6. Jared

6

JARED

T he room was silent, save for the gentle crackling of wood as it burned in the fireplace. The flames danced and cast shadows along the wall, telling a tale that no one seemed to notice.

Down in this tomb of records, the air was chilly, only being warmed by the heat from the fire. Both men huddled in their respective corners, each searching for answers they could not find.

"Jesus, this is maddening," Matteo huffed, bent over his laptop and scrolling through documents. "Edwin really did a number with these files."

Last month, it was discovered that a certain ex-employee had stolen private client information and was using it to blackmail individuals.

While providing a safe space for powerful queer men to enjoy themselves was the primary goal, La Maison de M also served a secondary purpose. It gave Matteo access to private and sensitive information that others would not have access to. While each of Matteo's boys was "entertaining" their guests, they were also covertly collecting information that was then being provided to their boss, Matteo. This information was then used to expand Matteo's own wealth and power.

Information was the key to being powerful. Matteo knew this very well and was masterful at using it to his own advantage. He never used this information against his clients; he only used it to position himself in such a way as to benefit from insider knowledge and expand his wealth and influence.

Jared flipped the page of the journal he was reading and started on the next entry listed in the book. He lay gingerly across the large, comfy sofa Matteo had in his office, swinging his leg over the side of the arm as he read.

"Yeah, but the guy kept really good notes," Jared responded, not bothering to look up from the book.

Sighing, Matteo leaned back in his chair and stared at the fire. It was mid-September, but the temperature in this private office of his was cold and drafty—which was to be expected considering this office was located deep in the underground tunnels of the estate.

The chateau had a rich and colorful history, much of which was well documented in the newspapers and town records of this quiet suburb of France. However, buried deep beneath the walls of this structure were a history and story much darker than the ones that made this place famous. Only a handful of people knew the true stories of this place, many of which had fallen victim to untimely deaths or had run off, never to be heard from again.

But Matteo knew. He was the guardian of this lavish chateau and keeper of all its dark secrets.

"So, how are things with you and Isaac?" Matteo asked, glancing over at Jared.

Jared's cheeks flushed as he debated ignoring the question and pretending he didn't hear the man.

"Same as always. He's a giant pain in my ass," Jared responded. He glanced up quickly at Matteo, who was giving him an amused look.

Matteo chuckled. "Yeah, but that's part of the boy's charm."

"If you think that annoying and immature is charming, then yes, Isaac has charm coming out of his ass."

"You really care for him, don't you?" Matteo asked, turning in his chair to face the young man he considered one of his sons.

Jared snorted. "Yeah, I care that the dumb kid doesn't break his neck or drown in a puddle."

Matteo laughed again.

It was one of those laughs that a parent gives when they find something their child has said amusing. There was no harm or ill-intent behind that laugh, just pure amusement and intrigue. Jared wasn't sure how he felt about the man's laughter.

"You two are good together. You are the yin to his yang."

Jared raised one eyebrow at his boss and mentor. Clearly, this guy was off his rocker.

"Not sure what you're smoking there, boss, but he and I annoy the fuck out of each other." He shifted his gaze from his boss to the fireplace, then back to his boss. He wasn't sure which was the more innocent place to let his gaze settle.

"Yet, I see you two together constantly. Hanging out by the pool together, entertaining guests together, even playing in the gardens together." Matteo added this last part with a slight upturn of his left eyebrow.

"You mean when I was beating him in the face with my cock the other day?"

"Beating him or feeding him?"

"Definitely beating. That little shit bought me a dissolving swimsuit, then let me go swimming in front of a pool full of guests," Jared argued.

"You know he's only pulling your pigtails."

Jared stared at the man like he had three heads. "What the heck does that mean?"

Matteo got up and walked over to his alcohol cart to pour himself a drink. "Want one?"

"No, thanks," Jared answered.

He wasn't a big drinker, plus he had to watch his calorie intake if he was going to remain hot as fuck. He didn't want to spend all day running with Diesel if he didn't have to. No offense, but the guy always insisted on talking during runs. Jared preferred to crank up his headphones, then run until his legs burned like hell.

Once Matteo's martini was made, he walked over to where Jared lay sprawled out and tapped his legs.

Jared scooted up and made room for his boss next to him.

"Pulling pigtails. That's what little boys do to little girls who they like. Or, in your case, immature skater boys and ex-army grunts."

Jared stared at the Italian Adonis and wondered what he was getting at.

Matteo finally took a seat next to Jared.

"By pissing you off, he's forcing you to pay attention to him, thereby keeping all your focus solely on him." Matteo sipped his chocolate martini, giving his words a chance to sink in.

A piece of wood exploded in the fire, making both men jump slightly in their seats.

"No way. He's just an annoying little shit who likes to piss me off."

Deep down, Jared wanted to believe what Matteo was saying. That Isaac's actions were all just a way to get his attention. He'd had feelings for Isaac for a while now but never thought that his feelings would be reciprocated.

Could Isaac actually be into him?

No way. He was just an immature little shit who liked to play pranks on people and annoy the fuck out of them.

No person in their right mind would be into him. Jared was… damaged. His scars were invisible, and his issues ran deep—most of which stemmed from his time in the military and witnessing the atrocities committed by man. He never imagined that humans could be capable of such hate and horror.

Subconsciously, his hand began to shake.

Jared noticed Matteo's eyes fall to his hand.

Focus. Focus, Jared. You're safe now. Safe here. You're never going back to that God-forsaken place, and you'll never have to watch all those people die and all your friends suffer. Never again.

As if sensing Jared's internal turmoil, Matteo leaned over and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

The firmness of Matteo's grip calmed the storm brewing within Jared's head. The tightness in his chest began to relax, and his heartbeat returned to normal once again.

"You're safe now. Nothing here can harm you," Matteo's gentle, reassuring voice said, bringing Jared back to the safety and warmth of Matteo's medieval office.

Jared gave him a slight smile. He appreciated Matteo comforting him and was grateful for all that he had done for him over the years.

"Thanks, M," Jared whispered, watching as his hand finally stilled.

He squeezed Jared's shoulder one last time, no doubt making sure that Jared was once again relaxed and at peace. When it appeared that he was sure, Matteo stood and walked back to his desk.

"I swear to God, if I ever catch Edwin…" Matteo let his threat hang there as he began searching through his database once again. He had been hard at work trying to fill the gaps in his files and make sense of the information Edwin had fucked up.

Edwin was a former dancer and close confidant of Matteo's who used to work at the club. The two got close over the years, and eventually, Matteo trusted him enough to allow him access to his personal files so that Edwin could update guest files with newly acquired information obtained by his fellow dancers.

Unbeknownst to Matteo, Edwin began developing feelings for Matteo and approached him one night with an outlandish idea. He suggested that Matteo use the information they had gathered to blackmail and extort money from their guests. Why wait months for information to pay off when you could go right to the source and demand payment?

Matteo was horrified at the idea. While he might use this information for his own personal gain, the whole point of this establishment was to build a safe and secure community in which these men felt safe to be themselves and explore their own sexual fantasies and desires. His goal was not to scam these men out of their money.

When Matteo voiced his outrage and shot down the idea, Edwin dropped the issue without another word. All seemed well until a few months later when Edwin made a sexual pass at Matteo. Matteo explained that while he valued their close friendship, he had no interest in exploring a romantic relationship with the man.

Angry and upset, Edwin moved out of the chateau and disappeared. It wasn't until about a month ago, when Chase first came to La Maison , that Matteo learned the truth about Edwin's treachery. It was during this interaction that Matteo discovered the little shit had stolen loads of client information and was selling it to the highest bidder.

Matteo had never felt so angry and betrayed.

"Remind me again what it is that I'm looking for?" Jared asked, flipping yet another page of the journal before running his hand across his freshly buzzed hair.

There was something about the texture of his short hair against his skin that calmed him.

Matteo looked up from his laptop.

"We are trying to find any entries that suggest the individual is participating in heinous activities."

"Heinous? Half the people in here are having affairs, stealing money from their bosses, or hiding illegitimate children across the globe," Jared replied, glancing up from the pages.

"No. I don't care about any of that information. Look for activities that suggest the person is a danger to society. That they have committed a serious crime, like a murder, or are running a human trafficking ring."

As it turned out, once Edwin had stolen the information from Matteo's files, he began his own in-depth investigation and uncovered certain unspeakable crimes committed by, or connected to, some of the members of La Maison de M . It was these heinous crimes that Matteo was most concerned about.

In order to be accepted as a member of La Maison de M , applicants must go through an extensive credit and background check. A team of investigators digs through the applicant's background, trying to identify any red flags or warnings indicating that the applicant may be a danger to the club or any of Matteo's dancers.

According to Matteo, while no system is perfect, what concerned him the most was how these warning signs had gone unnoticed. Some of these crimes were committed after Matteo's team had vetted the applicant, so there was no blame to be placed there, but some of these acts appeared to have occurred well before Matteo's team conducted the due diligence.

So, one of the first things Matteo had done right after learning of Edwin's deception, was to fire his existing investigative team. He didn't trust that they were digging deep enough and began questioning whether their previous investigations could be trusted at all. Which made sense in Jared's eyes. Why keep around people who can't do their jobs right?

For now, Matteo was working with Marc Bodin—Chase's boss—to conduct background searches on any new applicants received. Apparently, there was a security firm that Marc trusted that could conduct thorough investigations to suit Matteo's needs. Matteo would have to decide how best to deal with his existing clientele at a later date.

For now, their priority was to locate any guests who posed an immediate threat. Hence, Jared's afternoon party with his boss in his drafty medieval office.

"And once we find these guys, we give them to Chase to take out? Kind of like how we did with Peabody last month?" Jared asked.

Matteo nodded.

Chase had discovered that one of their clients had been secretly kidnapping people and holding them hostage as part of some sick role-play, fantasy game of his. Chase was a private investigator hired by Marc to hunt down and "dispose of" the monsters contained in the journal.

"Except, hopefully, this time, no one will get stabbed," Matteo added, referring to injuries Isaac and a few others had sustained during their rescue of Levi and takedown of Peabody.

Jared resumed flipping through the journal and read page after page of human weakness, sin, and debauchery. People were disgusting. They lied, cheated, stole, and even fucked each other over, all in the pursuit of money, power, or control.

When Jared had been stationed overseas in Iraq, he had seen first-hand the misery and hatred humans could inflict on one another. It was that horrifying experience that stayed with Jared. It controlled him. It was like a presence lurking in the shadows, waiting for him to let down his guard or close his eyes and sleep. It was in those vulnerable moments when the memories of death and destruction took hold of his mind. Five years may have passed, but the effects of those days still held fast.

Before meeting Matteo, Jared couldn't hold down a job. Employers were not sensitive to those days when he could barely function as a human being. Those days when the memories were so severe, he found it almost impossible to get himself out of bed.

Here, Matteo was always there for him. He provided Jared with a safe and calming environment, one in which he was able to face his own demons and not have to worry about making it to work on time or having to reach a quota for the day. On those difficult and challenging days, Matteo insisted that Jared take care of himself—relaxing in the comfort of his own bed while having his doctor on speed dial in case he wanted to have a quick session with her to calm his nerves.

Matteo never argued or expected anything in return. He just wanted to make sure that Jared had everything he needed and that he was always taken care of.

He really did owe his life and sanity to the blue-eyed Italian sitting across from him.

"Jesus. How fucked up is this?" Jared said, sickened by what he had just read. "This guy here, Mr. Sawyer, works as a lawyer arranging fake adoptions for people."

Matteo glanced up from his laptop.

"What do you mean by fake?"

"Well, apparently, this gangster who calls himself The Night Basher kidnaps women, has them raped, then gives their babies to this lawyer to sell nine months later. How fucked up is that?!"

Jared watched as Matteo's grip on the arm of his chair tightened. He felt just as disgusted and angry. How was a monster like that still breathing?

"Wait. What did you say the gangster's name was?" Matteo asked, his voice suddenly curious as opposed to angry.

Scanning the page again, his eyes finally landed on the name of the monster orchestrating this horrific act.

"Umm, Declan Snake," Jared replied, watching as the expression on Matteo's face changed from confused to concerned. "What? What is it?"

"Nothing. Pass me the journal. I think we're done here for the day."

Something was off. Matteo's body had tensed, and his eyes looked angry and pained.

"M, is everything alright?" Jared attempted once again.

Matteo's head snapped in Jared's direction. The man hated being questioned or having to repeat himself. Jared knew this, yet he still wanted to know what had Matteo suddenly so upset.

"I said we're done here for tonight. Pass me the book and leave," Matteo snarled, no longer in a playful, joyful mood.

Jared knew it was time to back off. He stood and walked over to Matteo's desk.

"Here," he said, passing his boss the journal with the entry still exposed. "I'll be up in my room if you need me."

Matteo nodded his head, annoyed, then leaned over the journal as he read the information listed.

Yup. Something was definitely wrong. But Matteo was the boss, and he'd let him know if his help was needed.

Slowly Jared backed out of Matteo's private office, taking one final look over his shoulder at his boss, who was hunched over, shaking his head in disbelief.

He made his way back through the tunnels, wondering what new hell they had inadvertently stumbled upon.