CHAPTER 9: El Víamonte Residence

CHAPTER 9: El Víamonte Residence

"Did you agree because you pity me?" I said, smirking at him.

"Do I even have a choice to refuse you?"

"I wasn't really sure that the kiss would work. I thought Stan might be fooling around."

"Why did you try it even though you weren't sure? I could have killed you if not for your wish."

"Let's say I was betting on my luck."

"How stupid you are."

I glared at him. "This stupid managed to outsmart you, though."

I got him at that point. How dare he call me stupid when I even tricked him to do what I want. I smiled at his irritated face. Stan would surely love this expression of his brother. If only he wasn't that big of an asshole, I think we would get along well.

"Was it Stan who gave you the idea?"

"Yup," I nodded. "I asked him and he easily gave me what I wanted. I like that brother of yours."

The corners of his lips rose, his eyes were darker. "Really? He almost killed you and you're saying that you like him? Are you sure you're okay?"

"I think he wasn't trying to kill me. He just wanted to piss you off because for some reason, he knew you would come."

"Yeah. Stupid brat," he said but for that certain moment, I saw warmth in his emotionless eyes.

***

"Louie said he will take over the case once he gets back in two days."

"Good," I said, flipping over the pages of the clearbook with all the passenger's faces of the plane twenty-two years ago.

Steele said that if the group hid themselves somewhere, they must have taken the faces of some passengers. Or maybe they were registered on that flight. I prepared this just the year after I got into college because I knew it would be harder for me to compile it after a few more years.

"Good?" Kane echoed, not sure if he heard me right. "Did I hear you right, Amber?"

"Yup," I said, not leaving the papers I was busy with. "What's the matter? That case will rack our brains. It's good Louie is willing to take it."

"Wow. Is that you, Amber? As far as I remember, once you lay your hands on a case, it's always either you close it or resign."

"Well, there is always a first time for everything, right?" I chuckled and looked at him. His lips were parted.

"Where is my senior? Who are you?"

"Free to guess," I joked.

His palm flew to his mouth, shaking his head dramatically.

"What made you change overnight, huh?"

"Nothing. I'll go ahead. Work harder, Kane," I tapped his shoulder before going out.

It was already dark outside. However, I stopped on my track when I saw the person leaning on a blue sports car, playing with his car keys, and staring at me.

Stan waved with a lethal smile. One would think he is a close friend because of his pretentious acts. But of course I know better. This guy will not do anything that won't benefit him. Self-centered and apathetic like his brother. But unlike the serious Steele, he is a trouble-maker and playful.

"You want to give me a mindblowing drive again?" I asked when I went close.

He smirked. "No. This is a luxury car. It would be a waste if I'd let Steele smash it. I won't waste such precious things for him."

"Why are you here, then? Should I assume that you want to see me?"

"Sort of."

"Tell me what you want. I won't get inside your car ever again."

"No, don't worry. I'm not planning anything like that." He grinned.

"Okay."

"Shouldn't you thank me for helping you?"

My eyes narrowed. "Wait. Are you here just for that?"

"Of course not. Don't feel too important."

Wow. I wanted to smack him with something. So arrogant. No doubt he is Steele's brother. They are so different yet so similar at the same time.

"You are not important either, so if you don't mind I will excuse myself-"

"No, I will mind. You can't excuse yourself."

"Watch your manners. I am older than you."

"Older?" He laughed. "I am over five hundred years old. How can I be younger than a woman of twenty eight?"

Oh right. Steele doesn't age. He must be like that, too.

"You're an immortal wolf, you won't age once you reach maturity and can shift, am I correct? But you look younger than me and everyone else here must be thinking the same, so your reason doesn't count."

"You really sound like Anna," he said silently. "I don't know if my brother is lying or if it's really true."

"I'm not Anna. He said it to me himself. And I don't want to be her."

"Sure. But let's not talk about that. I'm here for something else."

I nodded for him to continue.

"You want to know the truth of your parents' death, right? Flight XX07 twenty-two years ago."

I gritted my teeth.

He smiled cockily.

What if...

He was the one behind it? What if like Steele, he thought I was Anna and to sabotage his brother's plans, he went to the extent of killing all those people including me and my family.

"What do you know?"

"El Víamonte Residence. Find where that place is. One of the group behind the plane's killing is living there. All I know is that it's somewhere down the woods."

"Why are you helping me?" I asked because, him, helping me for no reason is the most suspicious.

"I don't help anyone so don't make it sound that way. I only want to make trouble for that prick."

"What if this is a trap?"

There was a wicked glint in his eyes. "A trap is possible. But whether you believe it or not, you can get something there. It will be a little dangerous, though. So if I were you I'd be a lot more careful."

"Why do you know that person?"

He shrugged. "I just happened to know a lot of bad guys."

"What about the others?"

"Now that is something I can't answer. Who knows which part of the world they are hiding or if they migrated to another planet?"

I clicked my tongue. "Nice humor."

"Besides, it has been years. If they were not good at lying low, they might be dead by now. In our kind, bloodshed isn't new. There are a lot of possibilities in between those years. We have laws but the bureau is useless most of the time."

A silver car stopped next to Stan's. I saw it was Steele driving it when the window was rolled down.

"Why are you talking with him again? Get in," he demanded.

Stan grinned. "I will play with my brother some other time."

"Just hope the information you gave me won't get me killed, or else I'd rise from hell and hunt you down."

"That would be interesting to see," he said before sliding inside his car.

I went to Steele's. His brow was raising like he just saw something he didn't like.

"You really love danger, don't you?"

"It was Stan who went to me, not the other way around."

"But you still entertained him. Look, Detective. No one knows what is going on in his mind. He likes playing dirty games, so you can't trust him with anything."

"I am aware of his evil nature," I said calmly. "And I know he has ulterior motives for giving me such information."

"What is he up to this time?"

"El Víamonte Residence. He said one of the murderers in the plane is living there."

"It's a trap."

"Yeah, he said there could be a trap, and it would be dangerous, but he sounded sure that I can get something in that place. I think it won't hurt if we give it a try."

"Knowing Stan, there's no doubt it's true that someone from the group is living there. But here's the catch. He must have set up a trap, or something is up with that place. For the past decades, his job was to piss me off in every opportunity he had. And he won't help anyone just because he wants to."

My lips twitched. "You are brothers, indeed."

"Sad but true."

"So we'll go there and find out?"

He smirked. "You are the most fearless human I've ever met, you know that?"

"I guess it's because I've cheated death many times. And like I told you, I have nothing to lose."

"You're wrong at one point, though."

I looked at him.

"You got something to lose. What about your life?"

"Even if I lose it, for me it won't be a loss."

He won't understand it. No one will. For someone who was orphaned at a young age, my life seemed fine for others, full of success, colorful.

But that wasn't the case for me. In all of my school graduations, I was alone while everyone had their parents and families. In every achievement I've made, I have no one to celebrate with. In every heartache, I have to mask the pain with smiles to look less pitiful and hide to stifle my cries.

"My life is anything but colorful. It's dull. Dark."

I sighed and looked outside. There was silence for a moment.

Then he spoke.

"If you think your life is dull, should we light it up, then?"