch of secret service agents.

So much for living inconspicuously. There would be a hell lot of explaining to do with the neighbors about one – why there were police officers swarming around his place, and two – who the man was that came in an elegant car.

“Dolph, what did I tell you?” Devlin Lambert’s voice bounced off the walls when he stormed into the tiny living room, poised and seemingly ready to lash out with I-told-you-so lectures. But whatever his next words were failed to come out when his eyes landed on Brandon, who had just gotten back from the kitchen with a glass of water. “What the fuck is that son of a bastard doing here?”

“I asked for him to be here, Dad,” Dolph said in Brandon’s defense.

A menacing shadow gleamed across the surface of his father’s eyes. “Of course. Now he’s going to think he could just hop back into your life, into my granddaughter’s life.”

“Lexie is his daughter too, Dad; he has every right to be here.” The growing tension was beginning to take its toll on Dolph and he wished his father would just drop off whatever he came for and leave right away. But he knew that was impossible. “Dad, please,” Dolph said, not even giving his father a chance to let out a single peep. A quick glance at Brandon alerted him that the other man was trying to control his temper, his hand forming into a fist at his side. “I just want to get Lexie back.”

The directive was for Dolph to bring the money, which was supposed to be placed in a nondescript plastic bag, then leave it in a garbage bin nearest the side entrance of the town church at exactly seven o’ clock that evening. It was half an hour away.

“The kidnappers know the police have been contacted,” Dolph told his father when he began instructing a couple of his bodyguards to go with Dolph. “So they specifically said that there shouldn’t be any police officers or some other form of authority tagging along. If they see these guys with me—“

“You are NOT going alone, do you hear me?” was Devlin’s brash reaction, his face a mask of pure rigidity.

“Of course he’s not going alone.” Brandon was quick to interrupt. Damn hell if he’d stand back and let Dolph go through this alone. There wasn’t any time to ponder if he was being rational. The truth now stood that it was his daughter’s life hanging on a thread. “I’m going with him.”

After wasting some fifteen precious minutes debating (“The kidnappers specifically said no police officer or any form of authority; well, I’m neither,” Brandon had argued so Dolph had no choice but to say, “Fine. Just stay low and keep out of sight.”) Dolph and Brandon made their way to the site with Brandon driving Dolph’s old hatchback.

“You should get a new car,” Brandon said as he turned to the street where the church stood. There was a diner beside the church so there were a few patrons loitering around. Dolph feared that some curious bystander might poke through the bag and ruin the entire operation. But he knew better than to underestimate the kidnappers, even if Detective Vidal or Sgt. Sulik insisted that the simplicity of the process suggested that these kidnappers were nothing more but amateurs.

Dolph could care less whether the kidnappers they were dealing with were amateurs or professionals. The point still stood that as long as his three-year-old child was in the hands of these people, they were considered dangerous and Dolph certainly wasn’t taking any risks.

The garbage bin was in a dimly lit alley. Dolph surveyed the area warily before he did as instructed, dropping the blue plastic bag containing half a million dollars inside. The police gave him an assurance that the place would be kept under surveillance. He reluctantly returned to the car and could tell that Brandon was equally reluctant to drive away.

Waiting was the hardest part. Driving around aimlessly was making Dolph edgy. So when his cell phone went off almost an hour later and the screen only showed ‘unknown number’, he quickly pressed the button to receive the call with trembling fingers. “Hello,” he said and a silent prayer went along with it.

“Well played, Mr. Lambert,” a deep, modulated voice spoke. The way every syllable was articulated made the person sound creepy. “You shall find your daughter at the back of the slide at the community park over at Speers.”

After the call, Dolph told Brandon exactly what the kidnapper had said. And Brandon stepped on the gas, speeding up across Fairfield over to the next town with Dolph giving directions every once in a while.

The kidnappers, however, were one step ahead of them. When Dolph called Detective Vidal to let him know where they were headed, he learned in return that Sgt. Sulik’s men had lost track of the hooded person who retrieved the money from the bin.

“I’ll have Sgt. Sulik send some of his men over,” Detective Vidal was saying but Dolph was quick to interrupt.

“No!” He remembered the kidnapper’s strict instruction that there shouldn’t be any police around. Having Brandon with him was risk enough as it was, and that was exactly what he’d told the detective.

No more words were uttered during the rest of the drive.

When they reached the small town of Speers, Dolph struggled to recall where the playground was and when it finally came to view, Dolph didn’t even wait for the car to come to a full stop. He quickly jumped out and sprinted over, searching for the slides. It was dark and quite late, so the ground was empty with just a few residents walking a few feet away. A silhouette was hunched behind one of the smaller slides and Dolph could hear the little whimpers. It made him run even faster and when he was a few feet away he slowed down, not wanting to startle his little girl.

“Lexie?” he called out softly. And when the little head lifted to reveal a tear-streaked cherubic face, Dolph took large strides and swept her into his arms. “Oh God, baby. Daddy’s here. Daddy’s here now.” He buried his face on her dark brown hair, breathing in her scent.

The sound of a car horn reminded Dolph that he needed to get his daughter out of the cold night air. He rushed back to the car where Brandon had stepped out to open the back door for them.

Soon they were on the road once more with Brandon constantly glancing through the rear view mirror and asking how Lexie was.

“I’d like to bring her to her pediatrician to make sure she’s alright,” Dolph said once they reached Fairfield. He wouldn’t take any chances, not with his daughter. He’d placed a call to Dr. Bonnet, who told him they could meet at the local town hospital. Dolph gave Brandon directions.

Not long after, they had pulled up near the entrance to the emergency department and Dolph got out, telling Brandon to “meet us inside after you’ve parked the car, okay? And please call Detective Vidal, let him know we’ve got Lexie.”

With Lexie tucked safely against his chest and his arms protectively wrapped around her, Dolph went straight to the nurse at the front desk and asked for Dr. Sebastian Bonnet.

“The doctor called in to let us know you were coming, Mr. Lambert,” the nurse said. She led him to an empty cubicle at the emergency ward, told him to lay his daughter on the bed, then pulled the curtain close around them.

The moment Dolph started to pull away from Lexie, the toddler squealed and clutched tightly on his jacket. Dolph swept her up and rocked her in place when she began to cry. “Sshh. It’s okay, sweetie, Daddy’s here. Daddy’s not gonna leave you.” He pressed a kiss on her temple, and Dolph drew in a breath.

The nurse was watching them when Dolph glanced her way, one hand still clasped on the curtain. “Dr. Bonnet has told me briefly what happened. She’s most likely still in shock. I suggest you keep her close for a while.” She offered a sympathetic smile. “I’ve seen similar cases, Mr. Lambert. And in most, children at that age recover pretty well in time.”

“In time,” Dolph murmured under his breath. He nearly jumped in place when the curtain was drawn back and a blond man wearing a white robe stepped into their little space. “Dr. Bonnet.”

“Hey, Dolph.” The doctor’s eyes flicked instantly to the toddler in Dolph’s arms. “Hiya Lexie, how’s my little princess?”

The little girl lifted her head up from Dolph’s chest and gaped at the doctor, her brown eyes wide. She shoved her thumb inside her mouth and Dolph could hear the little suckling noises she made.

The routine examination proved to be quite a task when Lexie refused to let go of Dolph’s shirt. Dolph had to lean into the bed half the time to assure her that he wasn’t going to leave. It took a good part of the hour to get everything done – x-ray, blood samples, skin tests and some other procedures that Dolph could no longer keep track of.

“I don’t see any physical injury other than the scrape on her elbow. She’ll be fine once the shock wears off,” Dr. Bonnet said then added that it was perfectly all right to bring her home. “Although I’m a bit more concerned with how this ordeal will affect her psychologically.” The fact that Lexie seemed to cling more to Dolph than normal made her pediatrician worry. Dr. Bonnet scribbled something on a pad then tore off the top sheet and handed it to Dolph. “I suggest you see Dr. Paulik and have him evaluate her.”

There were a couple of policemen waiting for them at the receiving area and a woman who claimed she was a social worker. They asked Dr. Bonnet several questions before one of the policemen turned to Dolph. “We could provide you escort all the way to your home.”

Dolph’s “thank you” sounded nonchalant, but he was too tired to care.

Brandon was at the waiting room pacing around like he was trying to dig a hole on the floor. As soon as Dolph stepped out with Lexie still in his arms, Brandon rushed over to them. “How is she? What did the doctor say? Is she going to be all right?”

“Not a scratch, not a bruise.” Dolph simply reiterated what Dr. Bonnet had said. “Can we go home?” He could no longer hide the weariness in his voice. He was just too exhausted – emotionally, mentally and physically.


=====


It was pretty late by the time they got back to Dolph’s house. The place was only half as chaotic as it was when they left.

Some of the officers were reportedly surveying the areas where the ransom money was dropped and likewise where Lexie was found. Among the few people who stayed behind, Brandon was disgruntled that Dolph’s father was one of them. His annoyance only heightened when the man opened his mouth.

“Dolph! How is she? Is she hurt? Does she have any bruises? Scratches?” Brandon gritted his teeth while Devlin Lambert fussed over Lexie. The insincerity in the man’s voice could clearly be distinguished and Brandon remembered that it was one of the many things he hated about the man.

Dolph settled on the couch with Lexie on his lap. The toddler was sucking her thumb, her face buried against Dolph’s chest. Brandon hadn’t had a chance to get a good look at her since she had been pressed up against Dolph from the time they picked her up at the playground.

“Dad, please.” Dolph pulled Lexie closer, using his arm to keep his father at a distance. “You’re scaring her even more.”

“You should come home with me.” Devlin was quick to suggest and Brandon did his best not to roll his eyes or huff in annoyance. The manipulative bastard would, of course, take advantage of the situation and tap into Dolph’s vulnerability. “You’re not safe here. Who knows if those kidnappers won’t come back seeing as they got away pretty quickly?”

“What? No.” The glare Dolph threw at his father was rather disconcerting and if Brandon would have been on the receiving end, he would certainly recoil.

“I’m afraid I will have to agree with your father, Dolph,” Detective Vidal spoke up, settling himself on the chair across from Dolph. “The fact that these people got away without any trace only proves that they’re not amateurs.”

Brandon was tempted to say ‘this likewise proves that you’re all good-for-nothing amateurs as well’ but thought better not to challenge the detective.

“Do it for Lexie’s sake, Dolph. It’s for her own safety,” Devlin coaxed and Brandon could just hear the hidden shrewdness in those words.

Punching someone sounded like a good idea at the moment, preferably Devlin.

Dolph’s eyes darted everywhere. It was quite palpable that he was about to be consumed with whatever internal battle he was going through in his head. And Brandon’s heart sank when Dolph’s gaze shifted to him. The word ‘help’ seemed to flash across the surface of Dolph’s deep blue eyes.

“I’ll stay here with them.” Brandon had no clue what just slipped out of his mouth but it was too late to take it back because everyone in the room was looking at him. “I’ll make sure they’re safe for the night.”

The unmistakable anger blazed through Devlin’s eyes. He glared at Brandon like some crazed animal that was about to kill its prey. “How can we be so sure that you did not plan this all along? That you did not orchestrate this kidnapping so you can get Dolph back in your miserable life?”

“I’m sorry?” Brandon’s eyebrow arched up and he dared not look away. “But I think you have this the other way around.” His hand waved between him and Devlin.

“What’s that supposed to mean you good-for-nothing—“

“Dad!” Dolph’s voice was loud enough to silence the entire town, leaving Devlin flabbergasted. “Please. Just…” Lexie grumbled and squirmed against Dolph’s hold but quickly quieted down when Dolph pressed his lips on top of her head, making shushing sounds. “Please, Dad. I want to stay here. I don’t want Lexie to be some place not familiar. She had enough of that for one day.” It was spoken with a certain resoluteness that Brandon had rarely seen in Dolph.

“Son, I just want you and Lexie to be safe, that’s all.”

“I know that, Dad. But let me do this my way.” Dolph shifted his attention to Sgt. Sulik who was standing behind Detective Vidal. “Will it be all right if a couple of your men stay around and maybe patrol the area just for the night, Sergeant?”

“You don’t need to ask, Mr. Lambert—“

“Please. Call me Dolph.”

“Dolph.” The sergeant gave a curt nod and went on to explain that he was obliged to leave at least two of his men to stand guard.

“Thank you,” Dolph told the sergeant before turning to his father. “Brandon can stay. I really appreciate it if everyone else will leave though. No offense.” The last words were directed to Luke and Josh who were both silently observing the scene from the corner of the room.

“Can we stay a while, help clean up at least?” Luke was just as stubborn as Dolph, no doubt, and he had this look on his face that he wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Luckily, Dolph assented and, much to Devlin’s chagrin, he had requested Sgt. Sulik to escort everyone out of the house. Det. Vidal had informed Dolph and, to Brandon’s surprise, him as well that he would be contacting them once they came up with any information about the kidnappers before joining his colleagues outside.

As Dolph had agreed, Luke and Josh remained along with the babysitter, Mrs. Keener. While the others were busy cleaning up, picking up Styrofoam cups from every table, Dolph excused himself. “I’ll just get Lexie ready for bed.” Mrs. Keener took the child from his arms and followed the babysitter to Lexie’s room.

“Do you need any help?” Brandon didn’t want to impose, didn’t want to jump right into his ex-fiancé and his daughter’s daily routine, but he thought offering help was the polite thing to do.

“It’s okay.” Indifference suddenly veiled over Dolph’s face, his eyes not meeting Brandon’s. “Can… can you just… I mean if you don’t mind, help Luke and Josh?”

“Okay.” At least Dolph wasn’t asking him to leave, wasn’t pushing him away.

It was way after midnight when Mrs. Keener, Luke and Josh left. They’d bidden Dolph, who had been stuck at Lexie’s room for hours, ‘good night’. Brandon was so tempted to take a peek in Lexie’s room to let Dolph know he had locked up and ask if there were anything else that needed to be done. But he felt that setting even a foot at the hallway leading to the bedrooms was crossing the line.

Privacy was something sort of sacred to Dolph. And even if he and Brandon had a past, and a living reminder in a form of a little girl to go along with it, there were still four years of nothing but a void that stood between them.

Defeated by exhaustion and unwillingness to indulge in a debate with his conscience, Brandon resigned himself to turning in for the night. It was only logical that he should settle on the couch and was about to recline when Dolph’s voice startled him.

“What are you doing?”

“Uh.” Brandon paused, his back hovering above the cushion. “About to get some sleep? I-is there something you need?”

The soft beam from the desk lamp touched the prominent curves of Dolph’s cheeks when he took a couple of steps closer, saying, “No. What I meant was…” He paused a moment, gaze dropping on the floor. Then the tip of his tongue peeked through the tiny gap between his lips, gliding from one corner to the other. “You don’t have to sleep here in the couch, you know. You can sleep in my room. I’ll just,” he said, waving his hand, gesturing at the hallway, “I’ll just stay in Lexie’s room.”

The alarm in Brandon’s head went off. Bad idea. Bad idea, the voice from deep within his conscious mind chided. “I’m perfectly fine here, Dolph. But thanks for the offer.”

It was through Dolph’s glazed eyes that Brandon belatedly realized he must’ve sounded dry and distant. He was thinking of a way to backpedal but Dolph suddenly spoke. “Are you sure? I don’t have the coziest couch, I’m afraid.”

“I’m sure. Couch is fine with me.” If Brandon’s attitude was in any way offending him, then he had to applaud Dolph for acting unaffected. Or maybe he was oblivious to Brandon’s indifference. Or Dolph probably didn’t give a care about Brandon’s mood at all.

“Well, good night then.” There was a light spring in Dolph’s tone and this just reminded Brandon that his ex-fiancé had patience longer than the River Nile. A most notable characteristic Dolph possessed, considering he had to put up with his father during his younger years. That train of thought pulled out another string of questions Brandon wanted to ask, but Dolph was walking back to his room. Or Lexie’s room. So Brandon just made a mental note to ask in the morning.

“Good night, Dolph,” he murmured to the dimly lit room. As soon as he closed his eyes, images of Dolph poured into his thoughts.


=====



A high-pitched scream roused Dolph. He bolted upright, the sound still ringing in his ears. The bed was shaking. His mind went overdrive and was about to jump out, thinking there was an earthquake but—

“Cartuns! Cartuns!” Lexie cried out while bouncing on top of the mattress. “Daddy! Daddy! Spunch Bob!”

“Alright! Alright!” Dolph pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes and groaned. “Lexie. Stop bouncing around, sweetie. You’re gonna give Daddy a headache.” He blinked. The sun was barely up but it wasn’t anything unusual for his daughter to wake up that early. “Let’s get you some breakfast first before you watch any cartoons, okay?”

“Nonono!” The protest was clearly expressed when Lexie threw her body across the bed and began waving her arms and kicking at the same time, chanting, “Nonono! Cartuns!”

Now that was something unusual. Lexie had never thrown tantrums. Not even when Dolph had been warned about terrible-twos, which he never saw happen.

“Okay, okay.” It probably was a bad idea to give in to his daughter’s demands while in her current state, but damn, he certainly didn’t have the heart to practice Child Discipline 101 right at that moment. Not after what Lexie had been through. Reaching out, he gathered his daughter in his arms. “How ‘bout watching cartoons and having breakfast at the same time?”

Dolph could only sigh in relief when Lexie agreed. “Pancakes?” The little girl peered into him with pleading eyes.

“Pancakes it is.”

They were walking past the living room when Dolph caught sight of a hump at the couch through the corner of his eye. Before he could say anything, Lexie asked, “Who’s that?” while pointing at the sleeping figure. Dolph was about to shush her but Brandon had already stirred.

Brandon sat up and brought both his arms up then stretched. A small smile formed on his lips when he glanced Dolph’s way. “Mornin’,” he managed to say before he broke into a yawn.

“I’m sorry. Were we too loud?” Dolph asked sheepishly. Seeing Brandon with his hair tousled and eyes barely open reminded Dolph how he loved seeing him in the morning.

“No. S’okay.” Brandon’s voice was a bit gruff and laced with sleep. Then he smiled at Lexie and said, “Hey sweetie.” But Lexie pressed herself against the side of Dolph’s thigh, her little arm wound around it while the thumb on her other hand found its way into her mouth.

Dolph ruffled her dark brown hair. “Baby, that’s Brandon. He’s…” He fumbled for the right words, uncertain whether he should drop the bomb on her or gradually introduce her other father. It wasn’t something he was prepared for. He never really expected that he would see Brandon again, not that soon at least.

“I’m a friend of your daddy’s,” Brandon supplied then the corner of his lips curled up and Dolph couldn’t seem to pry his eyes away. “I hope we can be friends too.” Brandon continued to speak to Lexie and seemed to be working his way into the little girl’s heart.

Lexie tilted her head, her eyes boring into Dolph’s like she was seeking for his approval. So Dolph simply smiled at her reassuringly and nodded.

The grip around Dolph’s thigh loosened and the thumb wedged inside Lexie’s mouth slipped out. A tentative, shy small smile teased at Lexie’s lips when she met Brandon’s gaze. With uncoordinated, toddler steps, she walked over to Brandon and said, “You like pancakes?”

It was heartwarming to watch Brandon wait a few heartbeats before saying, “I love pancakes,” quite animatedly. Dolph remembered seeing him interact with children before and that was one of the things he found endearing. So it wasn’t a surprise to see his usually shy and timid daughter bond with Brandon instantly. Or maybe it had something to do with the common theory of being blood-related. Whatever it was, he felt his heart swell when Lexie tugged at Brandon’s arm, asking him to get up and join her for breakfast.

“You’ve grown taller.” The low drone in Brandon’s voice sent waves of prickling along Dolph’s skin. And it took a while before he could react.

“I did?” The split-second moment that Dolph’s eyes met Brandon’s made his heartbeat race. Dolph was quick to look away and pretended to be preoccupied with the pancake he had cooking in the pan.

“Yeah.” Brandon moved closer, leaning against the kitchen counter. The proximity made Dolph nervous, making his hands a bit uncoordinated. He spilled a few drops of the batter on the stove before the rest of it made it safely into the hot pan. And when Brandon said, “Yeah. I see we’re the same height now. I remember you being a couple of inches shorter,” then leaned toward Dolph to emphasize what he meant, the grip Dolph had around the pan’s handle tightened.

Personal space! Personal space! Dolph’s mind screamed, hoping that Brandon would get the message. “Uhm…” Dolph wanted to break the awkwardness that spanned between them but his brain must’ve frozen because he couldn’t think of a single word to say. Having Brandon close by stirred up emotions and thoughts that Dolph thought he’d long buried deep in his core.

“Branen!” The shrill voice of his daughter startled Dolph out of his thoughts and he jerked, grazing his finger against the side of the hot pan.

“Ow.” Dolph stuffed the burned finger in his mouth on impulse, but then Brandon grabbed Dolph’s wrist.

“Don’t do that, let me see,” Brandon coaxed while he tugged on Dolph’s wrist gently, pulling the injured finger out of Dolph’s lips.

Dolph gave an involuntary shudder when Brandon leaned in to look at the burn closely, only half aware that Lexie was tugging at the hem of his shirt, and her whines of “Daddy, Daddy, you hurt? Wanna see, wanna see” vaguely registered in his about-to-explode brain.

“No, sweetie,” both Dolph and Brandon said and their eyes met. Dolph could feel his lips curving up, reflecting the smile that formed on Brandon’s lips. “Sorry about uhm… about Lexie” was Dolph’s lame attempt to break the awkwardness that was creeping in between them. “She can be persuasive at times.”

Brandon still had one hand wrapped around Dolph’s when he turned to Lexie, who was tugging on Brandon’s shirt this time and was saying, “Come Branen, let’s watch T.V.! Come!”

“Later, sweetie. I’ll put a band-aid on Daddy’s finger first, okay?” When Lexie finally agreed and ran out of the kitchen, Brandon’s gaze returned to Dolph. “I see what you mean,” he said. “I guess she got that from you.” Something flickered across Brandon’s eyes, which Dolph interpreted as mischief.

“Excuse me?” It was quite a task not to grin but Dolph played along, thinking it was helping ease his nerves. “From what I remember, you were the more persuasive one.”

“Really?” One corner of Brandon’s lip turned up into a playful smirk. “As far as I can recall, you were pretty much persistent at everything. Remember Bahamas?” He was teasing now. But he was likewise verging on a dangerous territory.

The past.

Something was then triggered in Dolph’s memory, switching on the slide show of a past he chose to forget all shaded in gray. In a lowered voice, he muttered, “Of course I remember. That was the time Lexie was conceived.” It was also his last memory of being happy with Brandon before his life completely changed its course, but Dolph didn’t go further down that road.

“Yeah.” Brandon’s voice turned soft. And distant. The hand around Dolph’s wrist pulled away. “Do you have something for the burn?”

Allowing the moment to distract him, Dolph pointed at the first-aid cabinet on the wall and watched as Brandon fumbled through it until he found the burn ointment.

Tingles ran up Dolph’s arm when Brandon took his hand once more. It was only then that Dolph noticed the red blotch on the side of his finger. Brandon carefully dabbed the cotton tip covered with ointment along the surface.

“What happened, Dolph?” Brandon said while attending to Dolph’s injury. Dolph had no clue what Brandon meant and Dolph was about to ask but then Brandon spoke once more. “Why did you suddenly change your mind about us when we got back from Bahamas? I thought…” Dolph turned to meet Brandon’s gaze when he paused. “I thought you agreed to marry me.”

The anguish that once crippled Dolph was back swirling in his chest when he saw Brandon’s eyes glassy and filled with so much pain. Guilt crept out of his core. Dolph knew he caused that pain, because he had been weak. Because he had been stupid.

“It’s a long story.” Dolph pulled his hand away and went back to his earlier task. He stared at the stove, wondering when he turned it off and when he emptied the pan. Brandon must’ve done it when Dolph was busy trying to suck the heat off his finger

“I have time.” Brandon grabbed the coffee pot and refilled his mug.

“You have to understand though, I was young. Stupid. I still believed in everything Dad said.” Dolph heard Brandon snort. “He—“

“Daddy, I’m hungry.” Lexie stood by the entryway with her thumb shoved in her mouth.

“It’s almost done, baby,” Dolph told his daughter and she nodded before disappearing once more. The batter in the pan turned bubbly and Dolph slid the metal spatula underneath and flipped it. “Uhm...” He began when Brandon prompted him to continue what he was saying, “He threatened to have you arrested. For kidnapping. Or… or sexually abusing a minor. I…” He turned only to see Brandon staring at him like he had just said the most ridiculous thing Brandon had ever heard. “Like I said, I was stupid, okay? I know you were striving to become an architect and Dad said he could destroy your reputation with a snap of his finger if I didn’t stop seeing you. So I was forced to do whatever he said and…” Tears started streaming down his cheeks.

“Hey. Hey.” Brandon pulled him close and Dolph melted in Brandon’s embrace. “Did he also force you to write that letter?”

Dolph lifted his head abruptly. “What letter?”

“The one where you wrote that you made a decision and chose to study in London as your father wished.” Brandon’s brow furrowed, his lips pursed before he went on. “And you also told me to forget about you, that I should move on and… and… You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?”

Confusion was probably written all over Dolph’s face. “No. I never wrote any letter.”

“Fuck,” Brandon muttered under his breath, making Dolph whirl his head to check if Lexie wasn’t within hearing distance.

“Watch your language,” Dolph berated, his eyes flicked over to the living room once more where his daughter was silently watching cartoons.

“Sorry.”

“What letter are you talking about?” Dolph was beginning to think that his father had done more than merely lie to him. His dad could have gone through all lengths possible to make Brandon think it was Dolph’s idea to throw their relationship away.

“We’ll talk it about later.” Brandon gently rubbed Dolph’s arm. “Let’s eat first before our little princess start seeing Sponge Bob as a teen heartthrob.”

To Dolph’s surprise, Lexie complied when Brandon asked her to have breakfast at the kitchen table and not in front of the T.V. He was again amazed when she had let Brandon cut her pancakes into small bites, although she had recoiled when Dolph had asked the two officers who were on a stake out at the driveway to come in and join them.

Breakfast was relatively quiet. The conversation revolved around Lexie when Dolph and Brandon took turns to tell her to drink her milk or to chew her food properly or not to dab her syrup-covered finger on the table. Lexie had decided to forego television and played with her dolls on the living room floor instead.

“You know, I never imagined you’d be living in a place like this,” Brandon said after they had cleared the kitchen.

“Why? Is there anything wrong with my house?” Dolph hoped he didn’t sound too defensive. He just didn’t get what Brandon meant.

“No, of course not.” The playful nudge Brandon gave him made Dolph’s heart flutter. “I think it’s a lovely home. But you’ve always been such a princess so I’d imagined you’d be living at an upper-class neighborhood.”

“Princess?”

“Yeah.” A grin spread across Brandon’s face, his brown eyes twinkled. “Princess.”

The towel Dolph was using to dry the plates flew right into Brandon’s face, making Brandon laugh. “So… How did you end up living here?”

“Well…” The past unfolded like a scene on television that played clearly in Dolph’s mind and he had to take a deep breath to push away the pain that the memory dragged along with it. “When Josh decided to come back here, he asked Luke to move in with him. And. Well, you know how my cousin’s too protective of me. He didn’t want to leave me in Philly. And he knew I wanted to get away from Dad badly. So…”

“Were you still pregnant then?”

“I was in my last term.” It was strange to talk about his pregnancy with the other father of his child. Dolph wished Brandon had been around to witness it, but he knew it was absurd to wish for something that was well buried in the past. “My obstetrician did advise that I move here to avoid prying eyes. She was kind enough to request to be transferred at the local hospital here and she stayed until after I had given birth. Other than having Luke and Josh to keep me sane, I’ve been practically on my own since then.”

“You should have—“ Whatever Brandon had meant to say vanished into thin air when they heard a car pull up in the driveway. He took a peek from the kitchen window. “It’s Luke and Josh,” Brandon announced. “Listen, I have to call my secretary and let her know I won’t be in today—“

“Oh no. You don’t have to, I mean,” Dolph said waving his hand around, trying to get the proper words out. “You don’t have to place your life on hold just because of what happened.” Brandon looked at him in a reprimanding way. “We’ll be fine. Luke and Josh are here to keep me company.” He gestured at the couple walking through the front door. “Luke and I will be working on our web design project anyway.”

Brandon seemed to be contemplating. “Alright,” he said, pulling out his phone from his jeans pocket. “Take my number and let me have yours as well. If anything, and I mean anything weird happens, please promise you’ll call me.”

“You can, uhm… You can use my car if you want,” Dolph offered, knowing that Brandon was driven by the police the night before and had no way of getting around. “I’m not going to need it anyway. If I need to leave, I’ll just have Luke drive me or something.”

“It’s okay. I’ll just take a cab and drive back in my own car.”

It took about an hour before Dolph could convince Brandon that he had nothing further to worry about and Dolph had to make a handful of promises that he would call should anything happen.

“So…” Josh started when they were clearing the table after lunch. “It looks like Brandon had been working out quite a lot. He looks beefy.”

“And meaty, I suppose,” Luke added.

“Shut up, you two.” The pun in his cousin’s words made Dolph’s cheeks burn.

Josh and Luke laughed.

It was true though. That was one of the first things Dolph had noticed. Brandon looked more ripped than he ever was four years ago. And Dolph would be a hypocrite if he didn’t admit that his attraction to the other man was rekindled. But things were different now.

“Is he seeing someone?” Luke looked up from his laptop, his fingers drumming on the kitchen table while waiting for Dolph’s response.

“You two are impossible, you know.” Dolph used the spatula he was holding to point at Josh and Luke alternately. “I am not in any way interested in getting back with Brandon. And besides, he’s here for Lexie, not me.” Dolph went back to the salad dressing he was mixing and tried to focus on preparing lunch instead.

“How can you be so sure about that?” Josh’s eyes twinkled, like it always did when he was planning something that would knock Dolph off his feet.

At mid-afternoon, the police officers who had taken over the other two who'd spent the night in Dolph’s driveway had informed Dolph that all units were being summoned downtown where a hostage situation was taking place.

As soon as they left, Dolph managed to get Lexie to take her afternoon nap. She had been quite insistent on being around him and his uncles for the most part of the day that Dolph and Luke couldn’t concentrate well on the program codes they were working on for their client’s website.

“I think I need a break,” Luke said after he had completed a debugging task. “I’ll just go out for a smoke.” He hadn’t been outside longer than five minutes when Dolph heard him yell, “Hey! Stop right where you are! Stop!” Then Luke’s voice became distant, as if he was farther from the house.

Dread crept up Dolph’s spine and he and Josh shared an intense look of astonishment before Josh said, “Stay here with Lexie,” and went out the front door.

It was a good thing the noise didn’t wake Lexie up but Dolph did as Josh had said and he curled on the bed beside his daughter, staring at the cell phone in his hand. There was a chaotic debate in his hindbrain whether he should call Brandon or not. But before he could even press a key, Josh appeared at the doorway.

“Luke said there was a man hiding behind the bushes and he seemed to be surveying the house,” Josh said in one breath, his voice laced with pure terror.

“Where’s Luke?” Dolph’s heart hammered against his ribcage.

“Calling the cops.”


Continued on Chapter 3