Sui Writes

Author: Suilan

  • A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 4-4

    Tuesday ended in a whirlwind. Dante finished his lecture series and handed it over to the resident Associate Professor, Thomas, and their shared overworked teaching assistant Justina. To celebrate his time teaching on Thomas’s behalf, he invited Thomas and Justina out for an evening meal.

    “We should do this again next semester,” Thomas said, as they walked to Balkon Bar and Restaurant. It was a comfortable place and the food was good. “I enjoyed listening to your lecture on the influence Byzantium has left on the architecture found in our religious houses, all the way up to now.”

    “I’m more excited about the trip to Aretias Island. I can’t believe you found a fortress there,” Justina said. “How come we’ve never had an opportunity to explore it?”

    “It’s in a conservancy,” Dante said. “I was as surprised as you are when I arrived looking for researchers to help me with soil. I can’t explain it. Anyway, the trip is not confirmed yet. I’ll meet the management guys tomorrow. I’ll call you with information if they give me their consent.”

    “I hope they agree,” Justina said, smiling wide.

    Thomas chuckled and shook his head. “You just want a break from reading exam papers from my students.”

    “You caught me,” Justina said, as they entered the building that housed Balkon.

    Upstairs, Dante led the way to the balcony terrace and found a table near the balcony. The sunset was almost gone. He wished they had made it earlier to catch the show. He invited Thomas and Justina to take a seat at the table large enough to seat four.

    “Our Ryuzo house…” the words drifted to him and he stopped in the act of pulling out his chair. He turned his gaze in search of the owner of that voice.

    Ryuzo. The memory of amber eyes filled him and all he could remember was the clear sadness in amber eyes.

    “What will you have, Dante?” Justina asked, her voice pulling him back to their table. “Should we order drinks first?”

    “Sure,” Dante said, distracted. He pulled out his chair and turned once more to see if he could spot who had mentioned Ryuzo. The balcony terrace had quite a number of tables. Each of them with a set of patrons. Each one deep in conversation with their companion, Dante frowned and glanced to the door they had used to enter the balcony terrace.

    Dante froze when he saw the lithe man dressed in a black leather jacket. His red-brown hair was rich in the fading sunlight. His profile was handsome as he looked at the sunset. Dante wished he would turn…and then he did, once, looking straight at Dante. His heartbeat skipped.

    The light seemed to highlight in perfect form, amber eyes similar to those of a fox filled with mischief. Just like he remembered in his dream.

    Ryuzo’s eyes, looking at him in broad daylight, how impossible.

    “Dante?” Thomas said his name, dragging him back from his wild imagination.

    Dante glanced back to the exit one more time, and frowned when he saw the doorway empty.

    He was gone.

    Dante wondered if he might have hallucinated his existence.

    *~*~*~*

    The Arturo Vineyard was beautiful. Tani stood in the middle of the old olive grove staring at the tops of the mature trees. They were old and full of memories. It was mid-morning. Tom and Hera were focused on following a track of corrupted soil in the olive grove. Dante’s mother was in the vineyard house, preparing a meal for Tom and Hera to thank them for their work. The vineyard manager was inspecting the grape vines. Something he was apparently doing every day now.

    Tani sighed, marveling over the beautiful olive grove. He loved old places like these most. The aged grove made him feel at home, like meeting old friends who had seen the past years the same as him. Closing his eyes, he listened to the leaves dance in the wind. Then he felt more than heard Tom walking up to him.

    “Do you want to sink your fingers into the soil, Babu?” Tom asked, coming to stand next to him on his right.”

    Hera’s pace was more leisurely. She stopped on his left, her bangle jingling. Today she wore jeans and a flowery blouse. Her black braids were in a tight ponytail on top of her head. Her feet in work boots, ready to walk the land.

    “What are the olive trees telling you, Babu?” Hera asked.

    “They’re old,” Tani said, flashing a small grin when she scoffed. “What? We are kindred spirits.”

    “I think you’re avoiding bending over with us,” Hera teased, moving to the closest olive tree to check the soil. “Something strange is happening in this grove. The soil is losing its nutrients. If this continues, your old trees will rot to death.”

    “Hm,” Tani said, pulling his hands out of his black trouser pockets. He scowled at the tan bandage on his right palm. The wound was not healing despite Hera’s best efforts.

    Damn Dante and his new petty nature. Ignoring the pain, he removed the bandage and folded it, scowling at the red scar on his palm. He adjusted his white t-shirt and crouched on the ground. Tom stayed beside him.

    “Let me know when you see Dante’s mother or the vineyard manager,” Tani said.

    “I will,” Tom promised.

    Tani pressed his palms to the ground, his fingers changing, black nails growing longer, digging into the ground, turning the dirt. He sunk his fingers deep until his hands were wrist-deep. He closed his eyes then and let his senses search for what was wrong in the ground.

    *~*~*~*

    Dante arrived home on the island in high spirit. He couldn’t wait to hear Tom’s verdict on their soil. It would be great to solve the mystery of corrupt soil in the vineyard. Then after, he would get the chance to convince Tom to let him bring fifteen eager students on a tour of his fortress.

    Smiling at the thought, Dante drove the vineyard jeep to the olive grove. He was dismounting when he felt the powerful presence following him around. Leaving the jeep door open, he ran into the olive grove determined to catch it this time.

    *~*~*~*

    Tani was focused in his search, allowing his power to seep into the soil, seeking…then a familiar hot heat came racing at his back. He had one second to pull his hands out of the ground and push Tom out of harm’s way before a thick column of heat surrounded him, burning so hot, he could not hold back the guttural scream of pain that left his lips. The burn in his right palm seemed to awaken with a vengeance

    Tani fell to his knees as raw pain sunk deep into his bones.

    He looked up when the bloodborne warlock responsible for his pain arrived at the clearing. His amber eyes long stripped of their resemblance to a human; Tani looked at Dante and shook his head, great disappointment filling his heart.

    His beloved was the only one in his life capable of bringing him pain.

    Oh, what fine pain his beloved dealt, he could only cry tears of blood to get through it.

    *~*~*~*~*

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  • A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 4-3

    A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 4-3

    Tuesday evening, Tani arrived at the bar and restaurant where Hakan worked. It was named Balkon and was on the second floor of a building with a wonderful view of the city. Tani found an empty table on the balcony terrace and pulled the wooden chair closer to the table as he settled for the evening.

    His phone buzzed in his pocket. Tani unzipped his jacket and reached for it. He found a message from Tom.

    ‘Meeting arranged for the Arturo Vineyard tomorrow. Hera is coming along, hope you will too.’

    Tani placed the phone on the table and turned to stare at the sun setting on the horizon. The religious would say God was busy painting the sky. Tani liked to hang on to this beautiful belief. He smiled and sat back, watching the sky turn a beautiful orange.

    “May I take your order?”

    Tani’s smile disappeared and he glanced at his waiter.

    “Hakan.”

    The man standing by his table froze, staring at Tani.

    “You’re a hard man to get a hold of,” Tani said. “I’m not half as unavailable as you.”

    “Babu,” Hakan said in shock. “What are you doing here?”

    “I eat too,” Tani said, folding his hands against his chest. “Hera insists this is a great place to eat. You don’t get to call me Babu. I’m disappointed. I came home to find Deniz and Hera sad because of you. Deniz waited the whole weekend to see you, but you never showed up. You didn’t call her either. She cried in my arms last night wondering why you don’t like her anymore. I had no answers for her. So, I’m here to ask what you truly want to do about them.”

    “Babu—”

    “Hakan.”

    “I—”

    “Babu is for those under my care,” Tani said. “At the moment, they are three, maybe four. Tom is getting ready to marry his girlfriend. There would have been five had you stuck it out, Hakan. You have chosen to become an outsider. Outsiders are not under my care.”

    “Mr. Ryuzo,” Hakan said.

    “Good man,” Tani said. “Now, tell me, what do you want?”

    Hakan stayed quiet, and Tani took the time to study him. He was of Turkish descent. Handsome enough to resemble a young Tom Cruise, fit and in love with v-neck tee shirts. At the moment, Hakan wore a black one with dark slacks. Tani wondered what Hera saw in Hakan, but then again, he had no power to judge others in terms of love. His own mistakes were many.

    “Why don’t you get me a glass of orange juice? And something sweet,” Tani said. “When you get back, you can tell me what your thoughts are on your daughter and her mother.”

    “Alright, Mr. Ryuzo.”

    Hakan hurried away and Tani sat back in his chair, he returned his attention to the sunset.

    “You’re very quick to solve Hera’s problems,” Cale said, pulling out a chair opposite him.

    “Stalking me can also be considered a hobby,” Tani said in greeting.

    “Your hobbies are more interesting,” Cale said, settling in. He signaled a young woman who was walking by. “Get us a bottle of red wine, please. Cancel his orange juice order.”

    “Coming up,” the woman hurried to fulfill Cale’s order.

    “Tom says there is something wrong with the soil your man dropped off at the conservancy. He is going to visit the vineyard with Hera. Are you going?” Cale asked.

    “Mm. I’ll check it out,” Tani said, still watching the sunset. “You said to meet him. I will, and get it over with.”

    “Don’t sound so enthusiastic about it,” Cale teased, smiling at the server who brought them a bottle of fine red wine. She opened the bottle and poured Cale a glass. He went through the motions of tasting the wine then gave her a nod to leave the bottle on the table.

    Cale poured a glass for Tani and passed it to him, touching their glasses together when Tani took his with a nod.

    “Who is enthusiastic about heartbreak?” Tani asked, sipping his wine. “He’s already gotten children with Viola. I can only imagine what that will be like.”

    Cale scoffed.

    “You’re overthinking the situation,” Cale said.

    “One thing I know for sure,” Tani said. “He always wants to take care of his children. Something about them taking care of his mother later. I do not overthink his intentions.”

    “Hm,” Cale sighed, sipping his wine.

    Hakan arrived at their table carrying a plate with a slice of chocolate cake and a fork. He placed it before Tani, who studied the chocolate cake slice.

    Tani took up the fork and took a small bite of the cake. He sat back, nodding as he swallowed the cake.

    “The cake is good,” Tani said, and then placed the fork on the plate. “Have you thought about what you want to say to me, Hakan?”

    “I think you should not interfere with my relationship with Deniz,” Hakan said. “I’ll solve how to take care of my daughter on my own.”

    Tani pushed the chocolate cake aside. He rested his hands on his lap and leveled his gaze on Hakan.

    “Hera is my ward. I have helped raise her to the age she is now. You’ve walked into my house and given my ward trouble. With your logic, what should I do with you?”

    Hakan bit his bottom lip and clasped his hands in front of him. He looked around the busy restaurant before he returned his gaze to Tani.

    “I—,” Hakan started.

    “Hera is valued in our Ryuzo house,” Tani said. “Her daughter even more so. If you cannot be there for them as you should be, then you had better keep off, Hakan. Don’t make promises you cannot keep. I will not tolerate it.”

    “Mr. Ryuzo,” Hakan started.

    “I came to tell you that Hera and Deniz are under my care,” Tani said, lowering his voice, allowing the amber in his eyes to shine bright, he continued. “I won’t allow you to disrespect my ward. Keep off, if you can’t keep your promises.”

    Hakan stepped back, shock clear in his gaze.

    “Hakan,” Cale placed enough money to cover their wine bottle and the cake. “Listen to what he says. You don’t want him unleashing me into your world. I revel in misfortune.”

    Hakan took the money and hurried away, sparing Tani a wary glance.

    Tani smiled and shook his head, amused. He reached for his wine glass to take a sip and paused in the action when his nostrils filled with the scent of his beloved’s jasmine. The gold mist aura wrapped tight around his beloved lingered in the air, indicating he was close.

    Tani held the glass stem too tight and it cracked, breaking. The broken glass fell on the table, but Cale muted the sound, hiding the resulting mess of red wine on the table. Cale grabbed Tani’s left arm and pulled him up.

    “Are you going to meet him now?” Cale asked, noting Tani’s nails turning black, and his eyes taking on a fox’s attributes. “You’ll frighten him away.”

    “No, it has to be tomorrow with Tom,” Tani hissed, catching a glimpse of his beloved standing by a table on the opposite side of the balcony terrace.

    Dante looked distracted, a frown dancing on his forehead, his gaze searching.

    Tani’s right palm throbbed reminding him that he needed Dante to heal the wound.

    “Let’s go,” Tani hissed, ignoring every instinct begging him to walk to Dante’s side and introduce himself.

    Cale nodded, took Tani’s jacket, and led the way out of the balcony terrace.

    *~*~*~*

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    Babu means grandfather

  • A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 4-2

    A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 4-2

    Dante returned to Istanbul on Monday night, choosing to stay at his apartment instead of heading to the island. Tuesday was a busy day. He was finishing the last of his lectures at the university before he returned to his usual research duties at the Koch Museum of Natural History. He liked immersing himself in research much more than teaching, so he was looking forward to the change.

    Tired of endless flights and dealing with customs, Dante fell into a restless sleep on his bed. Tossing and turning, he kicked away his sheets and dreamed…

    Dante ran into a wild forest, heart pounding and fear filling his mouth with a bitter taste.

    It was him, but not him, but the fear felt very real. He looked no more than eighteen years old. Dressed in a simple brown tunic and dark trousers, the colors of the fabric dull, his feet in coarse leather shoes with rabbit’s fur on the rims. He held no weapon. His hair was longer, black, and wild.

    He ran fast, stumbled, and lost his path. He ran deeper into the wild forest, past massive tall trees and thick bushes. Behind him, a pack of wolves howled, as they gave chase…

    He ran faster, biting back a whimper when he tripped over a large tree root and managed to escape a fall. Stealing a glance behind him, he cried out when he saw three large wolves coming at him. They were close, so close…

    He tripped again.

    This time he fell into a small clearing surrounded by tall trees. He fell to the ground hard, his fingers digging into the mud and decayed leaves, looking for a stick to beat the wolves off him. He turned to see the first wolf rushing him and fell on his butt, heart in his throat, fear taking over. His hand closed over a thick branch and he brought the branch up, biting his bottom lip hard. Breathing hard as the wolf jumped in the air, its jaw wide open for the bite. Heart speeding in his chest, he closed his eyes, and then…

    Silence.

    All he could hear was his beating heart and his harsh breathing, his hands trembled as they gripped the thick decayed branch. It took him a moment to open his eyes. When he did, he stared into amused amber eyes. He breathed in hard, taking in the young man crouched a few feet away.

    Amber eyes studied him in turn. Dante frowned. The unusual eyes reminded him of a fox. The young man looked lithe and very clean despite being in the forest. Unlike Dante, he wore vibrant robes made of thick wool and dyed a brilliant blue. His leather boots were constructed with thick leather and decorated with gold metal on the edges. His red-brown hair was combed into a tight ponytail on top of his head. He was very handsome, and when he smiled bright and charming, Dante dropped the branch and fell back on his elbows.

    A chuckle followed and the handsome man shook his head.

    “Why are you lying down in the mud?”

    When Dante met an amused gaze, his cheeks filled with fire and he had no words to say.

    “Still scared?” Amber eyes asked. “They won’t hurt you.”

    Dante looked beyond amber eyes and sat up when he saw the wolves sitting around them. He scrambled to his knees, fear filling him again.

    Shaking, he looked to the young man who had straightened to his full height.

    “I promise, they have found different prey,” Amber eyes said, as though his words would explain why the wolves still sat watching him with intense interest.

    “I—Are you sure?” Dante asked.

    “Very,” Amber eyes said, when Dante still looked at the wolves with apprehension, he sighed. “I’ll send them away.”

    “How?” Dante asked.

    A smile, and then amber eyes turned away from him. In the next moment, the wolves got up and ran deeper into the forest.

    “There, they are gone. What is your name young man?”

    “Durante. What is yours?”

    “Names are a powerful spell,” Amber eyes said, taking Dante’s arm and helping him up. Dante was taller than his savior was, but not by much. “If I give you mine, it might get you in trouble.”

    “I don’t care, you saved me,” Dante said. “I won’t tell anyone.”

    “Won’t you?” A smile, and then a nod. “I suppose it doesn’t matter anyway. You can call me Ryuzo. You ran into my domain in distress, so I helped you, Durante. Now you’ll help me by not telling anyone you’ve seen me.”

    “Do you live here alone?” Dante asked, looking around the wild forest. “Aren’t you afraid of wild animals? Where is your family? You can stay with mine if you don’t have one.”

    Ryuzo chuckled, making Dante look at him. He liked looking into Ryuzo’s amber eyes. It didn’t seem right for such a handsome man to live in a forest.

    “You are sweet, Durante. Where is your family? Why would they let you get chased in the forest by wolves?” Ryuzo asked.

    “We were collecting herbs on the slopes of the hill. The wolves came without notice,” Dante said. “I diverted them so my mother and sisters could get away and get help.”

    “Oh,” Ryuzo sighed. “Help means burning fires in the forest. We should get you back before your family decides to burn down my forest. I’ll walk you to a safe path that will get you back to the slope and down to your village.”

    “What about you?” Dante asked, as Ryuzo turned away from him and started walking. Dante followed, careful to keep close in case the wolves returned.

    “What about me?” Ryuzo asked, his voice gentle, calm.

    “Do you really live in this forest?” Dante asked.

    “Yes. It’s my home.”

    “Aren’t you lonely?” Dante asked.

    “I don’t understand,” Ryuzo said, reaching up to move a large tree branch, waiting for Dante to pass before he followed. “Why would I be? The wolves are good company, and so are the foxes and others.”

    “There are no other humans here,” Dante pointed out. “Your family—”

    “I have an uncle,” Ryuzo said. “He’s not home often but we live together.”

    Dante sighed and shook his head, making Ryuzo stop to look at him.

    “What?”

    “Are you sure you’re okay living here?” Dante asked.

    “You’re a peculiar mortal.”

    Ryuzo continued their walk to the edge of the forest. He walked fast, not giving Dante another chance to talk. He didn’t stop until they were on the edge of the thick forest and Dante could see the path leading to the slopes and beyond that his village down below.

    “Here you are. Don’t run into the forest again,” Ryuzo said. “I’m not always around to help you.”

    “How do I find you if I want to thank you?” Dante asked.

    “Enter the forest on a sunny day like today,” Ryuzo said.

    Dante looked up. The sun was high up in the sky and the valley was awash in light. When he turned to look at Ryuzo again, disappointment filled him when he found Ryuzo gone. No trace of him was left behind.

    The images shifted, blurred in a haze of life in a village, and then Dante was once again entering the thick forest high on the hill. It was a sunny day. The sun was high above in the sky. Dante had made an effort with his clothes; they were clean, though not as vibrant colored as Ryuzo’s robes. He was clean and his hair was brushed and trimmed. He carried a sack of fresh apples from the tree growing on his father’s farm. A smaller bag held fresh bread, cheese, and dried seasoned meat.

    His steps were wary as he entered the forest. He hoped the wolves were not around. He did not want to be a meal while he was trying to thank a mysterious man with one.

    Shaking his head, he stepped on an old branch and it cracked in the relative silence of the forest. He jumped and looked around him afraid the wolves would turn up again.

    “You’re back,” Ryuzo’s voice reached him before he saw him.

    Dante clutched the bags he held and turned around, searching the trees.

    “You shouldn’t have come,” Ryuzo said, his voice soft. “I gave you a chance to escape me.”

    “I worried about you here…alone,” Dante said. “The weather has also not been cooperative. I—I worried…”

    “You should worry for yourself,” Ryuzo said, with a chuckle.

    A soft wind caressed Dante’s ear. When he turned around, he stared at the Ryuzo standing before him. Ryuzo was in green. A wide leather belt holding his tunic in place at his waist. His red-brown hair was still in a ponytail and his amber eyes truly resembled the eyes of a fox. Even the iris was a thin black slit. Dante took in a deep breath.

    Ryuzo smiled and lifted his right hand for Dante to see. His fingernails turned a deep black, extending into sharp claws.

    “I could rip your neck open and let the wolves have the prey they lost,” Ryuzo said, his gaze on Dante, a challenge in his voice.

    Dante let out air and took in another deep breath. There was no cruelty in the amber eyes looking at him. He knew what a cruel gaze looked like. The village elder’s son had a cruel gaze. The bastard whipped his wife often until she grew welts on her arms and back. Once, Dante helped his mother carry the woman to the healer. He had to fight off the village elder’s son to get to the woman. The eyes of the village elder’s son were filled with dark intent.

    Yet, this man standing before him amber eyes similar to a fox carried no ill intent. His eyes might stop anyone else from taking a step closer, but Dante took one. The sharp claws on a strong hand would frighten anyone, but Dante knew…Ryuzo would not hurt him.

    “How do you do that?” Dante asked, studying the dark long claws. “Your hands didn’t look like this last time.”

    Ryuzo narrowed his gaze at him then let out a soft chuckle. He kept his hand up for Dante to see as his nails slowly changed back to the normal shade of a human’s nails.

    “What are you?” Dante asked when Ryuzo dropped his hand to his side.

    “What do you think?”

    “A fox,” Dante said, with a grin. “A clean fox, I’m surprised.”

    Ryuzo laughed then.

    “I’ve never been teased about being clean. I hate being dirty.”

    “So, are you one of the foxes who cheat men out of their fortunes?” Dante asked. “The Village Elder told us a tale of a fox who changed into a beautiful woman and seduced a merchant in the village beyond ours. Do you know her?”

    Ryuzo laughed harder and the birds responded chirping with delight around them.

    Dante stared as Ryuzo tossed his head back at a perfect angle. Ryuzo’s laugh musical in the wild forest. His eyes closed in delight. His heart sped up and he reached out to touch the curve of Ryuzo’s lips. Ryuzo stopped laughing and stilled, looking at Dante.

    “I missed you,” Dante said, his voice low. “Somehow, as the days passed, day and night, I thought about you and wondered how you were. I—I missed you.”

    “Durante is dangerous to me,” Ryuzo said in answer, holding Dante’s gaze in silence.

    The dream changed again.

    Time running ahead, Dante watched days of Ryuzo and Durante exploring the forest together. Ryuzo gifting Durante with a handsome black tunic, more meals from Durante, Ryuzo introducing Durante to the wild wolves, and finally the two of them playing under a waterfall, naked. They had their first kiss with the water falling on them. The kisses turned to more and Ryuzo showed Durante his lair hidden in a cave behind the waterfall. They made love on a bed covered with wolf fur. A gold mist slowly covered Durante’s body in the process though he did not appear to notice it wrap around him like a second skin. Ryuzo did though, touching it with a finger and smiling in contentment. Later, lying naked on the soft blankets, Ryuzo told Durante he loved him. They looked happy.

    Dante frowned when the time changed again.

    This time, Ryuzo stood clutching a fence made of sticks tied together. His gaze on the wood house in the middle of the farm. It was night, and the yellow light from the candles made the house look warm. Laughter drifted to Ryuzo and his hands tightened on the sticks. The kitchen door opened and Durante came out of the house stumbling drunk. He looked handsome in a white tunic, his hair brushed to perfection and leather ties braided into it.

    Durante stopped when he glanced at the back fence and saw Ryuzo. His drunken stumble to the fence where Ryuzo stood was heartbreaking.

    “You shouldn’t have come here,” Durante said in greeting. “I thought you only showed yourself when the sun is high.”

    “The moon is high,” Ryuzo said, his voice rough with emotion. His gaze rested on the plain silver band on Durante’s left wrist. “You are bound to another this eve.”

    “She is a good woman,” Durante said, shaking his head. “My mother needs a helper and grandchildren.”

    “I cannot give these things,” Ryuzo said in a whisper. “I cannot take them from you either if you want them.”

    “I’m sorry.”

    Ryuzo stared at Durante in the moonlight. His amber eyes shone with tears, then one single one fell down his left cheek and he turned away.

    “Be happy.”

    “Ryuzo,” Durante started, “Wait. I—”

    Ryuzo did not give him a chance to say more, instead disappearing into the night faster than Durante could see.

    “I’m sorry,” Durante’s broken whisper filled the night.

    Dante woke up with a jerk, the whisper echoing in the depths of his soul. Sorrow at the loss and heartbreak filled his chest, it felt out of place. He pressed his hand into his chest and took in deep breaths as he tried to fight off the heavy feeling. The dream felt too real. The vision of sad amber eyes filled his thoughts and for a moment, it was all he could see. Taking in a deep breath, he let it out in an effort to shake off the strange dream. Rubbing his eyes, he groaned when his phone buzzed on the bedside table.

    Reaching for the black gadget, he answered the phone with a grunt.

    “Arturo.”

    “Good morning. I’m Rachel from the Elderwood Conservancy. Please hold for Mr. King,” a pleasant feminine voice said.

    Dante sobered up, getting off his bed, he adjusted his sleeping shorts at his waist and walked to the window. Pulling back the curtains, he stared out into the forested park near his apartment complex and hoped Tom King was giving him good news.

    “Mr. Arturo,” Tom said. “Sorry to call so early in the morning. We have finished analyzing the soil samples you left with me. I would like us to meet to talk about the results. Are you on the island?”

    “I’m in Istanbul at the moment. I have one last lecture at the university this morning,” Dante said. “Then, I have a few errands to do after I return to my usual office. I can try to make it to the island by late afternoon.”

    “Why don’t we meet tomorrow?” Tom asked. “We can make it a day to spend on your vineyard’s business. You won’t have to come to the conservancy. We can meet at your vineyard.”

    “We?” Dante asked, curious about the people working with Tom.

    “I have a very talented assistant who is interested in the soil samples,” Tom said. “Her name is Hera and she helped me analyze the soil samples. We might bring a third, but that depends on availability.”

    “I’ll give my mother a call so that she can expect you,” Dante said, thinking about the olive grove and hoping it could be saved. “I will probably arrive on the island in the morning. I’ll meet you at the vineyard.”

    “That sounds like a great plan,” Tom said.

    “I’ll send you Mom’s number so you can agree on the time.”

    “Great,” Tom said.

    “So, what do you think the problem is?” Dante asked.

    “We profiled the samples,” Tom said. “The soil has obvious signs of degradation. Depleted nutrients and highly acidic at 2.0 pH. We would like to have a look at the source of the samples in order to discover what caused the problem. It could be mismanagement of fertilizers.”

    Dante doubted Hasim, their vineyard manager, would mismanage their organic fertilizers. Still, maybe a new worker had mixed up solutions and made a critical mistake.

    “I’ll explain it to mom so that she can check our stores and the farm logs,” Dante said.

    “With the right care the problems are reversible, we just need to catch it before any damage is done to your plants,” Tom said.

    “Thank you so much, Mr. King,” Dante said.

    “Please, call me Tom.”

    “Then, I’m Dante, Tom.”

    “See you tomorrow, Dante.”

    Tom ended the call.

    Dante dialed his mother right away to tell her about Tom and arrange for tomorrow, his dream forgotten.

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  • The Man I Like Might Be A Delinquent 3-3

    The Man I Like Might Be A Delinquent 3-3

    “We would have gone to the emergency room if we could,” Ryan said, his voice barely civil as he tried not to growl at Axel. “We are pinned down here and we have to move soon. Doctor, I need your skill, or I would not have gone to the trouble of finding you.”

    “No.” Axel shook his head. “I will not help you.”

    “Wrong answer,” Ryan said and pulled out a gun from a holster inside his black suit jacket. He pointed the gun at Axel’s forehead and fear returned. Ryan’s gaze was different from the man he met earlier. Ryan looked like he might pull the trigger and move on to the next solution.

    “I’m sure my men explained everything earlier. I truly do not want to hurt you, Dr. Graysen. All we need is your skill then you can return to your quiet life. Are you willing to help?” Ryan demanded, blocking Axel’s view of the man on the stretcher.

    A severe frown on Ryan’s forehead grew as Axel hesitated with his answer.

    “I thought doctors are supposed to be empathic to the injured. What kind of bedside manner is this?”

    “You people broke into my apartment, pulled me out of my bed with a gun on my head, and dragged me out here with threats of death. Excuse me if I can’t pull up an ounce of sympathy,” Axel said, hating the fear in his heart.

    Axel turned to see the door behind him closed. The two men standing by the door stared at him, arms folded. The one on the right shifted, and his fingers flexed near his weapon too. He was the one who woke Axel, his voice so calm even as he made deadly threats.

    Axel swallowed hard and tried not to lose his mind from fear. He did not want to die.  His chest tightened, and he took in several breaths, feeling like he wasn’t getting enough to fill his lungs.

    “Dr. Graysen.” A gentle voice came from a distance.

    Axel bend over, sucking in air as he clung to the sound of that voice like a lifeline. Taking in a deep breath, he focused on the familiar voice when it said his name a second time.

    “Axel.”

    Axel looked up, and stared at the man sitting up on the stretcher, his right hand clamped over heavy bandages on his upper left arm. A gasp escaped his lips when he recognized Jeha.

    Jeha, his mysterious knight on the rooftop, the man with a devastating smile and keen blue eyes, was the patient on the stretcher.

    Axel pushed Ryan away and rushed to the foot of the stretcher, stopping to stare in shock at Jeha’s bleeding left upper arm.

    Jeha wore a white shirt, the sleeves stained with blood. The collar was opened, his tie long gone. Streaks of mud covered his dark slacks. His dark hair was a mess, and there was a scratch on his left jaw. The bandages on his left upper arm were soaked with blood. His blue eyes studied Axel with concern.

    “Axel, are you okay?” Jeha asked, his voice strained with clear pain.

    What had happened to him?

    “Am I okay?” Axel asked, hurrying around to Jeha’s left side. He reached out to steady Jeha when he swayed on the stretcher, threatening to fall back too fast. “What about you? How did you end up like this? Why are you bleeding? Were you kidnapped too?

    Axel was surprised by the dark chuckle that followed his questions.

    “I’m sorry Ryan’s men treated you so harshly. I had hoped they would have a gentle conversation with you. Kidnapping was not my intention,” Jeha said, wincing hard as he tried to keep sitting up, but he ended up falling back on the stretcher.

    Axel tried and failed to make the fall back softer on the wound on Jeha’s left arm. He winced when Jeha bit back a painful moan.

    “Axel, I need you to stop the bleeding on my arm.  I—”

    Jeha groaned as he tried to shift so that he could settle his upper left arm. He closed his eyes, clearly in pain, and let out a shaky breath.

    “I don’t think the bullet is in my arm. There is an exit wound. I’m worried about bleeding out,” Jeha said.  “We don’t have much time before we have to move again.”

    “Why don’t we have time?” Axel asked, pressing his fingers to Jeha’s neck to check his pulse. It felt steady, but that could change anytime. He didn’t like the look of the bloody bandages on Jeha’s left arm.

    “The people who shot Jeha are on a mad search for him,” Ryan said, his voice filled with urgency.  “If they find us here, I can’t guarantee your life, Dr. Graysen.”

    “Stop scaring my doctor,” Jeha said, sounding tired, even as he admonished Ryan.  “Axel—”

    “Why didn’t you go to the emergency room?” Axel asked. “Why are you joking around with your life? The emergency room has the equipment and qualified doctors who will know how to deal with a gunshot wound. You have a better chance of fighting off infection in the hospital. What if you bleed out here?”

    “Axel, can’t you fix me up first? And then I promise to answer all your questions,” Jeha said with a soft pained chuckle, directing a pleading gaze at Axel.

    “Don’t give me that look. Your people kidnapped me,” Axel said, his gaze accusing when he glanced at Ryan.  “They woke me up with a gun pressed to my face.”

    He still could not believe these people seemed to belong to Jeha. Was his mysterious knight a gangster? How sad! Just as he met an interesting man, he turned out to be a bad seed, a delinquent.

    Axel started to glare at Jeha, but Jeha closed his eyes, biting his bottom lip hard to endure the pain.

    Axel’s gaze softened and the need to help rose.

    He hated how disheveled Jeha looked. Jeha’s dark hair was slick with sweat, and a deep frown creased his forehead. There were strain lines on the corner of his lips. He was doing his best to hide his pain levels.

    “Who would shoot you?” Axel asked.

    “Work while you talk,” Ryan said, waving his gun at Axel.

    It set Axel’s heart skidding with fear.

    “If he dies, you die too,” Ryan warned.

    Jeha opened his eyes to look at Axel, his gaze was apologetic.

    “I’m sorry.  My best friend is scared I’m going to discover what the underworld looks like. Please help me,” Jeha said. “I promise to answer all your questions.”

    Axel sighed, completely defeated by his knight, and looked around the equipped medical center.  He spotted a sink on the opposite end of the room and started toward it only to have Ryan follow him, pressing his gun into Axel’s back.

    “Stop threatening me with your gun!” Axel said turning to glare at Ryan.  “Or you’ll send me into a panic attack and that won’t help Jeha.”

    Axel met Ryan’s harsh brown gaze.

    “We need to work together to make sure your friend comes out of this with a working arm. I need your help, so if you can put down the gun now. It’s just stressing me out. No one wants a stressed-out surgeon holding a scalpel. Move the stretcher closer.”

    Axel hurried to the sink, hoping Ryan would follow his instruction.  He started the water, and washed his hands with the disinfectant soap he found there.  It looked like someone with experience had stocked up the place.  Once his hands were clean, he reached for a box of surgical gloves sitting on the counter and turned to find Ryan had moved the stretcher closer to the sink counter.

    Axel wore a pair of gloves and got to work undoing the bloody bandages around Jeha’s left upper arm.

    “Who would shoot you?” Axel asked again as he worked.

    “My cousin and his merry band of goons,” Jeha said, biting his bottom lip hard when Axel finally unwrapped his wound and started a thorough inspection of the flesh wound.

    “Your family sounds tough,” Axel said. “Okay, you’re lucky the bullet did not cause critical damage on its way out. That is no reason to celebrate though. Your arm has a deep raw wound, Jeha. It’s going to be painful for a while.  I’m concerned there might be complications from excessive bleeding. Ryan, push the medical cart closer. What is this place? Why do you have all this equipment on hand?”

    Ryan pushed the medical cart closer and Axel thanked him with a nod.

    “This is a small clinic run by a hotel,” Ryan said.

    “Good, it will have the basics.”

    Axel checked the medical cart and found the items he needed to clean Jeha’s wound and bandage it. He made sure there was no danger of excessive bleeding. When he was sure no major damage would lead to trouble, Axel disinfected and cleaned the wound. His actions were fast and practiced. When the wound was treated, Axel gave Jeha a tetanus shot, a pain reliever, and a shot of antibiotics. He bandaged Jeha’s wound, finishing with a pressure bandage.

    Removing his gloves, Axel started opening compartments on the cart.

    “What are you looking for?” Ryan asked, his tone laced with suspicion.

    “A sling,” Axel said, irritated by Ryan’s distrustful attitude. “We need to immobilize his arm. I still think we should take him to a hospital. I would like to make sure the wound is truly clean. He needs X-rays to make sure there was no other damage and…and, we need to worry about an onset of infection. I am sure he will have a hard time later—”

    “Axel,” Jeha said, his voice soft. “Your worries are scaring Ryan. Give him a break.”

    “He needs a break? Don’t you think I need a break?” Axel asked, finally finding a sling in the bottom part of the cart.  “I was sleeping quite well earlier before his men dragged me here to play cops and robbers with you. Now I have to worry about managing your vitals. Wonder how we are going to monitor your infection levels, and I know you’re not planning on moving for the next hour, right?”

    “Wrong,” Ryan said, just as his cell phone started buzzing. He reached into his pocket and got his buzzing cell phone. “We need to move out of this place in the next ten minutes.”

    “Ryan, your friend needs rest,” Axel insisted, pressing his fingers to Jeha’s neck to check his pulse. “We’re not out of the woods yet. I don’t know how long Jeha was sitting in here with only bloody bandages covering his wound. He could have caught an infection when your people came to rudely kidnap me.”

    Ryan gripped Axel’s left arm, making him turn so that they were looking at each other.

    “Just so you have all the information needed to keep Mr. Wook healthy. Mr. Wook was shot fifteen minutes before my men showed up at your apartment to get you. The trip to bring you here took ten minutes. In short, Mr. Wook was shot roughly thirty minutes before you arrived. Is that a clear timeline?”

    “Yes,” Axel said, fighting the shakes as he held Ryan’s fierce brown gaze.

    “Good. Mr. Wook’s life is very important,” Ryan said. “We need to keep him out of danger. Now, we are going back out into the SUV and driving to a safe house. Can he walk?”

    “Will you carry him if I say no?” Axel frowned, glancing at Jeha who looked thoroughly amused. “Will he carry you?”

    “He will if you insist. Don’t encourage him. Ryan will really put me on his back,” Jeha said, shaking his head. “I feel steady enough to walk with help.”

    “Alright. I’ll move everyone around to confuse Moon. He’s looking for our location. Dr. Graysen, please help Boss get up on his feet.”

    Ryan answered his buzzing phone and moved away from them.

    Axel stared at Jeha for a full minute and then turned to the sink to wash his hands.

    “I’m sorry.”

    Axel finished washing and grabbed paper towels to wipe his hands dry. He faced Jeha then, feeling as unsteady as ever, and met Jeha’s piercing gaze.

    “Which part are you sorry for?”

    “Pulling you out of bed,” Jeha said with a wan smile. “Bringing you out here to play cops and robbers.”

    “Ryan’s people pulled me here,” Axel said. “I still need various answers from you.”

    Axel slipped his right arm under Jeha’s back and helped him sit up, keeping him steady.  He helped Jeha wear the black medical sling he had found, making sure Jeha’s arm remained immobilized against his chest.

    Axel adjusted the sling on Jeha’s left arm and then helped Jeha shift his feet to the side of the stretcher.  They paused long enough to give Jeha a moment to catch his breath.

    Jeha used his right hand to grip Axel’s left arm, making Axel look into his eyes. Their faces were so close, Axel could feel Jeha’s breath on his cheek.

    “I got careless today, trusting my cousin in good faith when we met. He shot me when I least expected it. Ryan got you for me out of panic,” Jeha said, sounding apologetic.  “Yesterday, I saw you at the hospital and told him that if I was shot, I would like you to take care of me.”

    “It sounds like excessive loyalty to me,” Axel said, glancing at Ryan who was pacing by the locked doors.  “Why would he kidnap me to help you? All you would need to do is show up at the hospital. I would have treated you without question, Jeha.”

    “You’re off for a week at the hospital from today,” Jeha said.

    “How do you know that?” Axel asked, frowning at Jeha.

    Jeha chose that moment to stand, so Axel had no choice but to help support him until he was steady.

    “I discover everything I need to about the people I like,” Jeha replied.

    “Like a stalker?” Axel asked. “Are you—?”

    “I’m a well-intentioned stalker,” Jeha cut in.

    “How did Ryan’s people enter my apartment?” Axel asked.

    “Axel, if I tell you that, you’ll run away,” Jeha said, with a heavy sigh. “I need you, so I can’t let that happen.”

    “I should run away on principle,” Axel said, noting that Jeha was swaying.

    Jeha needed to lie down and rest.

    The blood loss was probably more severe than he expected. Damn it.

    “We should go now,” Axel said to Ryan when Jeha swayed again. “It will be good to have him pass out in a place you’re comfortable having him stay for at least twenty-four hours.”

    “Let’s go,” Ryan said, opening the doors and his two men hurried ahead as Ryan waited for Jeha and Axel. “Boss, we are making it look as though we’re heading back to the usual penthouse.”

    “I trust you,” Jeha said, sounding tired. “If anything happens, protect Axel, as you would me.”

    “What is that supposed to mean?” Axel asked.

    Jeha glanced at Axel, his gaze conflicted.

    “Ryan will keep you safe,” Jeha said.

    Axel missed the chance for more explanations as they hurried out of the clinic, entered a dim corridor, and into an elevator. They rode downstairs in silence and headed out to a waiting black SUV. Axel had no time to ask more questions because a race to their unknown destination started and he was more occupied with making sure Jeha remained stable.

    ***

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  • The Man I Like Might Be A Delinquent 3-2

    The Man I Like Might Be A Delinquent 3-2

    “Dr. Graysen, are you awake?”

    Fucking yes he was awake.

    Axel sat up and the gun moved with him, never once leaving his forehead. He was unable to look anywhere but at the gun on him not even at the man holding the gun.

    “W-who a-are you? W-why are y-you in my apartment?”

    “I need you to dress up,” the answer came.  “I need you to fix up someone important.”

    “No.” Axel closed his eyes, forcing his brain to engage in thought. He needed to negotiate…if he left his apartment there was no way to know what would happen to him. He might end up dead in a ditch. “I’m not leaving with you—”

    “I know my gentle tone gives you the idea that I’m giving you a choice, Dr. Graysen. This is my fault. I apologize for the oversight. Let me be clear.  I am not giving you a choice. You do not have a choice, Dr. Graysen.  The gun pressed to your forehead is very real.  I will pull the trigger and make you hurt if you do not cooperate. I need you to come with us. You present an immediate solution, so you will not be able to escape us. I would prefer it very much if you cooperated. Time is of the essence.  Nod if you understand what I have said.”

    Axel closed his eyes, his fingers bunching his sheets, and he nodded.

    “Good.  Now, get out of bed. I have pulled out comfortable clothes from your closet.  They are at the foot of the bed.  You will dress, and then we shall leave your apartment.  Don’t try to run.  The five determined men with me will stop you if you try. I hope you choose not to try.  I would like it very much if I didn’t have to hurt you. Do you understand?”

    Axel bunched his sheets tighter. He truly did not want to be shot.

    He needed his phone. If he could just get to it, he could call for help.

    Axel glanced at the bedside table and panicked when he only saw the remote for the blinds.

    Where had he left his phone?

    Shit! His phone was in his book bag.  He remembered walking in and dropping his book bag on the living room floor next to the stupid coffee table.

    Damn it! Why?  Why was he so stupid?

    “Dr. Graysen?”

    Axel opened his eyes and winced when the gun on his forehead pressed harder.

    “I need you to dress. Nod if you understand what we’re doing next.”

    Axel cursed under his breath and nodded.

    “I’ll dress,” Axel said.

    “Good man, shift to the side of the bed.”

    Axel started moving to his left, but the gun pressed into his forehead, irritating him. He swallowed down his anger and glanced at his kidnapper.

    “Right side.  Put your hands up.”

    Axel lifted his hands up as he shifted to the right side of the bed until his feet were planted on the carpet. His assailant held out dark briefs.

    Axel wore them without fuss.  He then pulled on a pair of dark sweatpants, and the black t-shirt he was handed.  Black socks followed, and his newest pair of black sneakers.

    Axel wore each item like armor. It felt better to be covered than naked in a clear home invasion and kidnapping.

    A black zip-up hoodie came last.

    Axel pulled it on with shaky hands.  The man with the gun helped him zip up and helped fold the sleeves to his wrists.

    Axel had no chance to ask more questions as two men entered the bedroom and grabbed him by his arms.  He wanted to scream, but the man with the gun smiled waving his weapon at Axel.

    “Don’t think of shouting. I’ll punch your neck hard and it will hurt.”

    Axel breathed in working to control his anxiety levels.

    “Slow and steady, guys. We don’t want to attract too much attention in the hallway. Now to the next step.”

    Axel was led out of his apartment with no real chance to protest or call for help.  They walked down the hallway of his apartment building. Axel’s panic doubled as they rode the elevator. The elevator doors opened when they arrived at Basement Level 1. A dark hood was pulled over his head.

    Axel was then pushed into the backseat of a huge black SUV waiting for them the moment the doors opened.  Handcuffs were placed on his wrists and fear wrapped around him tightly as they took off.

    ****

    The ride to their destination felt long though it was only five turns around the city.  The SUV came to a stop in the back of a business building. The back doors opened.  Axel was pulled out of the backseat, and the two men holding his arms steadied him as they dragged him into a quiet hallway and into a private elevator.

    Axel bit his lip hard as the elevator started a fast ascend.  The doors did not ping as the elevator stopped; instead, they opened with a fast swish.  He was forced into a fast walk, a series of turns, and doors opened and closed.

    “Did you find him?”

    Axel frowned.

    The voice sounded familiar.  The memory of it was just out of reach.

    “Yes.”

    “Bring him in.”

    Axel’s arms were grabbed and he was forced into a brisk shuffle walk. 

    “Damn it! Why is he cuffed?”

    “Just in case he tried to escape.”

    “You’re ridiculous.”

    “Can’t help it,” the answer came with a soft chuckle. “Ryan said your life is very important.”

    The hands holding Axel’s arms disappeared and the cuffs were unlocked.  Axel rubbed his wrists and started to reach for the hood over his face. Only to have it pulled off.

    Axel blinked at the bright lights in the room and brought his hands up to cover his eyes.

    “Dr. Graysen, I’m Ryan. I’m sorry about the cuffs and the hood. They were not part of the plan.”

    Axel frowned when the man named Ryan stopped before him. He dropped his hands and stared at the taller man.

    “You have a patient who needs your help,” Ryan said.

    “Take him or her to the emergency room,” Axel said, hating the tremble in his voice. “I can’t help you here.”

    “You’ll find every medical tool you need here,” Ryan said.

    He shifted to his right, allowing Axel to have a good look at the room.

    Axel realized he was standing in a fully equipped medical room.  There was a man lying on a stretcher a few feet away behind Ryan. All Axel could see were the red soles of the man’s very expensive shoes.

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  • The Man I Like Might Be A Delinquent 3-1

    The Man I Like Might Be A Delinquent 3-1

    Axel Wakes up to a Rude Surprise

    Axel left the hospital on Friday morning with only three goals.

    Food, shower, and sleep.

    Axel stopped at the bistro in front of his building because he knew the chef. It was early but she always had ingredients in her pantry for him.

    Chef Suzie took one look at him and came out minutes later with his usual order of Thai chicken soup and a veggie sandwich to go with it. He thanked her with a grin and blew her a kiss.

    Food dealt with, he parked his car underground, as close as he could get to the elevator, then hauled his bag of food and his book bag. He locked the car and headed to the elevator feeling like an alien that needed to acclimate to real life.

    Upstairs, he opened the door to his apartment and almost groaned when he heard his mother talking to someone in the kitchen.  He had hoped to bypass conversation, eat in peace, shower, then sleep.

    “Axel?” Joyce Graysen called out.

    “Yeah, Mom,” Axel said, dumping his book bag on the floor next to the coffee table.

    Axel sat on the couch and shifted a pile of papers discussing pulmonary edema to the side.  He made enough room for his bowl of soup and his sandwich. Grabbing the spoon and fork that came with his food, he started on his soup.

    Joyce came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a cloth.

    “You’re here early,” Joyce said, glancing at her watch.  “It’s six o’clock in the morning.”

    “I have a week off thanks to covering shifts for others,” Axel said, taking three bites of the soup. “I need sleep before you introduce any topic.”

    “Okay,” Joyce nodded, folding the cloth she held.  Her gaze shifted over the sparsely decorated living room.  “I decided to populate your apartment with furniture.  It’s weird to see it looking so empty for so long.”

    “I have no objections,” Axel said, his stomach feeling better, at the very least it was not threatening to eat him up from the inside.

    “I would love input from you,” Joyce said.

    Axel glanced at his mother, and sat back on the comfortable couch, the bowl of soup in his hands.

    Joyce was a psychiatrist, a successful one too, her practice’s client list allowed her to afford his university fees.  Well, she had gotten help from his father, Dr. Clifford Graysen, who was now a retired cardiothoracic surgeon. Clifford preferred to teach new doctors now and romance his wife.  They made quite a pair, his parents.

    Axel loved them very much.

    “Mom, you know you don’t have to fill this living room with stuff for me. I don’t mind it being this empty. It gives me plenty of space for workouts.”

    “I don’t think that is true for one second,” Joyce said, shaking her head.  “The problem is that you have no time to think about it.  I remember how busy your father was when he was doing his residency. I’m surprised we managed to make you with how little time we got together.  Do you know you were probably conceived in a bathroom at Our Lady of Mercy where your father was doing his residency? We had to grab time when we could.  This is probably why you decided to become a doctor.”

    “I so did not need a visual of you and dad that way this early in the morning,” Axel said, placing his empty bowl of soup on the coffee table.  He rubbed his eyes and let out a sigh.

    Joyce chuckled.

    “It’s cute that you think your parents don’t have sex.”

    “Mom! I’m going to stop listening to you if you keep this up,” Axel said, reaching for his sandwich.

    “Your fridge is stocked,” Joyce said. “Janine came in early today.  I asked her to come in at this time so that we can redo our schedule to match yours.   If you have a week off from today, it means your time at home has changed.  I’ll adjust delivery times with her. Also, I left a reminder note on your fridge. We have a family dinner on Sunday.  Your Aunt Isabel is bringing her new boyfriend and her two sons.  She would like it very much if you were there.”

    “Can I skip it?” Axel asked.  “What if I’m on call?”

    “Show your face even if it is for a minute,” Joyce said.  “We will all understand if you have to leave.”

    “She’s going to try to set me up with one of her friend’s sons,” Axel complained.

    “Yes, she will because she cares about you.  It will keep happening until you find your own happiness,” Joyce said.  “Now, do you want orange or apple juice to go with your food?  Coffee is out if you want to sleep.”

    “Orange juice,” Axel said.

    Axel bit into his veggie sandwich and ate it like a soldier on a mission.  He was halfway through when his mother brought him a large glass of orange juice.  He drank it with a gulp and let out a belch, making Joyce shake her head in amusement.  She ruffled his messy hair and tugged at the blue scrubs he wore.

    “Go take a shower,” Joyce said. “I’ll clean up here.  Your coffee table needs rescuing.”

    “Will you start the laundry for me?” Axel asked, placing the empty sandwich wrap and the soup container in the bag from the bistro.  He wiped his hands on the napkins and stuffed them in the bag.

    “Sure, kid,” Joyce said, as he got up.  “Janine and I have the apartment under control.”

    Axel wrapped his mom in a tight hug, breathing in her expensive perfume, her warmth steadying him for a moment before he let go.  Joyce kissed his cheeks and scratched his scruffy jaw.

    “Don’t forget to shave,” she said when she let him go and he hurried in the direction of his bedroom.

    “I want to crash after the shower,” Axel said.

    “Have a good sleep. Janine and I will receive the furniture people for you. I will lock up on our way out,” Joyce said.  “Love you.”

    “Love you too, Mom.”

    Axel entered the master bedroom and went straight to the shower.  Within minutes, he was in a hot shower.  As the water sluiced down his body, he cupped his cock, washing it with a soft sigh. The only action his cock had gotten was with his hand lately.  He should have included sex in the list of his immediate needs, but sex needed a bit of effort.

    Dressing up, going out to the Raven Club on Deck Street…maybe tomorrow. Axel sighed at the thought.

    His eyes felt gritty, he closed them and his thoughts filled with the memory of Jeha.

    The handsome stranger he met on the rooftop a week ago.

    Axel wished he knew more about Jeha. He had been too busy after their encounter to try to discover more. The memory of vivid blue eyes had his cock thickening, but he was too tired to make any effort. He finished his shower quickly and dried off.

    Axel left the bathroom and went straight to the large bed in the middle of his bedroom.  He grabbed the remote on the bedside table, closed the blinds, and slid between the cool white sheets naked.  He fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

    Axel woke up to the cold pressure of the muzzle of a gun pressed against his forehead. He lay frozen for a full minute, his eyes adjusting to the light in his bedroom. More importantly, the shock of a stranger in his bedroom, as a man with a long scar on his right temple leaned over him.

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  • A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 4-1

    A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 4-1

    Tani sat in the library until the sun disappeared from the horizon. The night filled the skies and the house filled with light from the lamps mounted on the walls. The library door opened, and in walked a tall man. Tani looked at him because it was the first motion in the room. The tall man was dressed in a black tailored shirt and dark trousers. His feet were in leather sandals. His red shoulder-length hair was in a short bun. The light from the lamps illuminated his chiseled features, his sharp green eyes reminded him of a fox studied Tani. The tall man narrowed his gaze as he turned on the closest lamp.

    “Why sit alone this long?”

    “Uncle Amu,” Tani said in greeting not making a move from the armchair. He leaned his head back to stare at the mural on the ceiling.

    “How is my mother?” Tani asked after a moment of silence. He knew his uncle had come from visiting the Ekho Realm. Unlike Tani, Amu could come and go as he pleased.

    “She is well,” Amu said, not saying more. He sat in the armchair across from Tani and touched the lineage book on the stool where Cale left it. “You’re brooding over the mortal.”

    “He’s no longer mortal,” Tani said. “He is a warlock born with fire.”

    “Interesting,” Amu said with a sigh. “You are finally gaining some luck.”

    Tani sat up then and met his uncle’s vivid green eyes.

    “Did you interfere with his lineage?”

    “Why bother?” Amu asked. “Tani, do you remember my first reaction to you binding your soul to him?”

    Tani smiled and dropped his gaze to his lap.

    “You beat me with a broom,” Tani said. “Then threatened to kick me out of your house.”

    “I’ve never hidden my feelings on the matter,” Amu said. “I’m relieved your calamity is ending. You can return to the Ekho Realm and live the life you deserve. You’ll forget the mortal soon enough.”

    “Uncle,” Tani said, used to this statement from his uncle. “I’ve been sitting here thinking that I don’t want to forget him.”

    “Your inability to let him go is always your greatest weakness,” Amu said. “So, what have you decided sitting here in silence?”

    “I wanted to give up,” Tani said. “Let it all go after all this time. Walk away.”

    “How futile,” Amu said. “Tani, you took the step to fight for him, despite me, your father, and the Septum. Finish it. At least when you face your father at the end of it, you will have no regrets.”

    Tani frowned.

    “You think I have regrets?”

    “Don’t we all?” Amu asked, his right brow rising in question.

    Tani scoffed.

    “Perhaps,” Tani said. “Okay. I’ll face Dante Arturo, to save him from whatever kills him.”

    “It will be to save you too,” Amu said. “You’re lost in a world of wasted hope. I’d love to see you free of it.”

    Tani shrugged.

    Hope was starting to dwindle away. He did not have the strength to hope with the energy he had used at the start. Now, his hope resembled a very small candle burning in a dark room. A breeze threatening to turn off the light every second.

    “One last time,” Amu said, as though reading his thoughts. “Tom has cleaned up your identification. In case your dealings with Dante make him curious.”

    “Thank you,” Tani said, rubbing his forehead with his left hand. “Um, Uncle Amu, is it possible for a bloodborne warlock to sense an Ekho’s presence?”

    Amu frowned.

    “Never heard of it,” Amu said. “Our illusions are quite strong, unnoticeable to the mortal eye.”

    “Even with a warlock?” Tani asked.

    “Yes. Our magik blends different from a mortal warlock,” Amu said.

    “Hm.”

    “Why?”

    Tani studied the bandage on his right palm. There was no need to hide his wound. Hera would have already shared the incident with Tom. Tom would have told Amu.

    “How strong does an Ekho need to be to create a bloodborne warlock powerful enough to burn me?” Tani asked.

    Amu’s gaze lingered on Tani’s right palm. When he looked up to meet Tani’s gaze, his green eyes were full of sadness.

    “None in the lower clans can make a fire warlock,” Amu said. “Not even our fox clan can manage it.”

    “So, it is an Ekho in the immortal clan,” Tani said.

    “Yes,” Amu said. “Not just the immortal clan, someone in the Septum itself. This is dangerous knowledge to have, Tani.”

    Tani scoffed.

    “They punish me for loving a mortal,” Tani said. “Yet they are wandering the mortal realm leaving offspring behind.”

    “They are not bonding their souls to mortals,” Amu pointed out, his voice tinged with bitterness.

    “You’ve never forgiven me.”

    “No,” Amu said. “Because it hurts your mother—”

    “Hurts my mother,” Tani cut in, shaking his head.

    Anger rose inside him so deep it threatened to choke him. He swallowed hard and glared at his uncle.

    “She hurt me first!” Tani said, raising his voice, unable to hold back his dissatisfaction with his mother.

    “Tani—”

    “She. Hurt. Me. First,” Tani said, pointing a finger at Amu, as he stood up. “You don’t get to bring her up to me. I’m the child she still can’t stand to look at because of her forbidden love for my father. I remain abandoned by her to this day. I will not hear of what she’s suffered.”

    Amu held his words.

    Tani turned away from his uncle taking in deep breaths to calm himself. He worked at not thinking about his mother. Tried not to remember the expression on her face when she last looked at him. He wished he could forget the hate he read in her eyes. He did not understand why she broke down in heartbreaking sobs when she looked at him.

    Tani stared at his right palm and shook his head.

    “You’re right about one thing. It’s my fault for being as weak as she was with my heart,” Tani said. “I dragged Dante into my world. I’ll save him from it.”

    “You can’t make such promises, Tani. I could not save your mother,” Amu said. “I could not save you from binding your soul to a mortal. What I’m trying to tell you is that you cannot save someone who doesn’t think they need to be saved. Free will is not something you can stop.”

    “He will not die because of me,” Tani said. “I won’t let it happen. Do we agree?”

    “Yes, sounds fair enough,” Amu said.

    “I will not ask for forgiveness from you,” Tani said. “You are right about my choices to bind myself to Dante. My love was freely given. It is not wrong. I don’t regret my choices.”

    “I don’t expect you to ask for forgiveness,” Amu said.

    Tani nodded and started for the door, cured of sitting in the dark now.

    “About your mother,” Amu said.

    Tani froze, standing still, holding his breath.

    “She asked about you,” Amu said, his voice low, careful. “Your mother gave me three apple trees she’s been tending to mark your born day. She was sorry she missed it last month. Do you want to plant them?”

    Tani closed his eyes, fighting down the urge to lash out at Amu for bringing up his mother. Thinking about her always left him feeling unhinged. Like a wildling lost in the forest without kin.

    “I’ll think about it,” Tani said, and left the library with fast steps.

    *~*~*~*~*

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  • The Man I Like Might Be A Delinquent 2-3

    The Man I Like Might Be A Delinquent 2-3

    Maria clutched his right arm when they were in the hallway. She looked beautiful in a black dress with long sleeves. She wore low heels. Jeha matched his footsteps to hers.

    “Are you hurt?” Maria asked as they walked along the corridor to the nurse’s station.

    “No,” Jeha said, patting her hand on his right arm.

    “I hope you’re not lying to me.”

    “I’m not lying, Mom. I’m healthy.”

    “Okay. Moon is jealous of you,” Maria said.  “He wants your position and is willing to do all underhanded things to get it.  It’s understandable, but you should not tolerate it. Show him your strength.  Don’t let him bully you.”

    “Yes, Mom.”

    Maria stopped when they reached the nurse’s station.  She turned to face Jeha and narrowed her gaze.

    “I hope these years you’ve resolved your doubts. I hope you’ve come to understand how much we love you, Jeha.  Knowing how much it would destroy me if something happened to you, I hope you take care of yourself.  Don’t get hurt. And, don’t get shot. Don’t—”

    “Omma,” Jeha interrupted her, leaning in to kiss her right cheek.  “I’ll be very careful and when I’m done, I’ll come to eat your food.”

    Maria nodded, biting her bottom lip. She reached up to caress his right cheek.

    Ryan came up behind Jeha, and Maria let go of Jeha.

    “Ryan,” Maria said, clearing her throat, as Jeha buttoned his suit jacket.  “I’m leaving my son in your care.”

    “Yes, Mrs. Wook,” Ryan said.

    “We have to go,” Jeha said.

    “Mm,” Maria nodded, smoothing her hand over Jeha’s shoulder, her fingers smoothing the expensive fabric of his suit.  “Today is Thursday. I hope it only takes you two weeks to manage Moon. Come home on the last Sunday of this month. Let’s have lunch together with your Pa. I’ll make your favorite.”

    “I’ll be there,” Jeha promised.

    Jeha brushed a kiss on her right cheek again.  He happened to glance at the nurse’s station and saw Sandy watching them.  Jeha gave her a nod, making her blush, and then led the way to the elevators.

    Ryan pressed the down arrow and they entered the elevator when the doors opened.

    Jeha watched his mother as she stood by the nurse’s station watching him leave.  The elevator doors closed and his childhood memories and the reasons why Moon wanted to fight him filled his thoughts.

    Jeha was born an orphan.

    His Korean birth mother died at the hospital during childbirth.  He was a dark-haired boy with blue eyes, so his father was clearly from the Kingdom of Aeras. The hospital could not find him because his mother did not write down his father’s name, nor did she write down her next of kin.

    And so, Jeha became a ward of the Aeras Kingdom at birth.

    He lived in an orphanage managed by Prince Kleopas of Aeras for three months until Yisu and Maria Wook walked into the place and adopted him on sight.

    His new parents named him Jeha Wook and handed him a heavy legacy.

    During his teenage years, Jeha sometimes wondered what his life would have looked like had he remained the ward of the state.  He struggled with the answers for a while, and then stopped because it was useless. Maria and Yisu loved him too hard for him to keep at it.

    Jeha could not turn back time, and he was not sorry Yisu and Maria loved him on sight.  He was grateful Yisu thought him worthy of the Wook family legacy.  He was his parents’ only child.  The son they presented to the Wook Family’s patriarch, Chae Wook.

    The one now responsible for the care of the Wuga Group, and a clan with over two hundred Wooks who expected that their burgeoning assets continued to make profits. Jeha’s parents and his grandfather had bred him for this position.  Because they had, Jeha owned the right in full, so he would drag Moon back in line no matter what.

    The elevator doors opened into the emergency department floor.  It was the one place in the hospital that was always filled with people day and night. Nurses and doctors doing their best to fight a battle between life and death. Most times, they won, other times…not.

    Axel’s tears filled Jeha’s thoughts.

    Jeha stepped out into the corridor, and almost collided with Axel Graysen.

    Axel was dressed in blue scrubs, his doctor’s coat, and white crocs on his feet. He was also in a full run.

    Ryan pulled Jeha out of the way, letting the doctor run past them.

    Axel was six feet tall, in true fit form. He moved with practiced grace.

    Had to be all the running, Jeha thought.

    Axel’s brown hair was a tangled wavy mess on his head.  The doctor must have been sleeping or had not slept yet.

    Jeha followed Axel out of curiosity.  His security team emerged behind him from the cafeteria.  Jeha searched the Emergency Room, wondering where he had lost the good doctor.

    Then, Axel appeared. There he was, kneeling on the side of a rolling stretcher, performing compressions on a patient’s chest.  Two nurses and a second doctor pushed the stretcher working to keep it steady as they moved.

    “Make way,” the nurse shouted, and Jeha realized she was looking in his direction.

    Jeha turned to Ryan, and they both motioned for his security team to help clear a path to the elevator. In seconds, the hallway was clear, and the elevator doors were held open by two of Jeha’s men.

    The stretcher rolled past Jeha, moving as fast as it could.

    Axel’s gaze met Jeha’s for a second as they passed.

    The determination Jeha read in Axel’s brown eyes in that second filled him up. Axel kept working, even as they maneuvered the stretcher into the elevator.  He did not stop pumping his hands in a clear quest to keep his patient alive.

    Jeha smiled as the elevator doors closed.

    “If I’m ever in danger of dying, find him,” Jeha said.

    Ryan scowled.

    “Don’t joke with things like that when we’re about to fight Moon, Jeha Wook.”

    “I’m just saying,” Jeha said, heading out of the hospital with a wide smile.

    It was interesting how much Axel made him smile on sight.

    “Where to?” Ryan asked when Jeha’s car rolled up to the curb, Ryan had called the driver.

    “To collect Moon’s Chemist,” Jeha said.

    Now that he had his grandfather’s permission, he would take control of the clubs and stop Moon. The faster he ended this the better. He wanted to get to know Axel Graysen and it would not happen when he was in the middle of a major family conflict.

    Ryan opened the back passenger door for him.

    “Harris from our investigating team reported back when you were with Chairman Wook. Moon’s Master Chemist has been spotted entering a warehouse in the Industrial District,” Ryan said.

    “Of course,” Jeha said with a small scoff.  “I wondered why Moon purchased land in the area a year ago. He must have made a hideout out there. It’s perfect. Call everyone not assigned to protection duty to join us.  Pa has authorized the use of his team. Make sure everyone understands that things will get messy if we don’t move fast. I want the Master Chemist in our control as soon as possible.”

    “I’ll make the call,” Ryan said, reaching for his cell phone.

    Jeha slid into the backseat, and Ryan closed the door.  They waited two minutes as Jeha’s security team boarded the two cars: one in front and one at the back of Jeha’s car.

    Ryan slid into the front passenger seat and started making calls.

    “Ryan, don’t forget to get a team for the top floor of the hospital,” Jeha said, glancing at the emergency room entrance.  “Moon is crazy enough to start a coup.”

    “Already done,” Ryan said.

    Jeha hoped the fight with his cousin would not get too bad.  He truly wanted to find time to discover more about Dr. Axel Graysen. The doctor lingered in his thoughts since their moment on the hospital’s rooftop.

    Was Axel always so passionate about saving lives? What made him so driven?  Was he dating anyone?

    Jeha smiled at the prospect of discovering it all.

    ****

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    Omma – means mom

  • The Man I Like Might Be A Delinquent 2-2

    The Man I Like Might Be A Delinquent 2-2

    Jeha shook his head when his parents and his grandfather all leveled their expectant gazes at him.

    “First, it’s unkind of you to threaten Ryan with his job,” Jeha said to Yisu.  “He is my good friend.  I would be the one to suffer and miss him if he left.  Stop threatening me with him.”

    “You deserve it,” Yisu said.  “He is in charge of your safety and you got him to lie to your family.  Now we discover you’re keeping important information from us.”

    “I needed to,” Jeha said.

    Jeha moved closer to his grandfather’s bed, wishing he understood the numbers on the monitors above the bed. Instead, he studied his grandfather’s face, searching for signs of pain, relief filling him when he saw none.

    “Grandpa, how are you feeling?  I was at the office and discovered something that needs your permission. I’m sorry to have brought work to the hospital when you’re ill.”

    “Don’t worry so much. I’m doing better, Jeha,” Chae Wook said.  “Find a seat.  What do you want to ask me?”

    Jeha pulled a chair from near the wall and arranged it on the right side of his grandfather’s bed.  He unbuttoned his suit jacket and tugged his trousers up as he sat.

    “If you are about to talk about the reasons why someone is trying to kill you, don’t leave anything out,” Yisu said, his glare enough of a warning.

    “Yes, Pa,” Jeha said with a nod.  “Grandpa, Uncle Chung’s son, Moon, is manufacturing a synthetic drug called Rapture.  He is pushing it out through the three Raven Clubs under their family’s care.  Rapture’s formula is unstable.  Moon has dropped off overdosing clients in our emergency room downstairs to handle the aftermath of use.  I have my men cleaning up after him to keep our family’s involvement out of an ongoing police investigation. The worst of it happened a week ago. Three people died, and one is still in a coma.”

    “Damn it,” Yisu cursed.  “This means there are victims who did not make it to the emergency room.”

    “There is a possibility,” Jeha said. “The police have engaged help from one of the doctors downstairs who worked a shift on a particularly bad night. Dr. Graysen has an agreement with the detectives in charge to call in any influx of patients to the ER with symptoms caused by Rapture. I had hoped I would be able to clean up Moon’s mess before I brought the situation to you.”

    “Moon is bringing the overdosing clients to the emergency room to share the blame,” Yisu said.  “The clubs have been clean. Why would he start selling drugs again?”

    “I don’t know. Right now, I’m working on controlling him with the power that Grandpa warned him last time,” Jeha said.  “If any of the clubs sell synthetic drugs, they will revert back to our family.  Unfortunately, Moon has refused to listen to my numerous reminders.”

    “Damn it,” Yisu cursed.  “What have you done to contain the problem?”

    “We are watching the emergency department downstairs,” Jeha said.  “We’re making sure the patients don’t have a clear name on who sold them the drugs, just until we can deal with the source of the problem.  On the outside, I’ve been chasing down Moon’s chemist.”

    “Is that why you’re in trouble?” Yisu asked.

    “Partly,” Jeha said.  “Moon was using one of the Wuga Hotel warehouses along the docks for manufacturing.  I shut the factory down and took over all the hotel’s warehouses. Moon retaliated with a grenade delivered to my apartment on Moven Street.”

    Maria gasped, and Yisu wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

    “Thankfully, Ryan neutralized it before it could cause damage.  We could not track the package back to Moon, but I know it is his doing. The last few days have been full of adventure. There have been gunshots on the street.  Poisoned food at my favorite noodle joint, and the brakes cut on my car.”

    “Move home,” Maria said, her eyes filled with worry. “Move back home right now.”

    “I can’t yet, not until I clean this up. In any case, I’m no longer at my old apartment. Ryan insisted I move to the new apartment building we have on Main Street, near the Anastasia Grand Hotel.  The building is waiting for a housing code inspection.  The top floor is complete and I’m the only one using it.  Ryan feels it is the easiest place to keep security tight.”

    “Does Moon want to start a war?” Yisu asked, his voice rough with anger.  “His father has yet to pay back the loan he took from me last year.  Uncle Tae Wook should take charge of his sons.  The clubs were not a gift to misuse, but a means for them to live.  Jeha should not be managing Moon’s mistakes.”

    “You’re wrong,” Chae Wook said.  “Yes, Tae Wook’s grandson is misbehaving, but Jeha is going to manage our Wuga Group in the future. He should be able to control Moon if he hopes to keep the rest of the family in line.  Managing his cousins is not easy work, but he has to do it. What do you need from me, Jeha?”

    “I’m doing my best to close Moon’s factories, but it’s not enough. He just sets up a new one. Rapture has flooded the Raven Clubs. I’m worried Moon will start distributing in other clubs around Capital City.  We have closed three factories this last week,” Jeha said.  “So, what I need to do is find Moon’s Master Chemist and shut him down before the authorities move on the clubs.”

    “Do you want a meeting with Airam the Spaniard?” Chae Wook asked.  “Assure him that Wuga is not trying to encroach on his market share.  Our alliance with Airam is still delicate.”

    “We are not ready,” Jeha said.  “Moon needs to be under control before we sit at the table with Airam.  Our house will look dysfunctional if Moon then approaches him after our meeting”

    “I understand. You need Moon’s Master Chemist to stop production. Then, we need to cut off distribution access, which means taking control of the three Raven Clubs,” Chae Wook said. “Jeha needs me to meet with my little brother, Tae Wook, and his two sons, Chung and Minho.”

    “Yes. If you can get Uncle Chung to manage Moon, I will be glad,” Jeha said.  “Only then can I meet with Airam to appease him in case Moon has encroached on his sales avenue.”

    “And to warn him not to take on Moon’s product offers,” Chae Wook said.  “Our family does not make money from drugs.”

    “Grandpa understands me.  I did not want to make a major move against Moon without your permission.  I’ll need force to take control of Moon’s Master Chemist,” Jeha said.  “Moving on my cousin this way will trigger a retaliation response. I came to ask for permission.  You’re here in the hospital and we’ll need to secure the floor in case Moon gets his ambitious ideas.”

    “So much trouble,” Yisu sighed.

    They all sat in silence for another moment, then Chae Wook shrugged.

    “Moon has already made his first aggressive move toward you. Jeha needs to show strength in response. You don’t need my permission. You have my full support. Yisu,” Chae Wook said. “Place the men in your team under Jeha’s command. We need to help Jeha secure our businesses.”

    “Can you handle a fight with your cousin?” Yisu asked Jeha. “It’s not easy to put your family under threat, Jeha.”

    “He must learn,” Chae Wook said, his tone decisive, his dark brown gaze hard.  “Wuga’s industries cannot be dragged in the mud so lightly. Moon is using our hospital’s emergency room as a means to manage his overdosing clients.  He is clearly causing us harm and painting a clear target on Jeha.  The clubs make good money, but if they have a dirty business, it will spill over to the rest of the family’s growing businesses. We have no choice but to clean up after him.”

    “Why don’t they ever think of the bigger picture?” Yisu complained.

    “Because it is your job, and Jeha’s job,” Chae Wook said. “Jeha take over the clubs. Re-brand them or lock them down if needed.  Find a way to manage Moon’s people.  Yisu, use the hospital’s administration team to manage Dr. Graysen. If possible, get the team to do a piece on the doctor’s heroic fight for the victims in the paper. Give the hospital positive PR and cover up our involvement with the Raven Clubs.”

    “Dr. Graysen does not look like he appreciates the spotlight,” Jeha said, fighting a small smile at the memory of the crying doctor on the roof a week ago.  He had wanted so much to pull Axel into his arms to offer comfort.

    “We’ll see what happens,” Yisu said.

    “Jeha, Moon’s father will interfere. Chung is not easy to deal with. He feels his family is on par with ours.  It will place you in a difficult situation,” Chae Wook said.  “Protect yourself, even as I hope we can have an amiable result.  Don’t hurt him too much.  They are still family.”

    Jeha nodded and got up.

    “I will do my best,” Jeha said.

    “We’re all depending on you,” Chae Wook said.

    “Yes, Grandfather,” Jeha said.  “Please get well soon.  I look forward to having a meal with you when you get home.”

    Chae Wook smiled, reaching for Jeha’s left hand.  His hands shook and felt fragile when they gripped Jeha’s strong hand.  Fear squeezed Jeha’s heart at the sight of his grandfather looking so frail. The dark signet ring he wore on his left middle finger looked as though it was swimming, highlighting his grandfather’s weight loss.

    Jeha suffered a moment of panic. This man always seemed larger than life to him.  It was too difficult to see him in a hospital bed.

    “Eat more while you’re here,” Jeha urged.

    “Don’t worry so much,” Chae Wook said, giving him a small smile.  “I’ll be out of this room soon. I’m hoping to play a round of golf with you.  Will you make the time?”

    “Always, Grandpa,” Jeha said.

    “Good,” Chae Wook said, patting Jeha’s hand, he let go with a light squeeze.

    Jeha started to leave and his mother got up.

    “I’ll walk you out,” Maria said her tone not leaving room to protest.

    Jeha let her lead the way out the door.

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  • The Man I like Might Be a Delinquent 2-1

    The Man I like Might Be a Delinquent 2-1

    Jeha and the Wook Family Legacy

    A week later, a nurse emerged from a private hospital room at the Wuga Hospital.  She removed her gloves and threw them into the surgical bin standing against the wall in the hallway.  The nurse pressed on the sanitizer dispenser mounted above the bin and turned to her right, heading to the nursing station.  She stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening when she saw the group of ten men walking toward her.

    Jeha Wook was used to this reaction on the nurses’ faces.

    The ten men following him were a necessity he could no longer deny. This past week had turned into a trial.  The guards dressed in black tailored suits, their facial expressions varying degrees of unfriendliness were his saviors.

    The nurse started to move to the side to let them pass, her gaze full of hope that they would ignore her.

    Too bad for her, she had come out of a room that interested Jeha the most.

    “Afternoon,” Jeha said, stopping right before her.  He checked her nametag and smiled. “Sandy.”

    “A-afternoon,” Sandy said, glancing at him, her gaze shifting to the ten men who spread out in the rest of the hallway.  “How may I help you, Mr. Wook?”

    “I want to ask how my grandfather is doing this afternoon,” Jeha said.  “Did he eat anything for lunch?”

    “He did,” Sandy said, dragging her gaze away from the men checking the hospital rooms in the hallway.  “Shouldn’t you stop them from opening doors to other patients’ rooms?”

    “It’s a necessity, Sandy,” Jeha said, waving the matter off.  “I’ll apologize to anyone who feels offended. What did grandfather eat?”

    “Um,” Sandy frowned when Ryan returned to Jeha’s side and gave him a nod, clearing the hallway.

    “Sandy?” Jeha prompted.

    Sandy looked at Jeha, her expression blank, and his right brow rose in question.

    “Y-your grandfather ate scrambled eggs and a shredded broccoli salad,” Sandy said.  “He asked for a glass of red wine, but his diet is restricted.  We substituted his request and gave him a glass of cranberry juice.”

    “Did he clear his plate?” Ryan asked.

    Sandy sighed.

    “No, he only ate half his plate.  His appetite has not returned, yet.  We’re working on it.”

    “Thank you for taking care of him so well,” Jeha said, and then urged her to continue down the hallway.

    Sandy hurried away to the nurses’ station, though her gaze returned to the men now lining the hallway.

    “The security team in the hallway does look excessive,” Jeha said, watching them, trying to put himself in Sandy’s shoes.  “Ryan, send them to eat lunch in the cafeteria.  The meal is on me.”

    “What about you? What if—?” Ryan started.

    “I have you, don’t I?” Jeha smirked.  “I’m not useless in a fight either.  Besides, Moon won’t try anything in such a public place where Grandpa can see him. The team can find me when we’re leaving through the emergency room. Let’s not worry my parents.”

    Ryan nodded and motioned for their men to head to the cafeteria.

    Jeha took in a deep breath, steadying himself, and then he knocked on the hospital room door.

    “Yes.” A gruff voice said in answer.

    Jeha opened the door and fought the urge to step back when he saw his parents sitting on two chairs at the foot of his grandfather’s hospital bed.

    His grandfather, Chae Wook, sat propped up on his hospital bed, dressed in a hospital gown and a fine black wool sweater knitted by Jeha’s mother, Maria. The covers pulled up to his waist to keep him warm.

    Chae Wook sat watching Jeha’s parents, a complicated expression on his face. It looked as though they had been discussing something important. The conversation stopped when they saw him.

    Chae Wook gave Jeha all his attention, even gifting him a warm smile despite his illness.

    Jeha stopped a few feet away from the bed and lowered his head in greeting, first to his grandfather, and then to his parents.

    Ryan followed suit a step behind him, and then Jeha motioned him to leave. He started to turn, but then Jeha’s father stopped him.

    “Ryan, stay,” Yisu Wook said his tone hard to ignore.  “Close the door.”

    “Yes, Sir.”

    Ryan closed the hospital room door and faced Jeha’s father.

    “I’m going to ask you one question,” Yisu said, sitting back in his chair, he folded his arms against his chest and leveled his gaze on Ryan.  “I expect a truthful answer, or you’ll end up working in the satellite Wuga Retirement Center at the border of Aeras Kingdom.  You won’t see Jeha again. Do you understand?”

    “Yes, Sir,” Ryan said, stepping up to stand just behind Jeha’s right side.

    Jeha stayed still, fixing his gaze on the monitors above his grandfather’s bed.

    “Why have you increased security around Jeha?” Yisu asked.  “The nurses have noted a ruckus when he walks in this last week.  The nurse, Sandy, asked us about it. We handled her inquiries, but I got curious. You haven’t reported any trouble to the main house.  I suspect it is because Jeha does not want us to know the truth.  I’m expecting an answer, or we transfer the guard around Jeha including you, Ryan, to another facility.”

    Jeha heard Ryan let out a defeated sigh.

    They had been expecting this, especially after the rapture incident a week ago.

    Jeha had not wanted to disturb his grandfather with Moon’s indiscretions.

    Chae Wook was already experiencing severe stress ulcers.  They had rushed him to the hospital after a bad episode of stomach pain. It was so bad that Dr. Raff was afraid Chae Wook had cancer and ended up subjecting Chae Wook to a battery of tests.

    They had all breathed a sigh of relief when Dr. Raff cleared Chae Wook free of cancer.

    Jeha was grateful his grandfather was free of cancer, but he did not want to add to his grandfather’s stress. So, he had kept recent events hidden from his parents and his grandfather.

    Now, he could only be glad they were in the hospital.  If anything happened with his grandfather, after the coming conversation, the nurses and doctors were in-house.

    Jeha bit his bottom lip to keep from speaking, but he gave Ryan a thumbs up behind his back releasing him to tell the truth.

    Ryan let out a sigh of relief.

    “Boss has lived through some trouble this past week,” Ryan said.  “We have thwarted seven attempts on his life.  We cannot avoid having a security team following him anymore.”

    “Why do we know nothing about this?” Yisu asked, his narrowed gaze shifting to Jeha.

    “Boss asked us to keep the attempts on his life out of the daily reports to the main house,” Ryan said.  “He worried it would stress Chairman Wook even more.”

    The room fell silent and Jeha swallowed when he noted his mother’s frown.

    “Who is attacking Jeha?” Yisu asked, breaking the silence.

    Ryan paused this time.

    A minute passed, in which Jeha met his grandfather’s gaze.

    Chae Wook’s gaze widened in understanding.

    “Speak,” Maria prompted Ryan.  “My husband asked you an important question.”

    Ryan cleared his throat.

    “Boss is investigating a problem with the three Raven Clubs under his cousin’s care,” Ryan said, his voice trembling slightly.  “He wanted to keep his interest on a need-to-know basis so as not to ruffle feathers.  We tried our best to keep the investigation quiet, but we failed.”

    “A problem with the clubs,” Yisu said, his tone turning thoughtful.

    He dropped his hands from his chest and looked at Jeha as realization grew.

    “Thank you for your hard work, Ryan.  You can step out now. Thank you for being honest with us.”

    Ryan left the room in fast strides, closing the door with the gentlest of clicks. He would wait for Jeha outside.

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