Chapter 2
COSETTE
“May I have the keys, please?” I put my hand out and fluttered my eyelashes at Dex, but he simply raised an eyebrow in response.
Hoping he would give in, I flashed a smile, and he rolled his eyes before fishing the keys out of his pocket and, at long last, handing them over.
The moment the cold metal touched my palm, I ran for my life, making a beeline for the exit. As the car came into view, I unlocked it and practically dove into the passenger seat.
I didn’t want to ride in the back anymore. It wasn’t uncomfortable or anything; it was all about the principle.
I saw the two approaching the car, and while Siege just narrowed his eyes at me through the windshield, Dex had a shit-eating grin, clearly proud of my protest.
“He can easily carry you out, sweetie,” Dex said as he opened the door to the driver’s side just as Siege did the same for my door.
“Oh, trust me. I’m definitely planning on it,” Siege agreed, leaning sideways on the jamb.
“You can, but you won’t, right?” I asked, getting close just enough for me to give him a light peck on the lips.
Dex chuckled at my actions, a sound that held a mix of amusement and understanding, aware that it was my last attempt to avoid being kicked out.
I backed away, thinking that was enough to make him fold, when Siege gently yet firmly grabbed me by my nape, the scent of his cologne filling my senses before he kissed me square on the lips. Hot and passionate, right there in the middle of the school parking lot.
He drew back afterwards, smirk evident and gaze fixed upon me, clearly pleased by my breathless condition as he mumbled against my lips, “You’re lucky you’re so goddamn cute.”
My heart hammered against my ribs while Siege finally moved away to shut my door, backing away to take a seat in the back.
I bit my bottom lip and sank against the back of my seat as Dex, who was looking at me with amusement, started the car. “I agree. So goddamn cute, you are.”
After we were all set with our seatbelts fastened, Dex drove us out of the lot, heading towards my place. They were going to stay with me for another month until my dad comes back from his business trip.
Dex, unable to use the driveway because my dad’s car was parked there, pulled up on the street in front of my house, and out of habit, I checked to see if Nero’s truck was in its usual spot across the street.
I hated it.
I hated that it was like instinct for me to look for a sign that he was home.
Because he wasn’t. He probably drove Andy home if he didn’t have football, or maybe she’s watching him on the bleachers while waiting for practice to end before he drives her home.
Considering that I have Siege and Dex by my side already, I really ought to put an end to this immature infatuation with Nero, especially with how serious things are getting with Siege and Dex. Yet, I can’t help it when I’ve loved someone for years.
My first love. That’s what Nero is to me.
After hearing the distinct sound of the car doors unlocking, I pulled on the handle and got out, jogging up the steps to my house so I could open the front door.
“Shoes,” I reminded them as Dex and Siege followed me inside, and I moved to the kitchen to get some refreshments.
As seniors in our last semester, we didn’t exactly have a lot of work to do now except for taking the midterms and finals.
All of our schedule is mainly to let us enjoy our last months of high school, and as someone who aimed for academic excellence, I have to say that it’s giving me a lot of relief.
Which reminds me…
“So, homecoming dance.” I put down the three glasses of iced tea on the coffee table in front of the sofa, and the two looked at each other again, having yet another one of their silent conversations.
“Stop that. I don’t know what you two are communicating telepathically about, but we’re going.”
Dex slowly reached for my hand and tugged me closer, after which he helped me by my hip with his other hand to guide me down onto his lap. “Of course, we’re going. Don’t want you to miss out on all the high school fun,” he said, wrapping his arms around me.
“With the homecoming dance, though, is the homecoming game,” Siege chimed in, looking at me with a raised brow. “You going?”
Understanding what his actual concern is, I felt myself stiffen in Dex’s embrace.
Was I going? To support Nero? It will be his last high school football game.
While I hoped to avoid any resentment towards him before the school year ends, his actions have been disappointing, making it difficult to consider him a good friend.
“I want to. But I don’t know yet,” I mumbled truthfully. “We’ll see.”
Siege simply nodded in response, and I am certain that the two of them are aware of the internal conflict I am experiencing. After all, they both know how I truly feel—felt—about Nero even before they came into my life.
Dex offered me physical support by tightening his arms around me, and then he spoke, effectively ending the uncomfortable silence that hung over us for a moment.
“I have some news regarding our Exodus mission that I thought I should share with you, by the way. Considering that we’re in some sort of meeting right now.”
“Hit me,” Siege said, getting a bit more serious as he leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees.
“I’ve finished reading through all the files that we got from Dione’s—“
“What? Just yesterday, you were halfway through. When did you even get the time to read?” I asked, unable to contain my surprise. The files we got had a combined length of over six hundred pages.
“In class?” He answered, sounding as though it was supposed to be obvious.
I could only roll my eyes before he continued.
“Anyway, I finished reading through everything, and bad news, there is no implication anywhere pertaining to who the big bad is that’s…
supplying all these people. No country, no name. Not even an alias.”
Siege’s chest visibly rose as he inhaled deeply, and then he raked his fingers through his hair. “There’s gotta be a ‘but’ there, brother,” he said, the desperation clear in his strained voice.
“There is. While we can’t go to the root of the problem, I found a possible way that can get Eli’s family permanently out of this sick business.”
Dex pulled out his phone, opening up PDF files and showing us pages upon pages of what seemed to be a spreadsheet of ‘transfers’ with timestamps on them.
“The Nest?” I asked, seeing the name pop up again and again. It’s the end destination from ‘Pickup’, and it’s the starting destination before transfers are made to clubs, hotels, sometimes even residential addresses.
It would’ve been helpful if we’d had the actual names of the clubs and hotels. Maybe we could go gather more intel from their admin offices’ paperwork, but they were all labeled vaguely.
Hotel 1, Hotel 2, Club 1, and so on.
“That’s what they call their main facility, and they keep the victims there before sending them to god knows where.” With the number of transfers they have in a month, and based on the average number of people we see when we do ops, I can say there would be over a hundred people being held there.
A chill went through me, and goosebumps erupted on my skin. The thought of so many people being trafficked, ripped from their homes and families, made my stomach churn.
“Where?” Siege asked, his jaw clenched so tightly that I knew he was thinking the same thing I was.
We needed to get these people out of there as soon as possible.
“That’s the thing. I don’t know. There’s no address. No coordinates. I still need more time to figure that out. But I’m sure that if we hit that facility, save those people in there, they would definitely lose their business with the fucking demon who’s orchestrating all this.”
Dex’s arms were getting tighter around me, and I couldn’t blame him. I held his hand, rubbing the skin with my thumb in an attempt to comfort him, even leaning back so he could rest his chin on my shoulder.
This whole thing sucks, and I know that whatever helplessness I felt, Dex and Siege have it much worse because the responsibility mostly falls on them to figure all of this out.
“You’ll find it. I know you will,” I whispered to Dex as I leaned my forehead against his temple.
“I hope so, sweetie,” he whispered, a sigh escaping his lips.
I then turned my gaze to Siege, who also had the same look of defeat in his eyes, though there was a touch of longing as he looked at both me and Dex.
With my free hand, I extended it towards his, and in that moment, I found myself hoping that the care and love I could give them would be enough.
At least for now.
Because Nero can judge us all he wants, and he can hate the person I’m seemingly becoming.
But I’ll never stop helping in any way I can until we are all out of this mess.
Safe. Alive. Together.