The Guests At Home

When Gabriel entered the room he shared with Masha at the villa, he felt a chill run down his spine. The urge to flee gripped his guts, and he had to force his legs to stay still. Only after closing the door behind him did he manage to reign in his instinct.

If Misha's starving gaze made him feel like he'd become prey to a beast earlier at the lake, Masha's fiery eyes and commercial-like smile scared him so much his knees were about to buckle up. If he hadn't known better, he'd have thought he had just come face-to-face with an angry mother-in-law, the kind that was not too happy with her son being laid astray by a hooligan. It was a feeling scarier than bumping into a serial killer.

"I know I told you to do something about Misha's foul mood," Masha started, not minding Jake and Stephan sitting on the bed, "but I didn't tell you to disappear with him for hours! What exactly did you do to him? That foolish smile on his lips and these pink bubbles all around him…! He was daydreaming so much earlier that he didn't see the wall and walked straight into it. It's like his brain has turned to mush!"

She paused to squint her eyes, then added in a suspicious tone, "You didn't do anything that would land you in jail, right?" 

Gabriel's mouth twitched. This overprotective sister… How would she react if she knew Misha was the one throwing caution to the wind and testing his limits? Now more than ever, Gabriel was convinced he'd be devoured whole if he weren't careful around Misha. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that they were sleeping in different rooms tonight. 

"Will you let the man be?" Stephan chuckled. "Your little brother is a grown-up deep down, y'know? There's nothing to fuss over!" 

"What the heck are you saying? He's still a teenager!" Masha puffed her cheeks, rudely pointing at Gabriel. "And that's an adult in his mid-twenties!"

Gabriel decided to ignore them, turning a deaf ear to the bickering that soon filled the room. He knew Masha was just being annoying for the sake of being annoying. This idiot was his childhood friend; she knew him better than he knew himself. She was aware he wouldn't lay his hands on someone underage, even if they were mentally older than him. It just didn't feel right. He might have been morally grey, but even he had a clear view on this matter, whatever Misha and his sister might say. 

"Alright, that's enough," Jake spoke, cutting the bickering short. "We have other matters to deal with, don't we?"

"Ah? Who cares! What else could be more important than my brother, huh?"

Jake threw a deadpan look at Masha, deciding to take an example on his brother and ignore her. Angela might not have been motoring their movements, but it didn't mean they had all the time in the world. The excuse for gathering in Gabriel and Masha's room was to watch a movie together. They told Angela they didn't want to watch it in the living room for fear of bothering Tristan and Misha, who were sleeping upstairs. The second floor was open, and half of the first floor directly went to the roof. Thus, it wasn't exactly soundproof: you only needed to open the doors to get a full view of the living room below.

The villa was beautiful but quite old. 

Hearing Gabriel's worried arguments, Misha got the hint and readily added that he was a light sleeper and didn't want to get disturbed by the adults. Over time, he'd accepted his fate of being Tristan's designated babysitter. He was to keep the child away whenever something popped up. The others would fill him in later, or so he hoped. He had little to no trust in these people regarding secrets. But what else could he do? Someone had to keep the boy busy, for they did not want him to find out what they were doing or what his parents had done. At least, not just yet. 

Now that everyone was in the room, Jake connected his phone to the television via Bluetooth, and four images soon flickered on the screen, each in their corner. A while ago, Jake and Gabriel had taken the opportunity to hide four cameras in the house at strategic points when their parents and the staff were out, just in case they would reveal something of interest one day. And today was the day.

The first camera focused on the entrance hall, the second on the exit behind the house, the third on the dining hall, and the fourth was placed in front of Matthew's office. They would have liked to install it directly into the room, but the door was always locked, and picking it wasn't an option.

"Hm, maybe I should have brought popcorn," Stephan pondered aloud. "Or maybe sunflower seeds or cotton candy…"

"I'll be playing the last few hours in fast forward," Jake explained, ignoring Stephan, "so pay attention and tell me if you notice something out of the ordinary."

"I'll focus on the fourth screen," Gabriel nodded, his eyes already locked onto the screen.

"First for me!" Stephan giggled.

"Second, then," Masha sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed beside Jake. She refused to go anywhere near Stephan! She had a hunch she would give in to the temptation of wringing his neck before the end of today's screenings if she did.

"I'm starting it," Jake warned, pressing a button on his phone.

The next few minutes were spent watching videos of the evening at the Laflamme house. At first, nothing unusual happened. It was to the point where the screens seemed still, and only the lighting changed as the night gradually settled. A staff member passed into the dining hall, and another went outside through the exit in the back to throw the garbage in the trash bin. Again, nothing unusual.

It was so quiet and uneventful that Stephan quickly got bored, and his eyes grew heavy. He was about to close his eyelids when Matthew appeared on the screen he was watching, jolting him awake. 

"There, stop it!"

There was no need to say it twice, and the images on the screen slowed down to a normal speed. Jake turned off the other three screens and widened the one of interest until it filled the television. Matthew's even and steady steps soon filled the room as Jake turned on the speakers. The man stopped before the door, his cold eyes staring at the doorknob. He seemed to be thinking of something, but his stoic face didn't show any hint of emotion whatsoever, not allowing anyone in the room to get a feel of what was going through his head. It was clear from whom the first and second born Laflamme brothers inherited their poker face, as well as their sparkling emerald eyes.

The doorbell rang, and Matthew opened the door. It made Gabriel and Jake frown. Usually, a staff member opened the door and led the guests inside to Matthew. The man rarely went to welcome the guests himself.

"Come in."

He invited the guests to enter with a gesture of his arm, and soon enough, two men in black suits entered, soon followed by a third man. His brown hair was brushed backward, and cold mirth seemed to dance in his chocolate eyes, whereas his lips were stretched in an amiable smile. His black shirt was tucked neatly in his dark grey pants. His clothes were proper but somber in tone. They enhanced his well-built body and straight back. Even though he appeared to them through a screen, everyone in the room felt the tyrannic and oppressive atmosphere shrouding the man.

Even Matthew behaved respectfully in front of his guests, although he kept a frosty front. Still, it was enough to send shivers down Gabriel's spine. However, he couldn't tell if they were shivers of excitement or fear… 

Finally, something of note was happening.

As Gabriel observed the third man more closely, a frown soon scrunched his brows. Somehow, the stranger felt familiar, even though he had never seen him before today.

Strange. 

A thud beside Gabriel snapped him out of his thoughts, and he eyed his brother, who was as white as a sheet. He had dropped his phone on the floor. Meanwhile, Stephan broke into a wry, self-mocking laugh, a heinous sneer twisting the corner of his lips. It was a rare sight that startled Gabriel, and the curse that flew out of his friend's mouth was even more unsettling.

"You've gotta be shitting me!"

"…?"

Before Gabriel or Masha could ask what was wrong, something on the screen drew their attention. The man stared straight at the camera, and they seemed to lock eyes. Gabriel instinctively stiffened, breaking into a cold sweat. Something was off. Terribly off.

"Is everything alright?" Matthew asked. 

"Hm? Yes, your entrance hall is simply beautiful and quite to my taste, I'll say."

"Is that so."

Again, the man glanced at where the camera was, and his smile deepened. It was a gentle smile, yet it felt terrifying to the people in the room. As the men in suits and Matthew turned around to venture further inside the house, the distinctive man brought a finger to his lips, making a "shh" sign. The next moment, white lines flashed across the screen before it blackened. A deafening silence followed.

A few seconds passed before Jake bent over to pick up his phone. He checked the other cameras, but they were also dead. 

"What the fuck happened?!" Masha was the first to break the silence. "The camera suddenly dropped dead!"

"I don't know how it happened," Jake pinched his lips, "but I bet it's linked to him."

"Jake," Gabriel started hesitantly, eying his brother with worry. Color had begun returning to his face, but he was still livid. "That man is…?"

"Yeah, that's Tristan, the older version," Jake sighed. "It seems like Matthew is meeting with our kidnappers this weekend. If not, they're at least representatives of the organization that ordered the kidnapping of his kids. No wonder he wanted us out of the house."

"This is fucked up…" Masha said, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. "What do we do now…? The cameras are out of commission!"

"I don't know," Jake sighed. 

What were they supposed to do when spying on Matthew and his guests was impossible? It was a good question. Still, the Laflamme brothers weren't discouraged. Although this wasn't what they were expecting, the simple fact that Matthew met with Tristan spoke volumes about where he stood in the food chain compared to the organization to which Tristan belonged. This prideful man was bowing to people who had made a fool out of him. Even if he didn't love his sons and saw them as nothing more than tools, they were still kidnapped under his nose when they were supposedly under his protection, and that had to hurt. 

 Now, it was only a matter of how to use this information to their advantage. Jake and Gabriel glanced at each other, a thousand ideas swirling in their heads. The game was on. 

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Edited by Clozed! ♥

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