𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐒 ━━ SARAH CAMERON

19

"YOU ARE NOT GOING to win, Blake," Kaden muttered, his fingers moving determinedly around the controller, "give up."

JJ had left a few hours ago after the two went over Kaden's plan more than three times to ensure JJ wouldn't mess up.

"Never," Blake was mimicking his action beside him, "If I lose, I'm doing so with style."

"There is absolutely nothing stylish about the way you're playing right now, little brother," Kaden scoffed, "if anything, it's saddening."

"Oh?" Blake raised his brows even though he wasn't looking at him. "You know what's saddening?"

"Do tell."

"The fact that you're doing absolutely nothing about Sarah," Blake's words had him straightening up. "What do you mean?"

"I've been meaning to bring that up for a while now," Blake continued, ignoring his question, "I've noticed how you stare at her. You like her as in you like her."

"I don't like her," Kaden muttered gruffly, "she irritates me."

"Does she?" Blake's brows shot up, unconvinced, "you let her come here anytime. See, she's even started to show up with Wheezie often."

"What?" Kaden's head snapped in his direction, his fingers momentarily pausing on his controller, giving Blake the upper hand in the game. "What do you mean, she's started to show up here?"

"On the days when you go to work," Blake said simply, grinning when Kaden let out a string of curses under his breath. "She comes here, but then she leaves like a few minutes before you come back."

"Since when?" Kaden had absolutely no idea about this. He was bothered about the fact that Sarah would come here when he wasn't. And he also wanted to know was why she'd leave before he'd get back as if she didn't want to see him.

He realised that he hadn't seen her since JJ got arrested. He couldn't help but why she was making herself scarce.

"Since like a week ago."

"Interesting," he mused. "And why didn't you tell me this a week ago?"

"I thought you knew," Blake shrugged, smiling triumphantly when he won the game. Kaden tossed the controller beside him on the couch and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Blake raised his brows, confused at his reaction, "what's wrong?"

"Isn't that suspicious?" Kaden asked instead of answering his question, "like, she'd come here— then leave before I get back. Doesn't that sound. . . off to you?"

"Maybe she just doesn't wanna see you," Blake mumbled, "I can't blame her for that, can I?" Kaden opened his mouth, about to come up with a retort when he added, "you know dad used to say that you came out ugly because all the beauty there was to get in the world was reserved for me."

"He never said that," Kaden rolled his eyes and tried to look unbothered at the mention of their father.

"He could have. You'd never know," Blake argued with a smile which, however, fell when he felt Kaden's evident mood shift. The thirteen year old pursed his lips in a thin line then sighed. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I know you hate dad," Blake clarified, "I know you hate talking about him or mom. I just. . . I don't know, I miss them sometimes."

That caught Kaden's entire attention. He bit his inner cheeks hard, his eyes flickering to his hands on his lap which were still holding the controller. The guilt seeped in. He'd told Blaire to not to see Blake, he was certain she wouldn't. He didn't want to open old wounds at her appearance. He knew Blake missed their parents, even though they never really looked after either of them.

"Parents are overrated," Kaden finally said, turning to face him fully. Blake rolled his eyes, "you always say that."

"Because they are," Kaden pressed, "you don't need them, you got me."

"I know that," Blake sighed, "but I still miss them. What if I want to go see them? Just to see how they're doing."

"I can't stop you from doing that but look, you'll get disappointed," He inched closer to the thirteen years old, "they don't give a shit about us, they never did."

"Okay, but what if I want to go to live somewhere else?" When Kaden raised his brows as a sign for him to continue talking, Blake did, "I go to a shitty school here, Kaden." He whined, "they call me poor and dirty. I'm neither. Why do I have to put up with this?"

"Listen to me," Kaden placed his hands on either side of his brother's shoulders, "we have to keep this on until it's safe."

"You mean," Blake paused, "until you kill Ward."

"Yes," he sighed, "but I can't just kill him yet. It's too risky. And I need to find grandfather's watch and it's in some stupid locker in his own office which I haven't been able to get into because the place is surrounded by fucking cameras. And I also don't know the passcode to the locker, so there's that."

"Why's the watch so important anyway?"

"It's not," Kaden brushed him off, "I just want it."

"Okay," Blake nodded slowly, "but. . . Ward is Wheezie's dad. She'll be sad if he dies so maybe— just maybe you could avenge grandfather some other way?"

"Blake—"

"No, hear me out." Blake's eyes held a pleading glint, "he might be a murderer but you don't have to be one. And he's a good father, Wheezie doesn't stop talking about him. She makes it so hard to believe that he have committed murder."

Kaden clenched his jaw at the words leaving his brother's mouth. "I already am a murderer."

"What?"

"I've killed people," Kaden admitted, his eyes holding Blake in place. "Men Ward sent after me. He sends them every now and then. He wants me dead, Blake. He acts all nice and shit when we're face to face because he thinks I don't know anything. He knows I've killed his men, he thinks I don't know he's the one behind it all."

"Wait, what are you saying?" Blake's eyes widen in fear, "why are you working for him if he wants to kill you? He could hurt you anytime!"

"He wants to keep me close," Kaden dropped his hand from Blake's shoulders and threw his head back to rest on the headrest. He stared at the ceiling as he added, "but what he doesn't know is that I want him close just as much. He's actually playing my game, he just doesn't know it yet."

"What if his men somehow manages to kill you?" Blake voiced out his fear, "then what, hmm?"

"That won't happen."