Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) (9 page)

Elias glanced at the clock, 5:00 a.m. It was way too early to be up but he knew that sleep was pointless. Jayden had arrived home around 1:00 a.m. and they had talked until after 2:00 a.m. Bless Liam’s heart, he had tried his best to relax him but Elias was beyond anything. Well, almost anything, Elias thought with a smile. He glanced at Liam lying beside him, marveling at how attractive he still was. The blankets were pulled low so that they were lying around his waist. His well-defined torso looked better than most men half his age. Liam stretched and then rolled onto his stomach, the blankets falling to his thighs. Elias grinned and pulled the blankets over him. It amazed him that, after all this time, the mere sight of Liam still aroused him and he knew that it would always be that way.

They had met close to thirty years ago. Liam was part of a group that had come to audit the books at the firm Elias worked for. He had felt an immediate attraction to him and Liam had wasted no time in letting him know he was interested as well. Elias couldn’t go there though. Not simply because he wasn’t ‘out’ yet but because he had so much to lose if he did. Elias smiled. His resistance to Liam was futile. The attraction he felt for him was far deeper than he had ever had with anyone else. There had been no turning back at that point.

At the time they had met, Elias had been the youngest partner at his firm and the only ethnic partner at that. Of course, when they hired him, they hired him on name alone, not realizing what they were getting. Elias’s father, William M. Bennett, was the son of a well-known cattle rancher while his mother was the daughter of the lead housekeeper at said ranch. Their affair was quite shocking, to say the least. Her pregnancy became a scandal and then, when Elias’s father insisted that his son carry his last name, all hell had broken loose. The Bennett family did not want their name tarnished by William’s illegitimate child. His father had been disowned and was later found dead, the victim of a freak cattle accident two years after Elias’ birth. His mother had been devastated and ostracized by the entire Bennett family.

Elias had little to no contact with his father’s family growing up. Of course, they were not interested in him either. Elias had thought of changing his last name at one point in his life, being that he hated all the Bennett’s and looked decisively like his mother with his dark skin and brown eyes. He also spoke Spanish fluently which had served him well in both Texas and Southern California. But Elias never did change his name as he had figured that after what his father had sacrificed for him and his mother that he owed him at least that. He was also aware that his name alone had opened many doors for him over the years.

Unlike his partner, Elias had dated women exclusively. He was considered a very attractive man and because of that he had women throwing themselves at him his entire life. However, he never felt fulfilled with a woman and had figured that was probably because he had not found the right one. He had always denied the side of him that whispered about men, a hint of attraction here and there that he would immediately push aside. He hadn’t known any gay men while he was a boy in Corpus Christi and the ones he had 'heard' of while he was in college had been ostracized and ridiculed. Once he started his career he began to have those stirrings within him on a more regular basis and found it harder and harder to deny that side of him. By the time he had met Liam it had gotten to the point where Elias had to envision men while making love to women as a way to stimulate arousal and release. But at that point in his life, being ‘out’ was the kiss of death for one’s career. There had been no openly gay attorneys in Texas that he knew of and, for the first time in his life, Elias did not want to be the first. The minute he had met Liam though, he knew his life was about to change.

Liam moved again and Elias glanced back at him. They had been through so much together, pain and sorrow, but also love and discovery. They had raised a beautiful son together, a son that brought them immense joy. It had not been an easy path for them, especially when it came to having Jayden. And of course, then there was… He stopped himself before he went there. He would not think of that. Needless to say, they had survived so much. But, in the end, he had found the other half of himself and he would never let that go.

As Liam rolled onto his back he had a strained expression on his face. Elias wondered what he was dreaming about as he gently moved a strand of hair out of his partner’s eyes and then slipped out of bed. He headed over to his computer. If he wasn’t going to sleep, he might as well work. He quickly started pulling up everything he could find on Andrew Harrison. A few hours later he heard Liam stir in the bed and shortly after that he felt a hand move across his bare shoulder as Liam headed into the bathroom. When he returned, he kneeled down next to Elias to see what he was looking at.

“Is that him?” Liam asked curiously.

“Yes.”

“He looks really young in this picture.”

“This is his mug shot when he was 22,” Elias said as he turned to face Liam.

Liam nodded and continued to look at the picture, noting the hallow cheeks and sunken eyes. He wondered if he had been on drugs at the time of this picture. Regardless, he was a good looking kid and Liam could only imagine what being in prison must have been like for him.

“It says he was in a lot of fights while in prison,” Elias remarked with a frown, knowing that would not bode well for his defense.

“I would imagine he would have had to, looking like that,” Liam said, watching as Elias looked over at him and arched his brow. “Oh, come on, El, look at him. He’s very handsome.”

Elias frowned as Liam smiled. He leaned up and kissed him softly. “Not as handsome as you, of course.”

“Good answer,” Elias said, swirling in his chair so that they were facing each other.

“Can you imagine what he had to do just to protect himself while he was in there? He probably had to fight just to prevent getting raped or worse. I...” Liam hesitated before looking into Elias’s dark eyes. “You’re going to help him, aren’t you?”

Elias closed his eyes and nodded, knowing there was no way he could not help Andrew. The two people he loved the most were rallying on his behalf. That was far too powerful to ignore. He wasn’t sure what he could do for him but he would do everything in his power to help him.

Four Hours Later …

Elias made his way to the local detention center. He was dressed in his professional attire, charcoal slacks and jacket, crisp white shirt and a maroon striped tie. His lightly graying hair was slicked back nicely and he walked with the urgency of an important man. As Elias stepped up to the desk he informed them that he was there to see his client, Mr. Andrew Harrison, and then grinned as they gave him that 'oh shit' look. Yes, Elias was fully aware of his reputation. He always took charge and had a commanding presence about him. He had been a part of many well-constructed 'dream teams' over the years because, aside from being an exceptional attorney, he could read people extremely well.

“Harrison, your attorney is here to see you,” the guard said, opening Andrew’s cell.

“My attorney?” Andrew questioned.

“Apparently,” the guard replied, cuffing Andrew and taking him down the hall to a separate room.

When Andrew entered he saw a nicely dressed Latino man sitting at a table. There was a briefcase on the table and the man was looking at some papers and tapping his pen on the notepad he had out. Elias’s phone buzzed and he frowned as he looked at the incoming text: 
is he okay?
 Elias shook his head at his son’s text and quickly typed back that they had just brought him in. Another buzz came moments later as the guard brought Andrew around to the front of the desk. 
Sorry, Dad, that was from Madison.

“Take his handcuffs off, please,” Elias stated, looking up from above his glasses, giving the guard a stern expression.

Elias set his phone down and turned it off. He watched as they uncuffed Andrew and he sat down in front of him, clearly confused. Andrew was staring at this stranger in front of him. He had never seen him before and wasn’t sure who had called an attorney on his behalf. Andrew knew this couldn’t be a public defender, not dressed the way he was, which confused Andrew even more. When the guard exited the room, Elias began talking.

“My name is Elias Bennett. I’m Jayden’s father and he has asked me to come and see if I can help you.”

Andrew let out a loud breath and was overwhelmed with emotions.

“Jay asked you to come?” Andrew replied, astonished.

Elias smiled. “Yes, but asked is putting it mildly,” Elias said with a chuckle before regaining his composure. “Do you mind if I record our talk? What you say is bound by attorney client privilege so no one else will hear it.”

“Umm, no, I don’t mind, sure,” Andrew replied, still in shock that he had an attorney and that he seemed to know what he was doing.

“So tell me what happened, Andrew,” Elias said as he tapped the button on the recorder.

Andrew took a deep breath and started from the beginning as Elias wrote furiously on his note pad. He always recorded interviews but also jotted important things down as well. It was a strategy he began a long time ago that always worked well for him and ensured that he did not miss anything significant. Elias knew that the slightest detail could send a man to prison or set him free. When Andrew was done speaking, Elias nodded at him as he took his glasses off, setting them on the table between them. He leaned back in his chair, watching Andrew, assessing him.

“My son doesn’t connect to people very easily. I don’t know if he’s told you why we moved here from Texas.”

Andrew shook his head and Elias nodded.

“Jayden trusts very few people but he trusts you without hesitation and that alone is enough for me. I want to help you. Are you open to that?” Elias asked, watching as a smile spread across Andrew’s face.

“Yes, I would like that. I...” Andrew was feeling overwhelmed at the moment; he was not accustomed to anyone looking out for him. He looked up at Mr. Bennett and he knew he wasn’t able to mask the emotions present on his face. “Thank you.”

Elias smiled. “Well, you’re welcome but generally people don’t thank me until after I get them out of jail,” he said, motioning around the room.

Andrew laughed. “If you can get me out then I will thank you again.”

Elias nodded. “Your history could be a problem for us but I can show just cause regarding Jimmy’s ongoing problems with you throughout the day and the fact that he did push Ms. Ellis. I will talk with her as well. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to get you out until we can get in front of the judge. I pulled up the docket for Monday and you are already on there for 9:00 a.m.”

Andrew couldn’t contain the smile spreading across his face or the hope that was filling his heart. This was beyond anything he thought possible. As Elias watched him, he knew, as Jayden and Liam did, that it was high time someone stood up for this young man. Everyone deserved a second chance, hell, sometimes they deserved a third and fourth.

“You will need a change of clothes. Do you mind if I stop at...” He flipped through his pad and tapped his pen against it, “Aaron and Olivia’s place to pick up something for you to wear.”

“I don’t mind but...” Andrew hesitated as he hadn’t talked to them yet.

“But what?”

“They don’t know I’m here. I didn’t call them. I should have but...” Andrew didn’t finish his thought; he was overwhelmed with guilt.

“Oh, I was under the impression that someone had contacted them but I will check on that.” Andrew gave him a strange look before Elias continued, “Is there anything you would like me to tell them or anyone else?”

Andrew looked down and sighed. “Can you tell my aunt that I’m really sorry that I disappointed her and can you thank Jay for me? He didn’t have to do what he did and...” Andrew was really having a hard time trying to control his emotions. “Can you ask Madison if she’ll forgive me?” he said looking up, his eyes moist with tears. “She shouldn’t have ever seen that. I...” Andrew looked down again, shaking his head.

Elias smiled and stood up, tapping his shoulder as he nodded at him. Yes, high time someone looked out for him.

“I’ll do that. Is there anything you need before Monday?”

Andrew shook his head. Elias gathered his things and motioned for the guard to come back in. As Andrew returned to his cell, he felt alive again. He glanced around the tiny space and, for the first time since the doors closed yesterday, he felt as if this was only temporary. He had hope.

Madison nervously tapped her fingers on her steering wheel as she looked over at the trailer house, which was completely dark. The porch light flickered, the only light to be seen on the entire street. After Jayden had told them that they should leave the lake, she had been frantic with worry and as she drove she felt that, even though she didn’t know them, she owed his aunt and uncle an explanation. She had texted Jayden and asked if he thought she could talk to Andrew’s aunt and uncle. A few moments later she had received a text saying that was fine.

It was after 1:00 a.m. and Madison was reluctant to actually knock on their door. She wasn’t sure how things worked out here and whether Andrew had been allowed to call them or not. She had been sitting in her car going over the events of the night and kicking herself for approaching Jimmy in the first place and for not just going to Andrew instead. She had felt a need to say something to Jimmy though, to call him out on his behavior. When he had pushed her, Madison wasn’t afraid at all. She firmly believed that she could have protected herself against him. Andrew didn’t need to jump in but when he did, she had felt a surge of energy within her. He had been defending her and that had left her conflicted. She was turned on and scared and frustrated and happy all at the same time. Madison glanced once more at the house and turned the car off before exiting the vehicle.

As she knocked on the door, she looked around and saw Andrew’s bike exactly where he had parked it earlier. She was lost in thought as she could still see Andrew clearly in her head, winking as he passed her on his bike that afternoon.

“Can I help you?” A voice from the doorway said, drawing her attention away from the bike.

Madison turned to see a handsome man with sandy brown hair and sea blue eyes staring back at her. He was in a pair of pajama pants and a clean white t-shirt, his hair was messy and sticking up on one side and his face still bore the look of someone who had been sleeping peacefully. Soon a woman joined him wearing a long blue robe. She had light brown hair as well but with auburn highlights and deep brown eyes, her face had a look of compassion and concern.

“I know we haven’t met but my name is Madison Ellis. I’m...”

Before Madison could get her full introduction out, the woman gasped and brought her hand to her mouth, moving passed the man at the door to look frantically around outside. She turned to Madison and there were tears already in her eyes as she imagined worse case scenarios.

“What happened to Andrew?” Olivia asked bringing her hand up to wipe her tears away.

Seeing his aunt’s response made Madison’s heart ache and she found herself crying as well.

“I’m so sorry. It’s my fault. I... I...” Madison stuttered.

Olivia immediately brought her arms around Madison and held her closely as Aaron opened the door, flicking on several lights as he started walking inside. Olivia led the distraught young woman to the couch and handed her a box of Kleenex. After a few minutes, Madison settled down and looked at the two of them.

“We were having a great time. It was amazing. He was amazing,” Madison said, smiling, hearing Andrew’s laughter in her head. She then became somber before continuing, “Do you know who Jimmy Bower is?”

Aaron huffed in anger and looked at his wife, who now had her eyes closed. Jimmy had caused a lot of unnecessary trouble for Andrew when he moved in with them. Aaron knew all too well that Jimmy was a trouble maker just as his father, James, had been. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in that family.

“We are aware of him,” Aaron said, trying to mask his anger.

Madison nodded. “He was starting trouble with Andrew the minute we arrived but he left us alone for most of the day. Andrew and I were at the bonfire and...” Madison didn’t want to tell them what they had been doing although she remembered it vividly. She sighed deeply before she continued, “He made some really derogatory comments to Andrew and when Andrew stepped away to calm down, I...” Madison looked down as guilt consumed her. “I approached Jimmy and slapped him. Jimmy pushed me and, well, Andrew...” she started breathing hard, as visuals of what transpired and the aftermath flashed across her mind.

“Andrew beat him up, didn’t he?” Olivia asked softly.

Madison nodded again. “When the sheriffs pulled up, Jimmy was already down but Andrew didn’t stop until he was pulled off. And...” She could feel her voice shake remembering his beautifully distraught face in the back of the sheriff’s car. “Jimmy pressed charges against him and they took Andrew to jail,” Madison said quickly, dropping her face into her hands. “I’m so sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Olivia said placing her hand on Madison’s heaving shoulders.

“Has he called you? Is he okay?” Madison asked, looking up at the woman before her.

Olivia shook her head. “I don't think he will call us,” she said with sadness in her voice.

Madison stared at her for a moment, wondering why Andrew wouldn’t call his aunt and uncle to let them know he was okay. It seemed odd to her. It was obvious that they cared about him.

“Well, Jay called his dad and said he would talk to Andrew tomorrow.”

“Really?” Aaron asked with wide eyes.

“Yes, is that bad?” Madison asked, looking concerned all of a sudden.

“No, not at all. Mr. Bennett is a good man. They went through a lot when they moved here, people can be cruel,” Aaron said,

Aaron got up and walked over to Olivia who didn’t seem to hear what was being said. He kneeled down next to her and took her hands in his. She brought her eyes to him and he could see the sorrow in her face. He cupped her face gently.

“Sweetheart, please. It’s going to be okay.”

Olivia nodded and hoped, for once, that things worked out the way they were supposed to for Andrew. She wasn’t sure how much more he was supposed to endure before he found happiness.

The following morning …

By the time Madison got home and fell asleep it was after three in the morning. She was only able to sleep for a little over five hours before she awoke, hearing her grandmother moving around in the house. Madison blinked her eyes several times and then slid out of bed to check on her Grans and make her breakfast. As Grandma Downing looked at her granddaughter moving about the kitchen, she could clearly see that she was distressed. Her eyes bore dark circles underneath them and her body slouched in defeat.

“Maddie, sweetheart, come sit with me for a minute.”

Madison swallowed, knowing that she needed to get her act together as she walked to the dining table and sat down.

“How was the lake? I didn’t hear you come in,” her grandmother said with a smile.

Madison drew her lip in her mouth and got a faraway look on her face. The lake had been wonderful until the end.

“Grans, do you know where Jayden Bennett lives?”

“Hmmm, that’s that boy who has two dads, isn’t it?”

Madison shrugged, she didn’t know anything about that but it didn’t matter to her.

“Is one of them an attorney?”

“I believe so. Yes, I am certain of it. Maddie, are you in trouble? Why do you need an attorney?” Grans looked nervous and scared.

Madison shook her head. “No, I’m not in trouble but someone I know is. Do you know where they live?” Madison asked again.

“I believe they live across town,” Grans said eyeing her granddaughter, wondering what was going on. She hated being kept in the dark.

Madison smiled and leaned over, giving her grandmother a kiss on the cheek before rising and finishing breakfast. Once her grandmother had been taken care of, she quickly took a shower and looked up Jayden’s address. She needed to know what was going on.

“Grans, I will be back in a few hours. Do you need anything while I’m gone?”

“No,” she said as she took her hand in hers. “When you come back you will tell me what is going on. Correct?” Gran stated firmly.

Madison frowned and then nodded. She made her way across town, to the nice home of the Bennett family. It was a large ranch style house with an impeccable yard in front. There were neighbors on either side, all with brilliant homes and perfectly manicured yards. She was clearly in the nice part of town. She again tapped her fingers nervously against the steering wheel as she looked over at the house and tried to ascertain if anyone was up. She could see Jayden’s truck in the driveway as well as another vehicle, a grey Nissan Maxima. She took a deep breath and got out of the car and walked over to the door. She hesitantly knocked.

“How can I help you?” A good looking man said at the door.

Madison blinked a few times at the handsome man in front of her. He had to be in his mid-fifties because he had some grey intermixed in his reddish brown hair. His eyes were a striking green that just drew you in. He was tall, around 6'0, with a body that was clearly in shape. He had no facial hair and looked well put together although his face was slightly flushed.

“Ummm, are you Mr. Bennett?” Madison stammered.

The man laughed. “Well, I’m one of them. I’m Liam but I think you might be looking for Elias. Are you Madison?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Madison’s eyes widen over the fact that he knew who she was. She nodded. He smiled and stepped aside, opening the door wider so that she could enter. As she stepped into the foyer she saw Jayden walk into the living room and stop, clearly surprised by her presence.

“I’m sorry for barging in, I just... I haven’t been able to sleep or anything. I looked up your address. I swear I am not normally this mental but...” Madison realized she wasn’t helping her cause so she became silent as Jayden and his father looked at one another.

“It’s alright, Madison. I wasn’t expecting to see you here so early.”

“It's early?” Madison looked at him confused. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m still on east coast time so it seems late to me,” she said with a shrug. “I could come back,” she suggested, feeling embarrassed that she had come to their home so early, although in her mind 9:00 a.m. didn’t feel early.

“No, it’s fine. El left not that long ago,” Liam inserted quickly.

Tried as he might, he wasn’t able to withdraw the smile creeping on his face or the heat that was rising up his neck as he thought about this morning. He took a deep breath and made his way into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee.

Jayden sat down and smiled at Madison, motioning towards the loveseat. “It’s going to be okay, Madison. My dad is really good at what he does.”

She nodded but was struggling to concentrate. She just needed to know that Andrew was okay. If she knew that then she could relax.

“I’m going to go change. I’ll be right back,” Jayden said as he got up and walked out of sight.

Madison sat there, nervously bouncing her leg. She saw Jayden’s phone sitting on the coffee table and knew that she should leave it be. She bent forward, resting her head on her knees and locking her hands behind her neck, but the phone was calling to her. Without thinking, she picked it up and found his dad’s number, sending him a quick text. She jumped when it buzzed back and glanced at it just as Jayden returned. Jayden stared at her incredulously and gave her a reprimanding look as he picked up the phone, typing quickly.

“OH GOD! I’m sorry. I... I can’t believe I just did that. I don’t know what’s come over me. I shouldn’t care so much but...” She closed her eyes, trying to imagine what it must be like for Andrew right now. “But I already do. I am so sorry, Jay,” she finished with a sigh.

“You need to trust my dad. If there is a way to get Andrew off, he will find it.”

Madison nodded but she wasn’t so sure. She took a peek around the house from where she was sitting. It was far prettier inside than the outside let on. She could see expensive art on the walls, a magnificent stone fireplace with little crystal vases atop the mantel. Upon further inspection, the furniture she was sitting on was real leather, not that fake stuff that’s really popular. There were several travel magazines strewn along the coffee table along with a glass bowl with candies in it. She wanted to look in the kitchen but she had already embarrassed herself enough for today so decided to stay put.

An hour and a half later, Elias was walking through the door. When Madison turned to him she shook her head. 
What the hell is in the water in this freaking town?
 He was a strikingly handsome man close to Andrew’s height. He had olive colored skin and lightly graying hair, most noticeable around his ears. His body was long and lean and his suit appeared to be custom made to fit him perfectly. He glanced at her and Madison felt as if she were being assessed in some way.

“You must be Madison,” he said smoothly.

She nodded as he walked over to her and shook her hand. He then turned and smiled at Jayden. Jayden was used to women openly gawking at his fathers. He learned early on that pretty much the entire female population considered them both to be very attractive. He used to find this embarrassing, wanting to shout at them that they were gay and had no interest in them but he never did. That seemed pointless. He glanced at Madison who was watching as Elias removed his jacket, laying it on the arm of the chair. He loosened and removed his tie, laying it on top of his jacket before he leaned back on the couch. He turned to Jayden and began unbuttoning the first couple of buttons on his dress shirt.