Beyond The Fine Line

Chapter VI - Fire

A/N: An extra update as a thank you to @julsAvani, @AfrinKhatun and @Hidelias for giving me the motivation to keep going. Thank you, your support means the world to me!

The room seemed to hold its breath, caught in the charged silence between them as Jay leaned in, inches from Sean's face. His grip remained firm as he stared into his intense, dark eyes with a glare that mirrored the hostility his twin might have harboured. It wasn't hard to figure out that this person must have been Sean. Someone who seemed to be at odds with Tay. 'Shame' flashed in his mind while his brown eyes briefly tinged with regret. Jay was more aware that he had to stay in his brother's persona, but Sean's spicy scent with fresh notes made it incredibly difficult.

"Touch me again, and a messed-up job will be the least of your worries," Jay warned him, his voice a low, threatening hiss.

"You've got nerve, Tay," Sean retorted with disdain, pushing him away. "You disappear who knows where, and then you come back like nothing happened, thinking you can boss us around?"

Jay folded his arms across his chest, his eyebrow cocked in a blend of curiosity and mockery. "Oh? And who's going to take charge, then? You? Don't make me laugh!"

"Literally anyone would be better than you, you fucking asshole!"

Jay decided to use their argument to his advantage and shift the leadership to someone who knew what they were doing. And this was a perfect chance. "Fine. If you're so much better, go ahead. Show us how it's supposed to be done."

Sean's eyes bore into Jay's, a mix of rage and amusement dancing in their depths. He seemed to thrive on the opportunity to challenge him, even relish it.

"Oh, I'd love to show you how it's done," he shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "At least I won't run away like a scared little bitch when things get tough."

"What did you say?!" Jay hissed, seeing it as a perfect opportunity to learn what happened at their last job.

"Oh, did I hurt your fragile ego?" Sean taunted, taking the challenge head-on with a sharp, venomous edge. "First, you drag me into an obvious trap, all to prove some pathetic point of what an asshole you are. Then, like a fucking magician, you disappeared first. Did I miss anything, or did your vanishing act just get in the way of your grand exit?"

Despite the limited details, Jay calmly reconstructed the factory scenario. It seemed like Tay had a fair share of the blame in the mess. Apparently, the duo walked into an ambush and barely made out alive, separating in the process. Jay had the impression neither of them would risk himself to help the other. This raised questions about how Tay and Sean managed to collaborate in the first place, given their apparent inclination to clash rather than cooperate.

"If I didn't know you better, I would think you are jealous. Do you need me to teach you how to exit the scene without attracting all the attention?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Sean groaned with annoyance.

"Is this an invitation?" he replied with a nonchalant smirk.

Sean looked at him with pure anger and disgust. "I would rather fucking die," he hissed, further showing his displeasure.

"Well, I can definitely arrange that."

The tension between them seemed to escalate to the point that even Win and Izzy, who had seen their fair share of disputes, were taken aback. Win sat on the sofa, jaw hanging open in disbelief, while Izzy promptly stepped between the two quarrelling men, his expression firm and no-nonsense.

"Quit it, both of you," Izzy admonished them, forcefully pushing them apart. "Do I really need to remind you how dangerous today's job is? You either pull your shit together, or no one is leaving this place tonight. I won't risk anyone's life because you two forgot why we're doing this."