Hino wasn't the only one who could see through Arisa's struggle to escape Khaleel. I could see it too. I could see how much she disliked it and that gave my heart some piece of mind. I trusted Arisa's feelings for me. I knew I could count on her to keep liking me and to handle Khaleel when his emotions got the better of him.
"I can take Arisa home if you want to go with Loyal," Hino's offer was kind. I was sure he was trying to mediate the situation.
"No thanks," Khaleel said. "Her mom is expecting me to follow through."
I didn't want to believe it. He was lying to spend time with her? I couldn't help but be disappointed by my friend's behaviour. His cold gaze was so intense he probably convinced himself that he was speaking the truth, but that was no excuse. Maybe he met Arisa's mother, maybe they exchanged a few words, but there was no way she was waiting for Khaleel to bring her daughter home.
"I don't need you to take me anywhere," Arisa snapped.
"No," I spoke up. "If he promised to bring you home then he should do so."
Arisa scoffed. "You're serious?"
"Dead serious."
I got into the sedan and pulled my seatbelt on. Carter was right next to me but I couldn't be bothered to pay attention to him. He was the reason I was in this mess. If he just gave us the information we needed sooner then we wouldn't be forced to ask Kumar for help. I wouldn't feel responsible for Carter's life and I wouldn't have to leave Arisa behind. It didn't feel right. None of it was sitting well with me but I had to keep my priorities straight.
The engine purred. "Where are we taking him?" I asked, the shorter man. He was sitting in the passenger seat while the taller one was behind the wheel. The car pulled out of the school parking lot and turned into the one-way street.
"That's up to the kid," the shorter man said. "Hospital or home, son?"
I was gobsmacked.
"Home," Carter muttered.
"Woah, woah!" I interrupted. "What do you mean hospital or home? We still need him to tell us about Dobberman."
"I already said everything I had to say, Wilson!" Carter complained, leaning in.
I pushed his head away from me. "You, shut up," I ordered, before addressing the shorter man. "You, keep talking."
The associate turned to raise his brow at me. "Mr. Khaleel didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?" I asked impatiently.
"Mr. Khaleel got the kid to sing all on his own," he replied. "We are gonna compensate the fellow for his minor injuries and to keep his yap shut—"
Carter leaned in again. "There is nothing minor about my injuries!"
I pushed his head away again and listened to what the shorter man was saying. "We were told to let him go," the associate went on. "According to Mr. Khaleel, we should be looking for a different kid. Someone named Crook."
"Nook," Carter groaned.
"Yeah, Nook," the taller associate agreed. "And some fella named Dofferman."
"Dobberman," Carter corrected.
I glared at the idiot to keep his mouth shut.
"You didn't get a message from Mr. Khaleel?" the taller man asked me.
I pulled out my phone and confirmed what the associates were saying was true. I was so busy soaking up Arisa's attention, I didn't even think to check my messages. Things were making a lot more sense now. This was why Khaleel felt like his priority was to get Arisa home instead of making sure Kumar's men didn't kill Carter. This was why he told Hino to rest up for the night. Khaleel knew I hadn't checked my messages and used that opportunity to steal more time with Arisa.
I shook my head. "This is why that guy scares me. He's so unpredictable."
"We thought it was odd of you to want to come with us," the shorter man said. "As I said earlier, we weren't asked to kill the kid."
I massaged the temple of my forehead. "You shouldn't kill the kid even if you were asked to," I snapped. "So now what? What else did Khaleel tell you to do?"
"Nothing much," the taller man said. "We will stake out a house in Pinecrest Grove. Once we confirm the boy's story then we will get back to you."
"So, we're on standby?" I assumed.
The shorter man smiled. "Would you like us to take you home too?"