Trae and Calum arrived at the headquarters, the silence inside was unnerving. They scanned the place, but before they could take a step, their colleagues emerged, guns drawn, pointing directly at them. Shock washed over them – they hadn't anticipated this.
Crow emerged, clapping his hands, his usual business attire a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere. A sinister smile played on his lips.
"Here come my best men!"
His laughter echoed through the silent hall. Trae and Calum had no choice but to raise their hands. The cold glint in their colleagues' eyes made it clear they were ready to fire if they made even a tiny move.
"What the hell is this, Crow?" Trae asked, his voice laced with confusion.
"I should be asking you, Trae?" Crow countered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Booker!" Crow barked, and Kyrie Booker stepped forward. His face was painted with concern.
"You've been keeping the woman with you, Calum. One of our spies told us that she's the woman they've been looking for, Eagle's daughter."
Calum's eyes widened in disbelief, his jaw clenched in despair. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It felt like a betrayal, a cruel twist of fate that was always testing him. It couldn't be right, this was complete stupidity. He couldn't accept it, that he was wrong to fall for her, it was a mistake. She was his mortal enemy's daughter, it couldn't be.
"Shut your fucking mouth, Booker! I trusted you," Calum roared, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"I don't work for you, bro. My loyalty belongs to Crow," Booker replied, adjusting his glasses, his hands trembling with uncontrollable fear.
Calum lunged towards Booker, but the click of the guns pointed at them stopped him in his tracks.
"Calum, stop!" Trae shouted, seeing the rage building in Calum's eyes. If those guns weren't pointed at them, he might have killed Booker right then and there.
"What was your plan!?" Crow interrupted, his voice laced with a chilling calm. "Clearly you have a plan, right? I knew you'd betray me someday, Bryant, I just didn't expect it to be this soon." He continued, his tone turning mocking. "Now I know why you spared her. All this time, she's actually Eagle's daughter, and I doubt you didn't know that. What other reason could you have for sparing her life?"
He continued. "My men were on their way to get the woman in your safe house, then we can get everything back to normal, I will forget that you betray me."
Crow's laughter was cut short by a deafening explosion. A blinding flash of light illuminated the room, followed by a wave of intense heat that pushed everyone back. The air filled with the acrid smell of burning metal and explosives. Debris rained down from the ceiling, and dust swirled in the air, obscuring the scene. The force of the blast sent a shockwave through the building, rattling windows and shaking the ground beneath their feet. The walls shuddered, and cracks spiderwebbed across the concrete.
Everyone was thrown off balance by the blast, smoke billowing from the room where it originated. Another explosion followed, and the headquarters began to crumble under the relentless barrage. One of the men inside shouted.
"It's a bomb!"
Panic erupted, everyone scrambling to escape. Crow was already safely tucked away, surrounded by his men. Trae and Calum were out in the open. Trae started the car engine and sped away as fast as they could.
"Who told them about my hideout?!" Calum yelled, his fist landed in Booker's face. Booker's glasses shattered, blood gushing from his forehead. Even though his hands weren't tied up he still couldn't escape Calum or Trae.
"Stop, Cal! I'm sorry," Booker cried, pleading for his life.
After the explosion, Calum grabbed Booker, desperate for answers. He knew Booker knew everything and he couldn't let him escape.
"Bud, can you wait until we reach a safe place to let him talk? I'm driving," Trae asked, his voice calm despite the chaos. Calum glared at him, his anger simmering, but he reluctantly agreed. He couldn't wait to get answers out of Kyrie.
They stopped in the woods near the highway. Calum grabbed Booker's arm with a force that threatened to tear it from its socket. Booker screamed in pain, collapsing to his knees in the grass.
"Now! Talk!" Calum demanded, his eyes like daggers, his anger reaching a fever pitch.
"I'm sorry. They have my girlfriend, I had to save her. That's why I agreed with them. That's right, I told them about your hideout, and I planted the bombs inside our headquarters," Kyrie sobbed, his words laced with desperation.
Calum yanked Booker's shirt, pulling him closer.
"Who are they?!" he roared, his voice echoing through the woods.
"They're Eagle's men. That woman, Mariana Rodriguez... she's Eagle's long-lost daughter. He wants her," Kyrie choked out.
Calum's jaw clenched, his anger burning like a wildfire. He released Booker, his hands on his hips as he shut his eyes and yelled.
"Fuck! Fuck!"
Trae watched him curse repeatedly, his face etched with concern and annoyance.
"Calum! What are you doing? This has nothing to do with you. If your problem was your hideout, you can stay with me. Or if your problem was Crow, we can still settle it, we can talk to him. We can't kill Eagle or succeed in our plan when you're so manipulated by your emotions," Trae said, walking closer to Calum. Their eyes met, mirroring each other's rage.
"I fucking love her!" Calum shouted, his voice raw with emotion.
Trae was stunned. Before he could react, his fist connected with Calum's face.
"So what are you going to do?! What are you going to do, Calum? You're going to save her like you're a fucking hero and tell her you love her? You just heard it, she's Eagle's goddamn daughter! And you fucking love her? You wake up, Calum! You know better than that!"
Calum wiped the blood from his lower lip, his eyes blazing with a mixture of rage, fear, and sadness. His heart was breaking, the pain consuming him, poisoning him inside. He turned away from Trae, his hands still stained with blood, and walked towards Kyrie.
"I need you to give me their location, or I will fucking kill you."
Trae laughed sarcastically.
"So you're really acting as a knight and save your princess, right? Let me remind you that Eagle has a battalion of men."
He walked closer to Calum and forced him to face him.
"I'll get her. I will make her a pawn to get Eagle's out in his nest."
The rage in his eyes seemed subsided. Trae couldn't read his emotion right now. And he was shocked about his words.
"I love her Trae. But she's never a priority. I will kill Eagle. I will kill him."
Trae was out of words, he was rendered speechless. He had never seen Calum this desperate and certain about something. He knew he was suffering. He couldn't read his face emotions but his eyes couldn't lie. He was dying inside while stating those words.
***