Sebastian had set fire to one of his gambling halls the night before, and most of Kurt’s employees had made it out fine before the fire brigade showed up, but six of his employees and a few of his customers died in the fire before it could be subdued. Such a senseless loss of life, and Kurt could guess the reason for it: Sebastian had to have found out where Blaine was. After a month of no scuffles between their factions, Sebastian suddenly decided to burn one of his establishments down only days after his boy toy went missing. It was too much of a coincidence to be anything but a form of retaliation.

And while Kurt would have loved nothing more than to take out a few of Sebastian’s people, he couldn’t blame anyone but himself for the event. He’d been the one who decided Blaine was worth keeping. He was solely responsible.

Snipping at the rose bush, he accidentally sheared off more than he intended and a large stem with several rosebuds on it fell to the wooden table.

“Damn it!” he cursed and leaned against the table, his teeth clenched and his head hunched down.

The door behind him opened, and Blaine entered the greenhouse, lifting his eyebrows. “Sorry, am I interrupting something?” He glanced down at the fallen rosebuds. “Jeez, poor roses. What’d they ever do to you?”

He’d tried for a joking tone, but as he moved closer to the table and stepped around where he could see Kurt’s face, he knew that it wasn’t time for jokes. He’d seen that same expression on Sebastian’s face enough times to know that he’d be better off just turning around and walking away before his window of escape closed.

“Ah, sorry,” he tried in a much more serious tone as he started easing back a step toward the door. “I’ll come back another time. Didn’t mean to disturb you.”

He turned his back to Kurt and grasped the doorknob, giving it a twist and practically yanking the door open in his haste to leave.

“You don’t have to go, Blaine,” Kurt called after him, resuming his clipping. He would plant cuttings of the stem he’d chopped off later. “I’m just a little frustrated with business, that’s all. I’d be baking in the kitchen, but the cook doesn’t allow me in there, so I garden instead. It helps me think.”

They had been on a first name basis, at Kurt’s insistence, ever since the second day of Blaine’s kidnapping. There was really no point in being so formal with each other when they would be in the same house for who knew how long. And, surprisingly enough, they had actually started developing a sort of rapport with one another since then. Kurt questioned his guest every day about Sebastian and his dealings, and Blaine always deflected or flat out refused to talk about it, but in between that they began to get to know each other. It was almost… nice.

So, Blaine leaving the greenhouse because Kurt couldn’t keep his emotions in check didn’t sit well with him. He had given him free rein of the house (as long as he didn’t try to escape) and he didn’t want Blaine to feel like he couldn’t be in the same room as him just because he was in a bad mood.

Blaine paused and glanced over his shoulder, frowning a little. Kurt gardened as a way to relieve his stress? Well, it seemed he could surprise Blaine every day.

He closed the greenhouse door and took a few cautious steps toward Kurt. “You garden because it helps you think. I never would’ve pictured a mobster gardening.”

He examined the roses Kurt was tending with a curious expression on his face. “I’ve never had much of a green thumb. My brother gave me a fern once, and I killed it in a week. Forgot to water it.” A soft snicker escaped him as he smiled. “Coop never bought me another one.”

Glancing at Kurt, he furrowed his brow. “What’s the matter? You didn’t look too happy when I walked in.”

The corner of Kurt’s mouth quirked up a little at the thought of Blaine not being able to keep a fern, of all things, alive. But it disappeared just as quickly when his thoughts were brought back to why he was in the greenhouse in the first place.

He set down the pruning shears and turned to face Blaine. “Last night, Smythe had one of my buildings burned. Some of my employees and customers didn’t make it out in time.”

Blaine’s face fell as he listened to Kurt. His stomach churned and he shook his head. “It’s my fault; he knows. He knows you’ve got me, and he’s-” He swallowed and licked his lips. “You’ve gotta let me go now. Sebastian’s not gonna stop until he’s got me back, and it’ll just get worse.”

Surprise rippled through him as he realized he was disappointed that he had to leave. He’d enjoyed the last few days, if he was honest with himself. Kurt was nice and, aside from the constant pressing about Sebastian’s dealings, Blaine had liked their conversations.

He couldn’t let anyone else die because of him, though. He took a deep breath and then headed toward the door. Surely, Kurt would do the sensible thing and let him go, right?

Kurt just shook his head. “No. If Smythe thinks he can intimidate me this way, he’s got another thing coming. He can come after me and my men, but he hurt my business and that, I won’t let slide.” He tossed the shears onto the table and let out a large huff of air. He was letting Sebastian get to him and that was one thing he never liked to do. With his hands on his hips, he started to pace.

“I’ll need to visit the families of the employees he killed, to pay my respects and see that they’re taken care of. And I’ll need to find a new building to bring in more revenue. This incident is going to cost me if I don’t get things rolling again. He’s not going to beat me – he’s not.”

Kurt was determined. He knew the longer he kept Blaine, the more Smythe would lash out against him. But he also knew Blaine was the only one from the inside that could give him what he needed to take that man down. He just needed to convince Blaine that that was what had to happen – for the good of everyone.

Blaine watched Kurt pace with a stunned expression on his face. “You’re going to visit the families personally? Aren’t you, uh, too busy for that sort of thing?”

He couldn’t imagine Sebastian doing something like that. Making sure the families were taken care of, perhaps, but actually visiting them and paying his respects? He licked his lips. “You are not what I expected a mobster to be, Kurt,” he muttered, shaking his head to try and quickly abandon that line of thinking. He couldn’t afford to see Kurt in any kind of good light. He had to escape at some point. Of course, Kurt really had been nothing but nice to him, unlike Sebastian.

“What exactly did you expect me to be like, Blaine?” Truth be told, Kurt felt a little insulted by Blaine’s comment. “I’m not a monster, you know; I do have compassion for the people who work for me. The same goes for their families. And the fact that all of this is my fault makes it only right to see the families of the deceased in person.”

He knew Blaine didn’t know him that well, but did he really think he was that cold and heartless? Just what had Smythe told Blaine about him?

Blaine flinched and flushed, dropping his gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry, I – I didn’t mean to offend you, Kurt. I’m still adjusting to the fact that all mobsters aren’t like Sebastian. He would’ve made sure his people’s families were taken care of, but he never would’ve gone to see them himself.”

He licked his lips. “I... I guess I expected you to be more like him. He isn’t nice, as I’m sure you’re aware.” He frowned and glanced down at his feet. “I don’t think he’s ever been considered nice, not even as a child.”

Kurt stopped pacing, feeling a little deflated and a little awful for snapping at his guest like that. “I’m sorry, I just–” He paused to think about what he was going to say. “I’m not like Smythe. Or, at least, I try not to be.”

Taking out his pocket watch from the slim pocket of his waistcoat, Kurt took in the time and glanced back up at Blaine. “I should go speak with the families.” As he was about to move past Blaine, he hesitated, getting an idea. “You’re welcome to come with me if you like.” Maybe seeing the pain Smythe caused firsthand would help his guest feel better about betraying the man.

The invitation surprised Blaine, and he lifted his eyebrows. Perhaps he should work on not being surprised by Kurt so often and just accept that he was never going to be able to predict what the other man would do. He sucked at the inside of his cheek for a moment, debating. It would be an excuse to get out of the house. He could already feel himself starting to go crazy from being cooped up inside the house all the time.

What could be the harm in going along? Then again...

“What if some of Sebastian’s people see us together?” he asked. “It could bring more trouble for your people.”

“I can handle whatever Smythe throws at me,” Kurt dismissed. “And my people know the risks of running with me; they’re prepared for whatever might go down.” Even though that didn’t stop Kurt from feeling terrible when his people got caught in the crossfire.

“So, what do you say? Would you care to go with me?”

Blaine had to think about it for less than half a second before he nodded, excited at the chance to get out of the house. “Yes, I’d love to. Thank you, Kurt.” He had to wonder why Kurt trusted him enough to bring him along. After all, what was to stop him from trying to escape? Surely the guards would be lax and the families would be so grief-stricken that they’d pay him no mind.

Then another troublesome thought came to him: everyone knew his face. The families would know that he was associated with Sebastian. What was to stop them from taking their anger and frustration at Sebastian out on him?

He gulped a little, some of the eagerness bleeding away. Then he took a deep breath and shook his head. No. Kurt wouldn’t let that happen.

He cleared his throat and motioned toward the door. “Shall we?”

With a nod, Kurt preceded Blaine back to the main foyer of the house. He made a quick stop to his study to gather up some cash to give the poorer families and then, with two of his bodyguards, they settled in the car and were on their way.