Potent Potential

Potent Potential - Three - Demanding or Demeaning?

Three - Demanding or Demeaning

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I slammed the door upon entrance to my home.

"Kale!"

I didn't doubt that my sponsor was here, most likely drinking tea with grizzly Ash in the kitchen. They were like retired English ladies, having a pot of earl grey and gossiping away. Kale would be here to ask me a tonne of questions about Mercy which in turn would make Ash grumble about how this new task better not interfere with any of the work I was completing for him.

"Kitchen."

I jumped upon hearing Ash's voice directly behind me. Sneaky old man. He strode around me, his hands tucked into the pockets of his consistently dirty white, soft leather jacket. His chestnut hair, balding slightly at the back, curled tight to his head. He glanced back and his dark grey eyes, framed by faint wrinkles and crow lines, were laughing at me. At first glance most people would think that he was a sweet man, verging on being labelled 'elderly'. He was the devil.

"Wear shoes inside the house, creep," I muttered. "Surely you don't get that much of a kick out of sneaking around in your socks and pissing me off."

He ignored me.

"Kale! Sounds like there's a problem!" Ash called out, chuckling to himself.

"Tell her I'm not here," the voice of the brave, favourite gunslinger called back.

I rounded into the kitchen. "Oh, ha-ha." I pulled off my school's alert bracelet and threw it onto the cluttered end of the table. "Assign someone else."

"No can do." Kale grinned his wide grin and leant back in his chair in order to plop his feet onto the table's edge. He tucked his hands behind his head and scratched his neck.

"Get her cousin to guard her. He's at school now. He needs a distraction."

Kale's chair fell back onto four feet with a thud. He slipped his shoes off the table and leant forward. "Her cousin? He's returned to school?" He asked me earnestly.

"Oh, come on, how could you not know?" I glanced at Ash who averted his eyes. I pointed at him accusingly. "He knew! Dammit Ash, give a bit of warning so that next time I don't insult someone without actually knowing who it was!"

Ash's eyes widened. "I'll be damned if you insulted Rowan Pierce. Tell me you're kidding."

Kale whistled. "I second that shit. Kid, there're lines you don't cross."

"I didn't KNOW it was him. I got the message to visit the senior study room! That's all! How was I supposed to know that I had a bloody apprentice captain waiting for me? Don't fuck with me, you two!"

"I ain't fuckin'!" Ash slumped into a chair, running his hand over his face. "That kid is tight with Boey. They're as close as family. Jerome sent his kid back to school to get a low down on the loyal kids. To see who Laker could use. And you fucking insulted him on his first day. Girl, you're damn lucky that you're not instantly out on your ass."

Ash called me 'girl' when I was in major trouble. Suddenly it really sank in. I'd done something properly wrong.

Kale's mobile rang shrilly from his pocket. He glanced at the screen and grimaced. "Speak of the fucking devil. It's JP. I'm gonna take this outside so that you two don't hear me plead and grovel for your ass, Jax." He gave me an arched look. I stopped myself from making some flippant comment back at him. No point in digging my grave any deeper.

Once Kale had left the room, Ash heaved a huge sigh. Like, one of those, 'I-give-up' kinda sighs. Oh boy.

"Tell me what went down," he grunted out through clenched teeth.