JOYBOY (Now on Webnovel and Meganovel)

Chapter 76: A United Front

Chapter 76: A United Front

Ken's Office, Kennison Unlimited Towers, Financial District, Baltiney, New York...

     The moment Ken Ryker finally entered his office after being gone for so long, Dean let out a sigh of relief. He had wondered what the older man had gotten up to and since his interrogation from Malcolm Reeves, he'd been pondering what had been happening with his lover ever since. Ken had a sort of blank expression filed across his darkly handsome face but had not said a word as he approached Dean who seemed to have been out of sorts. The contract issue had taken much longer than he had expected and as a result, it wasn't long before it was time for them to head toward The Kennison Estate for the upcoming dinner. In hindsight, Ken had supposed his father had done this on purpose, a means of ensuring that he showed up at all given the issues with his mother and the rest of the family.

Dean seemed to have been concerned as his blue eyes shifted toward Ken who had been more than annoyed that he was well aware of the issues he'd been having when it came to his family and mental health. Ken sighed as he approached Dean unsure of what Malcolm had elected to spew in his young ears, he had no doubt he'd attempt to recruit him so to speak to be sure, he'd even counted on it since that made it much easier to explain why he'd been so close to him in the coming days and with Malcolm's backing, no one else in the family would bat an eye at their constant closeness if they thought he'd been Malc's boy keeping an eye on him.

"Let's go," Ken said evenly.

Dean nodded and followed Ken out of his office and down to the elevator. The lad barely said a word as he continued to ponder not only what lay ahead at the Kennison dinner but what he'd do with the new information about his lover Ken and the implications of his mental health and the loss of his previous family.

Dean had never known what it was like to have a family before, nor could he comprehend what a loss of one would do to him if it happened. Ken was a very resilient man all things considered but the implication that Ryker Kennison had been more so inclined to hurt himself in the wake of the loss had been earth-shattering.

There had still been no words as Ken and Dean ventured out of the main lobby and down to the parking lot where they hopped into his sports car and pulled out of the parking area of the Kennison Towers. Dean simply sat quietly staring out the window, unsure what to make of his current predicament with Ken and the news Malcolm had given him about his past. 

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Open Highway, Financial District, Baltiney, New York...

There had still been a good deal of silence between Ken and Dean as they settled into the car ride. Many a building and tree passed by as traffic moved and the lingering elephant in the car had been nearly impossible to ignore. Ken suddenly turned his attention to Dean once they had pulled up to a stop light.

"You know, we could use some music during this ride, why don't you pick something," he said.

Dean had been a bit shocked that Ken wanted him to choose the music for the car ride. He had been so shocked that he declined the offer. Ken shook his head and adjusted the radio on his own and the next song seemed to be of interest to him for only a few moments before he turned down the radio and turned his attention back to the road.

"What did he tell you about me?" asked Ken finally breaking the silence between them once more.

Dean sighed as the dread he felt since leaving the office came back to the surface.

"He told me you were married and that your wife and children died in a plane crash." said the blond lad cautiously. "And that your car accident wasn't an accident."

There was something akin to rage that flickered behind Ken's eyes as he swiftly pulled the sports car over to the side of the road then turned off the engine, just before he unbuckled his seat belt, and climbed out of the car.

Dean did not know what to do as he watched Ken cautious as to what to say next when the man came around to his side of the car. They had been far enough away from the road so there had not been any danger of him being hit but it still unnerved the lad nonetheless.

"Dean...he's just trying to scare you away and I'm in no mood to let him," said Ken meeting Dean's concerned gaze. "He's not going to be the first to try something tonight and I need you on your guard, all we have to do is get through this fucking dinner and we can get back to what we do best."

Dean sighed as he reached out for Ken and touched his face. He could see how truly exhausted he'd been and the issues with the medication dulling his senses despite his outright annoyance.

"Okay," he said softly. "We just have to get through tonight."

"Then we can go home," said Ken finally calming himself as he leaned into Dean's touch.

"You look exhausted," said Dean observing his lover with a keen eye.

"Perks of dealing with family," replied Ken before kissing the lad's hand and getting back to his feet after kneeling for the brief interaction. "My family anyway....at this point I'd even settle for a nice quiet night and watching that stupid movie of yours."

Dean smiled some and Ken composed himself before venturing back to the driver's side of the car. The lad still had questions about what Malcolm told him but decided against prying further given all the stress Ken had been under with the upcoming dinner.

Ken started up the engine after putting back on his seatbelt and pulled back onto the road. He seemed a bit more settled with their minor talk and focused on getting through this dinner as quickly as possible.

Seeing how much this was taking a toll on Ken, Dean decided he'd be on guard for the both of them when it came to the dinner. He had agreed to come after all to keep an eye on Ken and protect him from his mother's nefarious plot to have him locked up and he'd been determined to do so, of course, he elected to hold Ken to the statement about watching his favorite movie once they got home.