Chapter 4- A Visit

Richard Smythe was a busy man. He rarely had time for things that weren't about his family or work, something that his contacts were quick to notice. It was something that worked in his favour sometimes, but could also be used against him if necessary. His schedule didn't really incorporate many surprise elements to it.

He hadn't expected Juan Martinez to pay him a visit.

Juan was his spy: a mole based with his enemies. It was the most dangerous job the mobs had to offer. It put them under a lot of pressure to deliver the expected results based on the rumours that they might have heard in the form of a rumour. Juan was a very important tool in Richard's arsenal and one who he would never take for granted.

Nevertheless, he and Juan could only communicate through extremely meticulously planned meetings or texts from burner phones. They preferred the former, because a lot could be communicated through actual conversation. Richard would never understand the current generation's obsession with texting. Sebastian chose not to do it so often under his influence. He didn't suppose himself to be the world's greatest father, but he could at least credit himself with keeping his son grounded and focused on the essentials in life to achieve happiness.

Juan ran his hand along the table, picking up a mint from the bowl

"Juan? Is something wrong with the Eagle?"

'The Eagle' was the name they used for their opposition, Don Lentari, the name based of course on Vito Corleone. It wasn't his real name, but nobody actually knew it.

"Not as such. You have a problem, Richard. He's angry, extremely so, and I don't think it'll be long before he tries something. He probably already knows that you have another houseguest and I wouldn't be surprised if the boy is next on his list. How could you let somebody else live in this house?"

"That is a personal matter, Juan, and it is completely unrelated to whatever Don is planning. How would he even know about Kurt? We have enough security for anything like that after the last time they broke in. You know full well what happened then and I don't need to remind you how seriously I'm taking this."

"I'm just passing along the messages, like I'm supposed to do. It's up to you how you take them, but know that they're serious. Don't underestimate him."

Richard clenched his jaw. Nothing like the mass murder could ever happen again. Those people had been his friends and now they were dead, all because he was caught unaware. He needed to step up his game.

And Don thought that gambling was the way to do it.

Gambling with money, sure, but also the lives of everybody involved.

Juan nodded stiffly and left, taking another mint on his way out.

Richard sighed angrily before he realised that he wasn't alone.

"Kurt."

"Sorry, I just came downstairs for some water and couldn't help but overhear."

Richard knew that he wasn't lying; the man had a knack for picking apart the liars in life. "No worries. How much have you heard?"

Kurt knew it was best not to lie to the man. "Everything. Am I in some sort of danger? Is The Eagle really coming after me?"

"How much do you know? What has Sebastian said to you? I know with previous boyfriends, he's kept them in the dark, but you seem to be something special to him."

Kurt wanted to preen at the comment, but didn't take the time to dwell on the flippant part of Richard's dialogue. "I know some, the basics. Sebastian didn't want to go into much detail and I didn't really yearn to hear it."

"Is there anything you want to ask?"

"Like I said before, am I in danger? I don't want to tread all over your lives, but I would appreciate knowing if trouble might suddenly strike me."

"Well, as you heard, my informant Juan believes that there may be a chance you'll be used as ransom, but I doubt it. Their ability to uncover information is stellar, but not enough to know about you. You've only been here three days and we're highly protected, as you've probably noticed."

Kurt nodded. "I have and it's oddly comforting. I was meaning to come and find you yesterday, actually. I want you to know that I don't mean any imposition that I might be causing."

"Nonsense, we're happy to have you. Having you here shows a noticeable change in Sebastian's mood. He was chatting to me earlier about you and it was so clear in his eyes how he feels about you. I haven't seen him this happy in a very long time. You're evidently good for me and you're a good man; feel free to stay as long as you like."

Kurt was touched by the sentiment, but wasn't sure whether Sebastian was putting on the best performance to his parents or whether he was genuinely feeling powerful things for him. "Well, you've certainly raised a wonderful son who you can be proud of. He's been amazing."

"Well, I'm glad. It's refreshing to see him so focused on somebody. He hasn't been like this in a long time."

Kurt understood the purposefully omitted detail and dipped his head respectfully. "I was also wondering where he was. He left me a note saying that he would be back in a short while but not where he was heading."

Richard hummed. "I never know where Sebastian goes, but he always leaves at the same time every Wednesday afternoon and returns a few hours later and nothing is different. I think it's merely a routine that he follows to keep himself distracted. Did you not notice it?"

Kurt realised he had forgotten that he was supposed to be Sebastian's boyfriend of three months and shrugged. "I always had classes so I never saw him then anyway. Now that I think about it, his replies to my texts were always delayed."

"He texts you? He must really love you because he never texts anybody. He only has a phone for dire emergencies and to play games."

Kurt chuckled at the latter. "I know, he much prefers in person contact."

Richard raised an eyebrow and Kurt squirmed slightly.

"Oh, not that. We haven't actually…yet. Not that we're planning on, uh, it's just that—."

"Kurt, relax, it's fine. It's perfectly healthy and there are more than enough bedrooms for the two of you to maintain complete privacy."

Kurt's blush was considerable and he smirked. "Let's just not mention this again."

"Agreed."

"Well, now that I have some time to kill before Sebastian gets home, is there anything I do around the house? I'd really like to repay you for putting me up."

"Nonsense, Emilia takes care of everything."

Kurt shook his head. "This is a huge house for a lone housekeeper to tackle. I'm sure you pay her well for it, but I'd like to help."

Richard shrugged. "I can tell I'm not going to sway you on this matter. It'd be best to check with Emilia, though; she has a specific routine."

Kurt nodded and parted ways with Richard, heading for where he last saw Emilia in the kitchen.

"I was wondering when we'd get a chance to properly acquaint," Emilia greeted him as he leaned against the counter. She was washing dishes and Kurt immediately took up the mantle of drying them, already having had a sense of where everything was placed. It was exactly how he would have arranged a kitchen of this size and he had to credit Cecelia for her organisation.

"You don't have to do that, that's my job."

"I like doing chores," Kurt shrugged. It was true. When his father had neglected the upkeep of their house after Elizabeth had passed, Kurt had been forced to throw himself into learning how to clean and tidy things and had become unusually accustomed to it; so much that when his father finally motivated himself, Kurt would have already done all of the chores and would start on preparing food for them to eat.

"I think you're alone with that one. I do this because they pay me well. You see, I've kind of grown attached to Sebastian as well. I'm sure you understand. I was just his babysitter through his childhood, but when the…incident happened here, he became slightly more dependent on others. I stuck around until he no longer needed me, but I knew that he told me things that he couldn't trust his parents with. They saw how much he had taken to me and asked me to stay."

Kurt nodded, Sebastian having explained a little about his connection with Emilia. "I'm glad he had someone there for him throughout all of what happened."

"He told you about that?"

"I already knew about it," Kurt corrected, "but hadn't made the connection until a short while into our relationship."

Emilia smirked. "Makes sense. When is your anniversary? I'd like to make a note of it."

Kurt faltered. He hadn't prepared for such a question. He couldn't believe that he had missed such an important fact. He just had to hope that Emilia hadn't already asked Sebastian and make something up. It was November, so Kurt would need to make it a little ways away to discuss things with Sebastian first. "May 8th."

"That's funny, because Sebastian told me that it was July 27th. How do you have two different answers?"

"Uh…I'm sure I can explain that." Kurt was panicking. The whole charade was about to be up as soon as it had started. He wouldn't even have to tell Sebastian that he was thinking about forgetting about the trial and making it permanent.

"Kurt, relax. I'm messing with you. I know about the arrangement."

A weight was lifted from his chest. "That was a sneaky move, Emilia. But I suppose you're judging me right about now."

"No judgement," she held her hands up, water dripping down her wrist. "If somebody had proposed something like this to me, I would have taken it. And it seems that you're quickly starting to actually like each other."

Kurt nodded. He couldn't lie to her. "Yes. At first, it felt a little too Pretty Woman for me to grasp, but now I'm beginning to see the obvious perks of this. Not just the tuition, but the kind of life that I can see with Sebastian."

Emilia grinned genuinely. "You're good for him. One thing Sebastian has never had is stability. Besides his parents, nothing has ever been fixed for him. Having you here every day means that he has something to focus on, something to keep him grounded."

"What about you? I thought you said you've been here for years."

"That's different. I leave every day once my work has been completed. I pick up my son and head home to spend the evening with him. His father has him on the weekend afternoons and whenever he's not at school, but I spend the most time with him."

Kurt blinked. "Sebastian probably used to resent that, didn't he?"

"You're quick to catch on," she nodded. "Sebastian used to hate it when I left to go and see my son. Because of Cecelia's job, I was the most stable parental figure he had. Richard was always busy and Cecelia worked afternoons. I picked him up from school and took him to Cecelia's workplace for an hour until she finished. It was a complicated arrangement, but it worked."

"Seems like his life is full of those."

Emilia frowned. "That's not entirely true. To him, Kurt, you're anything but complicated. He hasn't said too much to me about how he feels for you, but you seem to be the one thing in his life that he properly understands. The world in which he lives in has always been somewhat of a mystery to him and he's never been taught how to properly comprehend it. You're something he has made happen for himself, which he's proud of."

Kurt felt something that felt eerily like a tear collecting in his eye and blinked it away firmly. Shaking his head, he put the last dish away. "Can I help you upstairs?"

"You most certainly can. It's time for me to find out about you and give you the speech about respecting Sebastian."

Kurt laughed and followed her upstairs, all the while wondering how he had ended up smack dab in the middle of the world he was currently in, surrounded by danger. He knew that Sebastian wouldn't let him come to any harm, but the possibility was always there. Part of that excited Kurt, but he knew that was quite foolish of him. He wasn't in a movie or a grand novel like The Godfather. This was his reality now and he knew that he would do well to be cautious.

Besides, you never truly know what's right around the corner.