When the Night Falls: Mr. Gibson Edition

“This is an LGBTQ re-imagining of Book 1 of ‘When The Night Falls’ and is not canon in the ‘When The Night Falls’ universe. The Theodore in this book is not the same man from the main universe.”

“Jason, open up! Now!”

I groaned. I knew the voice of the person pounding on my door. The devil himself was here.

I gathered up my strength and opened the door of my apartment. Giving my landlord a tight smile, I plopped down on the beanbag chair, knowing he wasn’t going to leave anytime soon.

“You might as well have a seat. No need to act like a guest.”

He sat on the sofa facing me. “When are you going to pay me?”

So much for pleasantries.

“Alex, you already know about my situation. I lost my job, and money is tight. I don’t have a penny in my bank account,” I said, frowning.

Never in my life had I imagined I would see days like this.

I’d worked as a chef for great pay, but my asshole of a head manager had threatened to fire me if I didn’t sleep with him. Even if he was in the closet, nothing made it okay for him to treat people that way. I flinched, remembering his cruelty and how sorry I’d felt for his innocent wife—she didn’t have a clue.

Before he could fire me, I resigned, which had inflamed his male ego. Out of cruelty, he’d made sure that I didn’t get another job.

“You're already three months late. I don't care if you have a job or not, I just want my money. If you don't pay by the end of next month, you're out.”

Sighing, I nodded glumly. He stood up and stormed out of my apartment.

I groaned as I thought about the bills I needed to pay. I didn’t have enough money to pay them all.

My empty fridge urgently needed to be filled. I’d become addicted to those instant noodles, since they were the only thing I could afford. Why hadn’t I saved money all those months I was working?

There was nothing left to do but cry.

My phone started ringing somewhere in the mess of my apartment. I searched around and managed to locate it and answer before it stopped ringing.

“Hello, Mr. Gibson. My name is Iris White. The reason I’m contacting you is because we have a job, which I believe is something you may be in dire need of,” the lady on the other end said.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and checked the caller ID. It didn’t look like a spam call.

“Okay… What kind of job is it?” I asked her. I didn’t remember applying for any positions recently.

“Mr. Gibson, if you are free, can we meet? I’d prefer to explain the details in person.”

“Sure, I guess. Send me the location.”

As soon as I ended the call, I received a message from the mysterious lady. If I’d been in a better place, I would’ve forgotten about the call as soon as I ended it. I would never have gone to meet a random woman who’d called me out of the blue.

But I was in a desperate financial situation.

I washed my face and changed into a white button-down shirt that I tucked into my denim jeans. I ran a hand through my short red hair, and after putting on my comfortable sneakers, I walked out of my apartment.

Luckily, the address the mystery woman had given me wasn’t that far from where I lived, so I had enough gas in my car to get there and back.

When I reached the place, I opened the impressive-looking front door and entered a small waiting area. I messaged the lady—Iris—and took a seat.

What kind of mysterious organization was this? I’d never seen a company logo that looked like that.

Before long, a slender lady dressed in classy clothes walked toward me. I was impressed by the way she was dressed. She looked sophisticated compared to my jeans-and-sneakers casual look.

I stood up as she stretched out her hand, and we shook.

“I’m Iris. I’m glad that you came,” she said, glancing over my clothes. She nodded her head, seeming to approve.

“Well, I had to come, since I’m badly in need of a job.”

She laughed softly at that.

“I know everything about you, Mr. Gibson. The reason I chose you for this job is because of your previous work.”

She sat and crossed her legs, sitting up straight as she spoke to me.

Something about this lady intrigued me.

“First of all, what kind of job is this?” I really wanted to know what I was getting myself into.

“Childcare.”

I looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.

“Sorry to say this, but I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else,” I said, starting to think it was time to leave.

She smiled at me softly, which was actually kind of sinister.

“You were a chef. You left the job because of your manager. Twenty-one years old, never married. Bills to pay and a negative bank balance. Did I get all that right?”

My mouth dropped open, and anger flared in me. How dare she investigate my personal matters?

“Look, Ms.… Iris, I may not have a job right now, and there may be bills to pay, but I will get the job I need,” I replied.

“I am not interested, or qualified, to babysit anyone,” I continued. “Oh, and by the way, it’s illegal to stalk someone,” I finished indignantly, standing up to go.

“One million dollars if you say yes.”

My mouth dropped open again, and I gave the lady a hard look.

“What? Are you kidding me? A million dollars for babysitting? Have you lost your mind, or are you trying to make a fool out of me?”

Iris raised an eyebrow and gave me a mysterious smirk, as if she was really enjoying this.

“Mr. Gibson, I’m not trying to make a fool of you. The ‘babysitting,’ as you called it, includes taking care of the baby’s diet and a few other things.”

“Like?”

“If you are ready to accept the job, I’ll tell you about the other things.”

I thought about it. I’d never seen a million dollars in my whole life. I wouldn’t have to work for asshole managers or put up with threatening landlords anymore if I had that kind of money. I could start my own business.

“Okay,” I agreed, and she pulled a file from her bag and placed it in front of me.

“This is the contract, which states that you will take care of the baby starting tomorrow, for at least one year.

“You need to move immediately to where the baby is. You must cut all ties and go without anyone knowing where you are. Your phone is not allowed. You will be provided with a new one.”

“But…can’t I stay in my own place? I can drive to the kid’s home every day.”

“No, Mr. Gibson. It’s a confidential matter so I can’t give you more details at this time, but we don’t want you to travel.”

I went through the contract and read the conditions.

“Okay. Where do I need to sign?” I signed the papers before standing up.

“Our driver will be at your place tomorrow morning to escort you to your new home. Pack everything you need tonight.”

I excused myself and drove home to start packing.

I didn’t really need to cut ties with anyone; there was nobody I was that close with. I’d had a few friends at work, but they’d faded away once I’d left. I’d dated, like, four guys, but those relationships had only lasted for a few weeks at most.

Half the guys my age that I knew were getting married, and the other half was fucking and sucking their way through the entire catalogue of Grindr. Here I’d never had a real boyfriend. I’d never even had sex.

I watched porn videos when I was in the mood, and I owned a few sex toys, but I’d always been too shy to use them, which sucked.

The lame kisses from a few lame boys on Tinder had been nothing compared to the kisses I’d read about in novels. I was a huge sucker for those erotic and BDSM novels.

I paused in my packing, and my eyes flicked down to the discarded magazine on the floor.

Theodore Jefferson’s chiseled face glared up at me. I couldn’t help but shiver.

I was going through my clothes and other belongings when I heard a loud knock at my door, which made me jump.

“I’ll have money soon! I just got a job!” I shouted.

When I got no response, I walked over to the door to tell Alex to go away.

When I wrenched it open, to my surprise, it wasn’t my landlord standing on my doorstep.

It was Iris. Two muscular men with sunglasses and black suits stood behind her, scowling.

“Hey, Iris…”

“I hope I’m not disturbing you, Mr. Gibson. I forgot to tell you a few other things. I thought I might inform you now, if you are free,” Iris said.

“No, no… I was just packing my bags. I’m free to speak.”

“Good. Be sure to bring everything that’s important to you. You won’t be coming back to this apartment.”

I pressed my lips together tightly as I listened to Iris.

“Hmm. So, Iris, I won’t be able to visit my apartment if I want to? I mean, I might want to come back here on my days off,” I said.

“I understand, Mr. Gibson, and I apologize, but you did sign the contract. I’m not free to elaborate at this time, but you won’t be able to return here. I hope you understand how important it is to bring anything you’ll want with you.”

“Hmm… Okay, Iris.”

I thought she was going to leave, along with her scary goons. But she didn’t.

“Oh, and Mr. Gibson, please don’t take anything other than your clothes, important documents, and personal belongings. Everything you need will be provided at the house. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

Feeling a little uneasy, I nodded.

I tried to close the door, but one of the muscles-for-days bodyguards held it open with his very strong-looking arm.

“What now?” I asked nervously, looking from him to Iris.

Iris smirked at me before she stepped over the threshold and into my apartment.

“I’m afraid there’s been a change of plan. You’re going to come with us. Now.”