Unexpected Attraction (BxB Fantasy) | Completed

Chapter 22

"Fucking hell! What are these cops trying to pull?"

Mikael tapped on Charm's shoulder and she turned around with a scowl, which quickly disappeared after she noticed who had interrupted her ranting. She smiled and gave him a quick hug.

"Morning, Volkov. You look chipper."

"G'morning, Charm. And yeah, but what's wrong?"

Charm's snarl returned as she furiously raked her fingers through her short hair. "Another kid went missing last night. That's three in the last two weeks! The cops haven't done shit about it. The minimal crap they've done is hand out posters of the missing kids. It makes me think they don't want to find them."

A cold trickle of dread formed in the pit of Mikael's gut. "Maybe you're right," he started, "but won't the Feds get called in about it? They're big on getting kids back, right?"

Charm shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But they never seem to be able to find and charge the ringleaders of these massive kidnapping cases. It makes me think their whole idea of justice is flawed. Rotten is probably a better word."

"That sounds about right. I wonder if they have something to gain by letting this stuff go on. They have jurisdiction across the United States, so surely they could put a stop to it in this country. But with their few hundred departments and sub-departments, they must have ties to other governments across the world—maybe even a way to get access in order to stop the trafficking."

"You think it's human trafficking?"

Mikael nodded with a slight shrug. "It's possible because it was a really common occurrence in some of the countries I lived in for awhile, so I'm seeing similar signs. Usually, the act of taking children is much more discreet despite its commonplace knowledge, so I think either this is a new branch or these bastards have ties with the cops."

"I'm betting my ass on both," growled Charm, crossing her arms. "If my little sister is threatened, heads will be rolling."

"Same with my brother."

Charm held out her right fist for Mikael to bump. The shorter teen felt a different kind of kinship for Charm than Gram, but he was happy to have another true friend. Although Raphael and Charm barely got along, which was strange because Gram was much more affectionate with Mikael. He thought his possessive boyfriend would have been far more annoyed by Gram than Charm. Then again, the latter asks uncomfortable questions and tries to dig into their relationship/sex life.

"Where's Sully?"

"It's Sullivan," growled Raphael, walking up behind Charm.

Mikael bit back his soft chuckle because finally remembered that Charm liked to annoy Raphael by purposefully shortening his surname.

He stepped forward to hug Raphael and kiss his cheeks. The light blond-haired teen beamed as his gorgeous lover curled his arms around Mikael's waist. Mikael breathed in Raphael's scent and relaxed with a soft sigh, gently rubbing his boyfriend's shoulder blades while Charm caught Raphael up with their prior conversation. Raphael was tense at first, but he was able to calm down through Mikael's comforting actions. He cupped the back of the older teen's head and held him close, rocking them both from side to side until Miakel was almost asleep.

The bell suddenly rang, though, which caused Mikael to jump awake. He huffed as the pulsating crowd of students began to gather in their location, so he sighed and gently lifted his head. Raphael was quick to snag a kiss from his bleary-eyed boyfriend, which made Mikael blush and smile. As the second bell rang, Charm was long gone and the lovebirds had to go their separate ways for classes. Mikael lovingly hugged Raphael once more while placing multiple kisses to his head and face, then blew his boyfriend another kiss as he hurried off to class. Raphael had looked very pleased, so Mikael was extremely happy.