We are the Answer {boyxboy} ✔ (Dogs, Bats & Monkeys series, Book I | Rhys)

Chapter 24

A/N: Did you know that the first chapter of my April Camp NaNo project is available online? I'll link that in the comments.

PS: I have a little surprise for you so make sure you read the A/N at the bottom ;)

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We are still alright. He seems to be too interested in the crimes, not the Bullets

I sent my second text to Riley, getting 'That's good to know. Don't forget to text' in reply.

"I won't," I muttered and pocketed my phone, but not before I made sure to set the alarm to only vibrate.

"What did Riley say?" Keri asked, taking a sip of her water and then placing the glass back on the polished surface of the coffee table.

"He's glad that Ace isn't after us."

"You can never decide which you feel stronger when your mate worries about you: guilt that you made them anxious or happiness that they care." Conrad sighed.

"Both," Anthony, who sat next to the bar owner on the couch, concluded. "It's always both for me. The only thing that changes is the degree: if they are really alarmed, then it's mostly guilt."

"It could be flattering when the women worry, but it gets tiresome quickly. They make a fuss over the smallest things," Jasper butted in from the sofa furthest from us and closest to the two wooden chairs the Sentinels had occupied.

"Are we waiting for anyone but your cousin?" Sasha inquired of Keri, playing with a lengthy strand of her red hair.

"Her and her boss," my best friend replied. "They are on shift, but Callum told his colleagues he needs Kelly to help him research something so they are both coming. Everett, Olivia and Galen can't get off work though so I'll fill them in later."

"I see." The Dayer Sentinel didn't seem particularly interested whether the number of attendees would include the whole Council or not.

I took out my phone and looked at the time: twenty-six minutes before I had to text Riley again.

Maybe I should call him now?

I didn't get to pounder on whether that was a good idea or not as Kelly and Callum walked into Keri's living room and I had to put my mobile down next to my glass of water.

"So who is this guy that you are so worried about?" Callum's gruff voice was what started the meeting even before he and Kelly had taken a seat.

"May I?" Adrian turned to Keri, then, after receiving a nod, to the Detective: "Name: Ace Darrel; age: forty-five; background and origin: Texan, born to human parents, no supernatural gifts, Hunter license issued at the age of eighteen..."

"You sound like a rap sheet again, Ian." His partner chuckled, but the male Sentinel went on unperturbed.

"... Weapons of choice: two Beretta Nano, hunting knives and a Barrett .50 for long-range. He has an experience in hand-to-hand combat and an affinity to take cases where the criminal is wanted dead or alive."

"And he usually delivers them in the former state." Sasha stretched and leaned back in her chair, crossing one long leg over the other. "What Ian's robot-like report didn't mention is that Ace is also one superbly trained, sadistic son of a bitch."

"I was getting to that," Adrian said.

"But I bet you were going to skip the son of a bitch part." Sasha pretended to yawn. "Ian gets all serious and boring during meetings. See the way he clamped his jaw right now? It's because he wants to tell me something along the lines of 'I have to be serious to make up for your lack of professionalism', but he'll wait for when it's just the two of us to reprimand me about not taking our job as seriously as he does."