It's A Hoot (mxm)

Chapter 25

Caledon looked so smug as though there was something else lingering in the shadows that only he could see. Like something sinister was about to be revealed and he would end up walking away the hero. It sent every nerve in Toren's body tingling with a thrumming that warned him all would not be over. Not yet.

Caledon swirled the drink in his hand and eyed the golden liquid of the sub-par alcohol Pops had pulled from his locked cupboards. He held some distaste for it, but still insisted on drinking it, even warning them they might want to take a few sips before things got a little too serious. As if Toren's life hadn't been threatened several times already. If that wasn't serious than what other complex games could the Grettly family be playing at? What horrors did they keep in their closets?

Michael was near Toren's side, his arm hanging over the back of his chair, the musty smell of his bear lingering on him. His crisp button-up was pulled tight over his chest and half tucked in from the way he sat, leaning in as close as he could without crossing any lines. His steady breath would deepen when he caught himself staring too hard at Caledon and he'd turn his eyes to glance at Toren and calm himself back down.
Caledon seemed to catch on to the interactions between them, watching them over the rim of his glass and taking long, thoughtful sips. Everything he did seemed to make Toren uneasy, but this especially caused him to question his cousin's motives.

"Aunt Rachel was always the careful type-" He began in reminisce. "-She was very organized and liked to document everything. She was in charge of all the records for the business." He cringed and stared down at the glass in his hands and with a shake of his head he continued. "Stephan was similar in a way. They were a maticulate couple. Smart. It's a surprise at how careless they became towards the end of their lives, it's the only reason the rest of the family discovered your affiliation with it all." Then he sighed and set the glass down. "They used to have a file cabinet, copies of all the original documents the business kept record of. All the way back to the beginning. From videos and pictures to written detailed reports. Names, witnesses, and the people the family has in their back pockets. Very dangerous information. If any of it were to be discovered, it would put the entire family in prison, forever."

"Sounds too good to be true," Pops remarked with suspicion.

Caledon tutted and leaned back, folding his hands together in his lap. "That's because it's not that simple. Rachel hid the fact that they even had these documents, I believe she was saving them in case the family turned on her. It was a backup plan for when they left the business. At some point, she and Stephan took that file cabinet and buried it. Somewhere where no one would ever find it." He puased with a sliver of a smile, waiting like a power hungry king on his throne.

Pops sighed and gave him what he wanted. "And how's that supposed to help?"

Caledon grinned at Toren. "Of course they wouldn't leave their precious little owl without any means to protect himself. So they hid the coordinates of the file cabinet..." He arched his brows and made a nodding jesture. "In you."

"In me?" He echoed, trying to think of what that could mean. how could the coordinates be in him? A few theories ran through his mind, some of them feeling too fantastical for his parents. He was still finding it hard to believe they were once monsters in society, but it made so much sense. All his memories began to make sense when he applied it and it stung. He'd loved them very much and he'd been so sure that they had loved him. When they died it was like his entire childhood died with them.

"They put the coordinates in a capsule and put that capsule in you." Caledon waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not entirely sure where they injected it, but I have the equipment to find it."

"So once again we need your help." Toren frowned at the dismal situation. It felt never ending. Caledon would rack up all the things he owed him and before he knew it his life would be in his hands, but was it already not? It was headache inducing. He rubbed at his tired eyes knowing his body was still unused to the change of his sleeping schedule.