Underground Legends: The Hunt (BWWM)

Chapter 14 - Saint

Saint Botero (Male P.O.V)

October 20, 2074

A string of hacking coughs made me stop halfway through pouring a glass of Orange juice. Each one deliberately sounded louder than the previous one to draw maximum attention.

Smiling, I set down the carton, grabbed my glass, and settled back against the counter. Whatever show was about to occur, I was ready.

When the culprit entered the room, all traces of my smile vanished. Lifting my glass to my lips, I took a sip while taking in Logan. Wrapped in a thick navy blanket, he inched toward the island counter with the most pitiful expression he could muster on his face. A wad of crumpled tissues poked out from one of his clenched fists, slightly shredded near the ends.

"Are you alright, Logan?" I asked before taking another sip of my juice.

"No, I don't feel good." He said in between coughs.

"Really?" I asked, my voice laced with skepticism.

"Yeah, m-m-maybe I should stay home." He said although it sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Have you told Abella?"

He shook his head while struggling to get himself and the blanket on a stool. "I'm waiting until she finishes getting dressed."

I slowly nodded, now understanding why he hadn't gone straight to her.

For the majority of the day, Abella and I would be out. Which meant my senses would be on high alert, and I would constantly be on the lookout for impending danger.

Logan being sick, pretending or not, could alter those plans, which could work in my favor.

Honestly, I would prefer it if we stayed in, away from crowds. But Abella was looking forward to brunch with her friends and then shopping for bridesmaids and wedding dressings. She had already arranged for Logan to spend the day with his father. Yet, for some reason, he seemed unwilling to go. His resorting to lying made me more curious.

"Well, before you tell her, you might want to log off your game." I jerked my head towards the living room to further sell the lie.

He hopped off the stool, tossing his blanket on the floor in his haste.

"I thought I di..." His voice trailed off as he stopped in the doorway.

I feigned shock at his speedy recovery when he slowly turned to face me.

He chuckled a bit while rubbing the back of his neck. "I logged off, didn't I?"

"Yep." I drained the rest of my juice, not feeling good about getting the upper hand over a preteen. I wasn't his parent or guardian. I couldn't scold him or force him to go. But I could listen if he was willing to talk. Without a doubt, I believed there was a deeper reason behind his actions. "Now, do you want to discuss why you're pretending to be ill when you were practically glued to the computer screen thirty minutes ago?"

"It's just that..." He picked up his discarded blanket and returned to his seat before continuing, "Seeing my dad right now will only cause my sister more stress."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I know the real reason my sister hired you, and it's not because of my dad." He softly confessed while twirling the frayed ends of the blanket around his fingers.

My heart thumped in my chest, and my palm grew slick around the glass.

"Oh, and what is the real reason?"

"You're here to pr..." His head fell to his chest but not before I caught the slightest glimpse of his watery eyes. "Protect my sister from the people murdering Underground Legends players."

I didn't have the heart to tell him it was for both reasons. My decision stemmed from Abella's intentions to keep the pair's relationship intact. It was respectable, and I wouldn't be the cause of it going down in flames.

"That's true, but how did you figure that out?" I asked, struggling to keep a straight face as a lone tear rolled down his cheek.

He swiped his hand across his face. "It was all anyone was talking about at school."

I let out the breath I hadn't been aware I held. Somehow him knowing that piece of the truth was better than the entirety.

"It's terri...no. It sucks you found out that way but believe me, Abella wanted to tell you. It's just not an easy topic to discuss."

He sniffed. "I know."

"Good. Now I know you're worried about your sister, but your dad would be heartbroken if he knew you would rather pretend to be sick than hang out with him."

"So, what should I do?"

"I can't tell you. It's your decision."

A deep frown settled on his face, displeased with my lack of advice.

"But what I can tell you is that." I leaned down, set my elbows on the counter, and whispered conspiratorially. "Your sister, dad, the cops, and I are working on a plan to fix this. She doesn't have to figure everything out alone. She has us."

His teeth unconsciously gnawed at his bottom lip as he pondered my words.

He didn't have long to think before Abella shouted, "Logan, are you dressed? Dad will be here any minute now."

"Almo..." His voice trailed off at the questioning look I shot his way.

"No, I'm going now." He quickly amended, sliding off the stool. After gathering the blanket, he rushed from the room just as Abella entered.

She lightly chuckled and shook her head at his retreating form while making her way to me.

I picked up the empty glass and placed it into the sink when she spoke. "What wer-"

A knock sounding at the door interrupted her.

"That should be my dad." She told me, and I nodded before we went to answer it.

Just as she said, it was her father.

"He-" Mr. Sterling started to greet her but stopped when he saw me. His narrowed gaze shifted between us for a few seconds before he asked, "What is going on, Abella? You had the nerve to imply I can't look after my own son, and now you're bringing strange men around him."

"Strange men?"

"Yes!"

"Saint... that's his name, by the way, is a bodyguard, and he's getting paid to keep Logan and me alive."

His mouth fell open, forming a perfect 'o' as he gave me a thorough once over. After completing his assessment, he snapped his mouth closed and cleared his throat. "You're a bodyguard?" He asked as if he needed a direct confirmation from me.

"Yes, sir."

He didn't respond, just studied my face in silence.

"Have we met before?" He asked after a few seconds passed.

"Yes, sir. My best friend Quinton and his family were your neighbors unt-"

A light jab in my side made me stop talking at once. Abella must have realized the direction of my sentence would only dredge bad memories. And thankfully, she intervened in time.

Our exchange went unnoticed by Mr. Sterling as his eyes lit up. "Oh, I remember. You're the kid that always used to hang out at the Sharpe's house."

"Yes, that's him," Abella said, smiling.

"It's good to see you again, son." Mr. Sterling stretched his hand out to me, and I shook it. "Thank you for looking after them."

Not knowing how to respond, I merely smiled.

"Okay, I'll um..." Abella glanced at her phone, checking the time. "Go and get Logan, then we can all head out together."

"Okay."

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Thank you for reading!❤