Page 140 of A Quick Buck

“Shi—crap, no.” Noah snorted. “I’ve gotten used to not having it. I totally forgot it.”

“It’s all right.”

“Hoping my uncle called?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll check whenever we go to bed.” Noah drank some more. It didn’t taste too bad at all.

“Easy.” Alistair petted Noah’s hair, now taking the chair in front of him. “Take your time.”

“Sorry.” Noah tried to use some restraint and limit himself to a tiny sip when he raised his glass again. “So, uh, you’ve got a giant bottle thing shaped like a bird?”

“I do.” Alistair smiled. “I enjoy collecting beautiful and rare things. I have several Fabergé pieces in my home. I confess I have a bit of a weakness for them.”

“They made, like, all the fancy eggs, right?”

“Yes, amongst many other things.”

“Maybe you’ll be able to show me sometime,” Noah suggested, more than a bit hopeful.

“I would like that.”

“You live in a big fancy house, I bet.”

“Not quite.” Alistair tilted his head. “An old brownstone downtown. Modest, tasteful, home. I’ve lived there for nearly twenty years.”

“After you left Strassen Springs?” Noah asked casually. He was quite curious about his new boyfriend. Partner. Guy who hopefully wouldn’t murder his uncle. Whatever.

“Yes.” Alistair glanced at his wine.

“That’s when you left Mr. Special, right?”

“Yes.”

Alistair didn’t seem like he was going to add anything else, so Noah pressed, “What was his name?”

“Roderick.”

“What happened?”

“I left him. I told you.”

“Come on.” Noah frowned. “Why? It’s been twenty years or whatever. Was it really that bad you can’t even talk about it?”

Alistair was quiet, staring at his wine.

Noah was starting to wonder if he’d pissed him off or something, but then Alistair began to speak.

“When I first met Roderick, he was the angriest boy I had ever seen,” Alistair said. “There was so much rage in him, I almost didn’t think he could be saved. But little by little, week after week, I taught him how to tame his emotions. I helped him regain control and reclaim a sense of ownership over his body. He’d been damaged, you see. Very badly.

“But it wasn’t enough to heal and move on from the pain. He wanted revenge. Foolishly, I agreed to help him. Perhaps I too wanted to punish the people who had hurt the boy I loved. He came up with a plan, a brilliant plot, to take the city…”

Noah bit his lip.

Wait… was the angry boy that Cold guy?

“I didn’t know how deeply Roderick’s rage had infected him. Not until it was too late. I’d always thought he would listen to me, that he would trust my judgment, but there came a point when he was willing to risk members of our own family for his personal vendettas. He put them in danger for his own selfish motives. That’s when I knew there was nothing more I could do to help him. My love had not been enough to change him, and it never would be.