Carver sat watchingthe boy for longer than he should have. He was lost as to what to do with the young man. There were too many variables for his brain to work through.
While he could bundle the boy up and take him to his office without seeing anyone, how could he prevent any of the women from stopping by? Their appearance would surely scare the boy again. He had no doubt of it after his reaction in the main room.
Fury left at one point, only to return with a full plate of breakfast food for Carver and a small bowl for the boy. “Figured he might want to eat after smelling yours,” he told the prez.
Carver dug into his meal with gusto. He hadn’t considered his own hunger in hours. Every ounce of his attention went to the boy and his needs. The urge to care for him overrode all the basic self-care principles.
The boy never asked for the food despite the delicious aroma. His soft snores alerted the two men to him falling asleep again, which actually helped Carver relax a bit. He left the bowl of food near the closet door, then motioned to Fury to exit the room.
Slash, Slayer, and Hex were waiting in the hall when they stepped out. Each nodded in greeting while they remained silent. Carver closed the door, then pointed to Hex.
“Stay here in case he wakes up. If he tries to leave or freaks out again, call me. Don’t hesitate.”
“Understood, Boss,” Hex replied with a stern expression. It was an odd look for him to wear. He was usually all charming and calm. Carver figured it was probably in response to what had to be his no-nonsense mood.
A lack of sleep, an inordinate amount of worry, and feeling a bit helpless had the normally headstrong president uneasy. What was Carver supposed to do next? How could he keep the boy and not make him another prisoner?
And most of all, why did he want to keep him?
“My office,” Carver instructed to the others.
The four of them — Slash, Slayer, Fury, and Carver — took off for the private meeting space. As they passed the others, nearly double what had been awake before, they studiously ignored them all. There was no time to talk or explain what was happening.
Trix was the only person Carver sought to acknowledge in the mix. Even then, he only nodded to the man, which was plenty enough signal to tell him to follow the group.
When they reached the office, Carver dropped behind his desk as the rest crowded into the space. It wasn’t a large room. With all the extra bodies, it felt even smaller.
“What’s up, Boss?” Trix asked first. It made sense he would be the most curious. His need to know all the details was what made his skill with technology so great. He never let a system beat him. If anything, he’d take it apart and put it back together again ten times better than the original.
Carver rubbed his jaw. “What all did you find out about the boy? Do we have a name yet?”
“I’ve been working on it all night. The records I could find based on the time period he was likely sold aren’t the best. Thereare a fuckton of missing kids reported each year. I’ve got my system working to age up their faces to see if we get a match.”
“That’s good,” Carver encouraged. “Once we know, I’ll feel better about what comes next.”
Slash cleared his throat. “And what might that be? You want to fill the rest of us in?”
“If I had answers, you’d already know them. I’m still figuring it out.”
“May I make a suggestion?” Slayer asked.
Carver could tell they were doing that fucking weird twin thing where they finished each other’s thoughts and sentences. He wanted to grumble at them like usual, however, he needed their help now more than ever.
“Lay it on me.”
Slayer nodded. “I think even if we find out who he is, it won’t matter. What he’s been through is horrendous. I doubt his family will be equipped to handle it. My vote would be to help the guy however we can. We’ve got the resources to help him acclimate. Royce probably has a contact with trauma therapy skills, right? Why don’t we connect them? Then when he’s more stable, we can set him up with a new identity and put him on his way.”
A growl tore from Carver’s throat at the suggestion. The three men had varying reactions, though all were shocked.
Slayer raised his hands as he took a step back. “Just a suggestion. Ignore me then.”
Carver shook his head and sighed. “I don’t know what the fuck that was.”
“I think you actually do though,” Slash said.
Trix jumped in, his analytical brain putting the pieces together as well. “You have an urge to protect and keep him. This is more than you wanting to save him though, isn’t it?”
“Like I said, I don’t know. My head is all mixed up. Part of me wants to bundle him up to keep him close and the other part wants to send him away, so he’s not subjected to my overbearing ways.”
