PBennett was bored out of his mind.
He sat slumped in the large leather chair in his office at the city's biggest newspaper headquarters. The room was spacious and high-ceilinged, with windows overlooking the busy streets. Around him, the place hummed with activity... typewriters clacking steadily, reporters talking in low voices, messengers running in and out with stacks of paper.
None of it held his attention today.
He kept one leg crossed over the other, a silk handkerchief held loosely under his nose as if the smells of ink and old paper might bother him. His thoughts wandered back to the night before, over and over.
The bachelor gathering and the dark room.
The way Noel had felt under his hands... warm, tense, reacting even when he tried to hide it.
Bennett's mouth curved into a slow smile. He flexed his fingers, remembering how Noel's small wrist had fit perfectly in his grip, how his breathing had changed when touched in certain places.
"Troublesome," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. The smile stayed.
A reporter across the desk cleared his throat.
Bennett didn't react.
The man tried again, louder. "Lord Ashford?"
Bennett blinked and looked up. "Yes?"
"I've been giving my report for ten minutes. You haven't been listening to me," the reporter said, sounding tired.
Bennett waved the handkerchief lightly. "Have you? My apologies. Please summarise the key points."
The reporter straightened his notes. "First, this photograph came in this morning. Another kidnapping... a young man from a good family."
He slid the picture across the desk.
Bennett picked it up and looked at it quickly. The photo showed a boy, maybe eighteen, with neat hair and wide, scared eyes.
"Unfortunate," Bennett said, setting it down. "I'll handle it personally and make sure it gets published tomorrow."
The reporter hesitated. "Twenty-six other stories are waiting for approval..."
Bennett stood up suddenly, grabbing his camera and slinging the strap around his neck.
"Give them to the assistant," he said cheerfully. "I'm stepping out."
"But sir..."
"Important business," Bennett replied, already heading for the door.
He walked through the city streets without a real plan and a camera in hand. He stopped whenever something caught his eye. It could be a couple laughing on a bench, a vendor shouting about fresh bread, or children chasing a ball. He took photos of storefronts, carriages passing by, and even a dog sleeping in the sun.
After the shots, he picked the best out of them at the end of the day, and it was always published as the story/picture of the day in one of his magazines.
As he kept walking, he eventually turned into narrower streets, away from the main crowds. He paused at one point, lowering the camera.
Through the viewfinder, he had spotted a familiar figure several streets away.
Rowan Graves... Noel's personal guard. He was moving fast, stopping people, asking questions, face tight with worry.
Bennett smiled slowly.
"Oh! Is this what I think it is? The little Hartwell has gone missing," he said quietly.
He could have followed Rowan, asked questions himself. Instead, he kept walking, taking more photos. Curiosity pulled at him, but he pushed it aside for now.
The streets grew quieter, buildings closer together. He ended up in a narrow alley without noticing how far he had gone.
"I didn't even realise I walked this far."
He stopped to review his shots on the camera, flipping through them.
Then a loud crash came from nearby.
A wooden door burst open just ahead of him. A man flew out, hitting the cobblestone ground hard. He groaned, holding his ribs.
Bennett stepped back against the wall.
People started running out of the building... women holding their skirts up, men pulling children by the hand, faces pale with fear.
Bennett lifted his camera and started taking pictures quickly.
Click. Click. Click.
He recognised one of the running figures... the boy from the kidnapping photograph.
As people passed, he heard them talking.
"That young noble... Is it possible that he can fight them all?"
"I'm sure he can. He took down half the room."
"But, he's still inside. Shouldn't we help him?"
"We're both weak. Let's just call the guards once we burst out of this alley."
Bennett's interest sharpened immediately when he heard them.
"Noel," he said under his breath.
He moved closer to the open door, staying in the shadows with his camera ready.
Inside the building, which was a rundown warehouse or hideout, several men lay on the floor. Some groaned and tried to move. Others stayed still.
At the far end, one last man stood... a huge figure, easily twice Noel's size, muscles bulging under a dirty shirt.
In front of him was Noel.
His hair was damp with sweat, sticking to his forehead. His shirt was torn at the shoulder and sleeve, hanging open in places. His chest rose and fell fast, sweat running down his neck. His fists were up, knuckles red and scraped.
He looked tired, legs shaking slightly, but his eyes were angry.
"How in the world are you still standing?" Noel asked, voice rough and tired.
The big man laughed. "Pretty boy like you? You're nothing but a soft noble. I'm super strong."
Noel wiped sweat from his eye with the back of his hand.
"Ha! If this is a strength, you're in trouble."
The man charged forward suddenly, grabbing Noel by the front of his shirt and lifting him off the ground.
Noel kicked hard, connecting with the man's stomach. The grip loosened for a second.
Noel twisted, bringing his elbow down on the man's arm. He dropped to the floor and punched upward, hitting the jaw.
The man roared and swung a fist.
Noel ducked, but not fast enough... the blow grazed his shoulder, sending him stumbling back against a crate.
Bennett stood shocked to the bone at what he was watching.
"Only if I had my video camera. This would have been cinematic."
Noel pushed off the crates immediately, lunging forward with a series of quick punches... face, chest, side.
The man blocked some, but others landed. He grabbed Noel again, this time around the waist, slamming him against the wall.
Noel's breath left him in a rush. He kneed the man in the thigh, then again higher.
The man grunted and loosened his hold.
Noel slipped free and kicked the knee hard. The man staggered.
Noel followed with more fast punches... using everything he had learned in his old life about fighting dirty and effectively for his acting.
The man swung wildly. Noel dodged, grabbed a broken chair leg from the floor, and swung it into the man's side.
The big man went down on one knee.
Noel stood over him, breathing hard, ready to hit again.
The man looked up, face red, and grabbed Noel's leg, pulling him down.
They hit the floor together. The man rolled on top, hands going for Noel's throat.
Noel blocked with his forearms, knees pushing up to keep space. He twisted hard, bucking his hips, throwing the man off balance. He rolled free, scrambled up, and kicked the man in the ribs once, twice.
The man caught his foot on the third kick and pulled.
Noel fell again.
The man climbed on top, pinning his arms.
Noel struggled, face red with effort.
"Ha! Gotcha! Let's see how you can run." He slid his hand down Noel's arm.
"Get off me you ugly piece of shit!" Noel yelled.
"Piece of what? Even if I don't kill you now, I might as well get a taste of..."
Before he could complete his words... a loud gunshot echoed through the building.
The big man froze. His eyes went wide. Blood spread across his shoulder.
He slumped sideways and fell off Noel, hitting the floor heavily. Noel lay there for a second, chest heaving, staring at the ceiling.
He heard a real gunshot. He heard fake ones during shooting but... He just panted.
Someone had shot the man. Obviously.
He pushed himself up, legs shaking badly now. Pain shot through his arms and back.
He looked around but there was no one in sight. The shooter was gone. He limped toward the broken door, every step hurting.
Outside, the alley was empty except for the man he had kicked out the door.
He turned toward the main square.
As soon as he stepped out into the open, he ran straight into someone.
"Oh! I'm sorry..."
Strong arms caught him immediately, pulling him close.
"Noel."
Rowan's rough voice penetrated his ear.
Noel lifted his head as he let out a weak laugh. "Rowan. Good timing."
Rowan held him tighter, one hand on the back of his head, the other around his waist.
"Don't do that again," Rowan said, voice low and shaken. "Don't vanish like that."
Noel paused. Rowan sounded different... worried in a way he hadn't before. He relaxed against Rowan's chest, breathing in the familiar smell of leather.
'This version of Rowan. Not bad,' he thought.
He stayed there for a moment, letting his heart slow down.
From a hidden spot across the alley, behind a stack of crates, Bennett lowered his camera. He had taken photos of the entire fight, the rescue and the half romantic scene in front of him.
His eyes stayed on the two figures in the square, sharp with new interest. Especially on the way Rowan held Noel.
Bennett grinned slowly.
"Noel Hartwell? Hugging a man?" He adjusted the camera strap around his neck as his grin grew wider. "This just got better," he murmured.