Thomas Byrne is not easily convinced

My next call was to Amy. there were few words. She shared her ideas on the couple channel and I agreed with everything she said. I could help her with that. It would not be a hassle, at least I didn't think so at the moment. I asked about her friend who had planned the whole thing, and she told me about Zahara.

Thomas called me myself. Apparently, Summer had informed him that I was back in touch, and available to talk. "I think you should lay low for a while," he said.

"I will be fine. Besides, the girl is looking for David, and we both know that she will fail. Nobody can find him anymore." My assurance sounded strong, but it was not strong enough to convince him.

"With all due respect, sir, we both know that once the girl meets you, she will catch up with the connection. There is nothing wrong in being prepared."

I thought about his words. What he said was not entirely wrong, but there was a long distance between Thomas and me. She might have been successful in finding Thomas, but Mr Byrne was not a rookie. He would never make it possible for her to track me. Which meant, she would not be able to catch up with me.

But it was difficult to convince Thomas Byrne. It always had been.

"I told you to call me Arin, Byrnes." I paced through my room and asked him, "How do you want to proceed?"

"If you allow me, then I would like to investigate this Emma girl, along with your new friends, sir."

My new friends. He obviously meant Max. had Summer told him something about him? She most certainly had, otherwise Byrne would not have added him to his suspect list. I would like to know what she had said, to evoke suspicion in his mind.

My silence said it all to him. He continued, "I heard from Miss Summer, how you feel about him, but honestly, I think we should investigate him and everyone around him. Without your permission, I took the liberty of investigating the town and the hotel you are staying at and my findings have only made me more suspicious."

"I don't want you to investigate Max," I said in a stern voice. It might have sounded a little too stern, but I didn't care. "Max is off limits, and he stays so."

"At least allow me to send someone there to aid you. We don't want anybody to take advantage —"

Interrupting him midway I asked sharply, "What kind of aid do you suppose I need?"

He took a deep, long breath. Obviously, he was restless now. I could sense his feelings just by listening to his breathing pattern. He was not easy to read, at least for the strangers, but being with him for more than twenty-five years had given me access to his vulnerable side. I was somewhere there, in his weakest spots. When it came to me, he would definitely get possessive and protective.

Almost like a father.

I never had a parent of my own. There were some memories, but those were not what truth was like. To be honest, it was good to have someone who cared for me the way a parent did.

"This is my place now. I have decided to settle down with Max. do you remember what I once told you about my home?" I asked him politely now. I did not want him to worry about me or my well-being.

"Once you find the place, you will never leave it again. I remember it well. I also remember all the times you thought you had found your place and got hurt. I saw you how you broke your heart each time, and shut yourself down. So pardon me if I am overstepping, but I do insist an investigation should be done."

I laughed loudly now. Max entered the room with a bag filled with different types of snacks. I eyed the bag, and then his smiling face, and felt my heart melting.

Max could never harm me.

"You sound like Alfred at times, do you know that?"

"Had you been a vigilante, or a superhero adamant to die for people he didn't even know, my reaction would have been different. But you're not. You're a lost soul who is vulnerable to polite words and gestures."

I stayed quiet, staring at Max, who was now taking off his shirt and grabbing a towel. His body was covered with a thin film of sweat, hands were dirty. Where had he been? Once he was in the shower, I spoke gently, "Don't worry. This time it is real."

"Still it wouldn't hurt to find out more about the people for whom you are making such a big decision."

I decided what I wanted him to do. "Listen, Byrne, I want you to investigate Emma since you are so keen to do it. I want every information available on this girl. Who is she, why is she looking for David, how many people has she met until now, how did she find out about David in the first place, and most importantly, what is her connection with David."

"Right," his voice sounded relieved.

"Other than her, I need you to find out about another person, I am texting you whatever I know of him right now. No need to dig very deep, just his bio and parentage will be enough. Rest I will do myself."

"Sure, sir." He paused and cleared his throat.

"You want to say something else, don't you?"

"Pardon me for violating your space, but I have already sent someone to assist you. He should reach the town by tomorrow evening," he sounded like a child who confessed to stealing toffees from the hidden stash.

I frowned. I trusted Byrne with my life. He would never choose a man who had even a speck of dirt in his character, not when I or Summer was involved. What I was concerned about was the fact that he was going to be another unwelcome man in this town if he didn't play well.

"And who is that person? I hope you have already explained to him what are my expectations from an assistant. Even though I didn't really need one?"

He probably recognised my annoyance from my tone. "I would always choose one of the bests for you, sir. She is not a mere mortal, and she is going to be a great help if you let her in. I sincerely hope that you'd like her."

Her. A woman who was not a mere mortal and was going to be a great help to me. I was intrigued, but I also decided that I did not want to break the mystery. "Fine. send her the details of this hotel and ask her to use the surname, Weathers. Let her know that I don't want to associate with her in public, and our connection must stay a secret."

Without even looking at his face, I knew he was smiling now. That smug, fatherly smile when a teenage boy finally listens to his parent and make an agreeable decision.

"I knew you'd make a wise decision. Have a good day sir."

I started typing the details I had about Vee with me, and it occurred to me that I knew very little about him. Name - Vee, occupation - manager at the Master's Inn, I had his photograph, but not a proper photograph. It was a stolen moment from the lobby when I faked my interest in architecture.

Knowing Byrne, I knew the photograph was sufficient for him to dig up every skeleton Vee had buried in his past. Even if he was not a mortal, I was not worried about it. Byrne had known about the world behind the world for almost twenty-five years now.

"Who was that?" Max came out wiping his wet hair. "Shall I be worried?"

I did not answer him directly. Instead, I showed him. He did not need to worry, because my heart, my mind, and my body would always answer to him. In between my kisses, he shared the latest report on the murder case. Police had found nothing suspicious, they were leaning towards a sudden stroke.

"Are you going to talk about a dead woman when I go down on you?" I asked playfully and put him in my mouth. He grabbed a handful of my hair in his hand, the other hand held the headboard of the bed. He had stopped talking.

I smirked at his response.

I would tell him about Byrnes, and Summer, and probably about the mysterious woman Byrnes had sent to assist me. Not now. At first, I would make sure that he knew how I felt about him.

I would probably tell him about David too. I didn't know how he was going to react, but I intended to tell him everything. How David lived his life, how broken and damaged he felt, how he lost and blind he had been in his entire life, and how his life ended.

Only problem was that I was not ready for it yet.