Word Count: 1496
~Avia
Shattered glass under my foot crunches as I walk into the home.
I can think of at least five people that would be disgusted to find me here, but I can't help myself. Knowing how this Pack works, there is no guarantee there will ever be justice for the murdered, even if they are prolific families who have done nothing but bad for the rebellion.
And mostly I want to know. Especially if Mari's family might be involved.
"This is dangerous," Kadrick mutters as he picks through the shattered glass, following me into what must be the main living area of the home.
The bodies have been removed, but most of the crime scene has been left behind. Whoever did it came through the window in a dramatic fashion, having then killed the couple and their son in cold blood.
Soon, all of this will be gone, so in the middle of the night, Kadrick and I have come to see if we can garner any information from what has been left behind.
"I just want to look around. It won't take long," I murmur distractedly.
This home is stunning, and yet another painful example of how wealthy some are, and others are not. The way this family acquired their money wasn't moral, I assume, as I wander around, making note of everything that has been trashed. Paintings have been pulled off the wall, vases smashed and curtains torn.
"The mission-"
I pause, turning back to Kadrick. "Yes, I know. You're not going to tell Malin."
Kadrick narrows his eyes at my sharp tone. I feel terrible, continuing to lie to him while avoiding any intimacy with him. He's starting to become irritated, which I can't blame him for. I need to end it soon, now that I know Isaiah is my mate. Even if I can never be with Isaiah, I can't keep tugging Kadrick on like this.
"Which one of your friends has the murderous family?" he questions, kicking through the broken glass while I look around.
"First, they aren't my friends. Second, we don't actually know who the murderer is. And third, it's Mari." I stalk through the hallway, looking for some kind of office or place where important documents would be kept.
"Well, it looks like Mari's father killed that blonde one's mother..."
I pause, turning around.
Kadrick looks unbothered, hands seated in his pockets. He should be unbothered, the death of one of those family members is a good thing for the rebellion. And I agree, because Cherry's mother was abusive, and I put Zire onto killing her.
Either she was murdered by the unmasked murderer, or Zire.
"Cherry's?" I ask, trying not to reveal anything other than vague interest in the issue, knowing any scepticism will have him going straight to Malin. "Her mother died?"
Kadrick grins broadly. "Yeah, how good is that?"
Exhaling slowly, I turn back around, knowing I can't divulge to Kadrick how it was Zire who may have killed her. If he found out I asked him to, he would suspect I did it because I care about Cherry, and not for the rebellion.
Initially, it was for the rebellion, but now, I'm glad she is gone from Cherry's life. Yet my heart hurts a little, knowing she will mourn for quite some time, and I contributed to putting her through that.
"Okay. Look for any evidence you can before we get out of here," I say, once we make it into what must be an office, everything packed away neatly, mercifully not trashed by the intruders. "Remember, we don't care about the murders, we care about any connection to Isaiah."
I've masked this trip to appear as though it's a good opportunity to garner information that we can use against Isaiah.
Frankly, I don't trust Kadrick.
He's likely to return to Malin who will question why I care about the murders, when they benefit us. I'm not even sure why I care, but I feel like I should know, especially since Mari spends a lot of time with Cherry and Savea, who I've come to no longer hate.
"I know..." Kadrick draws off, pulling one of the draws open to rifle through "How was your trip?"
I clear my throat. "Fine."
I found my mate.
Most of the paper's I pull up are mostly financial, and don't reveal much. Nothing here has much of a connection to Mari, or even Isaiah. Either they keep it under lock and key, or they were targeted solely for their position in power, and not because of something terrible that they did to Mari's family.
There has to be a personal motivation.
"You've been acting so strange, Avia. What is going on?" Kadrick question, pausing. His tone sounds so broken that I know I'm going to have to be honest now.
Rounding the desk, I take his hands, holding his gaze. "I don't think this is going to work."
He blinks. "The mission?"
"The relationship..."
His brows crease, and the crushing reality of what he knew was coming appears in his eyes. Once, I truly loved Kadrick, and thought that I wouldn't need my mate since finding him. When this mission started, I figured it would be hard, but I couldn't have predicted what happened between Isaiah and I, and how that would affect my relationship.
"Oh," he breathes, swallowing tightly. The sadness vanishes in a second, replaced instead by anger, simmering somewhere deep in his dark eyes. "Is this about Isaiah?"
No one knows he's my mate. And no one can know.
"No, of course not," I dismiss quickly, hoping he doesn't see through my panic. He wouldn't hesitate to tell Malin, and I can't risk that happening, knowing she would pull the mission without hesitation. "It's just that this mission means we are getting distant."
"It's okay, the mission will be over soon," he assures me, clutching my hand so tightly, as if I'm physically slipping away from him right now.
I sigh. "Kadrick..."
His head dips down, so I can't see his eyes, my stomach twisting as a result. It's obvious in the way his shoulder's deflate that he's known this has been coming for quite some time. The mission has come between us, in many ways. Not spending time together has made us both realise that we may be better away from each other than with.
"You don't want to be with me anymore, do you?" he whispers, the pain in his tone making every inch of self worth I had crumble away.
"I'm sorry." I fall into his arms, unable to do anything but hold him for a while.
"It's okay, it's how you feel," he says gently. I should be comforting him, yet he's always been so good at pulling himself together when he needs to. "Why don't we just concentrate on the search."
Pulling away, I nod mutely, turning back to our search. It all seems pointless now, like it's clear we aren't going to find anything related to Mari's family or Isaiah here.
"I hope this doesn't change anything between us..." I so desperately want to be his friend, although I can't help but feel like I don't believe it.
Instead of replying, Kadrick pauses, frowning.
"Do you hear that?" he questions, tilting his head as if to hear better.
Sure enough, when I strain to hear, there are soft voices approaching, sounding as though they are about to enter the house through the exact way Kadrick and I came through. Who could possibly be coming here in the middle of the night?
"Someone's coming." I motion outside of the office, knowing there is nowhere in here to conceal ourselves. "Hide."
Kadrick follows me out of the room and into a small broom closet, which we squeeze tightly in next to each other. I leave a gap in the door, allowing enough room for me to view whoever has come in here if they walk past the hallway.
For a while, there's nothing, but faraway voices that seem close to arguing, exploring the house as Kadrick and I have.
Eventually the voices float closer, and suddenly, it clicks in my mind exactly who they are, just as they walk past the gap in the door.
It's Elise and Zire.
💜••💜
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"Tomorrow, we don't have to speak of this again." I hardly know what I'm asking. I just know I want whatever it is.
He watches me with an intensity that I know only he is capable of. "Put my hand where you want me to touch you."
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~Midika 💜🐼