Chapter 25

Zeno stared unbelievably at Thomas and Jeremiah as they quietly sat beside their father like they didn't know how to talk.

What was happening? He knew these two were quite a handful, just like their father had said, so why the pretense?

"Hello, Tom, and Jerry. We've been hired by your father to protect you at all costs. Hope you can cooperate with us," Ida said.

"I'm Ida, these are Jasper, Cody, and Zeno," Ida introduced.

"We already saw those on your dog tags," Jeremiah replied indifferently.

Zeno muffled his chuckle; now that was the Jeremiah he knew; he saw Ida clench his fists beside him; he pitied his friends, especially Cody, as he was about to meet his match.

"Come on, Jeremiah, be nice," Mr. Glen said gently to Jeremiah.

"Yes, Father," Jeremiah replied.

Zeno watched as Thomas remained quiet all through, not even changing his position since he sat down.

"Good, good, good," Mr. Glen said as he stood from the sofa.

He finished his wine and dropped the empty glass on the table, turning towards Zeno and his friends.

"We'll be going to an event tomorrow. Zeno, you'll be guarding Jeremiah. Jasper, you'll be with Thomas. You two," He pointed at Ida and Cody, "Will be with me," He said and headed towards his secret stairs.

"Oh, and please, be kind to my boys, they're all I have," Mr. Glen said and entered the opened door.

"Jeremiah?" Zeno called when he was sure that Mr. Glen had gone upstairs.

The twin boys stood and walked toward Zeno, and to everyone's surprise, they grabbed Zeno's arm and led him back into the room that they had been assigned.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Cody asked and immediately followed them behind.

Ida and Jasper followed suit, not wanting to miss any moment of what was happening.

"Why are you here?" Jeremiah questioned angrily as he took Zeno into the room.

"Hey, I suggest you behave, Jerry," Cody threatened, going between Zeno and the boys.

He concluded there and then that this family was full of crazy people, and he wasn't going to allow them to treat them, however they wanted just because they were currently hired as their bodyguards.

"It's alright, Cody, they're my friends," Zeno patted Cody's shoulder reassuringly.

"Huh?! Fine! If you're his friends, then talk like one," Cody looked them squarely in the eye before moving out of their way.

"Guys, meet my friends, Thomas and Jeremiah, we met at the boxing club," Zeno introduced.

"Wow, what a turn," Jasper said.

"A good turn," Ida replied, meaningfully.

They all shared a look and understood what Ida meant.

Thomas and Jeremiah were the loopholes they'd been searching for.

"Here, I thought you were killed or something, but no, you've been busy planning shit with that asshole up there," Thomas spoke angrily.

Zeno frowned, he's never seen Thomas so angry before, but what confused him the more was what Thomas had just said.

Who did he think he's been planning shit with?

"Relax, Thomas, let him answer us. Right, Zeno? You must have something better to say," Jeremiah asked.

The three guys behind them exchanged confused glances, they didn't understand a single thing the twins were talking about.

"Enough, you both. I don't understand a word you're saying. But if you're asking where I've been, that'll be a simpler question," Zeno said with a little frown.

"Tell us then, where did you run off to after you had promised to go out for a drink with us?" Jeremiah asked.

"Well, behind you are the three guys who were involved in kidnapping me immediately after I left the boxing club that night," Zeno pointed to his finger behind the twins.

"Kidnapped?!" Jeremiah asked incredulously.

After a few minutes of explaining everything to them and getting familiar with each other, Zeno suddenly cleared his throat, gathering everyone's attention.

"Can I ask something?" Zeno asked the twins who were sitting on the floor, leaning their backs against his bed.

"Sure, Coach," Jeremiah replied teasingly.

"Why'd you call your father an asshole?" Zeno asked cautiously.

Silence.

The four guards looked at each other apprehensively.

This was a fifty-fifty risk they were taking.

They didn't fully trust the twins yet, as they might just be acting this way to make them loosen up around them, just like their father was doing.

If it were so, then they were already busted before they could even start.

But if there was really a hitch between them and their father, then this was a great start for them.

"Well..." Jeremiah paused, skeptically looking at Zeno's colleagues.

"Can we trust them?" Thomas asked.

"On this, yes," Zeno replied honestly.

Cody rolled his eyes at their question, "As if they had a choice." He whispered.

Thomas turned around and sent Cody a cold glare when he heard what he said.

"Ok. It's simple. He's not our father," Jeremiah informed.

"I knew it," Cody muttered.

"Can you be quiet?" Thomas asked angrily.

"Humph, look who's talking," Cody glared back.

"Keep it down, boys, we have something more urgent to discuss," Jasper scolded.

"Whatever," Thomas murmured.

Zeno facepalmed, sighing. He always knew it would be hard and chaotic to get something done with these two sanguines in the same room.

"Please, go ahead," Ida said to Jeremiah.

"Who's he, then?" Ida asked.

"He is our father's cousin, but he poisoned him when we were only ten, and took over his business," Jeremiah explained, grudge and vengeance evident in his voice.

"That's horrible," Jasper commented.

"We have leverage over him though. He believes we were too small to understand what was happening when he served our father a poisoned drink in that same living room," Jeremiah chuckled lightly.

"But thank God we were smart kids, we kept pretending to be unaware till date, making him trust us enough to bring us into most of his dark businesses," Jeremiah smiled evilly.

Zeno listened to him and kind of understood why they looked so pained. Just like if someone were to walk up to him and tell him that he/she was responsible for his parent's death, he was sure he would be murdered in the next second.

He respected the twin for their calm composure; they'd been holding on for so long, yet they looked so bright on the outside.

"So, you acknowledge that your father... Uncle is knee-deep into illegal activities?" Ida asked, making sure his camera was zeroed in on them as they confirmed his question.

"He's past knee-deep, he's already drowned in the ocean of illegality," Thomas replied.

"Then let us help you," Zeno said.

"No! Trust me, you don't want to get involved with that man," Jeremiah blatantly refused.

"We're already involved with him," Cody replied.

"I refuse. I don't want to drag anyone into our problem," Jeremiah maintained his stand.

"Why do you think he replaces his guards every week? It's because he grows suspicious of them when he feels they've seen too much of his dark side, and, before you know it, they go missing. Nothing to say about their whereabouts," Thomas warned seriously.

"Well, actually, whether you accept or not, we're already investigating him," Zeno shrugged.

"Do you really think we're just here solely to be your crazy uncle's bodyguards? Think again then," Cody said.

"Yeah, we've been sent by our boss to see how your lovely uncle is doing," Jasper said, resting against the headboard.

"Ah, I see. Who's your boss?" Jeremiah asked.

He wanted to know if it was someone influential and powerful enough to subdue his 'crazy uncle' as Cody rightly called him.

Zeno scoffed before answering, "Sebastian Orion," He informed them.

"Wow," Thomas said, his eyes traveling from one guard to another.

So these men were all specially trained and selected bodyguards? He felt better knowing who had sent them.

"Shit's about to get good, bro," Jeremiah turned to his brother with a mischievous grin.

"This is going to be awesome," Thomas said, smiling.

"So, same team?" Zeno asked.

"Hell to the yes, Coach," Jeremiah replied.

"Here," Zeno handed Jeremiah the piece of paper Julia had given him earlier.

"What's this?" Thomas asked, tilting his head toward his brother to read the contents of the paper.

"Your Chef, Julia, dropped it on my lap during lunch," Zeno told them.

"Damn, we have to act fast," Jeremiah said.

"What's the background story?" Cody asked, concerned.

Ida couldn't help but glance at Cody, again, he felt hurt hearing the genuine concern lacing his voice for Julia while he was busy giving him the cold shoulder.

"You all already know he deals drugs and is into human trafficking. Well, Julia is one among the billion girls he's brought here from different countries with the promise of a well-paying job. But when they get here, they see it's completely different from what they thought it'd be," Thomas explained.

"How different?" Jasper asked.

"He uses them as a sex slave, and when he was done having his fun with them, he put them out for auction, just like he'll secretly be doing at his event tomorrow," Jeremiah completely.

"Sick," Jasper commented with a frown.

"Wait! He's auctioning Julia tomorrow?" Cody sounded panicked.

"No, he has other girls locked up in his secret hotel or warehouse, I don't really know what to call that kind of place," Jeremiah replied, sighing.

"We can't let him have his way tomorrow, we have to find a way to stop him," Cody said anxiously.

"Calm down, Cody, that is why we're here, we'll find a way," Ida said soothingly, trying to calm Cody down.

"Right, that's why we're here," Cody murmured, stealing a glance at Ida and quickly removing his eyes before Ida looked his way.

"So, here's the plan-"

"Too loud guys, too loud," Lucia's voice suddenly sounded from the door.

The four guards froze on hearing her voice.

Have they just been busted before they could even come up with a plan?

"Chill guys, she's with us," Thomas said, chuckling because he knew what must have gone down between their aunty and bodyguards.

"What?!" Cody sprang up from the bed, glaring at Lucia who was now majestically walking into the room, a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Gotcha," She tapped the tip of Cody's nose, smiling dashingly now.
w.