6. Finn
Chapter 6
It’s you, I see you.
Jaime’s words bounced around in Finn’s head as he helped him to his feet and guided him through the front door while Silas pushed back the crowd. The wolf in his head was prowling in circles, a low rumble coming from his chest.
It’s him.
Scent him. It’s him.
Protect.
Protect.
The tug on his heart went hot and taut, finally tethered. Finn followed Jaime inside, beholden to that tug as it pulled him toward someone instead of away for the first time—for the only time.
Silas locked the door behind them and threw closed the curtains covering the bottom half of the floor to ceiling windows in the living room. Finn took a steadying breath, bracing himself for the full effect of being in the same room as Jaime Lamont.
Hopefully he wouldn’t make a fool of himself.
Jaime mirrored his deep, slow breaths, and looked up. A jolt of awareness shot through him when their eyes met.
It’s you, I see you.
He opened his mouth to say something, anything, to the beautiful man standing before him, but Jaime spoke first. “You can let go of me now, I’m not going to pass out.”
Right. He was still clinging to the younger man like his life depended on it. Finn quickly dropped Jaime’s arm, and cleared his throat. “Sorry. Right. Yes.”
The whole ride over Finn had been pinching himself, feeling like this was all some surreal dream. This morning, Jaime had been a what-if; a deep regret that he’d messed up somehow and lost his chance.
And now, just a few hours later, Finn was standing in his foyer.
But Jaime hadn’t chosen the circumstances that led to him needing a security detail, and he hadn’t chosen to reconnect with Finn. This was all a result of the unfortunate events Jaime had survived last year.
Sheppard had filled them in on everything the detective could share before the case went to trial—Jaime had delivered a commissioned painting to Vera Novikova-Dugan’s house on that early spring evening roughly a year ago, and wound up shoved in a closet, tied up, and left to suffocate. Somehow, he’d escaped and called for help. As far as the police could tell, he’d been in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Oh, and he was the only witness to a brutal murder and had overheard key evidence that it had more than likely been orchestrated by someone other than the guy they’d already arrested.
Someone who had a very good reason to want Jaime dead.
Protect!
Finn realized he’d been staring for too long, so he cleared his throat again and fumbled for something to say, but again, Jaime beat him to it.
“Thank you, for… that. Out there. I’m sorry. I just found out that my name was leaked to the media, and I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m not… helpless, like that. All the time. I mean, I wouldn’t have gone out there at all if I hadn’t been distracted. I’m not an idiot.” His tone grew increasingly indignant even as he stumbled over his words and fidgeted with the hem of his t-shirt, as if Finn had been the one who accused him of acting recklessly.
Finn couldn’t help but think how adorable Jaime’s nervous rambling was.
The sight of him being swallowed up by that pack of scavengers currently squatting outside would haunt him for a while, and his hackles rose with the instinct to protect.
He’d been half out of his mind when they pulled up to the house only to realize they hadn’t arrived in time to keep Jaime away from the media fishing for an angle on the breaking news. Throwing open his door before Silas had even fully stopped the vehicle, all he knew was the steady pulse inside him.
Protect, protect, protect.
Go! He’s there!
Protect!
Finn tore down the lawn, yelling as loud as he could at the group to step away from Jaime. Silas caught up quickly, his giant strides eating up the short distance, and together they parted the crowd like sharks. Seeing Jaime crouched there, with his head tucked in, honed all of Finn’s predatory awareness.
He’s vulnerable.
Protect, protect, protect!
Luckily, his training in basic mental health triage kicked in, and Finn talked Jaime through slowing his breathing and grounding his senses. It was a pity that all of his training and common sense seemed to have left him now, though, standing in Jaime’s foyer while he stared like he was looking at the last golden unicorn.
Which was silly, considering those went extinct hundreds of years ago. Probably. Fuck if he knows.
God, you’re an idiot. Say something, you fool!
“I believe you,” he ground out, tone gentle. Jaime seemed to like that, before. “This situation must be quite a lot to process, never mind the frenzy outside. I promise you, we won’t let them hurt you like that again.”
Silas shot him a look.
Right, Finn wasn’t usually one to promise clients much of anything, except his professionalism. Or one to be very talkative.
Chatty had never been a word used to describe him.
Jaime nodded, but still had that reserved look. Could there be more to what had happened? What had made him so worked up that he’d walked right out into that feeding frenzy without realizing he’d be mobbed?
Silas cleared his throat. “How about we all have a seat, and Mr. Winters and I will talk you through some next steps. Does that sound alright with you?”
Jaime looked toward Silas as he spoke, taking stock of him for the first time, noting how giant he was. Finn bristled at the once-over, and Silas shot him another confused look.
Calm down, you creep, he’s not checking out your friend. And even if he was, he’s not yours to be jealous of.
Jaime ran his fingers through his messy hair and motioned for Finn and Silas to follow him, and Finn reminded himself that he was here in a professional capacity, and absolutely should not lean forward to scent him better.
Sweet, like lemon bars. He still smells like warm bed sheets.
What would the bed sheets smell like after I woke him up with his cock in my mouth?
He was so, so fucked.
Finn took stock of the home. For security purposes, of course. An A-frame made up the main structure, with a two-story section built into the side that added a couple of additional rooms upstairs and a kitchen area downstairs. Floor to ceiling windows covered the A-frame section of the house, overlooking the backyard and encroaching wilderness.
They entered a living area off the foyer which connected to the kitchen, an archway dividing both rooms. He circled around the oversized, plush couch, noting the gas fireplace and large built-in bookshelves. Peering into the kitchen, there was a dining nook at the very back, framed by a large bay window, and french doors led outside toward an overgrown garden.
A small shed sat at the back of the lawn, and a green meadow separated the property from the rocky lake shore.
Circling back toward the living room, he noticed the smaller details of the home. Jaime clearly had an eye for making a space cozy and lived-in, with throws and pillows on the furniture and the shelves were full of books and trinkets. There were paintings of all different sizes; some hung alone and some clustered together in an unexpected but artistic way. Most were landscapes, but some were portraits of animals and people.
There were a few pictures of Jaime with another man, shorter than him, but with similar features. His brother, maybe?
Despite the layer of dust and the unruly landscaping outside, the house and property were gorgeous.
And so was the man living there.
Pictures really had not done him justice. Even as he nervously paced the room, fingers tangled in the hem of his shirt, he was graceful. Finn again thought that he could be some far-removed descendent of the fae. Jaime certainly looked the part, all lithe muscle and long legs that went up, up, up…
Finn had gathered the basics of him through their video chats; red hair, pale freckled skin, and green eyes. But standing before him, Jaime was truly stunning. His hair wasn’t just red, it was more like cinnamon with highlights that shone copper when he passed by the vaulted windows that flanked the living area. His eyes were a muted, mossy green, accentuated by the red flush of his cheeks. And his freckles were far more pronounced and numerous than Finn had seen before, all nutmeg and spice dusted along his cheekbones, down his neck and arms.
How far did they trail down his shoulders and torso?
The poor man is probably having one of the worst days of his life, and you’re wondering if he has freckles on his ass? Focus.
His wolf rumbled.
It is a fantastically perky ass.
He shook his head to clear it, and sat next to Silas on the giant couch. Which was a mistake, because their combined weight tipped them inward toward each other, sucking them so far back into the comfortable monstrosity that there would be no way to stand up.
At least not with their dignity intact.
Jaime sat across from them in an armchair, and the corner of his full mouth tipped up at the sight of the two giant men struggling to look professional while being swallowed by the furniture. So, maybe it wasn’t such a disaster.
Silas assessed Finn’s tongue-tied state and took the lead on the conversation. “Your brother asked us to do a full security analysis and technology setup of your home, which will be completed by Mr. Winters,” he gestured toward Finn.
“Finn. Please call me Finn.” He couldn’t stand the thought of Jaime calling him Mr. Winters.
Silas gave him yet another sidelong glance. “Right, yes. And you can call me Silas.” He smiled at Jaime in that way that had twinks throwing themselves at him during their youth, and Finn barely suppressed the growl that rumbled up his throat.
Silas looked exasperated.
Jaime glanced between the two. “Nice to meet you, Silas and, uh, Finn. Please call me Jaime.”
There hadn’t been a moment for them to address that they clearly knew each other, which Silas seemed to be quickly picking up on, and Finn wasn’t keen on having that conversation in front of his best friend. Up until this point he hadn’t let on that he had previous contact with Jaime, and he wanted to see how things went before disclosing that to Silas and Sheppard.
Finn cleared his throat. “With your permission, I’ll conduct a full security sweep of the home. That includes noting entry and exit points, areas to set up cameras and motion detection technology, and developing a security plan based on the most likely scenarios in case of an intruder. Once you’ve approved that plan we’ll forward it to our technology partners who will install everything.”
“You don’t set that up yourself?” Jaime asked.
“No, we’re a small team and don’t have an in-house technology expert right now. But I promise the people we work with can be trusted. All monitoring is done by the bodyguard assigned to you.”
There he went, making more promises.
“Bodyguard?” Jaime’s eyes darted between Silas and Finn. “Like, someone will be staying here with me? All the time?”
Silas nodded. “Yes. One of our team members will be with you around the clock for now while we assess the potential threats. We’ll have to switch out who stays with you on occasion, but one of us will be assigned as your main detail.”
“Me. It’s me. I’ll be staying with you.” Finn nearly cut his friend off in his rush to clarify.
He knew Silas and Sheppard had been surprised by his offer to act as main security detail, but he’d played it off, citing his concern for Silas brushing up against the Salt Creek pack. Which was true, but he felt like an asshole for using his concern as a distraction. He just wasn’t ready to explain his other reasons.
Mainly, that he would go crazy if he passed up an opportunity to be close to Jaime, even in a professional context.
Jaime wasn’t keen on that idea, though. “Is that really necessary?” His fingers tangled in his lap. “I mean, does one of you really have to stay here all the time? If you set up the security cameras and everything, I’m sure I’ll be fine. I don’t need that part of the contract, you can give my brother his money back for that part.”
Finn and Silas looked at each other, then turned back to Jaime. Gently, Silas explained, “Everything is paid in full through the end of the trial, your brother Sam was adamant about that. We will do our best to keep a low profile and not impose. If you’re not comfortable with someone sleeping in a guest room, we can station the night shift detail in a van in your driveway—that’s no problem at all.”
Yes, it sure as fuck would be a problem.
“But even when the media frenzy dies down—and we are making calls about that right now—it’s not safe for you to be alone out here until the police know more about whoever was on the other end of that phone call,” Silas finished.
“No, no, it’s not about someone being in here. I won't make you sleep in the driveway. It’s just—” Jaime’s phone started buzzing in his pocket, and he scrambled to answer it. “Sam.”
His tone completely changed with the greeting, face shuttered. He seemed angry, and… hurt. It was similar to the way he’d assured Finn and Silas that he wasn’t an idiot, earlier. Jaime held the phone out as he spoke, like it was a video call.
“We’ll excuse ourselves,” Finn said, as he and Silas shifted and listed into each other, struggling against the plush cushions for enough leverage to heave themselves up.
“Is that them? Let me see them.”
Silas froze at the sound of Sam’s demand, and Finn knew his ears would have been perked if he were shifted.
Interesting.
Jaime sighed, irritated, and moved to perch on the coffee table in front of them, angling the phone so that they were all visible. Finn told himself that he leaned in to make it easier for them all to fit in the frame, not to feel the warmth coming off of Jaime.
Liar.
“Yes, it’s the security people you sent over. Without asking me first,” Jaime snarked.
“I’m sorry, Jaime. I got busy this morning and didn’t get the chance to call. I’m glad they are there with you. What are their names? Are you safe? Are you ok?”
“I’m fine. I was fine before. If you had called me first so we could talk about this, you would know that.” Jaime’s cheeks were flushed in anger. He turned the camera toward the couch, inadvertently leaning closer to Finn in the process.
His inner wolf preened.
Down, boy.
Get closer!
“This is Finn Winters, and Silas… I’m sorry, what was your last name?”
“Silas Granger. Nice to meet you, Mr. Lamont. Please call me Silas. If you prefer. We were just sitting down with your brother to go over the terms of the contract so we can begin the security sweep. We should have our technology expert out here by tomorrow to install everything.”
Well, now who’s Mr. Chatty?
At Finn’s raised eyebrow, Silas narrowed his eyes.
Finn turned back to the camera. “I’ll be leading the security detail. We were just discussing with Jaime whether he would prefer us to set up a van to conduct nighttime surveillance or whether he’d prefer we use the guest room.”
“The guest room is fine,” Jaime mumbled, ears turning pink.
Is he blushing? Oh God, that’s fucking adorable.
Remembering his hesitancy over the security detail, Finn gentled his tone and leaned in. “Are you sure? It’s really not a problem to set up nighttime surveillance from a van in the driveway.”
It was a problem. Not the van part, they often used surveillance vans based on the needs of the client and they usually had a kitchenette and cot to keep comfortable during the overnight hours. But Finn would be an anxious mess, sitting outside in a van every night thinking about Jaime being inside.
Warm, in bed. All soft, sleepy, and alone.
Closer!
Get it together.
“I’m sure. If you’re going to be here, I’d rather you not be left outside. The evenings are still chilly,” Jaime sniffed, turning his nose up.
Finn chose not to look too hard at why that tone made him shift where he sat, adjusting the crotch of his pants before he embarrassed himself. “Alright. Thank you.”
Sensing, probably smelling, Finn’s predicament, Silas interjected. “Now that we’ve been introduced to Sam, and with your permission Jaime, Finn and I will begin our security sweep of the main and upper levels. I asked our supervisor to put in a call with Monroe PD to send some cruisers out to block off the road shoulders and driveway, they will be here soon. In the meantime, it’s best we all sit tight. It was nice to meet you, Sam.”
“Likewise. Thank you for looking after my brother.”
Jaime moved back over to the armchair, and with him distracted, Finn gave one last heave and escaped the clutches of the too-soft couch. He offered an arm to Silas, and they were both free and moving toward the stairs.
“You’re starting up there?” Jaime asked, voice pitched high in question.
Finn turned back toward him. “Would you prefer we start elsewhere?”
“No, just. Um. Let me clean up my bedroom and bathroom a bit before you go in there. Give me a minute to talk to Sam and then I’ll be up. I haven’t had company in a while. Not that I usually bring company into my bedroom when I do. Or that I have that kind of company at all!” His ears were tipped pink again. “You can start on the two guest rooms to the left of the stairs.”
A chuckle came through the phone speaker, and Jaime glared at the screen and reached for the earbuds sitting on the nearby side table.
Finn chose not to dwell on most of what Jaime had just said, lest he start peppering him with intense and intrusive follow up questions regarding the specifics of who had been in his bedroom and why.
“Of course. Let us know if you have any questions.”
He followed Silas up the stairs, and they entered the first door on the left. A slightly more toned-down version of the curated chaos of the living room, the guest room was still cozy, with pictures and a mirror hung above a chest of drawers and a queen sized bed covered in a soft quilt, flanked by two windows overlooking the front yard and driveway. It was a far more comfortable sleeping arrangement than he had on many of their past contracts.
Silas shut the door behind them, and Finn closed the curtains before he turned back toward his brother.
Silas gave him a look. “Alright, when were you going to tell me that not only do you know our client, but you are also clearly panting after him like a lovesick puppy?”
“I am not panting after him like a lovesick puppy.”
Yes, you are.
“Yes, you are.”
Of course Finn wouldn’t be able to hide that from him. While Silas wasn’t his actual brother by birth, they knew each other better than anyone else in the world, and he couldn’t keep a secret from him for long.
Finn sighed and tipped his head back. “Ugh. Fine. Yes, I know him. Sort of. Not really. I don’t know him well. We’ve never actually met before.”
Silas looked confused, so Finn waved his hands around and tried to elaborate. “I know him from the internet. That dating app I was on.”
“The dating app you were on… over a year ago?”
“Yes.”
Silas raised his eyebrows and shot a considering look toward the closed door. “When did you meet up with him?”
Finn shuffled his feet. Right, well, there was no way around this. “We never actually did meet up.”
Silas cocked his head. “You’re telling me that the tension between you two downstairs was because you both remember each other from meeting on a dating app, but you never actually met in person? That can’t be it.”
“There wasn’t tension.”
Yes, there was.
“Yes, there was. He gets flustered with just a look from you, Finn. One word in that low, soft voice—which I’ve literally never heard you use on anyone else before, by the way—and he turns into a tomato and starts word-vomiting his life story. What, did you two exchange dick pics or something? Is that what’s going on here?”
Jesus Christ.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Finn grumbled, “No, we did not exchange dick pics, you ass. And he does not turn into a tomato, it’s just his fair complexion. And I do not speak to him differently than any other client!”
Liar.
“Liar. So, what? You chatted through an app? That’s it?” Silas still looked like he had missed something, before the realization dawned. “Oh, that’s him, isn’t it? The one who stood you up?”
Finn looked away, but nodded.
“Oh, Finny, why didn’t you say something?”
Finn sighed heavily. “Our date was meant to be just over a year ago. He was going to drop something off for work in Monroe and then head up to Silver Rapids, but he never showed up. When I saw his face in the article you showed me this morning, and the date of the murder…”
“Jesus, Finn. You think that’s why he didn’t show up? It was the same night as Vera’s murder? You think he was there, instead?”
Finn nodded. “I checked the date in my calendar. He was tied up in a closet, fearing for his life, while I sat in a restaurant being angry at him.”
Silas’s face fell. “Damn, Finny. I’m so sorry.”
“I didn’t tell you this morning because I was so shocked that it was him, and that the reason he disappeared was because he had seen… and then I just…” Finn trailed off.
Silas didn’t need him to elaborate, though. “You needed to be here, to see him for yourself.”
Finn looked at his dearest friend, and nodded. “I was planning on finding him on my own before the contract came in.”
Silas raised his eyebrows at that, but his tone remained neutral. “Why, Finn?”
“Because he’s a client who needs our protection.” Truth, but not the whole of it.
“Why were you going to find him before you knew he would be our client? Why did you volunteer to be his full time security detail?”
Finn’s gut twisted with guilt. “I’m sorry, Si. It’s not a lie that I’m worried about you and your involvement with the Salt Creek pack. I don’t want you within a hundred miles of them.”
“I know that. But there’s more, yes?”
Finn rolled that question around in his head. “Yes, there’s more. What that is, I don’t know. Or I’m not ready to know. This is the first time I’ve ever met him in person, it’s crazy to say there’s more there for me, isn’t it? Am I crazy?”
That steady, thrumming beat pulsed inside of him, and tugged him back downstairs to where Jaime sat.
Go to him.
Go. Go. Go.
He looked at his friend, silently asking why he felt like this after just one meeting. Silas always had the answers Finn needed, even when they were boys.
“Only you can say what it is you feel, and when you feel it. But I do know that you’re not crazy, and this kind of reaction is not… out of the ordinary for our kind, Finn. Not when we meet someone… special. Not by a long shot.”
The weight of that statement hung in the air. Finn and Silas stared at each other, an understanding passing between them as deep as the bond they shared as friends and brothers. As pack.
He smells right.
Finn wasn’t ready to say it out loud yet, and Silas sensed that. He moved forward and pulled Finn into a bear hug, tree-trunk arms clapping him on the back. “You’ve been distant lately, even more than before. I’ve been worried about you. In there…” Silas pulled away, and looked toward the closed door, his face peaceful. “In there, you were present. You were Finn.”
He yanked Finn back to him, harder this time. “Please be careful. For everyone involved. I don’t want either of you getting hurt.”
Finn didn’t know if Silas meant that Jaime might not be interested in him, or that he would tell Jaime about what they were and then he would reject him, or that something bad would happen to Jaime. There were a lot of ways they could be hurt. “I will be.”
Silas released him, a knowing look in his eye. “Love you, Finny.”
Finn clapped him on the shoulder, and smiled before turning toward the door to start the security sweep. “Yeah, yeah, love you too, Si.”