Chapter Fifty Three

Chapter Fifty Three
The tension in the apartment was thick enough to choke the air. Inside the bedroom, Nikhil stood with his back against the door, his jaw tight as he looked at Hunter. The emerald mesh shirt Hunter had worn to the club was draped over a chair, a reminder of the night that was supposed to be about fun but had ended, yet again, in a rescue mission.

"No. Hunter. Just no," Nikhil whispered, his voice vibrating with a mixture of exhaustion and fear.

"It's for one night, Nik," Hunter pleaded, his voice soft but firm. "He was being beaten to death in an alley. I couldn't just leave him there to bleed out. He’ll find his way tomorrow, and then he’ll be gone. We won't see him again."

Nikhil crossed his arms, the fluorescent light of the bedroom casting deep shadows under his eyes. "Like he shouldn't be here now? Like he wasn't supposed to be gone the last time he left? Hunter, this man is a magnet for violence. And wherever he goes."

"He's helpless, baby. Please," Hunter stepped closer, taking Nikhil’s hands. "He’s broken. If we turn him out now, he won't make it to sunrise."

Nikhil let out a long, ragged groan, his head thumping back against the doorframe. He knew he had lost. He could never win an argument against Hunter’s compassion, mainly because that same compassion was the reason Nikhil was still breathing. "Fine. But my love... this good heart of yours is going to be the death of us."

In the living room, David sat on the edge of the sagging couch. He had cleaned the blood from his face, but the deep purple bruising around his ribs made every breath a struggle. He looked around the small, cramped apartment. It was a far cry from the marble floors and gilded ceilings of his childhood, but it felt more like a home than those cold halls ever had.

He knew he couldn't keep running. The freedom he had sought by disappearing into the slums of the city had turned into a different kind of prison. He was tired of being the prey.

When Hunter and Nikhil emerged from the bedroom, David stood up slowly, clutching his side. He saw the guarded look on Nikhil’s face and the warmth in Hunter’s.

"He said yes," Hunter announced, offering a small, encouraging nod.

"Thank you," David said, his voice raspy.

Nikhil didn't look at him. "Don't thank me. Thank your angel here. I’m just the guy who provides the roof."

David looked at his hands, then back at them. The time for secrets was over. If he stayed here, he was putting them in the crosshairs of a monster he had accidentally created. "Can I... uh, use your phone?"

Hunter frowned, his protective instincts fluttering. "What for? David, I think you should just have something to eat. And sleep. You’ve had a concussion."

David shook his head, a grim sort of resolve settling over his features. "I have to do this. I can't keep hiding in the dark."

Nikhil stepped forward, his eyes sharp. "You aren't calling Rome, are you? Because if you bring that man to my doorstep, David, I will end you. "

"Never," David said, the word dripping with venom. "I’m calling the only person Rome is actually afraid of."

Hunter hesitated, then reached into his pocket and handed over his phone. Nikhil looked on, unconvinced, his hand resting near the heavy metal paperweight on the counter.

David took a deep breath. His fingers trembled as he dialed a number he had spent years trying to forget. It was a direct line, one that bypassed secretaries, aides and security details.

The phone rang three times. Then, a deep, authoritative voice answered. "Yes?"

"Father," David said, his voice cracking. "It’s me."

There was a silence on the other end so profound it felt like the world had stopped spinning. Hunter and Nikhil watched David’s face go pale.

"David," the voice replied, no longer just a man, but the voice of the President of the country. "You’ve been gone a long time."

"I’m in the city. I’m hurt," David whispered, tears finally blurring his vision. "And Detective Rome... he found me months ago. He’s been keeping me."

As the conversation continued in hushed, urgent tones, David leaned against the wall, finally letting the truth spill out.

To the world, David didn't exist. He was the result of a brief, scandalous affair the President had held decades ago with a young staffer. To avoid a political firestorm, David had been raised in a series of high-security estates, a ward of the state with a trust fund and a gag order. He had everything except a life.

Rome had been the man assigned to protect him. Five years ago, Rome was a rising star in the Protection Detail, charming, lethal and seemingly devoted. He was the only person David was allowed to see, the only person who talked to him like a human being instead of a liability.

It started with friendship. Then, it became a seduction. David, starved for affection and isolated from the world, hadn't known how dangerous Rome was. He hadn't known that Rome didn't love him,Rome collected him. Rome had used David’s status as a secret to blackmail his way into the 4th Precinct, carving out a kingdom of corruption where he knew the President could never touch him without exposing his own greatest shame.

"I need a way out, Father," David said into the phone. "Real out. No more estates. No more guards. Just... gone."

After a few more minutes, David hung up. He handed the phone back to Hunter, his shoulders finally dropping from their defensive hunch.

"Who was that?" Hunter asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"The man who is going to end this," David said. He looked at Nikhil. "I’m sorry I brought his shadow here.” He told them everything about himself. Who he truly was. 

Nikhil felt a chill crawl up his spine.

"My father is sending a team," David said. "Not the police. His personal security. They’ll be here at dawn to take me to a safe house. And then... they’re going to retire Detective Rome."

Hunter looked at the door, then back at David. "Will we be safe?"

David looked at them with a profound sadness. "For now. But my father doesn't like witnesses, Hunter. When I leave tomorrow... you two need to leave this city. Just disappear. It’s the only way for us all to be safe."