A Small Piece of Heaven

Heaven 08




Thanks to all of those rewieving my story.
A Small Piece of Heaven – Part 8
March AC194
The white town-car that had picked up Treize and Milliardo at the
airfield dropped them off at the entrance of the registration building at the brand new
equestrian center just outside of Vienna.
A cute little, redhead smiled at them from behind the counter in the
lobby.
"How can I help you, Sir."
"I made reservations," the ginger-blond man answered as he
handed her his registration number. "The name is Khushrenada, Treize
Khushrenada."
"Oh yes, your Excellency. I have your info right here. Just a
moment please." While the computer finalized the registration process she handed the
ex-colonel a couple of items.
"These are your show IDs. You will need them to get through the
security gates. Make sure you have them with you at all times. And here you have your
stable assignments and event calendar."
"Thank you." Treize replied. " And please let me know
when my horses get here."
She nodded. "Of course, your Excellency. We will call you as
soon as the transport has landed. – If there is anything I can do for you, please let
me know." And with a smile in Milliardo’s direction she added. "My name is
Katherine.&;
;
He answered with a polite smile of his own before he followed his
master to the Limousine. Treize, who always valued his privacy, had chosen to rent a small
house just across the center instead of a hotel suite. It was only a few minute ride.
***
 
Officer Carter had stopped his patrol-jeep near the stables to show
his rookie partner something when their Lieutenant pulled up across the street. The
dark-haired man climbed out of his own vehicle and walked over to the two security guards.
"Hansen and Schwartzberger have started their shift, so you
guys can go hit the shower," he told them.
"Good," McKenzie, the younger of the two officers
answered. "I can’t wait to get home. This has been one crazy day."
"Crazy?" Carter laughed. "You have seen nothing yet,
kid. Wait until tomorrow. It’s going to be a madhouse."
His partner shrugged. "I don’t get it anyway. The people
who are allowed back here to the stables have already been through a security check. So
why do we have to patrol this area? Isn’t that overkill?"
"Not if consider that some of the horses in those stables are
worth more than the three of us together make in a year," the Lieutenant replied. And
then directed at the older officer he added. " Hey Carter, somebody has has been
working here as long as you have probably knows many of the horse owners by name."
"Just those who come regularly."
"What about that guy over there, the one with the reddish-brown hair?" The
Lieutenant gestured toward the stables. "He looks somewhat familiar."
"That’s Treize Krenarenada."
"Colonel Treize Khushrenada?" McKenzie exclaimed. "I imagined him to
be a lot older. – My brother in law served under him during the war."
"Yep, that’s him," the older man confirmed. "He
is here for every show. I’ve heard he donated half a million credits to the war
orphan fund at last years fundraising event."
"Geez, must be nice to have that kind of change to spare. If I
had that much money I would buy a nice house and finally get married."
"Are you nuts?" Carter asked. "If I had that money I
would leave my wife and go on a long vacation somewhere in the pacific."
The two guards laughed, but the Lieutenant was barely listening. He
was much too intent on watching Treize and the longhaired blond slave next to him.
"Well," Carter finally said. "We will be heading back
to the station. Are you coming, Lieutenant?"
The other man shook his head. "Müller called in sick, I’m
doing a double shift. See you guys tomorrow morning."
As the two officers drove off he walked back to his own jeep and
climbed back behind the wheel.

***
Across the square, near the entrance to the stables Treize, with
Milliardo by his side, was talking to his stable master, unaware that they had been the
subjects of somebody else’s conversation. The three men had unloaded the horses and
moved them into their assigned stalls.
"Let Napoleon rest for today, but I think you should take him
out tomorrow and Thursday morning before the judges see him." Treize told the man.
Martin nodded in agreement. "Definitely a good idea. He is full
of energy. I had trouble getting him into onto the transport."
"What about Kings Blood?" Milliardo asked. "He was
limping slightly on his left hind leg when he got first off the shuttle, but he seemed to
walk it off."
"I’ll keep an eye on him." Martin answered.
The ex-colonel nodded. He knew the two studs were in able hands.
Like Evans, Martin had been working for the Khushrenada family since long before Treize
was born. He knew more about horses than anybody else did.
" If there is any sign of an injury we will pull him out of the
competition. I’ll check on him tomorrow evening and make my final decision."
As usual Treize had arrived early for the Royal International Horse
Show in Austria. The two extra days not only allowed the horses to recover from the stress
of traveling and get accustomed to their unfamiliar surroundings before the show started,
but it also gave the ex-colonel some well deserved leisure time. Although there were a few
social events he had to attend, all in all Treize intended to spend a lot of quality time
with Milliardo. He had managed to reserve tickets to the Vienna Opernhouse as well as the
Imperial Gala night, at the Spanish Riding School, where some of the world’s finest
Lippizaner Stallions were kept and trained.
***
From inside his patrol car the Lieutenant had watched the two men
leaving. He turned on his two-way radio.
"This is Lieutenant Phillips. I need some information on one of
the guest. The name is Treize Khushrenada."
"Just a moment, Lieutenant," a voice cam back over the
speaker. "Is there a problem?"
"There was a little mess up with the ID numbers." The
Lieutenant lied. "I just want to crosscheck them to make sure everything is okay,
that’s all."
 
***
 
When Treize came down the stairs, he found Milliardo curled up in
one of the velvet chairs in the living room, reading. The young man was so absorbed in his
book he didn’t even notice his master approaching him. The ginger-blond man smirked
as he embraced the blond from behind. The unexpected assault startled Milliardo, making
him drop his book.
"Don’t do that, Master. You almost gave me..."
His protest was cut short when his master claimed his mouth in a
searing kiss. The blond moaned softly as he parted his lips to allow the ex-colonel
access.
Treize smiled as he finally broke t kis kiss. "I’m sorry,
but I just couldn’t resist."
The blond looked at the older man, noticing that he was freshly shaved and dressed up.
"Are you going somewhere?"
The ex-colonel nodded.
"I have a business luncheon to attend."
Milliardo frowned. "A luncheon? It’s almost 3 o’clock
in the afternoon."
"Alright, so it is a late luncheon," Treize answered.
"I’ll be back in a few hours"
"What am I supposed to do while you are gone?" the blond
pouted.
"Keep reading your book, watch a vid. I really don’t care
as long as you don’t leave the house," his master replied. "I won’t be
that long. And tonight I’m going to take you out."
"Where are we going?"
"That, my fair-haired angel is a surprise."
"I love surprises." The blond slave smiled.
"I know you do." Treize claimed Milliardo’s mouth
once more for a final affectionate kiss. "Now behave while I’m gone."
"Don’t worry." Milliardo smirked. "I think
I’ll just call up the little redhead, you know the one that winked at me earlier in
the registration lobby. Maybe she can come over and keep me some company."
"Milliardo," The ex-colonel warned with a low growl. "Keep it up and
I’ll put you over my knee."
"Promise?" The blond asked with an innocent smile.
You really know which buttons to push, don’t you? Treize thought. Luckily at
that moment his Limousine pulled up, allowing him to make a tactical retreat.
Milliardo was still smiling when he picked up his book and curled up
in his chair again. The way his life had changed since Treize had bought him was so
unbelievable that sometimes he still wasn’t sure if it was only a dream.
***
Treize run his keycard through the lock and entered the relatively
small, two-story house.
"I’m back, Milliardo. – I’m sorry it took a
little longer than expected."
When he didn’t get an answer the ginger-blond man walked
quietly into the living room, almost expecting to find the blond asleep on the couch. But
instead he discovered a note on the table. Treize recognized Milliardo’s fluid
handwriting instantly.
 
I got bored. Went to the stable to see if Martin could use some
help.
Treize frowned.
 
Didn’t I make it clear I didn’t want you to leave the
house by yourself?
Making himself a mental note to have a little talk with Milliardo
about that, the ex-colonel went upstairs to shower and change. When he came back down
there was still no sign of the blond. Treize gazed at the clock once again. Now, was
starting to become really irritated. He picked up the phone and paged Martin. The
stable-master called back about twenty minutes later.
"I’m sorry for not returning your call earlier, Sir.
" The man apologized." Is there a problem?"
"Milliardo left me a message that he was going to the stables to see you, but
I’m not sure how long ago that exactly was. Have you talked to him?"
"No I haven’t, Sir," Martin replied. "I have
been in and out all afternoon because I had some other things to take care off. If we was
here we must have missed each other."
"Thank you," the ginger-blond man answered. "If you do see him, tell him to
get back here ASAP."
He picked up a magazine from the table, settled down in a chair and
waited.
But as time past and the blond didn’t show up Treize knew that
something wasn’t right. By 9 p.m. his agitation had given way to uttermost concern.
He had never known Milliardo to be unreliable. The young man knew that they had plans for
the evening and even if had gotten sidetracked somewhere and had lost track of time, by
now it was dark outside and he must have certainly realized how late it was.
The ex-colonel reached for the phone again, this time to call
security. The officer he talked to assured him thatwoulwould have his men conduct a search
and that Milliardo would be found.

***
When the phone rung about half an hour later the ex-colonel picked
up at once. The recognized the uniformed man on the vid screen from their earlier
conversation.
"Officer Larson, any news about Milliardo?"
The man nodded. "Yes, your Excellency, he has been found."
"That’s good work," Treize praised, feeling instantly
relieved. "Where did you find him?"
The officer’s face turned red in embarrassment as he admitted:
"He was here at the station."
The ex-colonel stared at the man in bewilderment. "Say that
again, please?"
"He was in holding here at the station," Larson repeated sheepishly. "He
must have been taken in custody earlier this evening."
Treize’s brows furrowed. "Taken into custody?" he
echoed. "Why wasn’t I informed about that immediately?"
"My shift started only minutes before your first call, Sir. Lieutenant Phillips who
was on duty before me neglected to file any of the required paperwork and I wasn’t
even aware that somebody had been detained." The man tried to defend himself.
At first the ex-colonel was speechless, then he was furious.
"This is unbelievable. A person is arrested and nobody knows about it? How is
something like this possible?"
" I’m sorry, Sir I have no explanation. But I agree with
you. This is unacceptable and I assure that a report is filed in this matter."
"I expect nothing less," Treize snapped. "What was he
detained for anyway?"
"Again I’m not positive without a official report, but when I run a computer
check I found that the ID he used to pass through security was reported stolen."
"I assume that has been cleared up by now and I can come and
pick him up?" the ginger-blond man asked.
"That won’t be necessary, Sir. One of my officers is
bringing him over to your house as we speak."
 
***
 
Milliardo was relieved and nervous at the same time as he climbed
out of the patrol car. Treize, who must have heard the vehicle coming up the driveway, was
waiting at the door. The blond swallowed convulsively, fighting down a nauseating feeling
of panic.
 
Treize had never hurt me before, he reminded himself. But then
again, he had never before disobeyed the man either and the angry scowl on his
master’s face was hard to miss.
When he was told to go inside the blond complied wordlessly. The
ex-colonel followed a few minutes later.
He walked into the room, giving Milliardo a stern look that made the
younger man cringe.
"I do remember telling you not to leave the house. Was
that too much to ask?"
"No, it wasn’t. I’m sorry, Master." The blond
lowered his eyes.
The ex-colonel turned, walking over to the window. He stared into
the dark for a few moments before he continued. "I had made plans for us to go to see
a play and have dinner at the Altwienerhof tonight. But I suppose it’s too late for
that now."
"I did not mean to ruin your evening. I’m sorry, Master" The tremble in
Milliardo’s voice didn’t escape the ginger-blond man.
Treize turned toward the younger man again, his expression
softening.
He looks like he is expecting a beating. My god, he is shaking.
"Are you okay, Milliardo?" he asked concerned.
"Just tired… I would like to take a shower and go to bed
if you don’t mind."
"Of course."
***
 
While the blond retreated into the bathroom, the ex-colonel picked
up the phone to order dinner from a nearby restaurant. By the time the meal was delivered
the last trace of his anger had all but dissipated.
Milliardo was still in the shower. Treize entered the bathroom with
a soft smile, barely able to see anything through the thick layer of steam.
"If you stay in there much longer you are going to start
growing gills and scales." He teased.
The younger man didn’t answer. Walking toward the shower,
Treize suddenly stopped as if he had hit an invisible wall.
"Milliardo?!" he exclaimed concerned.
The blond sat in the shallow shower basin, huddled against the wall
his long legs drawn close to his chest, arms wrapped around him, his head resting on his
knees. With two long strides the ginger-blond man was by him. He turned off the water and
went down on his knees next to the crumbled figure.
"Milliardo, what’s wrong? What happened?" he asked as
he took the younger man in a comforting embrace.
That was when Treize noticed the marks on Milliardo’s body.
Dark bruises and scratches covered the blonde’s chest and abdomen. Concern turned to
alarm in an instant.
"Who did this to you?"
Milliardo, shivering in his master’s embrace, didn’t
answer right away. And when he did his voice was so low Treize almost didn’t catch
it.
"Phillips," he whispered.
Phillips! The ex-colonel remembered Lieutenant Larson
mentioning that name, but it was only now that he made the connection. He remembered the
man from his visit to the S.A.U. office that ended with him purchasing Milliardo. Treize
felt his stomach twist painfully. He lifted the blonde’s chin gently, making the
younger man look at him.
"What…what did he do to you?" he asked quietly,
afraid that he knew the answer already, yet somehow hoping that he was wrong.

Author's Note:  Feedback is greatly appreciated,
constructive criticism is welcome :-)