KaidenWhen I woke up, the sunlight was already spilling across the living room floor. My neck ached from the weird angle my head had been resting on, and when I shifted slightly, I realized why, River was curled against me, both of us tangled on the couch, our legs overlapping. His arm was still loosely draped over my waist, and for a second, I just lay there, taking in the quiet moment.It was strange, waking up like this. Peaceful. Natural. My body didn’t feel tense for once, like it usually did when I woke up alone in the echo of my own thoughts. Instead, I felt…warm. Not from the blanket. From him.He had stayed with me all night. We talked and got to know each other. There was nothing sexual about it even though I had been tipsy. He had been the perfect gentleman and had broken the ice with me.As soon as I moved, River stirred. His eyes blinked open slowly, landing on me, and then a lazy smile pulled at his lips.“You drool in your sleep,” I said, voice hoarse with morning.“I
SageThe address Kaiden sent me didn’t look familiar. I even had to double-check it on the map before setting out. A quiet residential street with modest houses lined side by side, trimmed hedges, and the occasional child’s bicycle parked out front, it didn’t look like anywhere we’d ever hung out. Definitely not our usual vibe. Still, it was Kaiden. And for reasons I still didn’t fully understand, I trusted him.I mean I did call his enemies to beat him up but Kaiden wouldn’t do that to me.I pulled up to the curb and saw him leaning against a dull silver sedan, arms folded, eyes scanning the street like he was waiting for something more than just me.I wrinkled my nose in distaste as I stared at his car, what in the heavens was that? That wasn’t his usual car.“This is where you wanted to meet?” I asked, stepping out of my car and walking toward him. “Looks like we’re about to interrupt someone’s family dinner.”He nodded once, his gaze sharp. “Yeah. That’s the point.”I raised an e
KaidenSage kept quiet.I didn’t need him to say anything right now. I was still drummed up from the adrenaline coursing through my body. I figured out when she sent me away that she was hiding something.I felt something hit the back of my car.“What the fuck?” Sage yelled.I barely had time to register the first shot before the second cracked through the air.Another loud bang echoed, and this time it hit closer, metal screeched, glass shattered, and instinct took over."Down!" I shouted again, throwing my arm across Sage as bullets rained from behind. He ducked, his eyes wide and panicked, his breath ragged.The back windshield exploded into a hailstorm of glass shards, sparkling as they scattered across the seats and floor. I didn’t stop to think about shit, I shoved the gear into drive and slammed on the gas.The car jolted forward, tires screeching as another shot pierced the rearview mirror. We were being chased. Or hunted.I saw the glint of a barrel from a dark sedan parked o
Kaiden Dinner was quiet.Sage and I sat on opposite ends of the couch, plates balanced on our laps, the TV playing some crime documentary neither of us was really watching. I picked at the pasta I'd made, appetite long gone, but I ate anyway, because if I didn’t, Sage would worry, and I didn’t want to give him more reason to.He hadn’t said much since our talk earlier. About wanting both me and the professor.And I… I didn’t know what to say in return.Was it selfish to want clarity when he’d been nothing but honest? Or was I the coward for not knowing what I truly wanted?I pushed those thoughts aside when there was a knock at the door.I tensed.Sage looked up too, alert, his eyes darting toward the door as if bullets might fly through it next.I rose slowly, setting my plate down on the coffee table and walking toward the door without flipping the lock just yet.“Who is it?” I asked.“It’s Raines.”Detective.I exhaled in relief and opened the door.Raines stepped in, looking slig
Kaiden It was a huge mistake. A big one but still, I wanted to do it. The moment I stepped out into the night, the air felt heavier. Colder. But I couldn’t sit still any longer. I knew it was dangerous. Hell, everything I’d done lately screamed recklessness. But there was something clawing at the inside of my chest. some knowing that didn’t feel like paranoia anymore. It felt like purpose. The second the detective left for his house, I planed it. Ethan’s mother was in a coma. And that wasn’t a coincidence. That was a message. So I took the back alleys. Wore a hoodie pulled low over my head. No car, just my sneakers hitting pavement and wet leaves as I walked the six blocks to her place. I knew I had maybe fifteen minutes. Less, if someone was already watching. There is a high chance that after their hit, they were looking to finish the job. I crept around the side of the house, careful not to trigger the motion light that flickered near the trash cans. The window I’d seen in
SageI stood in the hallway of the hospital with my fingers clenched into fists in my pockets as I stared at the door to Kaiden’s room. The nurse had just told me where to find him. Room 48. I hesitated for a few seconds before finally reaching out to open the door.The first thing I saw was the professor.His arm was bandaged, blood still faintly spotting the edges of the gauze. He was standing near Kaiden’s bed, tense, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like he might snap it.Kaiden was lying in bed with an IV in his arm, looked pale, too pale for my liking and still somehow managed to be angry. He was frantic, his voice rising every second like he was desperate.“Call Raines. Call the detective, I need to speak to him, he should be here. Just call him, please!”The professor didn’t even look at me when I walked in. His undivided attention was entirely focused on Kaiden, his eyes burning dark with fury and something else…that looks like pain. What was he pained for? Was he mad
KaidenThe hospital discharged me just before noon the next day, but my body still felt like a patchwork of bruises, it felt heavy and sore from the trauma. I kept thinking of the river, of how close I’d come to dying, of how the professor must have felt seeing me drown. I don’t even know how he got shot but I was feeling really bad because of how I treated him. I didn’t expect anyone to be waiting outside. But when the nurse wheeled me through the double doors, I spotted them immediately and a smile flickered on my face.Sage stood by the car, arms crossed, trying to mask his worry. Detective Raines leaned against the hood, one ankle crossed over the other, his black coat dancing slightly in the wind. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes flicked straight to mine and softened.“Hey, sleeping beauty,” he greeted, stepping forward to open the door.I offered a dry smile. “You always flirt with your victims?”“Only the ones who survive attempted murder,” he said, giving me a wi
Kaiden He hesitated and I turned to look at him, pausing my steps. “I know this is probably a bad time but I remember we talked about going on a date. Let me take you out,” Is he for real? I literally just got back from the hospital and he wants me to go out with him? “I can’t go out on a date right now,” I told him as I eased back onto the couch, I winced from the soreness of my ribs. “Not until all of this is behind me.” He gave me a look that was a mix of disappointment and understanding. “I figured you’d say that. I had to try.” I offered him a faint smile. “I appreciate it, I do. It’s not about you, I just… I need to breathe. This whole thing is making me think I am too reckless. Raines leaned back in the chair across from me, elbows resting on his knees. “I get it. Trauma doesn’t go away because you wish it gone. But I want you to know, I’m not walking away. Michael’s going to answer for what he did, Kaiden.” “I remembered,” I said quietly. He looked up. I
KaidenWhen Martin dropped me in front of the professor’s house. I barely waited for him to drive off before I dug out my phone. My fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before I hit Bryan’s name.He was the only one who was making an attempt to help me right now. He answered on the second ring, his voice calm and clipped, like always.“Kaiden?”“Yeah, it’s me.” I moved to the far side of the room, away from the windows, and lowered my voice. “Something weird’s going on. I need to tell you about it.”“What kind of weird?” His tone sharpened immediately.I told him everything. The prepaid boutiques. The law firm. The condo being bought out. The way no one could or would tell me who was behind it. I could practically hear him frowning on the other end of the line.“You think it’s Sage?” he asked quietly.“No,” I said quickly, too quickly. “I don’t know. I mean—I don’t want to think that. And it’s not the professor either. I know that much. They would tell me if they are trying
KaidenI stared at the silver-trimmed envelope resting on the counter between the professor and me like it was some kind of explosive. The award ceremony. My name was on the guest list, of course. It had to be. I was the damn honoree.“I have my own invite, thanks to my connections,” the professor said casually, leaning against the kitchen counter. He swirled his coffee slowly, watching the dark liquid spiral. “But I think Sage should go with you.”Sage, sitting cross-legged on the couch and peeling a tangerine, looked up with a sheepish smile. “Would that be okay with you?”I didn’t even think about it before I answered. “No.”Their expressions changed almost instantly, surprise flickered across the professor’s features and Sage’s smile faltered.“It’s enough that Sage’s already in the spotlight,” I said, trying to keep my voice even, my words reasonable. “With the way everyone’s been talking and taking photos, I don’t want to put him in harm’s way, more than I already have. If you
Kaiden The clock on the bedside read 3:12 a.m. I rolled onto my side, confused by the soft glow seeping under the bedroom door. I blinked the sleep from my eyes, and when I looked over, Sage was still fast asleep beside me, his breathing steady and rhythmic. I reached out, touched his hair lightly, then slid out of bed. The hallway was silent except for the distant hum of the fridge and the occasional rustle of the wind brushing the windows. I padded barefoot across the wood floor, and as I neared the living room, the scent of whiskey hit me first. That, and the sound of papers being shuffled with irritation more than purpose. The soft overhead light in the corner cast a gold sheen across the professor’s back. He was hunched over the coffee table, glass of whiskey in one hand, papers spread out like an autopsy, calm chaos wrapped in tension. He didn’t look up when I entered. “You’re still awake?” I asked, keeping my voice low. “I have work to do,” he said, not looking at me. His
KaidenI watched Sage’s chest rise and fall steadily, his breathing finally even and calm after a long, exhausting day. The faint hum of the heater filled the small apartment as the evening air drifted colder through the windows. He looked peaceful in sleep, peaceful in a way that didn’t match anything we’d been living through lately. It was a lie his body told, one I was grateful for, even if I knew it wouldn’t last. The last thing I needed was for him to keep worrying about the unknown.Today took a toll on him.I sat at the edge of the couch, elbows resting on my knees, hands folded, but my thoughts weren’t still. They kept drifting back to the question he asked earlier about whether we’d ever go back to how things were. And now I knew for certain: we couldn’t. Not with this storm closing in around us, not when every time I let my guard down, something tried to take Sage from me.I haven’t even figured out how to apologize to the professor, it took me a lot of thinking to realize
SageThe next morning, Kaiden and I walked to school in silence. The meal we shared was so brief and he stayed with me. The professor didn’t come home and when I called him, he said he was working late and we should enjoy ourselves.I knew it was because he didn’t want to spend time with Kaiden. After their argument, they have been tense with each other.I didn’t want to Interfere in their problems as it could escalate into something I wouldn’t be able to control.I looked at Kaiden, I know we have already talked about this but I was so curious.I wanted to ask him again about where he’d really been that day, but the tension in his jaw warned me off. Still, I couldn’t help myself. “So,” I started, kicking a loose pebble on the sidewalk, “you never really told me where you went. Like, actually went.” His steps didn’t falter, but his grip tightened around the strap of his backpack. “I told you. I needed to clear my head.” “Yeah, but that could mean anything,” I pressed. “You just
SageI stood just outside the hospital’s main entrance, staring at the parking lot like it was a war zone. The discharge papers were crumpled slightly in my grip. I could feel my fingers tremble, but I didn’t loosen them. The sun was bright, the day clear, but I felt like I was standing in the middle of a fog, one that hadn’t lifted since I was attacked.Kaiden mentioned he would come and pick me up, hence the hesitation. I felt like if he wasn’t here to do that, I wouldn’t go. “Ready?” His voice pulled me out of my head.I turned toward him. He had one hand in his pocket, the other adjusting the strap of my duffel bag slung over his shoulder. His hair was a little messy, like he hadn’t even bothered with a brush this morning, and his hoodie looked slept in. But his eyes, his eyes were alert. “I don’t know if ready’s the word I’d use,” I admitted. My voice sounded too thin to my own ears. “I feel like I’m being pushed out of safety and right back into the middle of whatever this me
KaidenI slept at my place after the detective dropped me off. He was looking at me like he had a lot to say about what happened but I didn’t.Yes, I overreacted but I couldn’t go back there. I felt suffocated and the only thing I needed was freedom. I needed to find my answers and not let it extend to my relationship.I decided to go see Detective Bryan. The man in charge of narcotics. The one who might know what the hell was really going on. I hadn’t told Sage or the professor anything. Not yet. I couldn’t, not until I had something real. Something more than just paranoia and late-night shadows tailing me.I sat hunched over my laptop in a dingy little café two blocks from my apartment, the place reeking of burnt espresso and desperation. I typed in “Detective Bryan, Narcotics Division, city PD” and hit search. A few articles came up. He was decorated, involved in several high-profile raids. One article had a photo, square jaw, stern face, early forties. Not someone you’d expect to
SageI woke to silence. Not the peaceful kind, the kind that sets your skin crawling with dread, like the air itself is holding its breath. The clock on the wall read a little past 3am and I could see the shadows stretched along the floor, motionless. I looked around and noticed with a slight disappointment that Kaiden wasn’t here. I blinked twice and turned my head toward the small couch across the room. No professor either.My heart sank.They were gone. Both of them.I have never felt so alone. I thought they would both stay with me so I won’t be scared. But I was a big boy and could handle myself.I sat up slowly, the sheets slipping off my chest as I scanned the dim room. Maybe they went for a walk. Maybe Kaiden needed air and the professor tagged along. Maybe I was being paranoid.Or maybe something was very, very wrong.I was about to slide out of bed when the doorknob turned.I froze.The door creaked open, and the harsh fluorescent light from the hallway spilled into the r
KaidenI left the hospital with a gnawing unease in my gut. I hadn’t told Sage or the Professor the full truth, that I needed to test Raines myself, to see if he was really on our side or if he was playing us. If I had voiced my suspicions, the professor would have warned me against it, and Sage… well, Sage would have insisted on coming with me, injuries be damned. But this was something I had to do alone. I couldn’t pretend for the life of me. If the detective wasn’t on our side then I needed to know now, to save myself the trouble of finding out later.I know that the professor was just trying to be cautious but the detective was kind of my friend so I needed to give him the benefit of the doubt.I stared at my phone for a long moment before making the call, my thumb hovering over his contact. This was a gamble, if he was dirty, I might be tipping my hand. But if he was clean... I needed to know. Taking a steadying breath, I hit dial. He answered on the third ring. "Kaiden?"