Chapter Four
With Valon safely hanging out with his dad and Kash for the day, Marc headed for the home office.
Steel Security Services had been his career for the past seven years.
He had gone from working venues and minor jobs to slowly working his way into full-time live-in security.
It wasn’t a life meant for everyone. A live-in bodyguard for a celebrity was the highest-paying job a Steel employee could achieve.
All it took was the right combination of chemistry and level of fame to set up guards for life.
It was a tradeoff, though. He lived on Valon’s schedule.
It had taken him a few days to find the time to run this errand.
The stone building that housed the main office of Steel Security was conveniently located in one of the poshest parts of Los Angeles.
Part of their success was simply them being centered where the richest people saw their sign every day.
The rest was reputation. Steel provided the best, making him the top choice for celebrities.
There were locations around the country in the most popular places for the rich and famous clientele.
Each time Marc walked through the door, he felt his posture change.
He walked taller with squared shoulders.
Marc was proud of his job. He hadn’t expected to be more than a handyman of some sort.
While a lot of those jobs could pay pretty damn well, the thought of Marc having to live that way day after day made him want to step into traffic.
Not every job was for everyone. He was damn grateful he landed this one.
The minute Marc stepped into sight of Steel’s office. Steel came to his feet and circled his desk. “What’s wrong?”
That was a fair question, considering how rarely he came here.
There was a line between Steel’s brows. His eyes, which matched his name, were filled with concern. “You’re not quitting, are you? No one else here can handle Valon.”
That should have chafed. Valon deserved better. But he had no intention of disabusing Steel of that notion. Marc had to be irreplaceable in Valon’s life.
“No, it’s nothing like that, but I’d appreciate it if we could speak in private.”
Steel motioned toward the front desk. “Hold my calls.”
Marc followed on Steel’s heels. Steel was a solid country boy. He had broad shoulders from years of hard work. A hint of gray tinted his dark hair. He was also an extremely likable guy. But when it came to keeping people safe, he was not a man to be messed with. Marc needed that side of him now.
The moment they were in Steel’s office, Marc closed the door behind him. He took the seat across from Steel at his desk. Marc didn’t waste time. “Valon is being blackmailed.”
Steel didn’t even flinch. In their business, these things weren’t uncommon. Plus, Steel was all about solutions. “Do we know who it is?”
Marc dipped his chin. “His estranged father, Ry Kenway. He’s…”
“I know him,” Steel said, saving Marc a long-winded story about Valon’s parents’ split. “He’s a bastard.”
Marc nodded. “Agreed. He’s ruining Valon’s life. This comes after he spent Valon’s entire childhood torturing him.”
Steel’s eyebrows snapped together. His face hardened. “He was abused.” It wasn’t a question. It sounded more like Steel needed to say the words aloud.
Marc’s hands rose and fell, showing he had nothing. “I don’t know what to do, but this can’t continue. Valon won’t last much longer. The strain is killing him.”
Steel nodded. His gaze seemed to turn inward. He snapped back to life and grabbed his phone. After finding whatever contact he sought, Steel set the phone on the desk and left it on speaker. The sound of ringing filled the air.
“Good morning. Steel Security Services. This is Clover.”
Despite everything, Marc smiled at the sound of Clover’s voice. He was the receptionist at the Washington office. Marc said “receptionist” loosely. He ran the show at his location.
“Hey, Clover. It’s Steel.”
An adorable squeal came through the phone’s speaker. “I haven’t talked to you in so long. How are you?”
A small smile played on Steel’s lips. Everyone who met Clover was immediately smitten. He was too nice to dislike. “I’m good, but I need to ask a favor.”
Clover didn’t hesitate. “Of course. Anything.”
“I have a client who’s being harassed and blackmailed.”
Clover gasped. “That’s awful.”
Steel nodded as if Clover could see him. “It is. Not to mention, this is a huge client of ours. He’s also my cousin’s step-kid.”
Marc hadn’t thought about that. Of course, Steel would know about Ry.
“Tell me what you need. I’m here to help.”
“I’d like to have all of his calls except for an approved list re-routed to you.”
“Ooh. The confuse and aggravate method.”
A huge smile exploded across Steel’s face. “Exactly. I’ll warn you, it’s our client’s legal parent, so he'll definitely pull that card on you.”
“That’s horrible.” Clover sounded genuinely horrified. “Well, just leave it to me. He’ll never get past me.”
Steel’s smile never dimmed. “I know. You’re the best.”
“Awww, ditto.”
Steel’s smile softened. “I’ll send you the full details and get everything set up. Thank you for this. You’ll see it come bonus time.”
“You’re too good to me.” The sweet note in Clover’s voice warmed even Marc’s heart.
“I’ll talk to you later.”
Clover perked up even more. “Okay. It was good to hear your voice.”
“You too. Bye.” Steel disconnected the call and focused on Marc.
“That’ll take care of any phone calls. He has you by his side.
That’s two things. I’d also like to bring in a property guard, making it impossible for Ry to get to him while he’s at home.
Blackmailers never actually release anything.
Ruining Valon would ensure he never saw another dime.
But this definitely buys us time to find a way to turn the tables. ”
Marc nodded along. He appreciated Steel hadn’t asked what Ry had on Valon. “This all sounds great. I knew you’d know how to approach things.”
Steel leaned back in his chair, making the huge leather piece look small. He eyed Marc. For a moment, Marc expected Steel to lecture him about being too close to his client. “You’re good for Valon. I’m not sure any other guard would’ve found this out.”
Marc slowly nodded, trying to find the right words.
“He really isn’t difficult. I think he’s just tired of being under everyone’s microscope.
Imagine not even being able to relax at home because everyone thinks you’re too wild to give a moment’s peace.
People never stop watching your every move.
I think I would’ve snapped under the pressure a long time ago. ”
Steel sat forward. “Makes sense. Keep me in the loop. We’ll find a way to stop this. In the meantime, we can keep Ry chasing his tail and give Valon time to breathe.”
Marc stood. “Thank you. I’ll let you get back to work. It’s almost time for me to pick up Valon from his dad’s place.”
“Have you talked to Kash about this?”
Marc shook his head. “I don’t know why, but it didn’t feel like a good idea.”
Steel made a dismissive gesture. “It’s fine. Leave it to me. Kash is definitely someone to manage carefully.”
Marc wasn’t surprised. While Kash could be a huge goofball, Marc had always seen a darkness in Kash. If Marc told Kash what he had learned, Kash would kill Ry. Marc wanted that pleasure.
In unison, Valon and Ledger set the two-person outdoor swing in motion.
Leaned back, enjoying the perfect weather, everything felt calmer than he could recall in a long time.
Before Kash had married his dad, he had forced Valon to lean on his dad even though he had no idea what was going on with Valon.
Valon was grateful for that now. Ledger had always been the best dad.
Valon knew if Ledger had known Ry had harmed him in any way, he probably would have killed the guy.
That was the thing, though. Valon hadn’t wanted to lose his dad to prison.
Powering through seemed to be the best choice.
Too many things to name had left him bitter.
Bitterness had moved to loneliness. He wanted to let it go.
Ry wouldn’t let him. But Valon wasn’t dumb.
He knew nothing had ever stood between him and safety except himself.
Still, he didn’t know if it mattered any longer. The past was the past.
“If I ask you a question, will you answer me honestly?”
Valon was so in his head, the question caught him off guard. A nervous chuckle escaped him. “I can try.”
Ledger didn’t look his way. He gave a sharp nod. “Are you an addict?”
The question surprised a bark of laughter from Valon. “No, Dad. I’m not an addict.”
“Did Ry ever touch you inappropriately?”
Valon had still been laughing when the question hit, sounding like Ledger ripped off a bandage.
If he hadn’t been so caught off guard, Valon might have answered differently.
“No. He just tortured me and beat the shit out of me every time you weren’t watching.
” Even Valon was surprised by his response.
Ledger’s eyes closed as if his worst fears had been recognized. His throat worked as he swallowed before looking Valon’s way. The pain in his eyes made Valon want to run. This was why he hadn’t said anything.
Valon scrambled to make the hurt disappear. He couldn’t take it. Valon kept his voice light and playful. “It’s cool, Dad. Forget I said anything. I’m an adult. It’s in the past. It’s my fault, really. I could’ve said something back then.”
“Don’t do that.”
Valon’s lungs tried to seize at Ledger’s words.
Ledger didn’t stop there. “You’re not okay. I can see how hard you’re trying, but I can also see the desperation in your eyes each time you’re here. You can’t wait to get away.”
It seemed there was no avoiding this. “Please stop. I love you. You’re my dad.”
“And I failed you.” Ledger’s voice cracked as he said the words.
Valon’s eyes burned. He couldn’t do this. It hurt too much. “I should go.”
Ledger looked defeated. There were tears in his eyes. “Damn, Valon. Don’t run away again. My heart breaks every time you can’t get away from me fast enough. Did Kash know?”
It seemed that as long as Ledger kept asking questions, he would answer.
“No one knew. I’m a pretty good actor when I try.
You were happy. I couldn’t be the reason you two got divorced.
Plus, what if you hadn’t believed me? Ry was damn good at making you think everyone else was the liars or you were being paranoid.
” The more Valon spoke, the more he realized how true every word was.
His hands lifted and fell to his lap. “I love you. You’re an amazing dad.
Always have been. I’m the one who was too paralyzed with fear to say anything.
There’s nothing you could’ve done differently to change that.
I know that. Even if you had left him, I never would’ve found the strength to tell you.
” He knew that because he hadn’t before now.
Before Marc forced his way in, and shored up his backbone.
In the fervor of his speech, Valon had sat forward and turned toward Ledger.
Fresh, free air filled his lungs. Valon sat back and scooted closer, snuggling beneath his dad’s arm.
That was where he had always felt safest. “For my own sanity, I need to leave the past behind.”
Ledger sniffed like he still fought tears, but he kissed Valon’s temple. “We should start a family game night once a month. You bring Marc, and we can take turns deciding what we play.”
Despite everything, a genuine smile exploded across Valon’s face. “I love that you’re including Marc in our family.”
They set the swing back in motion. “That’s because he is. I can see how much he cares about you. He seems like he’s a genuine friend. Your smile is real when he’s around.”
The claim danced inside his brain. Memories flowed freely.
Marc did everything for him… he was everything to him.
“Yeah. He’s a good person.” Valon didn’t know how else to respond.
He couldn’t admit his true feelings. Every day, Marc got a little deeper into his heart.
Valon wanted more than his friendship. Marc didn’t see him in that way.
He was the one thing Valon couldn’t buy.
A hint of the devil spurred him. He couldn’t buy Marc, but he could damn sure spoil him.
A wicked laugh rose in his chest. Valon swallowed it.
He could already feel Marc’s passive resistance. Valon couldn’t wait to get started.