Connor's POV:
Over the next three hours, the house became the most heavily watched and guarded house in San Diego. By the end of the week, there was police patrolling the neighborhood twenty-four hours a day and a squad car sat in the driveway at all times. Eric's friend Daniel arrived the morning after the Mall incident, and was basically assigned to us kids as a bodyguard. Brandon, Callie and I both found the added security to be irritating and suffocating, but we were the exception. The rest of the family welcomed it, especially Evan. I did not trust Daniel. I knew nothing about him, and his whole demeanor set off warning bells. He prowled around after us, always keeping us within eyesight, glaring frighteningly at anybody who looked at us wrongly. Jude was aware of my feelings, but felt I was just being overly paranoid.
Jesus made it his own personal mission to keep a close eye on Evan and protect him, so much so that the two hardly ever left each other's sides. The only times they had parted were at school when they were in separate classes, and Jesus was always waiting outside the classroom to walk Evan to the next one. It was actually kind of sweet. Jesus surprised us with his protectiveness and with how open he was at school about his relationship with Evan. From the second they arrived at school that first day, Jesus acted the same way with Evan that he had acted with Emma, just more tender and sweet while infinitely more protective.
The whole day, I sat in my classes with my teeth on edge, waiting for lunch to arrive so I could see Jude. Lunch came and Jude was suspiciously absent. I walked up to Jesus and Evan, and I shot them a questioning look.
"Where's Jude?" I asked.
"He went for a walk on the beach." Jesus responded, "Said he was going to the rocks to think."
"Okay. I'll find him."
I nodded my thanks and set off to find my missing boyfriend.
My search did not take very long, because for once he was exactly where they said he would be. Jude was just standing there, on top of the rocks. He was frowning, staring out over the water. I cleared my throat to signal my approach without scaring him. He glanced at me and motioned for me to stand by him.
"You okay?" I asked.
"…Yeah, I think so." He finally answered.
"You can tell me if you're not, you know." I assured him, "I'm your boyfriend, that's what I'm here for."
"I know." He said, grabbing my hand gently in his, "Thanks."
"You're welcome." I said, kissing his cheek.
We sat down on the rocks, hands linked and Jude's head leaning on my shoulder.
"…I'm not okay." Jude mumbled, "I'm scared."
"I'm scared too." I admitted, "With everything that's going on, it's hard not to be."
"I just… we know it is coming." Jude continued, "We all do. This is all going to come to a head, soon, and I'm terrified of what that's gonna entail."
"So am I."
"I'm so tired of having to fight, Connor." Jude said with an exhausted sigh, "Lately that seems like all our family has been doing."
"We're fighting to keep us safe." I interjected, "To keep Evan safe. We're doing the right thing."
"I know we are, but… why does it have to be so damned dangerous?"
I sighed, because I had no real answer to that.
"Well, at least Evan has Jesus and Daniel." Jude said begrudgingly.
I frowned, which Jude immediately noticed.
"What is it?" He asked.
"You know that I don't trust him." I said, "I don't even know what it is, but there's something about him that sets my teeth on edge…"
"…Because he's another of your brothers mysterious contacts?" Jude asked exasperatedly.
"It's not just that!" I protested, "We know next to nothing about this guy. One minute my brother is on the phone, and the next there is a guy showing up at your house in a hooded long coat talking to my brother in code. The guy is enough to give people nightmares, Jude. He stalks around after us, waiting for Evan's dad to make a move, and it makes him seem like he's a Sith Lord stalking his prey."
"… Is that why you whistle the Imperial March every time he enters the room and call him Darth Resilious behind his back?" Jude asked curiously.
"Hey, I didn't come up with Resilious." I objected, "That's the code that my dearest big brother gave him. I asked him why, and he told me it was because Daniel is the most resilient person he knows, so hence Darth Resilious. Besides, with that damned coat of his and the glare he gives to people, it fits."
"If you say so." Jude said.
"…Personally, I think it fits me."
The both of us screech and jump in fright, whipping around to find Daniel standing there. He was staring between us, and for the first time either of us could remember his hood was down, and he was not scowling or glaring.
"You two need to keep a better eye on your surroundings." He cautioned, "I've been standing here since this conversation started, and neither of you noticed. If I'd been anybody else, say somebody with… less than pleasant intentions, you would never have seen me coming."
"Sorry, we just don't make it a habit to expect attack while lounging at the beach." I snarked waspishly, causing Jude to elbow me and shake his head at my rudeness.
I know that my attitude towards Daniel gets on Jude's nerves, but for reasons I cannot fathom I cannot seem to restrain myself. Something in me just balks at him telling me what to do and following us around, even if it is to keep us safe.
"I know you haven't, and you shouldn't have to." Daniel agreed, "But unfortunately you are both unlucky enough to be in the position where you have a psycho after your friend who wouldn't hesitate to hurt you both if it advanced his goals."
We both stayed silent while he spoke, and a shiver of fear jolted down my spine with the truth of his words. It would have been so easy to sneak up and attack us both, and we would not have realized what was happening until it was far too late.
"Sorry." Jude mumbled.
"Don't apologize." Daniel said, and he sighed, "You both just have to be a little more careful."
"We'll try." Jude said.
Daniel observed us for a couple of seconds, before nodding. He walked over, sat down next to us on the rocks, and stared out over the ocean. He breathed the air deeply, and a calm smile crossed his face momentarily.
"I've always liked the beach." He said quietly, "It's where I've always felt the most at peace. The sound of the waves and the seagulls, the water washing over your feet, the breeze coming in from the sea… It's the only true paradise left, if you ask me."
Then he looked at me and caught me observing him.
"Still don't trust me, huh?" He asked, "Eric said you'd be a tough one."
"It's just…"
"I know, kid. Believe me. I know." Daniel cut me off, "I'm used to people being put off by my demeanor. It is an everyday occurrence. Doesn't help that I mostly do it on purpose."
"Why do you do it on purpose?" I asked, "Ever stop to think that if you smiled once in a while people might trust you easier?"
"Well, I'm a bodyguard." Daniel explained, "Kind of makes sense that I would be intimidating. If everybody is terrified of me, then they will be less likely to try anything stupid. I'm in this business to keep people safe, not make friends with them."
The three of us stood together in silence until Jude finally broke it. He turned to Daniel with a sigh.
"What's your plan?" Jude asked.
"What do you mean?" Daniel asked.
"You and Eric are planning something." Jude continued, "I can tell. I've walked in on the two of you talking three times in the last week, and every time you two immediately stop talking."
Ah, Jude… I love him to death, but sometimes he has all the subtlety of going after a pesky wasp with a M1 Bazooka.
"I can't tell you that, Jude." Daniel said, "It's already dangerous enough, you knowing would only make it worse. Stef would kill me if I let you two get involved."
Jude observed him for a second, watching his body language.
"You're gonna go after him, aren't you?" Jude asked.
Well, at least for what he lacks in subtlety in makes up for with his ability to read people and his basic deductions skills.
Daniel, however, did not give anything away. In fact he only looked annoyed at Jude's questions.
"Jude. I literally can't tell you anything." Daniel insisted, "It's too important."
"Daniel…"
"NO, Jude." Daniel shut him down firmly, "You need to focus on yourselves. Focus on keeping yourselves safe. Focus on helping us keep Evan safe. Leave the worrying about catching that psychopath to me and the other adults. When this is all over, I will explain it to you both in great detail, but for now you are both best left ignorant. We are dealing with a raving lunatic who has proven that he will not hesitate to resort to violence and destruction to achieve his goals. You both… Jude, you know what it is like to lose everything. Connor, your family has faced a lot of trauma. By keeping you guys out of it, we prevent more loss and trauma for the both of you. If one of you boys got hurt, I'd never be able to forgive myself."
"So instead, we have to remain ignorant in the dark with no knowledge about how to defend ourselves." Jude finished for him.
"… That's not exactly what I meant." Daniel said, "I'll teach you both how to defend yourselves, don't you worry about that, but I'm not gonna be responsible for teaching the both of you stuff that'll get you thinking you'd be enough to go after him yourselves. Just because you can throw a punch doesn't mean you can take down a psycho like him."
"We may be kids, but we're not stupid." I snark.
"You've both been known to make questionable decisions." Daniel reminded me, "The healed hole in your foot is a decent example of that, Connor. You snuck out of the house, broke into another one to drink and you got shot, so do you really, honestly, expect me to implicitly trust your judgment?"
I glared at him for the reminder, indignant. That was one time, one mistake, and it happened so long ago now… how dare he insinuate that because of one incident our judgment was permanently compromised? I opened my mouth to utter an indignant retort, but he cut across me and continued on.
"I'm just trying to stop any potential suffering that might be caused by any foolish actions." Daniel continued, "Lord knows that between Jude's losing his mother and foster care, and your Dad putting you through hell due to his trauma, you've both suffered enough in our lives… We all have. Me included."
"How have you suffered?" I asked, causing Jude to elbow me and glare at me.
"Connor, you can't just ask somebody that," He hissed, "That's private stuff."
"It's okay, Jude." Daniel interjected.
"No, it's not!" Jude snapped, "And to be honest, Connor, I'm getting a little bit sick of your attitude! He's trying to help us, protect us and our families, and your treating him like he's just committed high treason!"
"Oh, like you've been much better?" I snapped back at him, "Grumbling under your breath like a petulant child because we can't help, whenever you think he's not looking?"
"JUDE! CONNOR!" Daniel interrupted, "That's enough!"
We both went silent, barring a few huffs of irritation.
"I'll answer your question, Connor." Daniel said, his voice as smooth and cold as glass, "How have I suffered?"
I stared at him, awaiting his answer.
"I lost everything." Daniel said, "In one hour, I lost absolutely everything. My family, my home… everything. The house burnt down with them inside it. Mom, dad, my brothers, the family dog… everything that made up my life reduced to cinders. I only survived because I had snuck out that night to hang with Eric… Does that answer your question?"
I stared at him in abject horror, imagining what he had been through and the sheer amount of anguish he had been through… a pain he must live with every day.
"I… I didn't know." I whispered in horror, "I'm… God, I am so sorry. I cannot imagine… If I lost my family… or if I lost J-Jude…"
"You would lose yourself with it." Daniel finished for me. I nodded in agreement, "I'm here to stop that from happening. I am here to stop that crazy fucker from hurting you, or your families, or Jude… Now, we good?"
I nodded. I felt horrible for making him relive what must be the worst day of his life.
"Sorry for being an ass." I said remorsefully, "I feel awful. I have been getting really angry a lot lately for no reason. Everything has just been so bad lately, and it's like this will never end and it's driving me insane."
"…And I accept your apology. I'm keeping that nickname, though." Daniel joked, "Darth Resilous sounds cool. Maybe I'll even change my name to it: Darth Resilous, Lord of Sorrow and Anguish."
I snorted.
"…Good, so we're all friends now." Jude said, his voice dripping with snark and sass, "Now you can stop being an ass, babe."
I nodded sheepishly. I reached out and offered Daniel a hand to shake, and he gladly accepted. He offered me a small smile, which I readily returned.
"Alright, we need to get back inside." Daniel said, "I don't like being exposed like this, and the two of you need to get back to class. Lunch ended, and you are both late."
Jude and I shared a look, but we followed him back to Anchor Beach, where we discovered that we were indeed late for our next class. Jude and I parted ways with a small kiss, and headed to our respective classes.
As is turns out, we did not end up staying in class for long. I had only been in class for a few minutes, when an urgent knock sounded on the door. The teacher answered the door and Lena walked inside, looking supremely flustered.
"Connor, come with me." She said, and I followed her without question.
"What's going on?" I asked when we got out in the hallway.
She ignored me until we go to the main office. She hurried me inside, and I found that the entire family, including my parents, Ritchie, Evan and his mother, were already there. All of the adults had worried expressions on their face, and Evan was curled into Jesus's side. His and his mother's faces were liquid paper white.
"What's going on mom?" Jude asked Stef, who was standing there in uniform with a severe look on her face.
"The house has been vandalized." She said, "Evan's dad threw a Molotov through the living room window. Luckily Eric was home to use the fire extinguisher."
I stared at her for a second in disbelief.
"How bad is the damage?" Jude asked.
"Not too bad, considering." Stef said, "Smoke damage, and the fire ruined the couch and coffee table. Other than that, the house is okay. Daniel is already there."
The whole room heaved a collective sigh of relief, but I noticed that Stef still had a grave look on her face.
"What is it, Stef?" I asked.
She looked at me.
"We might have to go into protective custody." She said, "
"What?" Jude asked.
"The situation is much worse now." She said with a grave nod, "Evan's dad wasn't alone this time. He had help."
"What?" Lena asked, "What do you mean he had help?"
"Eric said that it was him and a pickup truck full of other men." Stef explained, "The pulled up, threw the Molotov, and were gone before the cop on guard at the house could wake up and react."
"Wake up?" I asked.
"The idiot fell asleep in the squad car." Stef continued, "Slept through it. He is already being disciplined. Eric tried to go after them after he put the fire out, but they were already gone. He did not see any of their faces either; he says the whole thing was a blur. They know where we live, they could do it again. At this point, protective custody is the safest option."
Jude's hand latched onto my hand tightly and slid closer, climbing into my lap. He was shaking slightly. He was afraid, and I could not blame him. That bastard had attacked his home, and my brother could have been hurt. It was a clear declaration of war, and as I looked around at the adults assembled, I knew from their angry expressions that they would rather fight it until the end instead of running off and hiding until the danger passes. I was of the same mindset, but I felt Jude shaking against me, trying not to panic. I knew what his answer would be, and I would follow him wherever he went. He looked at me and we shared a look of understanding.
"We won't be split up will we?" I asked, "If we go into witness protection?"
"No. We'd all be going together." Stef assured, "Probably somewhere up north."
The whole room held its breath for a moment, and slowly everybody nodded their heads in agreement, no one nodding harder than Evan and his mother.
Two days later, just long enough to settle affairs with Lena's job and our schooling, the entire family snuck out of San Diego in the dead of night with only the adults knowing where we were going.
