21. Ares

21

ARES

I t was just after one a.m. when the front door to the cabin creaked open slowly.

It was about fucking time. Ares was just about to call in a favor and have Matteo's phone tracked—not that that was something Ares did regularly. Because that would be crazy and possibly stalker-ish. Right?

Ares locked his phone and placed it down on the counter.

"It's about fuckin' time," Ares growled. "Where the hell have you been?"

Ares walked into the hallway and stopped when he realized that Matteo wasn't alone.

"Come on in," Matteo instructed, gesturing for his companion to enter.

The boy froze in his tracks when he caught sight of Ares standing in the hallway.

"Wh–who are you?" the boy asked, staring up at Ares.

The kid looked like shit. A black eye and bruised cheek. Looked like he hadn't eaten in days.

Peeved that Matteo had disappeared for hours, then came home with some boy toy, Ares let his inner asshole loose.

"I'm the guy staying here. Who the fuck are you?"

Giving Ares one of his friendliest "go fuck yourself" glances, Matteo held the door open and gestured for the boy to come inside once again.

"Pay no attention to him. This is Ares. He's a cranky old troll who refuses to leave my home."

Hesitating, the boy eventually took a step inside, being mindful to keep his distance from Ares.

Smart move kid, you better stay away from the lion's space.

Ignoring the kid, Ares scowled at Matteo. "Did you have to use my name? Who the fuck is this toddler?"

Closing the door behind him, Matteo ignored his question and made his way into the living room. The boy followed.

"Here, you can have a seat." Matteo motioned toward the couch. "Are you thirsty? Hungry?"

The boy shook his head, his messy brown hair flopping from side to side.

"Umm, I'll grab you some spare sweats, then you can shower and get cleaned up if you like. You can sleep in the spare bedroom. It's cozy and has a lock on the door in case you don't feel safe sleeping here," Matteo explained, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and passing it to the boy even though he didn't ask for one.

Typical Italian. Never heard of the word "no."

"He's sleeping here?" Ares barked, turning toward Matteo, more than a little annoyed. "Who the fuck is this kid?"

Beady brown eyes glanced up at Ares, no doubt trying to assess whether the man before him was a threat or an annoyance.

Ares watched the kid, ready to knock him across the head if he tried anything suspicious.

The boy remained silent as he continued his threat assessment.

Ares had watched enough True Crime documentaries to know that you never let the weird-ass kid stay overnight. Otherwise, you ran the risk of waking up missing half your face and wondering where all your electronics went.

Trust issues much?

"His dad was beating him, so he ran away. I found him living on the streets and starving. Did you think I was just going to leave him there?" Matteo snapped back, venom dripping from his fangs as he spoke. That angry Italian was starting to show its nasty face once again.

No. That was not Matteo. He helped people whenever he could. Of course he wasn't going to leave a poor, defenseless kid starving on the streets. Matteo had a kind heart, which was one of the things that Ares loved about the man.

Glancing back at the kid who was now downing the bottle of water, Ares took notice of the bruises on the boy's face. Something didn't feel… right.

Sensing his unease, Matteo shoved a finger in Ares's face and whisper-snarled. "Don't. Whatever you're thinking, leave the kid alone. He's been through enough. He doesn't need you interrogating him as well."

Shaking his head, Ares let Matteo pass and watched as he disappeared into his bedroom, no doubt searching for a spare set of clothes.

"So, you got a name?" Ares grunted, walking into the living room and taking a seat in the armchair across from the awkward guest.

The boy stared at him suspiciously. "Jorge."

"Nice to meet you, Jorge." Ares glanced down the hall to see where Matteo was. He was still in his room. "Sorry for earlier. You just caught me off guard showing up here with…" He let his words trail off. The boy didn't need to know all their details.

The kid pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and began texting someone. He held his phone just high enough that Ares couldn't read what was on the screen.

"Who are you texting?" Ares decided to ask. Something in his gut didn't feel right.

"I told him he could text one of his friends to let him know where he was. Jesus, Ares, lay off the poor kid."

Matteo held out a towel and a change of clothes to their guest. "Here, the bathroom's down the hall. Feel free to shower and get cleaned up. The spare bedroom is already all set up and ready to go."

The boy thanked Matteo, took the items, and then headed down the hallway toward the bathroom.

Once the door was closed and the shower began running, Ares laid in on the naive Italian.

"Okay, something doesn't smell right with that kid. If he has friends, why would he decide to come home with a complete stranger in the middle of the night, especially when the guy lives in a cabin in the woods? Has this kid never seen a horror movie? You don't go home with the creepy guy who lives alone in the woods!"

Matteo shook his head. "You're an idiot. The poor kid is desperate. He needs a safe place to stay. In the morning, I'll make a few calls and see what help I can get him."

Ares followed Matteo back into the kitchen. "What do you know about this kid? Does he live around here? Is his father out looking for him? Is he going to rob and murder us in the middle of the night?"

Spinning around, fire blazed in Matteo's eyes. "Stop it. You always see the worst in people. That's why no one likes you. You never trust anyone or give them the benefit of the doubt." Matteo shoved past Ares, then spun around in one final display of dramatic defiance. "And, so what? So what if you end up being right, and the kid robs us in the middle of the night, then disappears while we're sleeping? At least I will have helped someone struggling on the streets, even if he decided to take advantage of my kindness in the end. I'm happy with choosing to see the good in people. I like being able to help those in need. So, fuck off and enjoy sleeping on the couch tonight."

Matteo spun around, then froze.

Standing in the hallway, in Matteo's baggy joggers and dripping wet hair, was Jorge. The boy looked sheepish and uncomfortable.

Ares let out a sigh. Fuck his life.

"Sorry, kid. I have trust issues," Ares mumbled, feeling like the world's biggest asshole.

The kid just stood there staring at his feet.

"Come on. I'll show you to your room." Matteo led Jorge to the spare room and helped the kid settle in.

An hour later, the cabin was silent, save for the sound of snoring coming from Matteo's bedroom.

Sleep like a kitten, my ass, Ares thought to himself.

He picked up his phone and pulled up the surveillance feed from the hidden cameras he had installed in the cabin a few years ago. Matteo had no idea of their existence. Ares liked to check in every once in a while just to make sure that Matteo was safe. This was also how Ares knew that Matteo had retreated to the cabin a few days ago.

Scrolling through the video footage, he landed on a frame that captured the image of their special guest. Taking a screenshot, he texted the photo to Elijah, hoping that he could do a background check on the kid. He knew it was a long shot, but perhaps he could track his movements around town on security feeds or something.

Security feeds? Who was he kidding? In a small town like this, they didn't really keep up with modern technologies.

Still, Elijah had worked miracles in the past.

It was worth a shot all the same.

Slipping his phone back in his jeans, he lay down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. He wasn't even dating the guy, yet somehow, he had been banished to the "bad husband" couch for the night.

Guess morning sex was out of the question.