The Key to My Hart

Chapter 4

In the weeks that followed, I trained with both bats and the martial arts knowledge I already had to become stronger. I was in the gym now, lifting weights with Azrael and Ryder to build up arm strength when Rowan came storming inside, Kaito close behind.

"Who the hell let it slip about us leaving?" He growled.

The three of us looked at each other in confusion. "What are you talking about?" Azrael snapped at him.

"I just had Big John, Dorothy, and Flora demand to know why we were leaving the base. My question is, who told them?" His voice wasn't any nicer this time around.

"Obviously not us." I pointed out. We had planned on waiting until a few days before we headed out. Less questions and less demands. Now we might have to up our schedule.

"Fuck." Rowan rubbed his jaw in frustration, his foot tapping.

He turned to leave, but Kaito caught him in a headlock. Rowan tried to escape, pushing and shoving at Kaito without throwing any punches.

Realizing he wasn't getting away without resorting to violence he stopped struggling. Kaito let him go, then signed, "What's done is done. There's no use accusing anyone or getting angry. We need to focus on damage control because none of us are ready to leave yet."

"You're right. I'm sorry." My jaw dropped at how easy it was for Rowan to apologize to Kaito. "Let's get to the lab. All of us. We need to figure out a game plan. Someone needs to find Carlos and Finn."

They left leaving Azrael, Ryder, and me alone again.

"Well, that was intense." Ryder stated as he started racking the weights. He helped me carry the dumbbells I was using back to their station.

"I'll go find Carlos and Finn. I think I might know where they are." I volunteered.

"I'll go with." Ryder suggested.

Azrael just kissed me and left without another word.

"How much do you want to bet that he's still pissed at the way Rowan spoke to us?" Ryder nudged me.

I couldn't laugh, worried they'd get into fight. Both had very strong personalities. Ryder must have read the concern on my face, because he went on to say, "Don't worry. Azrael won't usurp Rowan's authority by having a confrontation in front of everyone. More than likely he'll pull Rowan to the side and tell him to never do that again."

"How would you even know that?" We left them gym and Ryder followed me.

"I saw him do it after you broke your wrist. When Rowan beat the shit out of an officer, Azrael pulled him off then gestured that they take a walk. When they came back to camp, Rowan was noticeable more calm and Azrael was just as stoic as ever." Ryder shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.

It did make me wonder about the dynamic between the guys. I knew Rowan had become a story of leader amongst us, but I hadn't ever paid attention to the roles the others played. Guess you'll need to start paying more attention, Hart.

When we stepped outside, I started walking to one of the shipping containers. Everyone had made great progress. The ring around the base was finally complete. The steel gate was in place, and now they were working on creating guard stations on the top level of shipping containers. Some had already been made, and one was used for a hangout of sorts for Finn and Carlos. They had both volunteered for guard duty.

The weather was turning from winter into spring, and the humidity was stifling. The short walk to the back of the compound had me drenched in sweat. I clung to the handmade ladder welded to the side of the container. Someone had built a deck for easier access to the inside. When I reached the top and stepped onto the platform, I spotted Carlos and Finn with their heads together talking quietly. Carlos moved closer to Finn, but he drew back in response. Carlos frowned.