Finding Mia

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NEIL

'Neil Josten, Kevin Day,' Neil turned at the mention of his name, on edge since his cousin's disappearance and Andrew being shipped off to a mental facility to get off his meds. Neil had seen this man before, knew who he was in the back of his mind. But Neil couldn't put a name to the face as he strode towards the team in an expensive looking suit. 

'Kurt?' Kevin asked, appearing at Neil's side. He looked up at his teammate and saw a look of confusion, desperation and hope on his face, all at the same time. Neil looked back at the visitor and remembered where he'd seen him before. Where he'd heard that name before. This was Kurt Day. He was Kevin's cousin, and for some reason Neil couldn't comprehend, Kevin knew.

'Where is my cousin?' Neil asked, stepping forward. Kurt looked down at him - sometimes Neil hated the way he was short. It had never bothered him before, since he'd always been around Mia and his mother, who had been equally as short as him, but since joining the Foxes, it had really hit Neil how tall some people could grow to be.

'Hey, you're Vince from North Carolina, right?' Nicky asked, a smile on his face that Neil wasn't completely sure was fake. 'Mia's friend. What are you doing here?' The cheer in Nicky's voice made Neil cringe. Nicky had been compensating even more since Andrew and Mia's simultaneous departure. Kurt chuckled.

'No, my name is Kurt, and I am from Chicago,' Kurt said. 'But yes, I am Artemisia's friend,' He glanced at Neil for a moment after that, which Neil didn't like. 'And I'm here to speak with her cousin and Kevin about something very important.'

'Alright,' Kevin said slowly, looking at Neil then at Wymack. 'We'll be back soon, Coach.' Wymack grunted from the benches.

'Actually, I think I was told to speak with a Renee Walker, too,' Kurt said. Neil ground his teeth. What is going on? What does Renee have to do with Mia's disappearance? But the three of them followed Kurt into the locker room and Neil tried not to roll his eyes at Kurt's posturing and the way he held himself with an air of an heir to one of the world's largest crime families. But that's exactly what he is, and he could have me executed like it were nothing. 

'Now,' Kurt began, clasping his hands in front of him. Neil looked down to his hands to distract him from the man's face and frowned; There was a silver band around his ring finger. Neil had only met Kurt once before, but he'd never worn a ring there. Maybe Neil had just missed it, but it seemed suspicious to him. 

'What do you want, Kurt? We have practice,' Kevin asked, folding his arms - though it looked almost comical with all the protective gear he had on. 'And what does Renee have to do with this?'

'Artemisia Hatford has asked me to not allow you to continue your research,' Kurt said, looking between the three of them. Kevin looked shocked. Renee's expression barely changed. What research? Neil wondered. He seemed to be the most in the dark, despite the fact that they were talking about his cousin. 'I already have people going to collect it and transport it to her location.'

'What the fuck are you talking about?' Neil demanded.

'Why can't we continue the research, Kurt?' Kevin asked. 'It's my mother, for fucks sake.'

'And my aunt,' Kurt said, still level-headed. What the fuck are they talking about? 'Do you think I haven't been doing the same as you for as long as I've been allowed to? And even before then?'

'I understand Mia's wanting for me to stop helping with the research,' Renee said, gaining the attention of the others. 'But Kevin could at least continue. Don't take this away, it's all he has left of her.' 

Neil was stunned into silence, but he could see the way Kevin's hand was shaking - he didn't have his gloves on, and his left fist was clenched, white lines looking as if they were about to split open again.