Rival Rising

by Ben Swallow

  I cuddle up against him a little, resting my head on his shoulder. With a smile, he puts his arm around me, gently stroking my shoulder. I could get used to that, cuddling on the couch after a long, exhausting day. Relaxing with someone I feel safe with, someone I trust.

  I’m still confused about where we stand and where I want us to be. My brain feels like a huge knot, unable to give me a clear answer. I guess I still need time to process.

  About an hour later, just after he got up to pee, his phone chimes. I know I probably shouldn’t, but my curiosity is getting the better of me. I quickly grab it and see one new message.

  “Hey, love, are you doing anything tonight? How about me? *wink-emoji*”

  I swallow hard as I read the text a second time. Well, that is quite direct.

  I’m not sure if I should be relieved or angry that it is from Joyce, but at least he put her in his phone as Joyce Cross, not some cute nickname.

  “Did I get a message? I thought heard my phone.”

  I drop the phone and look up in surprise as Bryan comes back from the bathroom. “Oh, just a booty call from your ex. Nothing special, I’m sure.”

  I know I shouldn’t be jealous, considering that we aren’t even dating, but is still feel somehow betrayed.

  He sighs and shakes his head as he reads the text, then puts the phone away. “She just can’t take a hint.”

  After having met her, I can actually believe him. And I might even believe that he is not tempted. But I’ve seen enough movies to know a love triangle when I see one. And I don’t particularly want to get in one, especially not with a crazy ex, they never end well for anyone involved.

  Chapter 5

  “Okay, let me sum that up again. You got the compass, but then you were attacked by a Chinese named Wang who wants to unite all powered people against me?”

  “Yup, that’s what happened, Clayton.”

  Bryan doesn’t seem to be too worried, almost relaxed about telling Cross about our failure. But as I watch Cross, I can’t tell if he is just holding his anger in check or really doesn’t care at all.

  “Hmm,” he sighs eventually. “Thank you. There have been a few reports that did not make sense, but this would explain them. Nothing for you two to worry about.”

  He frowns as his phone chimes on his desk. As he reads the message, his frown deepens even more.

  “There has been another attack, an old man has been found dead in his apartment, burn marks all over the room. Does that sound like Wang to you, too?”

  “Could be,” Bryan nods.

  “He was after you for the compass, but what would he want from a regular old man?”

  “Where was this?” They both turn to me in surprise as I speak up. Considering how close they are, Bryan usually does all the talking when we speak to Cross.

  “Uhm… a house in South Paradise, near West Street,” Cross reads from his phone.

  I look at Bryan with wide eyes and see the same realization on his face. “Wasn’t that where the old admiral lived?”

  “It was. Since he didn’t have to compass anymore, the only thing they could want from him is the name of his source.” With fear in his eyes, he turns to Cross. “I think I know where they are going next. They are going after Robby.”

  “Robby?” Cross looks at him with worried surprise. “Go, then. And explain everything once you’re back.”

  With a respectful nod Bryan gets up and I quickly follow his lead. This time, no Joyce is waiting for him as we leave the elevator. Without stopping, we hurry straight to his car, racing towards Robby’s place.

  “What you think they would do to him, Bryan?”

  “Depends on what they want. Probably the other two items we stole. Or maybe they are after the ring.”

  I briefly touch my pocket, still feeling the ring safely tucked away. I wonder what is so special about it, it didn’t seem like anything more than a nice old ring.

  The way Bryan drives reminds me of Cross, but it’s also very different. While Cross was weaving through traffic like a predator on the hunt, Bryan is driving like a waiter through a crowd, careful not to get too close to anyone and giving way to everyone.

  But as we arrive, it quickly becomes obvious that we are too late. The door is broken out of its hinges, the chains lying broken on the floor.

  Now would be the time where Bryan and I draw our guns and carefully enter the apartment. At least that’s what we would do if we were in any kind of law enforcement. Or if we were thugs. Or anyone else with half a brain.

  But no, Bryan just waltzes right in, shouting as he throws the door open “Robby!”

  I quickly follow him, just because we have neither guns nor any kind of plan doesn’t mean we can’t still work as a team.

  But after only a few steps into the apartment, we see Robby lying on the floor in a small pool of blood, scorch marks all over the floor and on his body.

  “Robby!” Bryan rushes to him, kneeling on the floor next to him.

  As I catch up to him, I see how Robby weakly lifts his head and looks at Bryan. “What have you involved me in, old friend?”

  “Don’t talk, we will get you to hospital.”

  Robby’s laughs weakly, but it quickly turns into coughing blood. “No, my time has come. Just promise me you won’t let them use my body for secret government experiments. You know which ones I mean.”

  “I promise, old friend.”

  “Over my dead body, I told them.” Robby smiles weakly, closing his eyes. “They took the onyx amulet and the jade dragon, but I did not tell them who I got them from.”

  Bryan takes his hand, a tear rolling down his cheek. “I will avenge you, I swear.”

  Robby smiles at him one last time, then his eyes turn glassy.

  Bryan kneels next to him for a few more seconds, then he carefully closes Robby’s eyes and gets up.

  I expected to see anger on his face, hatred even, or at least sadness. But his face is devoid of all emotion, only his eyes stare at me in empty sadness.

  Regardless of how tough he tries to look, I step to him and take him in my arms. He tenses up for a second, like he might just push me away again. But then he wraps his arms around my back and relaxes in my embrace.

  After a few seconds, he pulls back, quickly wiping away a tear from his eye. He takes a deep breath and swallows hard, then nods to me with silent appreciation.

  “Come, let’s get away from here. There’s nothing more we can do now,” I whisper as I take his hand.

  He follows me outside and back in the car, where we just sit for a few minutes in silence. I’m not sure if there’s anything I can say to comfort him, so I stay silent.

  Eventually, he sighs deeply. “Alright, let’s head back to Clayton. He will want to hear this as soon as possible.”

  “Were they… close?”

  “Clayton respected Robby for his loyalty and unwavering principles and liked him for his eccentricity. Wang just made his little rebellion personal.”

  We drive back to Cross in silence, still processing what just happened. I barely even knew Robby, and yet I still miss him, however crazy he was.

  As we arrive at Cross’ building, the usual guard greets Bryan, like always. “Hey, Bryan.”

  “Hey, man.”

  “You’ll have to wait for a few minutes, actually, Cross is in a meeting.” The guard gestures towards the waiting area.

  Bryan frowns. “More attacks?”

  “Yeah. That Chinese has some balls, I give him that. People disappear from all over town, most of them powered. Cross is discussing plans right now with his lieutenants, I’ll let you know when he’s done.”

  Bryan nods, then we sit down on one of the couches. He leans back and takes a deep breath, his eyes a little wet again.

  I put my hand on his knee and look at him with worry. “I can be the one to tell Cross what happened, if you want.”

  He frowns at me for a moment, then shakes his head. “No, I have to be the one to tell him. He w
as my friend, after all.”

  “Okay.”

  “But… thank you.” He puts his hand on mine, pressing it gently once.

  I enjoy the feeling for a few seconds until I realize something else.

  “We will have to tell him about the other items, won’t we? And about where we got them from?”

  “I’m afraid so. He won’t be happy about it, but he won’t rip our heads off.”

  “He better not, I still need mine. And yours, too, of course.”

  Bryan tilts his head and chuckles. “What do you need my head for?”

  “Oh, I can imagine lots of things we can only do with our heads attached,” I wink at him.

  He squints at me for a moment, then laughs. I quickly join him, glad to see him happy again. There’s this sparkle back in his eyes, a sparkle that makes my heart beat faster when he looks at me.

  When the guard takes us up the elevator to Cross a few minutes later, our mood has already improved.

  But as we walk into Cross’ penthouse, Bryan sighs deeply again. Cross is still in the kitchen or somewhere, so we stand around near the couches and wait for a minute.

  “Did you find Robby?” Cross greets us as he strides into the room. He frowns as he sees Bryan, the expression on his face must already give away the kind of news we bear.

  “Yes. He is dead, Clayton.”

  “Wang?”

  “Yes. He had scorch marks all over his body.”

  “I will miss that crazy little guy,” Cross sighs. “There were two more armed attacks since you left, luckily without casualties. He seems to be hunting people with powers, but apparently doesn’t kill them.”

  “What does he want with them? Build an army?”

  “From what witnesses say, he wants to unite powered people, create a new faction. He talks about peace, but apparently, he is willing to kill for it.”

  “Oh.” Bryan takes a deep breath. “There’s something else we have to tell you.”

  Cross frowns and gestures towards the couches. “Let’s sit, then. These words rarely mean something good.”

  We sit down across from him, I’m wringing my hand nervously but manage to hold his curious gaze.

  “Wang and his men were after two other items, as well. An onyx amulet and a jade dragon. That’s why they went after Robby.”

  “Hmm. I’ve heard stories about the compass, but not about those artifacts. So what do you have to tell me?”

  “We may be the reason this compass surfaced again. When Dahl demanded the $50,000 within a week, we had to… improvise. We got into quite the mess and ended up stealing these three items from an antiquities store near the Pit for the one-armed. But then he didn’t show up to pay us, so we sold them to Robby instead.”

  “Yeah, he got killed. Found his body in a dumpster.”

  “Oh. That explains it.”

  Cross looks at us for a few seconds, frowning, thinking.

  “You didn’t harm anybody, so the only open debt is to the antiquities merchant, right?”

  “That’s right. When we catch Dahl, we can give the merchant the money we used to pay our alleged debt.”

  “And we owed the old man a compass, but then he got killed because of us,” I add sadly.

  Cross frowns at me and nods. “I don’t take killing innocents lightly, you can be sure of that.”

  He leans back, thinking for a few seconds. Then, with a sigh, he continues. “All right, good job you two. Go home, take the day off. I imagine you will need time to recover from today.”

  With that, he gets up again, giving us a brief nod. I guess that means it’s time to leave.

  I nod respectfully in return as I follow Bryan out the door and back to his car. I’m really glad that again, no Joyce suddenly pulls him away. This would be a really bad time. Only as we get into the car do I break the silence again.

  “I can give you some space if that’s what you want, but I thought we could do another relaxed evening. Watch some TV, take your mind off things.”

  He looks at me and smiles, then nods. I’m not entirely sure if that means he wants me to stay, but I guess I will see.

  As it turned out, he did want me to stay. We watched two more episodes of Game of Thrones, me cuddled up in his arms again. I quickly noticed that he is barely paying attention to the TV, though, his thoughts apparently elsewhere. But I expected as much, however tough he acts, the murder of a friend really hit him.

  Eventually, he turned off the TV in the middle of an episode and we went to bed. I changed into some pajamas this time, even though they are a little big for me. Now we are lying there, cuddled up, my head resting on his shoulder, his arm around my back.

  I know I didn’t want to get into anything with him while Joyce is apparently still claiming him as hers. But the more I’m spending time with him, the more I realize that I can’t just leave and forget him, either. I like him, whether it’s smart or not.

  My hand is resting on his bare chest, my thumb softly caressing it. Meanwhile, he is gently stroking my back with his hand, sending tingles up my spine with every soft touch.

  Being so close to him, close enough to feel his heartbeat, is both calming and exhilarating. I can imagine the wild sex we could be having, but I can also imagine simply resting peacefully with him, protected, safe. Like we are now.

  I’m already falling asleep as I wonder once again where we stand. I guess he must like me, otherwise I wouldn’t be here right now. But then again, he never made a move on me, often becoming tense if I touch him playfully.

  Already half asleep, one last thought appears in my sluggish mind.

  What if he was gay? That would be so ironic.

  Chapter 6

  The sun tickles my face as I am lying on my side. It’s already late morning, probably around 11 am. We slept in, not wanting to get up and leave the bed just yet.

  We are spooning, his arm lying over my side, gently holding my hand. His other arm is under the pillow, my head resting on it. I can’t believe that this is comfortable for him, but every time I asked he said it’s no problem.

  But then again, it’s Bryan. He probably would call it “no problem” even if he couldn’t feel his arm anymore.

  His warm breath is tickling my neck, his bare chest touching my back. I haven’t done this for years, and only now do I realize how much I’ve missed it.

  Everyone always says the little spoon feels safe and protected. I’ve never felt that way again after my ex. Someone breathing down my neck, his arms around me – it always felt threatening. But now it doesn’t.

  My stomach suddenly growls, like a hungry beast roaring in the plains. I chuckle, slightly embarrassed at such unladylike sounds. It’s not something I usually worry about, but it’s like I interrupted the peaceful quiet.

  “Someone’s hungry, hm?” Bryan chuckles behind me.

  “Would you believe me if I said it wasn’t me but a lion?”

  “A wildcat, huh? I know just the thing to calm a hungry lion down.”

  I don’t see his face, but I can almost hear his grin. I’m smiling, too, wondering if he’s suggesting something.

  “Is that so?”

  “Definitely. No one could ever resist my pancakes.”

  Well, I guess we thought of different things.

  “No one?” I gasp playfully. “And how many girls exactly did you test that theory on?”

  “Uhm… well, does my brother count? It’s also great after a party, makes every hangover more bearable. Oh, and my grandma loved them, too. But she passed away last year.”

  Wow, that took a dark turn fast.

  “Way to kill the mood, Bryan. I thought that was my job.”

  “Sorry,” he chuckles, playing with my hair. “So, would you like some pancakes?”

  “You mean the ones you made your dead grandma? How romantic.”

  “No, those would be gross already.”

  Even if I’m just playfully upset, I can’t keep it up anymore and laugh. “Alright, let’s ma
ke some pancakes.”

  We get up and I take a quick shower, then join him in the kitchen. While we are making pancakes, laughing, joking, Bryan’s phone rings.

  “Could you get that, Alice? I have to make sure this pancake doesn’t burn again, like the last.”

  “Maybe you should have paid more attention to it then, instead of looking at my butt while I was reaching for the plates,” I laugh.

  “Hey, I did not! It was only a glance.”

  “Yeah yeah, of course,” I laugh as I check his phone. “Oh, it’s Clayton. I mean Cross. Should I pick up?”

  He frowns at me for a second, thinking, then nods and turns back to the pancake.

  “Yes, this is Alice?”

  “Alice? Oh, you’re the girl who’s working with Bryan, right?” I hear Cross’ surprise even through the phone.

  “Yeah, I stayed with him after what happened yesterday. Do you want me to give him a message? Or I could also put you on speaker.”

  I have no idea what the proper etiquette is on a call with your boss who is quite casual with the guy you’re working but also cuddling with, but still might be one of the most powerful and dangerous men the city.

  “It’s fine, I have a job for you two if you’re up for it. Some distraction might be just what he needs. I received about a dozen possible locations for Wang’s hideout and I’m sending people there to scout the places out. There are two not far from you, I’ll send you the location. If you see Wang, call me. Otherwise, come in tomorrow.”

  Before I can answer, he already hung up.

  Well, that didn’t go so bad.

  I put the phone back, look at Bryan, and shrug. “He got a job for us, wants us to scout out possible hideout locations.”

  Bryan raises one eyebrow, then flips the pancake through the air. “All right. Then we should get going right after breakfast. Stakeouts are fun, you’ll see.”

  But as we sit in his car about an hour later, watching a seemingly abandoned residential building, I don’t see the fun in it at all. We are at the first of the two addresses Cross has sent us, and even though we only arrived a few minutes ago, I would have already left again.