The darkness gradually was losing ground as the dawn began to break. As if rising from the waters of the ocean, the sun-disk slowly appeared, and the first sunbeams illuminated the earth. The dawn, like an artist's brush, painted the tops of trees and roofs of buildings in scarlet colors. As the dawn appeared, the breeze grew quiet, and the coolness of the night began to fade, giving way to the heat that had been lasting for a week. It hadn't rained in a long time, and it wasn't expected to rain.

The city greeted the dawn in complete silence. A Chevrolet Tahoe car standing on the bank of the river, with the sunrise quietly appeared out of the darkness that had surrounded it earlier.

The young man had lowered the driver's seat and was half-lying down to watch the dawn beauty of the sky over the river. He held a half-empty bottle of whiskey in one hand and an unfinished cigarette in the other.

As he rolled down the driver's door window, he was about to throw away the cigarette butt when he saw a familiar figure in front of him.

"Thank God you're all right!" the man said excitedly.

Hunter O'Raily was only twenty-one. Despite his rather young age, he had proven himself to be a competent guard.

A young man with sky-blue eyes opened the car door. His pale face was covered with a light pink tinge from the rising sun, creating a blush effect on his cheeks.

"Why are you here, Hunter?" he stared at the tall brunet with an inebriated look.

"Hale, you know it's not safe for you to be driving alone in the city right now, especially in places this deserted," Hunter said politely, not wanting to make him angry.

Seventeen-year-old Hale McCain, the only grandson of the governor of Massachusetts, was a modest, obedient son who never demanded much attention from his extremely busy parents, and only in Hunter's presence did he display his wild, rebellious temper.

His behavior had changed considerably as of late. He began smoking, drinking, and running away from home. Only Hunter, who had saved him from being harassed during a recent kidnapping, knew what caused it.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Hale was outraged.

At that moment, another guy, AJ, a little taller than Hunter with short-cut hair the color of golden straw, appeared from behind the man standing there.

"And you're here?!" Hale said aggressively.

"Good morning," he smiled sweetly.

"What the hell brings you two here?" Hale said irritably.

"Your grandfather is worried, and he's about to sound the alarm. We asked for an hour to find you and bring you home," AJ began to explain.

"We're going to have to get you home," Hunter continued. "Move, I'll take the driver's seat."

Hale looked at the young men in the black suits with a drunken frown, but moved into the passenger seat.

As soon as the car took off, Hale pounded his fist on the armrest a few times. It was obvious he was on edge from his drinking.

"What now? Are they trying to kidnap me again?" the young man asked, breaking the silence.

"It's all right. It's more of a warning," Hunter said without getting into details.

"Is that why you brought in someone from the intelligence services to locate me, knowing that it would cause a scandal before the election?" Hale stared incredulously at his driver.

"Okay, the informants reported an impending assassination attempt. But if anything, I didn't tell you anything," Hunter admitted.

"It never ends, I guess. I hope we lose the damn election this time!" Hale started to get angry.

"Don't say that, because it's your future. Someday you'll take this place," Hunter said calmly, and then the cabin was silent again.

All the way home Hale was drinking whiskey. When the car stopped in front of the huge Victorian mansion with its several towers and bay windows, the young man, quite tipsy, refused to leave the cabin.

He threw his head back, closed his eyes and whispered softly:

"I'm not going in there. I don't want to spend another day alone."

"You're not alone. We're always here for you," AJ tried to talk him down, opening the door.

"Shut the door, A.J. You know what I'm talking about!" Hale rudely interrupted him.

While the two guys were standing at the open car door trying to persuade the heir to enter the house in vain, another car with tinted windows came into the front yard. A man in his forties, dressed expensively and in good taste, stepped out of it and went straight to his son.

"Hale, you scared us all! What are you doing again?!" the man spoke, leaning one hand on the door and peering inside.

Hale pretended not to see or hear his father, showing feigned indifference to his question.

"Answer him," Hunter said almost silently, with only his lips, not wanting to hear the owners' quarrels later.

He realized that if John, Hale's father, became angry, he would be lectured for a long time, but Hunter had no desire to listen to him.

The guard was extremely uncomfortable when Hale was scolded. He was always eager to defend the young man from everyone, sometimes even from his own family, and sometimes he crossed the line of permissibility. But Hunter was forgiven because they knew Hale was safe under his watch.

"Get out of the car and get in the house!" his father said in a commanding tone.

Hale bit his lower lip resentfully and looked at his father with a frown. But he was still staring sullenly. Realizing it was better not to argue with him now, Hale barely got out and headed for the house, staggering from side to side. The alcohol had done its work.

"What's now?" John asked the guards.

"Sir, I don't know what upset him so much last night," AJ answered.

He tried to keep his distance with Hale as much as possible, knowing his hobbies.

"He broke up with Annie, so he's upset. I think he needs time to calm down," Hunter followed Hale.

"Break up? Why?" John raised one eyebrow and looked at Hunter's back in confusion.

"He said Annie left him. That's the only thing I know," the bodyguard replied, turning around and pressing his lips together to show his displeasure as he continued walking toward the house.

Hunter did not like to engage in intimate conversations or conversations that did not concern his direct duties with his employer. He felt that he was more than enough to handle them.

"He's needed in the governor's office today. Help him get cleaned up, I'll expect him here in half an hour," John continued.

"Yes, sir," AJ immediately followed his partner.

As he walked up to Hale's room, Hunter tried to relax and organize his thoughts. He'd been irritable lately, though he had not been known for being cool and calm before.

Now he was nervous, and realized that it would be difficult to persuade a drunken Hale, expecting him to be stubborn.

He knocked and entered the bedroom. The young man was already lying on the bed with the phone and poking his fingers into the receiver, trying to hit the keys.

"God, where did you get so drunk?" Hunter walked over and took the phone from his hands.

"I was drinking straight whiskey!" Hale looked up indignantly.

"Now you have to go to George's office in that condition," the bodyguard informed him.

Hale raised his head and stared aggressively at Hunter. The young man tried to jump up quickly and almost fell. Barely able to stand on his feet, he moved closer to the guard.

"I'm hungry and sleepy. I have no plans to visit the office."

"You've already set me up with your father, do you want to continue?" Hunter decided to play on the guy's feelings.

"I didn't, at least not intentionally," Hale lowered his eyes guiltily and took a step back.

Hunter looked at him questioningly, waiting for a positive answer. After a minute of hesitation, Hale didn't say anything, grabbed some clean clothes and headed for the bathroom to shower and get ready for his grandfather's campaign.

"Everyone will realize I'm drunk, and then they'll scold me for it," Hale complained as he came out of the bathroom.

"Two fingers in the mouth, and no one will notice anything. The key is to keep distance from everyone," Hunter said.

"I've tried. It didn't help much because I drank it on an empty stomach," he continued whining.

"I hope that next time you'll think twice before you get drunk."

"Don't act like a personal shrink, I'm already sick!" he shouted to his bodyguard.

"Calm down, Hale, I'm only trying to help you," Hunter came over and hugged the guy.

Hale silently laid his head on his shoulder. He breathed in his scent and closed his eyes. Hunter was the only person who managed to calm the young man, no matter how irritated he was.

"I'll go, but only because I don't want you to get in trouble," Hale agreed.

"It's not that bad after all," Hunter released Hale from his embrace and headed for the exit.

Hale, more or less recovered, got into his car without waiting for his father and his guards.

"We'll take my car," he ordered capriciously.

"You'll have to coordinate with Thomas," AJ looked toward the guard post.

"I don't have to. Otherwise, I won't go anywhere at all!" Hale said, raising his voice.

"Do as he says," Hunter interjected.

As the car pulled up to the gate, a young man in his thirties came out of the guard post. Hunter, who was sitting in the driver's seat, rolled down his window.

"Good afternoon, boss," he said.

"Why are you leaving without us?" the head of security asked puzzled.

"Hale doesn't want to go with you, so we're leaving in his car," Hunter reported.

"In that case, go ahead, we'll be following you soon too, be careful on the road," he warned them and pulled away, allowing the car to pull out of the area and headed back to the house with the report.