Out of Nowhere (Balls and Brawn Bodyguard #4)

16. Chapter Sixteen Seo-jun

Chapter Sixteen: Seo-jun

“ W hat the fuck?”

When Seo-jun pulled through the gate, all the lights were on in the mansion, and, even through the closed car window, he could hear music playing from inside. “Why are the sprinklers on at this time of night?” he asked, looking out at the drenched lawn.

“Oh, crap!” Dex opened the passenger door and jumped out before Seo-jun had come to a full stop and ran for the house.

Every single light in the house is on , Seo-jun thought when he walked in a moment later, wincing at the blasting music assaulting his ears. Clamping his hands over them, he barely managed to side-step the Rumba as it whirred past. Movement to his left had him swinging that way to see Jase and Colt hurrying up the stairs from the lower floor.

“Turn off that music!” Seo-jun yelled, hands still covering his ears.

“Don’t you think I fucking would if I—“ Abruptly, the house went silent, the last couple of words Jase shouted echoing in the marble-floored foyer.

“Oh, thank God,” Colt said, rubbing his eyes. His blond hair stuck up everywhere and the pair of gym shorts and blue tank he wore were damp and wrinkled like he’d been through a rinse cycle and someone forgot to throw him into the dryer.

“What happened to you?” Seo-jun asked him.

“I was having a late work out in the gym when the sprinkler system in the ceiling suddenly came on. Fortunately, it was only in that room, or we’d have bigger problems.” He looked at his watch. “That was at least two hours ago.”

“The sprinklers were on outside when we pulled up,” Seo-jun said. “With all the lights on and the blaring music, it looked like you were having a party.”

Jase made a sour face. “Believe me, we weren’t.”

“I’m really sorry,” Dex came hurrying from down the hall. “I don’t know what set Gary off. He’s only supposed to activate to his name followed by a command.”

Gary, Dex’s virtual assistant.

“A brief storm came up and the electricity blinked on and off just before it happened,” Colt told Dex.

“I guess that’s what activated it.” Dex sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll have to work on that. Fortunately, not everything is connected to the same circuits, or we’d be standing here in the dark right now.”

“Where is everyone?” Seo-jun asked. Several of the team lived in the mansion, yet the house seemed empty except for the four of them. No way anyone could have slept through that music, even wearing earplugs.

“They took off after the first hour. Colt and I have been trying to turn off the virtual assistant.” Jase turned to Dex. “I’ve been calling you for the past two hours. Is your phone dead?”

Dex pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Shit. I turned off the volume in the bathroom when I heard someone in there and never turned it back on. I’m sorry.”

“We were worried maybe something happened, but Jase finally got ahold of the owner of Trend . He said you caught the vandal and left.“ Colt ran his hand down his damp, wrinkled shirt and winced. “I’m going to go shower and go to bed. See you guys in the morning.”

“Me, too,” Jase said tiredly. He patted Dex on the arm. “Don’t worry about all this tonight. It can be fixed later. Just make sure Gary doesn’t start blasting music again. Hawk’s playlist sucks. The neighbors had the police at our door and they only left when we proved we couldn’t get it to turn off.”

“I totally disabled the music; don’t worry,” Dex said, suppressing a yawn as Jase headed upstairs. “God, I’m tired,” he said to Seo-jun.

Seo-jun couldn’t resist touching him lightly on the shoulder as he said, “Have a good sleep. I’d better head home. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Dex smiled at him.

On the drive to his apartment building, Seo-jun catalogued the night’s events in his mind. The case had been unexpectedly yet satisfactorily wrapped up. He had danced with Dex. Seo-jun was waiting until he had more leisure time to remember those details, but it had been more than nice. He and Dex had shared a meal out together that Seo-jun had thoroughly enjoyed. Dex had been relaxed and happy when they’d left the restaurant, only to become harried and contrite when faced with the mayhem that had met them at the mansion.

Seo-jun shook his head. Working closely with Dex certainly made his days more interesting, and lately Seo-jun had felt something he hadn’t felt since his first couple of years living with Haru in San Francisco—alive. Over the years, his reserved nature, born from introversion and alienation, had gradually morphed into aloofness and detachment. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d had a real friend, and he knew it was because he held people at arm’s length. Easier not to get hurt that way. The group he’d hung out with in New York were just friends on the surface. They’d never talked about anything important, and their interactions mainly had to do with partying at clubs. His coworkers at Falcon Security were all great people, but Seo-jun didn’t let them close enough to become friends.

Until Dex. And even that had taken the better part of two years.

The night last summer when he and Dex had talked at the barbecue was the first time in years he’d had someone confide in him. Dex had been drunk, or else Seo-jun was sure he never would have spoken so openly to him, a near stranger; but the conversation had lingered in Seo-jun’s heart ever since. Seo-jun had been sitting on the sand while the others talked, ate, and drank, gazing out at the moon over the ocean. Dex suddenly plopped himself down next to him, legs outstretched. After a moment, his head had fallen onto Seo-jun’s shoulder, and Seo-jun had thought for a moment that Dex had passed out.

Then Dex had started talking.

He told Seo-jun how perfect his life had been when his father lived with him and his mother. Even so young, Dex remembered how very much he had loved him. And how, when his father left, everything had changed. Dex never really connected with his step-dad. The remainder of his childhood had been lonely.

Seo-jun could relate. After he and his mother had fled North Korea, life had never been the same for him either.

Dex had then told Seo-jun how confused he’d been over the years about his attraction to men. And how angry and upset his mother would be if she found out, and how she kept trying to push women on him. Seo-jun tried to stop Dex from saying more, afraid he would be angry at himself the next morning for having divulged too much, but Dex seemed determined to talk.

So, Seo-jun remained quiet after that, listening until Dex ran out of words and eventually fell asleep on Seo-jun’s shoulder. Colt walked over and offered to help Seo-jun get him to his room. The next morning, Dex didn’t seem to remember anything about their talk, which was probably for the best. But that night a connection had formed between Seo-jun and Dex that had been growing over time. And, tonight, Seo-jun had finally taken a step in the right direction.