Chapter 3

Jason tried to wrap his head around everything that he had learned yesterday. After he left the Milburn estate last night, he'd gone back to his father's old house where he had been living the last few months and packed up his clothes, laptop and a few other personal items. Brad had shown him the small room that he'd be staying in, apologizing for it not being bigger. Jason had just shook his head--the room was almost bigger than his whole apartment had been.

The room was on the opposite side of the house from the kid's room, which Jason thought was a little odd since he was supposed to be guarding the boy. But he guessed since the kid was locked in until someone let him out, it probably didn't matter. And Brad's room was next to the kid's, and apparently Sam's room was across the hall from the two of them.

As he pulled up the long circular drive, he took a few extra minutes to survey the house that would be his home for the foreseeable future. The house was certainly beautiful, sprawling out on several acres of land. While Brad had shown him around the inside of the house yesterday, it had gotten late and Brad said they'd see more of the outside today. Jason could see a couple other estate houses to each side, but they were a couple acres away with trees obscuring the views. He could even see the foothills of the forest sprawling behind the estate with the majestic Sierra Peak in looming in the distance.

Brad's father had definitely had money to spend to have so much land on the outskirts of Santa Ana, Jason mused. He knew that Brad had often resented that his father was so tight-fisted with his money, never giving Brad more than a meager living allowance. He'd heard Mr. Milburn's sanctimonious sermons about how a man needed to make his own way in the world like he had. Some of their friends had teased Brad mercilessly about his father's miserly ways, but Brad had flaunted it their faces that he didn't need his father for money. Jason knew that Brad had taken to stealing to support his extravagant lifestyle; hell, he'd helped him a couple times. When Brad had started selling dope though, suddenly the guys who had ribbed him became his best buddies.

Jason knew that Brad had been doing it to rebel against his father's dispassionate attitude towards him. After high school, Jason had only heard from Brad once in a while. The guy had gone off to college, while Jason studied to be a mechanic, taking business classes on the side. They'd both talked about their dreams of running their own businesses after they graduated, and Jason knew that Brad's father had actually put up the money to help Brad with his dream. So the man couldn't have been all that bad. He just hadn't wanted to spoil his son against learning about hard work.

As he stepped up to the front door, Jason briefly wished that the man had thought the same about his stepson. Maybe the prick wouldn't be so fucking spoiled and feel so damn entitled to do anything he wanted.

@@@@

"Hi," Jason greeted the hulk as he stepped in the door.

Sam just nodded a greeting. Apparently, the man wasn't much for talk.

"Jason," Brad called, his dress shoes clicking across the hardwood floor, and Jason had the brief thought that maybe he needed to get a couple of nicer outfits. "You remember Sam Pratt, right?"

Jason nodded at the body guard behind him. He had briefly met a few of the household staff, but didn't really remember anyone's name--except for Sam, Sam was hard to forget. Brad had said something about a couple of guys who basically ran the house, and some guy who worked the stable and grounds along with some kid he'd hired from next door. Jason figured he'd learn them all eventually. "Sam's my go-to guy, if you need anything, especially if you need help with Devyn. He's had to deal with him when I can't find someone else to. Otherwise, Nelson Rainier, my assistant can also help you." Brad pointed at a man walking towards them with a briefcase.

"Hi," the shorter, older looking man greeted, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you. Jason, right?"

"Yes," Jason shook the man's hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Rainier."

"It's just Nelson," the man laughed. "Brad, we need to get moving to make that appointment in Long Beach."

"Yeah, yeah, just a second," Brad turned toward where Jason thought the kitchen was. "Chris! Trent! Come here!"

Two men that he remembered meeting briefly last night appeared from the short hall that circled around the stairs that lead up to the open landing on the second floor. They were basically the housekeepers, Jason had deduced after Brad had gone on about their various duties--managing the household, organizing parties, etc--but it basically had come down to the fact that they were very well paid chefs and butlers. He thought he remembered that Chris did most of the cooking and was an accomplished chef. Trent, Brad had confided later, had been a college buddy who gotten caught up with some nefarious people and Brad had helped save him from a long prison term--for what Jason hadn't asked.

"Chris, Trent, I want you to show Jason here around again. Make sure he gets settled in upstairs. Oh, and give him a copy of the keys too."

"Sure, Brad," Chris said, waving Jason toward the back. "Come on, Jason. Let me show you my domain."

Brad chuckled as he grabbed his sport coat. "I'll see you later, Jason."

As his new boss disappeared out the front door with Nelson and Sam, Jason turned to follow Chris and Trent to the kitchen.

The back half of the house seemed to be one large open space, several rooms flowing to make one grand living area. The kitchen boasted stainless steel appliances and dark granite countertops. A long counter/bar separated the kitchen from the living area. There were a couple large white leather couches with black and silver tables laid out around the room for optimal viewing on the biggest TV/entertainment center that Jason had ever seen. He managed to keep his mouth from dropping open in awe today, but it was no less impressive seeing it for the second time. There was a huge bar and pool table at the other end of the room, as well as a professional style poker table.

Jason wandered over to the expansive glass patio doors and stared out over the back of the estate. The patio sprawled out to the in-ground pool, with several cushioned chairs and an outdoor barbeque pit and bar. Towards the back of the estate, he could see a stable, as well as a fenced in pasture holding a couple grazing horses. There appeared to be a dirt track that led out to the barn from the garage by the side of the house.

He had the fleeting desire to explore the grounds further. Heading out on a nice hike through the fragrant pines and cedars of the forest behind the estate was rather alluring. But he had a job to do right now, so he forced himself away from the tantalizing view.

Trent took a set of keys from the counter. "Here are your keys. The gold ones are to the house doors. The silver one is to Devyn's room."

Jason looked up sharply as he took the keys, remembering how Brad said the boy had to be locked into his room to keep him from sneaking out or attacking anyone.

"Just how bad is this kid?" Jason found himself asking.

Trent and Chris exchanged a strange look. Chris turned and grabbed some eggs from the fridge. Trent cleared his throat. "Look, we're basically the maids here. We clean and cook. We both owe Brad our lives in one way or another."

Jason frowned at the two men, noting that he hadn't answered his question.

"Brad like control, of his business, staff, the house, everything--which includes Devyn," Chris said. "He's always been that way, well, I guess you know that."

"Yeah," Jason nodded, unsure of the direction the conversation was going. "So?"

"So, we stay out of it," Trent said. "Brad and Sam, and now you, deal with Devyn, and we stay out of the way."

"Okay..." Jason said slowly, still not understanding why they seemed so evasive about the subject of the kid.

"Just take our advice: do your job. Run the kid where ever Brad says and keep him out of trouble," Chris stated. "Don't think, just do it."

"Honestly, Devyn will probably ignore you most of the time," Trent said. "He's pretty good at that now, except with Brad and Sam, whom he seems to irritate to no end, just because he can."

"I see," Jason said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Where is he anyway?"

"Still in his room, I would imagine; unless Brad let him out."

"If he did, he's still upstairs," Chris said. "I haven't seen him come down."

A fleeting worry crossed Jason's mind at the thought that his charge have may run off before he really even started. "Could he get out any other doors?"

"No," Trent stated, walking over to the patio door. He flipped the deadbolt and yanked open the door. A piercing alarm went off. He stepped over to the side, punching in a code on a keypad and the alarm stopped. "The doors and windows are on the alarm system. Come here, I'll tell you the code." Jason watched as Trent explained how to turn on and off the alarm system. "So if someone opens a door without punching in the code, the alarm goes off. Devyn can't get out without setting off the alarm."

"Got it," Jason stated, realizing the kid was basically a prisoner in his own home. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. The boy did seem rather hostile, and had already shown a violent side, so maybe it was for the kid's own good.

"You should probably go up and let him out. I'll make some breakfast," Chris said, turning to unlock a cabinet. Jason noticed that the knife block was stored away in it. Hmm, apparently, the kid couldn't be trusted around sharp objects.

"Yeah, I'll go do that," Jason muttered as he headed towards the stairs. "I'll just drop my bags off in my room and then check on Devyn."

The wide staircase opened up at the top into a comfortable lounge area. A huge TV was mounted on one wall across from a plush leather sectional with ottomans. The back wall was all glass windows and doors that opened onto a wide balcony that boasted a table and lounge chairs. He couldn't wait to sit out there in the evening and watch the sun set over the mountains. He noted that the door had a keyed deadbolt and the alarm keypad was half-hidden on the wall near the entertainment center.

He turned to the hallway to the right where his room and another guest room were situated. There were stairs at the end of the hall that led to the third floor where he knew there were more rooms--Brad had said that was where Chris, Trent, and someone named ... Luke or was it Lyle?... lived, but he couldn't remember exactly who that was with all the information running in his head from yesterday.

Jason opened the first door on the left to the comfortable looking guest room. He was pleased that he had his own bathroom, even if it was just a stall shower. The view through his window overlooked the back of the estate and the looming mountains. He had a moment's pang of jealousy of Brad owning such a beautiful place, but it passed quickly as he realized he was lucky to have just been afforded the opportunity to earn some money after Brad had saved him from bankruptcy and paid his father's nursing home expenses while he got back on his feet. With what Brad was paying him, he could easily save up money while searching for a long-term job that would keep him and his father comfortable. He'd been lucky that he hadn't had to sell his father's home yet either.

After dropping his bag on the floor next to the queen-size bed, he took a deep breath and headed back down the hall to the other side of the landing. Devyn's room was the first one on the left, with Sam the Hulk's room directly across from it. Brad's suite took up the end of the hallway, spanning from the front to the back of the house. Brad had briefly shown Jason the master suite last night on the quick tour, and Jason had been impressed with the expansive room with its own fireplace and huge bathroom with a massive whirlpool tub and shower that could hold at least four people. The walk-in closet was as big as his old bedroom at his father's place.

Stopping in front of the white door off to the side of the second floor lounge area, Jason stared for a minute at the keyed deadbolt on the door. Digging the keys from his pocket, he slipped the silver one into the lock and clicked it open. He knocked and waited for an answer. When he didn't hear anything, he panicked for a moment, before he realized that the kid couldn't answer him. He waited for another few seconds, wondering if the kid would come open the door now that it was unlocked, but nothing happened.

He finally turned the knob, slowly swinging the door open.

"Hey, kid," Jason called as his eyes swept the room.

The room was bigger than his guest room, but he had expected that being that the kid lived here. There was what appeared to be a large bathroom to the right and a walk in closet to the left. A large king size bed dominated the room with a mound of black and white pillows and a thick black comforter. There was a stark black desk and chest of drawers and a huge black bean-bag looking chair in the corner. The whole room was rather stark with the glaring black and white contrasts. It didn't look much like a teenage boy's room, with the exception of the towel dropped in the middle of the floor.

For a second, he worried that the kid wasn't dressed yet, but his eyes finally found the slim figure perched in the window seat on the far side of the bed. The boy had a notepad perched on his knees and his hand paused with the pencil hovering over the paper as his icy blue eyes glared back.

"Hi, Devyn. I don't know if you remember me. I'm Jason Yates, your new bodyguard," he greeted, stepping across the plush white carpet towards the kid. The boy met his gaze with disdain, dropping his jean-clad legs from the window seat, snapping the notebook shut. "Chris has breakfast downstairs for you..."

Jason didn't know what he expected. Maybe he was hoping for a warmer reception than he'd received yesterday. That certainly would have made his job a lot easier anyway. Whatever he'd thought, he didn't expect the kid to throw his notebook and pencil on his desk with such anger and storm into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Well, fuck you too, Jason thought as he glared at the door. He noted there was no lock on the door, presumably so the kid couldn't lock himself away. Jason took one last look around the room. He noted the ornate grill on the windows that would prevent anyone from breaking in through the windows. Or out of them, Jason thought suspiciously. The door next to the bathroom had another keyed deadbolt on it, and Jason thought it looked like maybe it would lead into Brad's room next door. In that case, it made sense that Brad would install a deadbolt so that the kid couldn't get through to his room and harm him in the middle of the night.

Jason shrugged and made his way back to the lounge area. He settled onto the soft leather sectional, propping his feet up on the matching ottoman. He grabbed up the remote and settled in, flipping through the massive number of channel choices.

He resolved to just leave the kid alone whenever he didn't have to drag his ass out to his tutors. He didn't have to like the kid, and it was obvious that the kid wasn't going to make this easy.

He'd be damned if he'd let some brat of a kid get the better of him.