Page 5 of Bound to the Hellhound
There was no privacy in his home, and there was little to no heat, even during the coldest parts of winter. Theo’s apartment was in the basement, and it was kept at a crisp sixty-five degrees. Theo never understood, complained, or asked for an explanation; it was just how things were. That was life in the Tuffin family.
This room was toasty warm, and the bed was super comfortable. Theo had no idea where he was or how he’d gotten there. His last memory was being in the basement of the Tuffin agency offices, and Justin was beating him senseless. He vaguely remembered someone coming in and everyone running away, but he wasn't sure if that memory was real or a dream.
He took a deep breath and savored the sweet scent of pine and rainwater. He never experienced anything so fresh andrejuvenating. A flash of memory hit him with the realization that he’d experienced that scent before. It was the aroma that entered the basement room; it belonged to someone, someone who saved him. Now his mind was reeling, and he was struggling to pull together an understanding of last night.
Theo sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. He looked down at the floor, which was a dark hardwood with wool rugs placed here and there. It was a pleasant and homey feeling. He listened closely, trying to hear if anyone else was nearby. He heard something —movement from a lower floor, perhaps. He wasn't sure whether to go searching or stay put and wait for whatever was going to happen to him.
His heart told him that he was not in danger; the peace he felt was real, and he figured he wouldn’t feel so at ease if there was death waiting for him downstairs. His shoes had been removed, but the rest of his clothing had not been touched. His blue pullover and his khaki pants were there, and he noticed blood spots on his shirt from where Justin had hit him and bloodied his nose.
Reaching up, he touched his nose, and there was no pain. He then looked at his chest and stomach, which had endured most of the beating. To his surprise, it was not swollen or black and blue as it should have been, as it had been every other time he'd taken on Justin's anger. This was like some alternate reality, and it was really playing with his mind.
Theo checked his pockets, and everything was there except his phone. Getting off the bed, he simply stood there for a few minutes, taking in the space. There was a window that looked out over a landscape of flowers and flowering trees. It was quite beautiful, but it did not answer any of his questions. The sound downstairs came again; it was someone moving around, he was sure of it.
Standing at the doorway of the bedroom, he stopped to consider his next move. But then, suddenly, someone called out to him. It was a voice that was both strange and familiar, and it beckoned him downstairs.
“Come downstairs." He said. "I'm in the kitchen, please join me." He sounded pleasant and welcoming, but Theo had been deceived before, many times actually, so he stood still and silent for another minute before slowly heading for the stairs.
He saw him as his foot hit the last step, and he looked to his right. He was coming around the corner, which Theo assumed was the kitchen area, and he was smiling. The man was huge and handsome as hell, actually breathtaking, and Theo stopped in his tracks, stunned by the effect. A yearning, a need rushed through him, a feeling so stark and wild that he wrenched his gaze away and stared at the floor.
This was grossly out of character, but his body would not calm down. The man walked up to him much too close, and Theo took a step back and avoided eye contact. “Where am I?” He asked, his voice soft as a whisper.
"You're in my home. I brought you here last night after I saved you from that basement." The man spoke, and his voice was sure and pleasant. “My name is Valerian Keller, and I work for Louis DuCane." Theo knew that name; he was the man buying the waterfront property. Theo looked up, and the moment his eyes met Valerian's, his heart began to race. His face was magnetic, and the power radiating from him was taking Theo’s breath away.
“I don’t have any marks on my body, how can that be?” Theo’s first thought was the lack of injury. It was impossible that Justin's attack had left nothing and no pain. "I don't feel any pain, and yet I know I took a beating."
"That's going to take a little time to explain, so why don't you come with me and have something to eat first?" Theo wasn't sure if he was hungry, but denying this guy seemed impossible.
"Okay." He said, followed this gorgeous man into the kitchen, and took a seat. Valerian poured him a glass of milk and set it on the counter in front of him.
“Start with that." He said, and Theo immediately took a long drink. Milk wasn't really his drink of choice, but again, he wasn’t going to deny Valerian. He stood at the large range and prepared bacon and eggs. Theo studied him, taking in the jeans, cotton shirt, and boots, and noticing how perfect those jeans encased his ass and thighs. Again, he tried to shut down the arrant thought.
Valerian was the picture of masculine perfection and certainly wasn’t anyone who would give Theo a second look. Maybe he was just the humanitarian type, always ready to help his fellow man. Either way, he'd saved Theo, and he should be thankful, but the time for payment would come; it always did. Theo had discovered that nothing ever came for free.
Either Valerian wanted something from him, or Louis DuCane wanted to exact payment for the business delay he no doubt caused them. It never ended well for Theo when he ruined plans. The fact that he was here with one of DuCane's people indicated that the plans had not gone as his father and Larry had designed.
“Why did you bring me here?” The silence was too long, and Theo needed to say something.
"You asked me to take you away from there, and I was more than happy to oblige," Valerian answered without turning around. "Who beat you? Was it your brother?" Theo didn't answer right away, not sure if he wanted to talk about it. Hedidn't remember asking to leave, but he had a fuzzy memory of everything following the elbow he took to the face, so he might have.
“Yes, Justin was angry that father refused to include him in the signing. He only allowed Larry to be present. Justin wanted to have the opportunity to meet the Ackerleys' representatives and network, as he called it, but his father refused. He’d kept Justin out of most of the face-to-face meetings." He was probably talking too much, but Valerian wasn't stopping him or butting in like people usually did whenever he spoke.
“He rarely includes Justin in business meetings because he’s too explosive and unpredictable.” That wasn’t the entire story, but it was a sampling of the situation. Valerian glanced back at him over his shoulder, and it seemed like he knew that Theo was not telling him everything. He oddly felt compelled to continue.
“The Ackerleys didn’t want Justin involved after he fucked up the original negotiations with the DuCane people." There was more of the truth.
“He was a bit uncouth from what I heard," Valerian commented.
“Yeah, uncouth is a nice way of putting it. Justin is just an angry person, angry to the bone about everything."
“Why did he attack you?”
“Easy target, I guess. He doesn’t usually leave me unconscious. Last night was particularly savage." Theo spoke so matter-of-factly that Valerian stared at him silently for a moment. He set the plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of him, and the smell was amazing. Theo hadn't thought he was hungry until that smell hit him, and his stomach growled.
“Eat, baby, we’ll talk more later.” Theo felt his skin prickle with the sex appeal attached to that endearment.
“Thank you.” He said with a quiver in his tone and began eating. The breakfast was wonderful, and so was the company. Having Valerian sit next to him gave him a feeling of support and security, which made no real sense, but he loved it anyway.
“Am I still in Detroit?” Theo asked after finishing his first plateful and watched as Valerian filled it again.
