"Kiernan, what are you doing?" Jack spoke sternly. He had just walked into his living room and caught Kiernan, the kid from next door, rifling through his camera bag,
Kiernan looked up at him. "Nothing Mr. Jones... I was just looking at that camera equipment you showed me a couple times. Just wanted to see it."
Jack looked him over and did not know what to think. Actually, he did know what to think, he just did not want to believe it. Kiernan was clearly attempting to steal some of his camera equipment. Probably just a lens to hock, maybe even the camera itself. He would know that Jack did not use his camera equipment much anymore. Who did with the advanced cameras on phones these days?
Just because he didn't use them anymore did not mean they weren't worth anything. Jack had told Kiernan that only recently when he told him he was thinking about selling this old equipment. He had showed him how the camera was worth a couple thousand even though it was an old medium format film camera. the lenses could still catch a pretty good buck too.
What the fuck.
It was not surprising though. Kiernan had always been a troublemaker. Ever since his family moved in 10 years ago. Even then when the kid was only 9, he was a handful -- setting small fires around the yard, climbing in his trees, even stealing soda from his garage.
It was one thing after another with him. Jack was barely able to claim his authority as an adult with the kid. If he told him to stop -- if he caught him -- he would stop.
Kiernan's family was a mess. His parents had come over from Ireland years ago. The father drank and he could get mean.
One time Jack complained to Kiernan's father about mischief he had gotten into. After he heard his father screaming and smacking Kiernan around that night he never complained again. The kid was a brat, but no one deserved treatment like that. Jack had his own experience with a father who could get out of hand with discipline.
So ever since then all he could do was catch the kid and confront him -- sometimes he would threaten to tell his father but mostly he would just try to lean into his own authority as the adult. It had created a tense relationship between the two of them, but it was one of boundaries -- some respect and neighborly friendship, but definite boundaries.
Jack doubted Kiernan's father messed much with him these days. He was only 19 but he was a big kid and lean and strong. He towered over his father who was also all the weaker from years of drinking. There was not much his father could do to threaten him now.
"We both know what you were doing Kiernan. You were stealing my camera equipment. You broke into my house and were stealing from me. I would like to say I'm surprised but I'm not."
Kiernan looked at Jack and did not speak. He did not look concerned; he did not look scared. He was just looking Jack over. Looking at him in the eyes.
Jack looked back at him. Damn this kid had grown up to be good looking. He had dark hair and brown eyes. He had a patchy scruff on his face like he was trying to grow a beard.
He looked good. He was hot. His face was heart-breaker attractive, and his arms rippled with lean muscle. So did his legs which were covered in dark coarse hair. He was wearing shorts and a t shirt and he just looked sexy.
Jack wasn't so bad himself. He was in his forties but a runner and worked out regularly at the gym. He was lean and muscular also. He had always been taller than Kiernan, but he had lost that competition recently, even though it was by less than an inch.
Jack broke away his gaze and looked off into the distance.
"Fuck Kiernan. What am I supposed to do now? This is not a minor thing here. This camera equipment is worth thousands. You have broken and entered -- this is a felony. Fuck."
He looked back at Kiernan. The kid still looked calm. More than calm he was smiling a bit -- at least his eyes seemed to be smiling.
"I don't know Mr. Jones. What can you do?" Kiernan kept looking in Jack's eyes as he stood up. It took energy on Jack's part not to lower his gaze to the kid's body as he rose.
The kid was hot. He had noticed that recently when he saw him cutting the lawn next door. Damn he was hot.
Kiernan kept his gaze, almost as if he knew that Jack wanted to see more of him.
"I mean, you always seem to know what to do -- like you are in charge -- like you have always been in charge."
Kiernan lowered his hand by his own crotch and put his thumb in his pocket with the rest of his fingers resting on his crotch.
"I don't think you are in charge this time though. Are you, Jack?"
