The Broker

16. Work Before Pleasure

November 29th, 2019

Roanoke, Virginia

Golden Gull Electronics

"No." Kaden's firm voice echoed as they descended into the bunker. Amaraya had asked him five times already, and all his answers had been the same. He was sticking to the word like gum on a shoe. "Stop asking me. You're getting irritating."

Amaraya let out an annoyed sound, and opened the door. "I'm not any more irritating than you are." Kaden turned on the light, and Amaraya almost stumbled over her own foot. "Holy shit, don't scare us like that." Zach was standing at the table, his eyes not focusing on either one of them. Kaden clenched his fists by his sides.

"Where were you, you two headed-" Kaden began, and Amaraya squinted her eyes. He was across the room in two strides, grabbing Zach by the collar before she could blink. She had seen this so many times that she knew exactly how it went. At first, it had been concerning how Kaden jumped at every opportunity to start a fight. Now it was just annoying.

"I'm so sorry, Amaraya. The Broker called me last minute, asking to do something for him, and I can't refuse him, you know that." Zach's eyes set into hard stone, his gaze running over each of them. "I called you, but I couldn't reach you." Kaden narrowed his eyes at him, and Amaraya could feel him assessing Zach.

"Okay. I believe you." Amaraya put a hand on Kaden's shoulder, and he tensed even more. "Let him go, Kaden. We need to get to work." He threw one last glance at Zach before he eased his hands from the guy's collar. Everyone released a breath. "Zach, is it possible for you to do some of your profiling work on this guy?"

Zach straightened his shirt. "I-I actually thought about it. And I could try." He paused, looking at each of them. "But before that, are you two okay? Amaraya, you have a bruise forming on your neck, and Kaden, you've got a black eye that I haven't seen before." She sucked in a breath at his comment, her hand going to the crook of her neck.

"We're fine. Just...ran into a bad crowd." Amaraya responded, meeting eyes with Kaden. He nodded, and looked away.

Zach looked at them, suspicion swirling in his eyes. "Okay...Where's the main file?" Amaraya, glad that they weren't talking about her injuries anymore, took it out of the drawer and handed it to him. "There aren't very many things to latch onto here."

Kaden and Amaraya glared at each other while Zach examined the file. "Why won't you teach me how to shoot, Kaden?" She badgered him quietly. Kaden furrowed his brows.

"Because you're too young to come anywhere near a gun." He replied, and Amaraya threw him a menacing glare.

"You're not that much older than me, Kaden." She remarked, and he fell silent. They both resumed staring at Zach.

"Quit looking at me like that." Zach warned after a while, and Kaden chuckled. "I think I got it." Amaraya sat down in a chair, her ankle getting a little tired. Kaden followed. "Is it okay if I call him 'unsub'? It's easier." Amaraya nodded, and motioned for him to continue. "So, the unsub first killed your father, and then killed your mother. That tells us that he may see men as a threat, or maybe as competition. But there weren't any signs that the unsub had to restrain them, so maybe he is, or sees himself as strong enough to handle both of them?"

Kaden threw Amaraya a glance. There was worry in his eyes. She looked away, her throat clenching. "There was no sign of a gun, or shell casings at the scene-"

"He used a knife." She interrupted Zach, and he nodded in confirmation.

"According to the autopsy report, your father was stabbed four times, and your mother was only stabbed once. That further proves the point that he sees men as a threat. I assume he's a white male, anywhere in his late twenties to mid-thirties. At the time. And the fact that he kept you alive..." Zach looked like he was deep in thought. Kaden leaned across the table closer to her.