Test Day

Kai and I drove back into town to meet Markus. Instead of using the stolen vehicle, we took the black Mustang that I had kept inside the main homes garage. It was inconspicuous enough that it wouldn't draw attention, but it came with revolving license plates so we could easily disappear.

I guess, based off of my upbringing, you could say that I was paranoid. However, it was more so that I hole-heartedly believed it was better to be safe than sorry.

The car was registered to Roy, so it wouldn't trace back to myself or Kai. When Roy first lent me this car, because he didn't like the fact that I used a motorcycle, our agreement was that I'd only use the muscle car to get around when it was cold outside. Yet, I still managed to find ways to drive my bike in the snow.

It felt odd, as Kai and I were driving to our destination, to not have Roy in the passenger seat. No matter which way I tried to look, I found Roy in almost every aspect of my life. Keeping that buried was honestly harder than I had originally anticipated. I had to catch myself this morning, when I poured myself a cup of coffee, because it reminded me of the times when he'd brew us up some fuel for our morning shifts. He'd give me that cocky ass smile of his and kiss me on the cheek: shoving a cup into my sternum.

It was simple shit like that that I missed.

Or was it guilt?

"Max?" I heard Kai pipe up, diverting my mind to the scene before us.

We had arrived, in what appeared to be, an abandoned warehouse. I slowed down to a stop, looking out to our right to see a blonde with his hair slicked to the back. He was wearing a charcoal grey suit, had his hands in his pockets, and wore an overly bright smile on his face.

I didn't like it.

I looked to the front, left, and back of us. The road almost seemed abandoned. We were the only vehicle within sight, save some suburban's which I'm sure were meant for the Vipers or the "king" himself. The buildings around us seemed bare, worn down...probably used as crack houses or for homeless camps. Regardless, there was nothing in this part of town that made me feel like we were in friendly territory.

"Hey," I felt Kai's calming hand on my face, turning me toward him, "we got this, ok? Just do what you always do."

I nodded, a bit taken aback. Maybe he was taking my talk to heart, but regardless, he seemed calmer than I honestly was in that moment.

"Ok."

We both got out of the car as the man greeted us. I'm sure he mumbled his name, but honestly the only thing I caught was "this way."

We followed him, as I leaned close to Kai, "Stay close."

He nodded, understanding. I stayed vigilant, checking our surroundings. I noticed two men with SR's standing at the ready on the second-floor entrance. There was plenty of cover, the walls and pillars were made of concrete and good enough to withstand bullets. The only issue was the path back to the car left us completely vulnerable. Even if we sprinted, we risked being killed...or at best injured. Therefore, we'd have to take out the guards or have collateral to get out of here alive.

The odds were unfortunately against us.

After entering the structure, voices echoed throughout the space. I couldn't tell how many men there were initially, but at least four different tones reverberated through my mind. The man before us, opened another door, where he stood behind as we continued on forward to meet the man of the hour.

Markus Manor was sitting in a comfortably looking velvet chair, that they had to have brought inside. His yellow eyes snaked onto mine as four men, these with AK 47's, stood at the ready. Markus' jet-black hair was slicked in a similar fashion as our greeter. His face, even though wrinkled with age, still kissed the lust of youth. Even though he sat before us, in a burgundy suit, his posture was like that of a giant.

I stopped before him, keeping my distance, feeling Kai slightly behind me. I stayed composed, looking at the man, waiting for him to speak first. I knew, with these gods, that a mere mortal, like myself, would only piss him off by saying hello. Yet, the more he stared into my eyes, the more I felt as if he was reaching for my soul. It was discomforting, but strangely enough, the more I stared at him...the more I saw some resemblances. His stature...his jaw...his build was almost like looking myself in the mirror.

Markus finally stood up, as one of his men swung his machine gun across his body.

"I must say I was skeptical, on the phone. So, I do apologize for the pomp and circumstance."

The man, with his AK at his back, without a word began to pat me down. As planned, he removed my side arm, enjoyed my crotch, and made his way down to collect my pistol on my ankle.

"But now, that you're here in person, I can't deny that you do have those ruby eyes. The very trait that drew me to Rosalina."

Rosalina. So, this mythical creature has a name.

The man nodded back to Markus, as he started to move to Kai, but I intervened.

"No," I said sternly, looking up at my potential father, "he's the president's son, and you will show him some decency."

"It's decency enough that he's here unharmed."

Markus' eyes were cold. He was grinning, even, as if he controlled this space. He wasn't wrong, but my thirst for vengeance was greater than flinching over his boys who at most spent one weekend at the range.

"Frisk him," he commanded.

I moved back towards Kai, grasping on to his belt, calculating. The magazine for the Barretta held seven rounds. There were five guys, not including Markus. Not to mention the two guards on the second floor. For all I knew, they were watching our every move...but they wouldn't be quick enough. At least not enough for me to catch them by surprise. All I needed...

The man in the suit, by the door, started to make a move. I heard his footsteps echoing to my right as Mr. Crotch-Grab in front of us cracked his neck, making a move toward Kai.

I used my fingers to pull up Kai's shirt, just enough for me to feel for the weapon. I felt Kai's breath on my neck, as I moved my hand over the pistol grip, slightly touching his skin.

"I sure as shit hope you know what you're doing," he said under his breath.

Oh, ye of little faith.

"Move asi―" the armed man started.

I quickly pulled out the pistol, shooting the man in front of me, and our greeter to our right, square in the forehead within milliseconds. I grasped the tough guy in front's falling body, using him as a shield, hearing the suit guy's body drop to the ground.

The most insane thing, was even in that split second, Markus didn't seem surprised. Instead, he seemed intrigued.

The three men with AK's started to bring their firearms to the ready, yelling wildly, but bullets flew into each of their skulls before they could pull the trigger. I watched them fall backwards, crimson spewing from their wounds, as I finally exhaled: pointing the barrel of the Barretta at Markus' head.

That's when I finally caught a glimpse of a red dot that shone over me. The boys upstairs finally wanted to join the party.

"Try me, let's see who's a faster shot," I warned, not taking my eyes of Markus, dropping the body I was holding.

"You missed two..." Kai whispered.

His voice sounded distant, like he wasn't facing me. I'm sure his eyes were on the armed guards. Yet, what honestly held my attention was the fact that his sarcasm returned.

Markus raised his hand, the red beams escaping my eyes, "Well, well....very impressive, Mr. Ray."

Why did I suddenly feel like this was a test?

He snapped, as I heard the heavy boots of his men upstairs disappearing, "If my men were in your position, I'm sure they'd put down their guns instead of take on their assailants. Is that devotion…or cockiness?"

Was that supposed to be praise?

"A little bit of both," I answered.

He seemed to enjoy that answer, as I heard the door behind us open as the men neared. Two bullets, I thought, as one man neared Markus. The other came near me, lowering his SR, and taking a needle, to draw blood, with a small tube out of his pocket. I looked up at Markus, understanding the next steps.

I looked back at Kai, handing him the gun. He took it, looking me deep in the eye, as I took off my suit jacket. Kai took that as well, diverting his attention back to Markus as I rolled up my right sleeve.

"We will get this tested," he said as the man stuck the needle into my vein, "and if you are my son, then and only then, will I hear you out."

"And if I'm not?" I asked.

Markus smirked, as I felt the needle exit my flesh, "I think you both know the answer to that."