Sang Sorenson's POV
I nodded at Phil and sat back in my chair between Kota and Brandon, ready to finally understand just what I had gotten myself into. As everyone resettled, Phil spoke once more, "Now, I think the best thing to do would be to fill in Ghost here on your missions and then work our way up to the kidnapping." There were several nods and grunts of approval before he asked, "So, who would like to debrief first?"
Looks were exchanged before Marc cleared his throat, "If it's alright with the Blackbourne team, I think we should go first."
Even though Marc was looking at Blackbourne, Gabriel replied, "Oy! Why the f*ck would you guys go first? Our mission started way before you-"
Marc was persistent, "I just think there are some.... things that need to be explained."
Raven nodded in agreement with a simple, "Da".
The look Gabriel shot them was fascinating as he turned from confusion to irritation in a millisecond, "You f*ckers just want to tell Trouble here about your girlfrie-" Something was definitely weird about the way he said "your"...
"Enough. Mr. Coleman, there is no rush. Mr. Weiland, you may proceed with your mission." Mr. Blackbourne gave a short nod to Marc who looked pleased while Gabriel rolled his eyes, earning a smirk from me.
All eyes turned to Axel as he took over staring straight at me, "Our mission was to investigate the drug trafficking connected to a local high school, Ashley Waters. We are in charge of tracing back the supplier and shutting down the ring."
Axel sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, seemingly finished with his debrief. I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows at him, really? That's the debrief?
Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought so because Marc shot him a look and continued, "Anyways... We had been investigating for a couple of weeks and eventually figured out that this guy, Blake Coaltar," Something in my brain caught onto that name, but I was finally getting answers and was not about to interrupt. "... We caught onto the fact that Coaltar always seemed to be around the areas that the drugs were distributed to. One of the only constants, really. But, he was never caught or charged with anything. He was always just... walking."
Marc paused like that was supposed to mean something to me. When more than half of the men were staring at me I shrugged, "So? Some guy goes for walks? So do I, am I a drug dealer now?"
Some of the guys showed some amusement or a chuckle, but Victor seemed to relax a little which I think I'll file away for later. Thankfully, my Hero, Corey, spoke up with an understanding smile, "Normally, no. However, Coaltar is an extremely wealthy guy who owns a majority of a booming oil company. So for him to be walking around in the slums of Charleston in his expensive tux and Rolex, it was concerning."
I smiled and nodded at Corey, happy I now understood their reasoning. How the heck was I supposed to know he was some hotshot CEO? Men. "Thank you, Corey." I made sure to put an extra emphasis on his name, seeing as no one else was willing to help me understand. Again, men. "So, this guy is your drug supplier?"
Brandon shook his head, "Not exactly. We suspected he might have a connection with the drugs, but we couldn't ever catch him in the act. So, we decided to lift his phone and keys, to check out his house, business, and contacts."
I smirked at Brandon, kind of impressed, "You lifted his phone?"
Brandon's mouth twitched into an almost smile, "No. I'm not a pick pocket." Silently, I was pretty bummed about that. I absolutely cannot pick someones pocket. No matter how much I try, I always give myself away. There were several missions where not being able to pick a pocket has caused me a lot of grief. I was hoping he was a pick pocket, maybe he could have taught me a few things. Brandon continued, "We usually use Luke for that."
Luke! I swung my head to Luke, getting excited again, "You are a pick pocket?"
He smirked at me, "Nope, Cupcake. I'm THE pick pocket." This earned him a few snorts and remarks but I was too excited to really pay attention.
"So you are good then?"
"Cupcake, I'm the best." He winked at me and leaned closer.
He's a little too cocky in my opinion, but maybe he really is the best? Could he be? I narrowed my eyes, thinking a little. He seems like he could be pretty sneaky, if the mischievous look in his eyes were to be trusted. But, then again, pick pockets are usually unnoticed if they are to be the best. I simply can't imagine someone not noticing Luke pass them, even bump into them. Not possible. I could go more unnoticed than that man, for sure. I smirked, mind made up, and leaned forward. "Bet you I am better." Lie. I am absolutely terrible. But he doesn't know that.
There were a couple of groans around the table and... a chuckle from Phil? I don't know, I was focused on Luke as he said, "Oh, you're on." I'll admit, his smile was a bit disarming.
I'm still pretty confident he wouldn't go unnoticed though so I shrugged and smiled back, "Let the games begin."
"Oy, you just made a huge f*cking mistake, Trouble. And what the sh*t is this? Pick pockets foreplay? Can we move it the f*ck along?" Despite his words, Gabriel was grinning at me and I couldn't help but laugh.
Although I was a little confused so I gave him a wry smile and questioned, "Foreplay?"
Gabriels eyes got big and his mouth dropped open as several others groaned. Some blushed and made it a point not to look at me, so I looked at my Hero and raised an eyebrow. Corey was pink as he scratched his neck, "Ummmm... well..."
Raven was beaming and seemed less troubled for words, "It is what you and I will-"
Marc hit him upside the head before he could continue, "-NOT be doing. It's nothing. Don't worry about it, ok?"
Now I was even more confused. If it was nothing, then why would they react so strongly? Was Raven going to tell me wrong again? I turned to the only other person I trusted to help me. "Kota, is 'foreplay' bad?"
Kota sputtered and turned redder then a strawberry, staring at me like a deer in the headlights. Phil was silently laughing at the head of the table, which confused me even more. So it's not bad? He's laughing?
Blackbourne cleared his throat and gained my attention, "Miss.. Ghost. Excuse Mr. Coleman's language. However, we really must get back to the debrief. Unless, of course, Dr. Phil would like to explain for you."
He shot a pointed look to Phil, who seemed highly amused. "Oh, no, that is quite alright Owen. I'll save that explanation for y'all to go through later. So, where were we?"
I guess I'll just avoid that word until later then, when I have time to google. I shrugged, "Ok, you needed a pick pocket for the oil man."
Marc cleared his throat, "Right, so, the Academy caught word of their being a potential pick pocket at the local mall. Since Luke was unavailable, we took the job to find the mall pick pocketer for a favor. We also thought that maybe we could convince them to pick Blake's pocket in exchange for a clean record."
Raven cut in, "That is where Kayli comes in."
My eyebrows shot up, "You mean, Kayli is a pick pocket?" At their nods and affirmations, I started to grab my phone and my wallet. Great, I was THIS CLOSE to a pick pocket, one who thought I was making a move on her boyfriend. If it were me, I totally would have snatched her phone or something, right? I started patting my pockets and placed my phone and wallet on the table. Nope, all good. Crisis averted.
Ok, so she didn't pick pocket me. That's good, now we can continue and I'll just put these back so that- looking back up, every eye was watching me curiously. I shrugged and gave a sheepish smile, "Just checking."
Nathan smirked at me, "You were worried Kayli would pick pocket you, but not Luke? You should've checked as soon as you found out about Luke."
I shook my head with a small smile, "Luke doesn't think I was trying to steal his partner."
Luke laughed, "For the record, Cupcake, I don't have a partner." He threw me a wink, "Yet." North grunted and moved to hit Luke in the back of the head and Alexei straightened from his post against the wall, but I quickly shot him a look to back off. I gave Luke an indulgent smile as he continued, "Anyways, I can't be the only one curious about why Kayli would think you're going to steal her 'partner'?"
I shrugged again, "I was sitting with Marc when she came in and-"
Axel cut me off, "I don't think this is important to the mission. Let's get back on track. Marc, continue with the debrief."
Plenty of looks were thrown around the room then, but Axel was right. We still hadn't even gotten to the kidnapping and I was starting to get hungry again. Before anyone could protest, I cut in, "Axel is right, we will have plenty of time to talk on the mission." I gave them all a small smile and focused back on Marc.
Marc shoot a look at Axel before sighing and continuing again, "Right, so, Kayli was the mall pick pocket. We convinced her to pick Blake's pocket for us, making her an Independent Contractor. She wasn't supposed to know anything about the Academy, just help us and we help her. But, when she picked Blake's pocket at a gala, he offered her a job at one of his businesses."
Well, now I was confused. She works for him? At an oil company? "I do not understand. I thought this Blake was in the oil industry? What job could he give her?"
Corey answered me, "He is in the oil industry. He made so much money that he invested in several businesses and charities in and around Charleston. He considers himself more of a philanthropist now than a CEO."
I nodded my understanding, grateful that Corey was always there to help me. Marc continued when he saw I understood, "Since Blake was our prime suspect, we figured we could use Kayli's job offer to our advantage. So, we encouraged Kayli to accept the job offer and help us solve the drug trafficking. Of course, this made her more than an Independent Contractor now. She got curious and started asking questions, so we told her a little about the Academy. But, we couldn't tell her much, just the basics. You know how it is."
Marc looked a little sad about that, like he was reliving the lies and omissions he had to tell. It made me think of my own past and all the secrets I have had to keep to continue doing what I do for the Academy. My voice was quiet with understanding and... sadness?.. as I responded, "Yeah. I understand." My eyes were downcast, focusing on the table in front of me, so I did not see their faces. I know looks were exchanged, though. But I could not bring myself to care. Before I could let myself spiral into all the thoughts that threatened to consume me, I straightened up and forced a smile. We still had a lot to discuss. "So, what happened next?"
Marc and the others stared at me for a little bit before Raven elbowed Marc in the stomach, "Keep going, da?"
Marc grunted while rubbing his side and shooting a glare at Raven before relaxing and focusing on me again. "Kayli agreed to help us and we had her stay with us for a while."
My eyebrows shot up at this, how would her helping them mean she needed to move in with them? Marc must have seen the question on my face, "Her home life wasn't... isn't the best. We didn't want to send her back there once we realized what was going on. So she stayed with us. We said we would find a better place for her to move into for herself, but... Well..."
Marc started scratching the back of his neck, unable to focus on me anymore. I raised my eyebrows and started looking at the rest of his team. But what? What happened? Axel had his arms crossed and was staring stoically at me. Marc was at a loss for words, hand on his neck still. Corey started spinning his phone on the table, seemingly transfixed. Raven was chewing on his lip ring and watching Corey's phone spin. Brandon was just looking at me with a look I couldn't quite understand. The Blackbourne team had nothing to say, for once, as they tried to mind their own business.
Finally, Marc put his hand down and sighed before looking at me again. "It's hard to explain this next part, but over time we all got attached to Kayli. She was just so... fiery. And I guess we were all kinda stuck in our own routine for a while just going through the motions. So when she came in like a wildfire, we all found ourselves attracted to her." He took a deep breathe, "Long story short, we decided to share her."
The room was still, it seemed like no one was breathing as we all thought about what Marc said. They shared her? They all were attracted to her? The way Gabriel said "your" earlier made more sense now. I'm curious as to how that worked between them all. Was there not jealousy? Were there no fights? Clearly they made it work. She is still around and they all seem like they still care deeply for each other as a team. It reminds me of the team I worked with in Russia once, an all dog team with a single bird. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it, but I do know that it is not any of my business. I am here for them in a professional team manor, we just met, I have no right to judge them or advise them on their relationships. Nor would I want to. It is their life to live, their love to give. As long as they are happy, I do not care. The way they are acting makes more sense now too. And I hate it. I hate that they feel they have to hide that part of their lives from me, I hate that they think I will judge them and that they almost look ashamed of themselves for loving someone.
Now they were all staring at me, both teams. Waiting. They looked like they expected me to look at them in disgust or something, and my heart broke for them. I would not give them that look. I would not make them feel less than for loving someone. So I just kept nodding, all of this happening within seconds. I decided to play it cool, "What? Do I have something on my face? Is it icing? Why did no one tell me?" I started wiping at my face to sell it as some of the guys started to relax once more. Maybe this wasn't so bad, maybe they won't feel bad about-
"You... shared her? Like a prostitute? You just passed her around-" Alexei was looking at them in disgust and outrage as he screamed. Raven and Brandon were on their feet in seconds, and a fight looked imminent.
Raven already cut Alexei off and started screaming murderous intent at him in Russian as he started to make his way to him. I jumped up in a second, placing my hand on Ravens chest, "ENOUGH! Alexei, take a walk. Now. That was disrespectful, what they do and who they chose to spend their time with is none of our business. We do not pass judgement on those we know nothing about. I will find you when we are done here."
Alexei sputtered at me as the boys all quieted down to watch, "I can't just- I won't leave you here! We are supposed to-"
I cut him off with a wave of my hand, "We are supposed to be kind. Go take a walk, calm down, think about it, and if you are able to stand there and make no noise, you may come back. We are here for a mission, not to judge."
Alexei snapped his mouth closed and ground his teeth together as he glared at me, probably upset at being spoken to like that. But I stood firm and just glared right back. What he said, his outburst, it was unforgivable. We would be having a very strongly worded conversation about it later, in private. I think he saw that on my face, along with my determinism. He gave an indignant huff than turned and stormed out of the conference room.
I stared at the door for a second, starting to relax, while I frowned at where Alexei once stood. How am I going to fix this? The team already clearly did not like him, and now he went and said something that has no doubt caused irreparable damage. How am I supposed to work with a team and my manager when the two so clearly hate each other? This mission is going to be the emotional murder of me. I will be forced to play referee the entire mission. And I am supposed to be here for months, until Alexei clears me with the Italians.
I sighed and sat back down, I can worry about all of the politics of this mission later. Looking around the room, most of the guys have calmed down as well. Some are staring daggers at the door Alexei walked out of, others are staring at me almost... admirably? That can't be right.
Corey catches my eye as he stares at me with round eyes. "So, you are... ok?"
I raised my eyebrows at him, "Well I am a bit hungry I guess...?"
Corey smiles a little, the worry leaving his eyes some. "No, I mean you are ok with the fact that we... all were with Kayli?"
I leaned back in my seat, "Ah, well, you are not the first team I have met with a shared bird. If you are all happy, then I do not see how that could be a bad thing." As the rest of the boys finally relaxed and Corey seemed himself again, I couldn't help but grin at him and add, "Although, I am a little upset that you are taken now. I guess I will have to hold off on the fruit salad."
I think Nathan made a choking noise across the table, but the more interesting thing was how red poor Corey was getting. I shot him my most innocent look and tried to hide my smirk as he grew redder by the second, "No, I'm not... I mean I am, but... Well, I-I" Corey started looking between me and Raven, probably for some help from him. But Raven was just staring at me with a hungry look. What does he mean he's not? Not what? Single? Taken? Note to self, watch how they all interact with each other more closely. I mean how can they be in this relationship but have so much trouble talking about it? They sometimes act like they aren't even in a relationship at all like- wait a minute.
I narrowed my eyes at Raven, remembering something. Raven was spouting stuff about giving me a fruit cup, but he's already in a relationship. How could he do that? Promise me a fruit cup while already with another woman? What is wrong with him? My narrowed eyes turned into a glare, "You should not go around offering fruit cups to people when you are in a relationship. Shame on you." I mean, the nerve of this guy! That's basically cheating. I huffed at him and made a point to look away from his shocked face. Only, my gaze is now on a frowning North.
"You offered her a fruit cup? Baby, don't accept fruit from Robin he-"
Marc cut him off laughing, "Wait, hold on. You don't care that we share the same girl, but you are mad that Raven might want more than the one?"
Raven huffed, "I do not want more than the one. I just want a diff-"
Axel cut him off, "I think that is enough about our relationship."
Mr. Blackbourne cleared his throat, "Yes, I agree with Mr. Toma. Let's keep going."
Since Marc was still laughing at me, Brandon kept going, "After we started our relationship, Kaylie went to work with Blake as his assistant. It became pretty obvious that she was developing... feelings... for him as well." I crinkled my nose and twisted my mouth. She liked this oil man while being in a relationship with the guys? How could she like someone else when in a committed relationship. Every time I'm in a relationship, I don't even notice other people. Maybe that's just me, but she already had five of the best guys I've ever met. How could she want to be with someone outside of the team? That could tear their team apart.
If anyone noticed my look, they hide it well. Corey picked up where Brandon left off, as Brandon did not seem to want to continue. "We noticed her getting more and more distant with us. We would catch her in small lies here and there, while she started keeping secrets from us. When we asked about it, she would just shrug it off and tell us it was nothing. She started spending more time with Blake after work, she would tell us it was for the mission and not to worry. But she never gave us anymore information."
Corey looked so sad, it broke my heart. He really cares about Kayli, I can see it. He just doesn't know what to do about it anymore. Marc continued with a heavy sigh as the rest of the team looked dejected, "We suspect that she can no longer be trusted. We think she may be working with Blake now." He seemed to be talking to the whole group, but now he focused back on me. "All the secrets and lies really damaged our trust in her and our relationship. So, yes she is our girlfriend, but we don't have the relationship we started with."
I looked around at the team and saw how sad and unhappy they were with the whole situation. "I do not understand. If you are unhappy, you should change something, no?" I was genuinely confused. Why would they stay with someone they do not trust, someone that makes them so unhappy, if they did not want to.
Marc frowned, "You have to understand, more and more of the drug, JH-14, has been released lately. Many people are dying or hospitalized because of it. Lives are at stake, and she is our way to Blake. It's about more than us now, we have to stay to stop the drug."
I furrowed my brows, at a loss. On the one hand, I understand their position. They need to do what they have to to stop this drug. But, on the other hand, at what costs? They are clearly unhappy and struggling, why should they have to suffer for the greater good? Maybe another team could take over or something. It just isn't fair. "You should not have to do that. There must be a better way to get the information. You said Kayli is not telling you the information anyways? You should do what is best for you, not the mission. Family first." I nodded to myself at the end, sure I was right.
The team looked at each other, doing that silent communication I never had a team to learn it with. Axel spoke, "This is family first. We told Kayli we would help her, we will." I stared at him, his face blank. Does he still care for her? After all the lying, the secrets, the betrayals?
Marc answered my questioning face, "This is what we signed up for, to stop the drugs. And, in a weird twisted way, we all still want the help Kayli. Even though she wasn't the person we thought she was, we still feel responsible for her. We put her in that position, whatever happened, happened because of us."
I sank back in my seat and sighed. I understand them better now, they make sense. They want to help the girl they thought she was. And if i'm being honest, I would do the same thing, wouldn't I? I looked at them all again, their shoulders sagged and faces long. "Well. This sucks." I tried to smile at them, and some tried to smile back. My face changed to understanding for them, "I understand. You feel responsible and still want to keep your promises." I nodded, "I can admire that. I would probably do the same thing." They looked better after I said that so I continued, "But you have to understand that, while you may have put her in that situation, she was aware of the drugs and the problem. She made her own decisions. You may have offered, but she accepted. You can not blame yourselves for her decisions. I do understand though. And I will help you solve the drug issue, and help Kayli in any way I can." I finished with a soft smile at them, meaning what I said. I want to help them. I want to help with the drugs, and I want to help with Kayli. They clearly care for her, they might even love her, but they are not IN love with her. That much is true. They are staying with someone they do not love, to help her and others. I can relate to that more than others should have to...
I stared again at the table, thinking about my own past and the choices I made to get to where I was today. The people I tried to protect and the ones I had to lie to in order to do so. A hand on my shoulder made me jump and look to Brandon, who just examined my face and nodded like he understood. Corey said thank you to me and Raven grunted out what I hope was approval.
I sighed and straightened again before looking between Axel and Marc, "Can I have a file on your mission to reference later? There is a lot of information."
Axel nods briefly to Marc, who pulls out a manila folder full of papers to pass to me. I took the file from him and opened to the first page so I could- I gasped and stood abruptly from my chair, racing to my cupcakes. I'm such an idiot. I knew that name was familiar! I grabbed the card from on top of my cupcake box and went back to the picture staring at me from the file. I shook my head at myself, help up the business card, and said, "It's Blake Coaltar, not Blade Coldtrain. I'm such an idiot." Everyone stares at the card in my hand with confusion and surprise, and Kota takes the card from me.
"This is definitely Blake's card." Kota shot a look to Axel and Mr. Blackbourne before turning back to me, "How did you get this?"
I grimaced at myself and explained my run in with Blake in the hallway. How he almost made me fall, how he caught me and gave me his card in case I needed anything. I frowned at myself, "He heard my accent too, and if Kaylie told him this is an Academy hospital, he knows I am Academy." I looked down, "I am sorry. I may have ruined the mission before it could start."
Kota patted my hand lightly and told me it was ok, that that did not mean anything right now and that there was no way I could have known.
"Yeah, Trouble, chin up. Who cares if he heard your accent? It's sexy." Gabriel grinned at me and I grinned back, of course he would say that.
"The problem is, if him and Kaylie are close like you say, then I am already blown. Kayli heard my American accent. Blake heard my Russian one. They could compare notes or something, it will not add up."
Silas spoke for the first time since entering this room, "What American accent?"
Those who were not in the Toma room looked at me confused so I put on my American accent again, "This American accent. I slipped into it when Kayli came in the room. It is best if I go as unnoticed as possible, given my status. A Russian accent would be noticeable here."
Gabriel looked at me wide eyed, "Holy sh*t! That was f*cking awesome, Trouble. Can you do other accents? How about Irish? Or Greek! Do an Australian one! Or-"
I laughed a little at his antics before Mr. Blackbourne cut in, "Mr. Coleman, contain yourself." He looked at me next, "Miss, do not worry about that right now. We will figure something out. It is nothing to fret over. I think it is time for our team to debrief. Mr. Lee?"
Kota cleared his throat, "Our mission is far less extensive. While the Toma teams got the drugs, we got the missing girls." My eyebrows shot up, there are missing girls? First drugs, now this? What is going on in this town? Kota gave me an understanding nod and continued, "A few students from Ashley Waters went missing, all girls. That, paired with the drugs, caused the school to shut down." I showed some relief at that, that so called-school was more of a prison than anything else. And with all that was going on? Thank God it was closed.
Kota kept going, "From what we could gather, the girls kept going missing from some of the parties thrown by other students. For the most part, these parties were thrown by some of the football players. We figured the best way to get more information was to be a part of the football team."
I smirked at that, "You were part of the football team?" I started picturing a running Kota clad in football gear and gave him a once-over. At first glance, I'd say he was a nerd. But, I can see the muscle and definition there. I could see him analyzing football plays and recommending better ones, while calling the shots on the field. The whole idea was quite amusing, Kota telling some giant football player to-
Kota coughed and I noticed he had developed a slight blush as he looked anywhere but at me. I gave my most innocent look once again, making my eyes wide and questioning, "What?"
I think I heard Gabriel and Luke laughing, but I was focused on Kota as he shot a glare their way and finally refocused on me, "Uh, no, I wasn't on the football team. We sent Silas and North in to be football players."
I looked over at a beaming Silas as he puffed up his chest like a peacock, and a slightly annoyed looking North as he stared at Silas as well. I could definitely see them as football players. Although... My gaze turned questioning, "I thought you said the school shut down? How could they be football players for a school that isn't...." I looked back at Kota, hoping he would help me with the right word.
He perked up, looking happy to solve the problem that is my language. "Running? Operational? Functioning?"
I nodded, "Da. That." I think I heard Corey mumble something about a translator again, but I'd rather have Kota and Corey help me than some app.
Kota nodded, looking pleased he could help, while Gabriel took over, "Footballs like a f*cking religion here. Just because the school closed, doesn't mean the team was gonna stop playing. They kept meeting up for practices at the park, I think its because their captain, Rocky, is a total f*cking lunatic. He thinks the schools gonna reopen real soon and that the team shouldn't skip practices just in case or something. I don't know, the guys an a**, and if I have a say, you'll never meet the jerk." Gabriel was leaning back in his chair for his rant but ended with crossing his arms and setting his face into a determined nod.
My lips twitched up at his behavior, "Come on, Gabriel, the guy can not be that bad. He believes in teamwork. It's nice."
He started rapidly shaking his head before I was even finished, "Nah huh, Trouble, this guy is the f*cking worst. He refers to himself as Rocky."
I raised my eyebrows and fought a smile, "That is his name, no?" That's not weird. Why would he go by anything else? Unless he were me...
Gabriel slapped his hands on the table while Luke laughed at something I couldn't understand. "No, I mean he calls himself Rocky. Like if I were to say, Gabriel's hungry. Gabriel wants to get some f*cking food. Gabriel wants to take Trouble shopping already. Gabriel thinks Trouble-"
North wacked him in the back of the head, "We get it Gabe, shut up."
I giggled at them, "Wait he says that all the time? Rocky wants this, Rocky wants that?"
Gabriels eyes got wide as he stared at me in exasperation, at Rocky, and nodded, "All. The. F*cking. Time."
Mr. Blackbourne shot Kota a look that seemed to say, get on with it, and Kota complied. "Anyways, the team still met up at the park to practice and we sent Silas and North to infiltrate the group. That part alone took weeks because Rocky was so distrusting of new people."
North grunted in what I assume means he thinks what Kota says was an understatement. Silas just nodded and shot me a small smile.
Nathan looked over at me, "Thats basically as far as we got. It took a lot longer to get these two," he shot his thumb at North and Silas, "on the team than we expected."
Luke jumped in with an easy smile, "Probably due to my little brothers cheery disposition."
Gabriel snorted while North growled, actually growled, and went to hit Luke again. Luke dodged him and ran around the table to my side. Before North could really follow, I jumped up to stand between them. I felt Luke at my back, but focused on North, who stopped charging to just glare at Luke behind me. "North?" He looked at me and relaxed slightly so I continued, "Could you tell me the rest of your mission or is that all?" I spoke sweetly, fluttered my eyelashes, and gave a serene smile with my hands clasped in front of me.
I heard a couple snorts, but North pursed his lips and seemed to relax a little. He stepped back and crossed his arm, looking like he was going to finish the debrief. "Silas and I-"
"Holy sh*t! That actually f*cking worked?! Oh my God, we're keeping her, right? Everyone saw that right I mean-?!" Gabriel grunted as I assume someone elbowed him or something to get him to shut up.
Gabriels outburst had North glaring at him and clenching his fists again. "North? You and Silas, what?"
I waited as he finally looked away from Gabriel and released a breathe, "Silas and I were invited to a party before we were... taken. We missed it. And a practice. Rocky is going to be back to distrusting us and we have probably been set back a week." North was now glaring at the table, seemingly mad at this setback.
I thought it over. So Silas and North missed a party they worked weeks for an invite for and then didn't bother to show up to this practice. If Rocky is distrusting of them already, they are going to need a good believable reason for not being there. What would some high school football captain believe to be a good reason? An idea started forming in my mind. I swung my gaze back up to North, "Do you have a girlfriend?" North stilled and looked at me in shock.
Luke laughed and I had almost forgotten he was still behind me, he placed his hands on my hips and spun me around to be in between me and his brother. "Way to freak out my baby bro, Cupcake. If you were wondering, I still do not have a girlfriend." He gave me a wink and I smiled and rolled my eyes. As he started to let go I felt his hands linger a bit longer than they should have.
Batting his arms away I chuckled a little, "No, I mean I may have an idea for your Rocky problem. Go sit back down."
Luke saluted me and started walking to his seat, "See? This is why we need you."
"Oy, whats the plan Trouble?" Gabriel leaned forward eagerly.
I sat back down as North made his way back to his seat too. "Well, first, I'd like my phone back, please." I rested my elbow on the table and lazily held my hand out to Luke.
Luke looked a little surprised I had noticed, but quickly put on a smile and held up my phone, "I win, Cupcake."
I smiled and shook my head, "No, you got caught, Sugar." Sugar is almost like saying Cupcake, isn't it?
Lukes eyes widened and he passed my phone over with a huge smile. "Guess I'll have to try again." He shrugged just as Gabriel groaned and put his head on the table.
Before I could answer, Nathan spoke up, "Soooo.... this plan of yours?"
Oh, right. I nodded and straightened up before looking at North and Silas, "Do you have girlfriends?"
North just stared at me like he was trying to decipher something, but Silas answered with a slight head shake and a huge smile, "No, Aggele, no girlfriend."
I nodded and smiled back, my plan might actually be able to work then. "Good! I be your girlfriend."
Silas smiled a huge megawatt smile at me, looking amused and delighted. North and a few others just looked confused.
Nathan spoke again, "Uh, I don't follow."
"Well, Silas and North need a good reason for missing the party and the practice. They can not say they were kidnapped. So, say they were picking me up from the airport or something the night of the party and then say we had to.... make up for lost time the day of practice. Rocky must think that is a good enough reason to miss a party and a practice, no?"
Kota looked deep in thought, "Actually, I think that might work. Although, I think you should say you surprised him the night of the party. Or else, Silas would have mentioned going to pick his girlfriend up." I nodded along, that was definitely better. "But, that doesn't explain why North would have missed too." Kota ended on a frown.
I twisted my lips, thinking a little, then I just shrugged, "I date him too."
*A Report*
For all my loyal readers, here is about 7,000 words of thanks for sticking with me. Your comments and votes inspired me.
-GB