CHAPTER TWENTY
‘He’s scheduled for a medical, but nothing about blood,’ Blaire tells Lachlan when he asks early the next morning. Jules is fast asleep in his bed, and Mimi will likely wake in an hour or so. She’s a rhythmic riser like Lachlan. ‘What exactly did Roman say?’
‘He implied that Jules would have to give blood today and then later, Jules was drunk and he said he wanted me to do it, that he was scared of needles.’
‘When he was younger, Jules had medical issues.’
‘I didn’t know that.’
‘Clara told me that it got so serious his father looked into Neurostatic Suspension to keep him stable until treatment was guaranteed.’
‘What the fuck is that?’
‘Induced metabolic suppression in a comatose state.’
‘So… stasis? Fucking cryogenic stasis?’
‘We’ve not achieved cryogenesis yet, but essentially yes.’
Lachlan stares ahead, something clicking into place. ‘That’s the thing he was always threatening him with.’
I’ve no doubt your bodyguard’s clever friend could innovate where others failed to convince me of the suspension technology.
‘He was a very sickly child from what I understand. Many of Helixx’s innovations stem from how hard his teams worked on Jules, I think. So yes, no surprise he hates needles.’
‘I never knew he was sick.’
‘I can’t imagine he’d like to talk about it and, of course, it was very well hidden.
Jules is Penhalyx’s son, heir to it all,’ Blaire says, a little dent between her eyes.
‘He’s important to him in ways we mere mortals will never understand.
’ She takes a bite of her toast. ‘It’s why he had Mimi, after all. ’
Lachlan blinks. ‘What?’
Blaire shoots him a look. ‘We probably shouldn’t discuss—’
‘No, no, wait. He had Mimi…’ Lachlan drops his tone. ‘He had Mimi to use against Jules, to keep him in line, I thought.’
‘I’m sure that was an added bonus, but it’s not why he had her, or such is my understanding,’ she explains under her breath.
‘Jules was borderline terminally ill. Doctors recommended Penhalyx have another child for the stem cells, plasma, all kinds of things, not to mention spare parts if necessary. Clara told me that Jules became instantly attached to her and seemed to start getting better on his own, but Penhalyx still carried out the recommended procedures.’
Lachlan thinks of his little girl.
Spare parts.
‘Jesus,’ he mutters.
‘We shouldn’t be talking about this,’ Blaire reminds him.
‘Yeah, of course.’ Lachlan shakes himself. ‘Sorry.’
?
Jules’ medical is very thorough.
Lachlan remains present throughout. He listens carefully to everything they’re saying, all the questions they ask Jules, what their focus seems to be.
At first, it’s not so different from any medical Lachlan himself has had, just more technologically advanced and thorough, unsurprising in this place.
Jules is pliant and closed off, yet he’s so fucking pale.
Lachlan sees him subtly pressing his wrist.
But despite it seeming fairly standard, when it comes to the final part, Lachlan knows what’s going to happen. Watching closely, he sees them wheel over the equipment and Jules looks up at Lachlan. The first time he’s met his gaze all morning and he’s pleading openly.
‘What’s that for?’ Lachlan asks the medics.
They look faintly startled, as though they hadn’t realised he was capable of speaking at all. Lachlan has always been good at blending into the walls.
‘We’re taking some samples,’ one medic explains, sounding mildly bemused to be questioned in the first place.
‘What kind?’
‘Blood.’
‘I can’t let you do that.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘I’m contracted to keep his blood inside his body, verbatim.’
They laugh, dumbstruck. ‘We were given direct orders from Mr Penhalyx.’
‘You may not draw blood from him,’ Lachlan tells them flatly.
‘Mr Tanner, maybe it’s better if you wait outside.’
‘He’s my responsibility and you will not draw blood from him today, so we’re done.’
‘No, we are not done. He’s nineteen now. We were given explicit instructions from Mr Penhalyx himself.’
‘What do you even need it for?’
‘To run tests, of course.’
‘Where are the tubes, then?’
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Test tubes. All I see is a bag. How much blood do you need to run tests?’
‘This is none of your concern and while we appreciate—’
‘If you draw his blood, I’ll kill you.’
The room falls deathly silent. The medics glance at one another.
Jules is staring raptly at Lachlan, expression unreadable.
It’s he who breaks the silence.
‘I’ll let you do it.’
‘Jules,’ Lachlan says calmly. ‘No one is—’
‘You can do it. I don’t want them to get into trouble, and I don’t want anyone to be punished because of me. If you do it, I’ll be OK. Really.’
‘I can’t use a knife, kid. That’s not how it works.’
‘You can use the…’ Jules swallows. ‘The needle. It’ll be all right if it’s you.’
Lachlan glares stonily at the team. ‘Got a problem with that?’
‘Well, you’ll need to wear gloves.’
‘Oh no, however will I navigate such a difficult task?’ he deadpans, stepping forward. Jules smiles shakily despite himself. Lachlan is rarely so snarky, but he suspected it’d help and he was right. ‘Hand me the box.’
‘Do you even know how to—?’
‘I know how to use a fucking needle.’
Lachlan’s freshly gloved hands prep Jules confidently and he talks the whole time while the medics hover in the background, no doubt saying bad things about him. Lachlan couldn’t care less. He finds a big vein in Jules’ right arm, rubs in a little numbing cream.
‘Now then,’ he says calmly, ‘why don’t you tell me all your worst plans?’
‘Worst plans?’
‘Yeah, you know. When you’re scheming to absolutely wreck my day, what are some of your worst ideas?’
Jules gives a shaky laugh. ‘Why, so you can try and prepare?’
‘I’m curious.’ He carefully pushes the needle in the vein, angles it almost fully horizontal, knows it’s better that way. Jules hisses under his breath but looks up at Lachlan. ‘C’mon, shock me.’
Jules’ blood begins to travel through the tube. He’s not looking at it which is good. ‘Uhh, I used to think about putting bad things in your coffee.’
‘Like what?’
‘Laxatives.’
‘That’s pretty tame. What else?’
‘It would have been a lot of laxatives.’
‘I’d expect nothing less, but that’s child’s play. Come on.’
‘I was going to get a tattoo.’
‘Oh, there it is. Tell me more.’
‘You’d be in so much trouble if I got one.’
‘I really would,’ he chuckles, palm covering where the needle penetrates, stealing his lifeblood for unknown reasons and pooling it greedily into a bag. ‘What kind?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Nah, you definitely know.’
‘Well, the tattoo would be enough to get you in trouble so it wouldn’t matter what it was. I always wanted to get s-something like… the moon, I don’t know.’
‘The moon?’
‘When I was little, I used to dream that I had a…’ Jules frowns self-consciously, glances at the medics. ‘I just really liked the moon.’
‘Crescent or full?’
‘Crescent.’
‘How big?’
‘Only small.’
‘I think you’d really suit a little moon.’
‘Yeah, but you’d be punished for it.’
‘I mean, don’t let that stop you. I’m tough.’
‘Are you?’ Jules blinks softly. ‘I didn’t notice.’
‘What else?’
‘Just that.’
‘You must have other ideas.’
‘I’m saving them.’
Lachlan chuckles. ‘Good boy.’
Jules can’t catch the sound in time.
A swift, involuntary breath breaks loose into a feathery gasp.
Lachlan clears his throat to cover it. ‘Doing well.’
‘What about you?’
‘Me?’
‘What plans do you have to keep me in line?’
‘None. I like adapting to your chaos.’
‘My chaos?’
‘Yeah. You’re unpredictable. It’s fun.’
‘Was it fun in the vents?’
‘I mean, pain like that isn’t especially fun but yeah, it was pretty thrilling to have to think on my feet and find a solution.
I was so impressed that you’d been timing my responses.
’ He looks up at Jules, whose cheeks are more than a little pink.
‘Cascading fury. You’re a clever little fox,’ Lachlan says, knows he shouldn’t, but he wants Jules to remember, to let confidence flood the faultlines.
‘Chaos should always be your weapon of choice.’
The bag is almost a quarter full.
‘Weapon,’ Jules echoes slowly. ‘Like… what you were saying about CQC?’
‘Yeah, pretty much, but your mind is your sharpest knife.’
‘What about my body?’
Lachlan looks up, gives him a wry look. ‘What about it?’
‘Like.’ Jules swallows. ‘Maybe we could give it a try. The stuff you said. Training or whatever.’ He glances at the medics, his tone shifting. ‘A lot of rich kids do martial arts, don’t they?’
‘They do,’ Lachlan agrees neutrally, hiding his excitement. If Jules would agree to CQC training, that would be fucking amazing. ‘You’d take to it well, I think. A lot of room for you to improvise.’
‘We can start that if you want,’ Jules says. ‘If you have time.’
Lachlan grins to himself. ‘You’re just excited to kick my ass.’
‘Very. So what do you think?’
‘I think it sounds good. We can start next week if you—’
‘Today. Can we start today?’
Lachlan looks at him.
Jules Penhalyx is probably the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen, and the most annoying, and the most vulnerable.
‘Not today, but we can start tomorrow,’ he tells him, like it won’t be a nightmare to move things around, ‘if you’re not woozy.’
Jules smiles at him.
He actually smiles.
God. It hits Lachlan like a gong.
He already loves the kid, he can’t help it, but it’s dangerous for that love to ever be even slightly returned because it wouldn’t be how it is with Mimi. Lachlan doesn’t think it ever will be returned, yet he’s hyper-aware of Jules’ feelings towards him and wary of overstepping.
A good dose of healthy distance is best.
That smile threatens it slightly, but Lachlan is a professional.
The bag is half full.
Lachlan changes the subject.
‘So, what other evil schemes do you have in mind when it comes to fucking with me?’
?
Alistair meets with Jules half an hour before he leaves.