"Miles??" I crouched next to my ex-boyfriend. "What happened?" Putting pressure on the wound in his abdomen, I scanned the area for Freya. 

"She is safe." He got the words out with difficulty. "Don't worry, one of yours must have found her by now."

"One of mine?"

"Yes, yours." He winced, adjusting his back on the wall of the tunnel's mouth. "I didn't know you would find me, or I would have kept the present I was meaning to give you with me." Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. "Sorry for breaking your heart...and for leaving you."

I felt wetness on my cheeks. "You are here now. Can you stand up?"

His fingers caressed my cheek before falling to his chest. "I don't want to, hun. I am tired."

"Don't call me that." Miles was a jerk who had hurt me, but he was also the one who was with me when I needed a friend, a savior. "I am not through punishing you for hurting me. So you better get your ass off the ground and cooperate."

"If I wanted to survive, I wouldn't have shot myself, babe." Miles smiled like he had won in life. 

What the hell!? "The fuck do you do that for!?" He had to be joking. And if he was on a suicide mission, why did he kidnap Freya?

"I did it to kill my father's ambition. As long as I am alive, he will never stop trying." The slight color his face held minutes ago was gone; he was as pale as a ghost. "Don't worry, I won't haunt you."

He was talking nonsense. I had to get him to a hospital. Placing my arms under him, I geared up to lift him princess-style. But he shook his head and pushed me away. 

"Don't, please. Just hear me out, alright?"

Miles was as stubborn as me, if not more. Getting him to agree with me was futile, especially when he had set his mind to something. I gave up trying and squatted next to him. The least I could do was hear him out. "Alright. I will do that."

Miles was gone, and I had nothing but respect for him and love now that I knew all he had done for me. Rushing back to my father, I handed him the penny-sized drive my now-dead ex had trusted me with while taking his last breath. "Miles is dead, Dad. Shot himself. He apologized on Uncle B's behalf and asked for forgiveness on his account."

"I don't understand." My father took the drive and thrust it in his pocket.

"He was Uncle B's illegitimate son." I said before pointing at his pocket. "The rest is in there."

I watched my father plug the device into his phone and stare at it in silence for a couple of minutes. "Who gave him the right to do that?" I had never seen my dad this bitter. "He didn't have to resort to such extreme measures. I would have forgiven him, it wasn't his fault." When he looked at me, his eyes held sorrow. "I am sorry for your loss, son."

"Grandpa!" 

Freya! 

My father wiped his eyes and went to his knees. Opening his arms, he smiled warmly at his goddaughter. "Sweetie-pie!"

Our angel left her dad's side and threw herself in my father's arms. "I had so much fun with Uncle Miles, Grandpa; we raced in the tunnel and then played 'guess what,' and..." She let go of him and looked around. "Where's Uncle Miles?"

My father tucked a strand of her blond hair behind her ear and shrugged. "I don't know. But even if I did, I won't tell. He is hiding, you see."

The angelic smile she usually offered one and all slipped off her lips. "Oh..." 

I watched as one of Dad's men whispered something to Rob, whose eyes snapped up, locking with mine. He walked over to me just as my mother rushed to greet Freya, and the little one got busy filling her grandma in about the fun time she spent with Uncle Miles. "I am sorry, Mick. I know you loved him."

I couldn't do anything but stare at him. My mind was blank, except for all the good times Miles and I had spent together. 

"This is for you," Rob said, holding his pyramid pendant out to me, gesturing to me to take it. 

I shook my head and stepped back. "I can't possibly accept—" 

Before I could refuse, Rob pulled out its clone from around his neck. "I am wearing mine. Miles asked Freya to give this to you."

The corners of my eyes stung. So this was the present he wanted to give to me himself. "Thanks." I received my gift. "Remember I told you about Andre?"

"Mn."

"Miles was Andre. He was not Uncle B's adopted son; he was his illegitimate son. If the truth had gotten out, my father would have lost faith in Uncle B, going as far as to kick him out of the family for cheating on his wife."

"Mr. Vas cheated on your aunt?"

Still in denial of everything I knew now, I shrugged. 

"Did he have a death wish!?" Rob shook his head as if he couldn't believe what I had told him. "Mrs. Vas is your dad's biological sister. I mean, why..."

I signaled Rob to follow me, putting as much distance as I could between us and the rest of the family. " Anyway, he knew that he had fucked up big time and thought it best to make Andre disappear, lest anyone get wind of their true relationship. We don't know what his plan was at that time, but after the Crimson Bay slaughter, when Dad's name was dragged through the mud and he asked you to investigate, Miles told me that you had found proof of Uncle B's involvement in it. It was my uncle who orchestrated the accident that killed Maria...he was responsible for his daughter's death!"

"What!!? How could he live with himself after doing that?" Rob shook his head. "Unbelievable."

I shrugged. "He thought you were alone in the car. Miles said that he was pretty broken up about it, but it didn't take him long to decide it was time for his son to return as his cousin's son, as Miles. I am a fool not to have realized that the man in front of me was Andre." My eyes stung. Holding back tears, I continued, "Miles, I mean Andre saved me. He befriended me when I was all alone. I told you about it, remember?"

Rob bobbed his head. "I do. And I will forever be grateful to him for it. What happened next?"

"Miles and I became best friends... Then one day you came back. Uncle B suspected you of faking your memory loss just as Dad had. Miles stopped coming over, citing that he had bagged a job abroad. A couple of years later, Uncle B noticed that I was gay, and Miles returned to my world. Only this time, his father had ordered him to seduce me. He thought Miles could help him control me once Dad handed over the family business to me. When he realized that Miles would never betray me, he drugged him." Turning the pendant in my hand, I looked up at Rob. 

Understanding dawned in his honey-brown eyes. "I am so sorry, Mick." He pulled me into his arms, and I melted against him. 

"He used Escape on Miles, Rob. Remember you showed me the video of him cheating on me?"

Rob nodded into my neck. "Yes."

"I am sure Uncle B sent it to you." I couldn't control my tears any longer. "I hate Uncle B. I hate him! How can a man be so selfish and two-faced!?"

"Greed is a terrible thing, Mick, but trust me, Mr. Vas will get what's coming to him." Leaning away, he asked, "How did Miles die?"

I couldn't believe it had been three months since Dad handed over the family business to me. Was he happy that I was slowly but steadily either shutting down all our illegal businesses or legitimizing them? No. Did I care how he felt about it? No. Because at the end of the day I was in charge of it, and I, for one, had never taken pride in being the most respected, by which I mean feared, mafia in this part of the world. 

"Boss, you called?" Rob popped his head inside my office. 

Though Dad had passed on the mantle to me, he was still the head of the family, and Rob was still my cousin's husband. I knew Dad would accept us eventually, but for now, the only times we could be with each other were at my office, where I had taken to calling him over, citing one excuse or another. Today it was to discuss a serious matter. "Yes, please come in," I said, closing the blinds and leaving my work desk to greet him with a kiss. Even if the staff knew what we were getting up to, they kept it to themselves. Why? Because I was a fabulous guy to work under. "This is regarding your dismissal, Robert," I said in all seriousness and cupped his face. 

"I was afraid of this, boss." My boyfriend's arms circled my waist. "Let's take it to the couch, shall we?" he suggested in a whisper.

"Rob, I am afraid I don't need your services anymore." I kissed his jaw and loosened his tie. "I am quite capable of managing my affairs." Ridding him of his shirt, I proceeded to undo his pants. "Rob, please don't cry." 

"Please!" He hissed as I palmed his cock through his briefs before diving inside and wrapping my fingers over it. "Don't let me go, boss." He begged, licking into my mouth. His fingers did quick work of my trousers, and soon our lower bodies were in equal states of undress. 

I knew what came next, and my staff wasn't prepared for it. Reaching for the intercom, I called my secretary. "Sheen, please don't disturb me for the next hour."

Disconnecting the call, I pushed off the couch. Retrieving the pyramid pendant from my neck, I placed it over my desk next to my laptop. Soundlessly, the floor next to the couch slid open with steps leading to our hideaway. "There, there, Rob, don't be like that. After all, you are just losing your status as my nanny. You are family." I entwined our fingers, and picking up our discarded clothes, we began our descent. "You remember the Carlton code, don't you?"

Rob smiled as we left the bright, posh office and entered our private space. Dropping our clothes on the dark teakwood floors, my guardian pushed me into the bed. "Bonds forge, roots entwine, blossom together, family mine."

"Exactly," I replied, peppering his face with kisses. "You are mine. Understood?"

"Yes, boss." Ripping my shirt off, he mapped my body with his lips. 

Loud, filthy moans left my lips unrestrained as he prepared my body to receive him: slow and thorough. I waited till I couldn't anymore. "Enough already!"

"Yes, boss," he said, replacing his fingers with his cock. Rob's relentless thrusts had me swear-moaning my lungs out in no time. Thank fuck for the soundproofing technology I had used for the space. 

I glanced at his face, his ridiculously perfect face. He looked like a jade sculpture. Focused. Silent. His amber eyes bore into my soul. "You know, silence is not a hot look."

"I beg to differ." The tips of his lips pulled up in a naughty smirk. Raising my leg and placing it on his shoulder, he worked himself deeper and deeper until euphoria filled me and brimmed over. 

"Argh! Overruled." I whimpered, fisting the sheets. Exhausted and satisfied, I let myself enjoy the high Rob had given me and closed my eyes, knowing full well that when I opened them, Rob would be right next to me. "You know, you are horrible."

"Why?" Rob demanded, stroking my jaw before kissing it. "What did I do now, boss?"

"You didn't answer me!" I replied and turned my back to him. "I guess you are not mine, then. You know, if you want to see other people, you can."

Rob's arm wrapped around my middle. Snuggling impossibly close, he whispered, "I don't want to see other people, Mick. Do you know why?"

"No." I feigned ignorance but pushed my back into his chest nonetheless. "Enlighten me."

He turned my face towards him. "Because, boss, I am, and always will" be"—his warm, honey-brown eyes swam with sincerity, and a word I had been dying to hear joined the" rest—"yours."

*****
The End
*****
[Chapter word count: 2143]

[Total word count: 28393]