Chapter 12: Why are you here?

I fired up my bike and went straight to the HQ where Code X spent his days racking up the technology we just made. In our world, selling firearms and new weapon technology has a huge market. With the proxy wars going on right now having the newest technology is best for business. 

"Woah, are you drinking early in the morning? You astound me, boss." 

"Back off, I just drove five hours in this wet and cold county. Cut me off some slack and where's your office?"

"My office is off limits, I had some nasty radioactive situation back there." 

I looked at him and I really wished he was joking dealing with radioactive stuff was costly and dangerous. We would be transferring the whole office to a new place where it's far from the eyes of my cousin, Emily, and my dad. 

"Just let me crash somewhere,"

"I noticed Richard's not with you."

"You clearly said no security, right?"

"Is Richard your security detail?"

"Yeah, you got that right. My mind's a mess I just need a couple of hours sleep. So let me go."

"Fine." 

He handed his keys to one of the secret lounges he built in the HQ and knowing he was a geek, he'd have at least 5 of these secret rooms. Honestly, it was like secret chambers from ancient China. 

I went straight to the hallway on my left and left my booze on the front desk. I was too tired to listen to anyone even if I saw some employees paying respect I could not care less, reaching to the lounge, every single cell in my body was awakened when I heard someone familiar.

I stopped from where I stood and she was there in the pantry making trouble for herself. She must have clumsily stumbled on the coffee table and knocked down her coffee causing a mess around. 

"Oh no, James would be infuriated. Oh shit, I just stained his million-dollar couch, what to do?"

Isabelle was panicking inside the room luckily no one was with her when the accident happened, she tried to clean the coffee stain with the tissue on the table but it did not help a bit. She then decided to leave it alone and decided to sneak out of the pantry like there was not a problem at all. 

Seeing her, witnessing her clumsiness, and hearing her voice brought a rollercoaster of emotions to me. It was like a Romeo and Juliet plot but instead of our families, it's the family code versus my selfish feelings for her. I took a deep breath and was about to leave when I heard her question, Code X,

"Did you spill peppermint in your pantry?"

"Peppermint? Oh, that must be —" Code must have seen my shadow and did not continue what he was about to say and just changed the topic as he dragged Isabelle away from the pantry. 

Everyone knew Emily's threats and knowing Code he would not cause more damage to the existing wound. Well, he did not want his funding to disappear, did he? Seeing Isabelle safe and sound was enough for me, maybe Emily was right. 

Isabelle would be in danger if I insisted on being with her, it would not just be Antonio, there's Viktor, my father, and even the family code. If I really wanted her to be safe I should not be so selfish and let her go. 

I succumbed to the idea that I should leave and that was the best option there was between all of this. I have not been able to sleep for the past few days and being alone in Code X's lounge somehow placed me into deep slumber. 

***

"You're awake?" Code X was working on his desk inside the lounge and was having a meeting with one of the consultants he mentioned when he noticed I flinched and was finally awakened by the person on the other line. 

"Yeah, I think we'll go over the final program by Monday as I will keep on working on improving the defaults before we test it for another run. Do you have anything for me?"

[I have nothing so far. I've read your thesis and report on Obsidian X, what you have is very promising and dangerous.]

"Thanks, man. I will catch up with you if I visit Rayfield soon, see you around Mr. McConell."

I rubbed my eyes and refocused on Code's table, seeing my bottle of whiskey unopened I thoughtlessly went to his desk grabbed the bottle, and opened it, before Code could react I chugged it off. 

"You drink in the morning, drink during meals and now you chug alcohol like water. Are you okay? Do you want to see a psychiatrist or join nature healing camps?"

I gave him a deadly stare and he raised both of his hands in surrender and said;

"Well, I was just giving you insights. Phew, joke with the drunk but not with someone who just woke up." 

"Whatever, do you have anything nice to do here?"

"Hmm, I'm planning to spruce the rooftop with a greenhouse and plant some herbs and flowers, do you want to join me?"

"Did you leave your testosterones in Porta Sole?"

"Dude, planting isn't for girls alone! Homesteads are very famous today."

"In the middle of goddamn winter? Really? Become a "plant enthusiast" in the middle of winter?"

"It wouldn't be so bad, would it? I mean I've seen this stuff on YouTube, I'm—"

"So if the weaponry project does not pan out you'll have farming as a second option, is that it?"

"Well, yes and no. I can't be around computers all day long. I need a hobby and you should too, you're petty love life would not be so petty if you had something else aside from killing people."

"Strike two, James McElroy." my tone was serious and there was a hint of caution. 

"Peace, boss. You should smile a little." He closed his laptop after backing up the program he just created and asked, "Do you want to hit the bar?"

"On this snow?!"

"Don't you ever go out or have a little life?"

"I have been through that in my early 20s I won't be going back."

"Well, I heard from Isabelle, she and Emily are going to check on different bars. It's too bad we won't see them there."

"Let's go!" 

I had been in Solar City for a day and I had not seen one of Isabelle's security detail I asked Richard to prepare. Did they suck on their job or Isabelle was too good to escape from them?

"Richard called this morning when you were sleeping, he mentioned Isabelle escaped and the guards are currently running around Porta Sole to find her. So I mentioned they are here, Richard will be sending an elite group for her protection."

I was nodding to whatever Code X was saying until we arrived in this posh bar 3 miles away from the HQ. It was Code's go-to bar and known in the bar, he simply fist-bumped every bouncer in the bar.

"Look at you, you are popular."

"I'm not, I just know the owner of the bar plus I set up his security system. Those bouncers you saw in front, they used to beat me so I became famous at some point."

"Rough childhood, right?"

"Rough childhood, traumatic teenage life, and slavery, what can you hope for; I certainly can't choose my parents."

I tapped his back for encouragement when he laughed, 

"Did you seriously fall for that?"

"DUDE!" 

He continued to laugh at my face before he choked on it and continued laughing even if he was on the floor, 

"Wow, that's a good laugh. Well, that was true anyway."

We went directly to the bartender as he passed our drinks, and whiskey on the rocks, and for Code, he was fine with draft beer. 

"So what are you going to do with Emily and Isabelle?"

"Nothing." I took another sip of my drink before snatching the whole bottle from the bartender. 

The bartender was about to complain to Code but he just smiled and said we got it. The bar was famous so it was packed with people, the lights were blinding so we ordered a private room.

"Look, I know how much Isabelle meant to you. You even let Emily walk all over you so whatever you have in mind just do it."

I swirled the liquid in my glass as I leaned back to one of the couches and looked at the drink in my hand blankly.

"I never had any friends who went through a bad breakup and seriously I don't have friends. So all I can do is—"

"Just don't say anything, Code. I know being with me right now is awkward enough. Just enjoy your drink and if you want to hit the dance floor go."

He nodded in response as I continued to fill my thoughts of Isabelle with another man. As the imagination progressed, the anger surged up; the thought of her and Marcus in the car almost choked me to death how much more if they get married or have kids? 

"Honestly, I just want to kidnap her and bring her somewhere away from all the troubles my family name brings. Start a life without much danger and just be with her."

"Why? Why would you do that?" Code asked and this time he was serious, "Okay, answer this one question, do you love her?"

All I knew right now was that I wanted to be with her, to become someone important and someone she could rely on. There were not any complicated reasons for me to be with her, was it? But I could not bring myself to answer Code's curiosity so he changed the question,

"If you can't answer that then nod once if you can sacrifice your family and its code for Isabelle?"

And that was it, there was an utter silence from the two of us and without surrounding. As if we slipped back into a silent chamber and no one was able to react or say another word. 

"Yoo, if you aren't sure of what you feel then leave her alone. You can't ruin her peace with your uncertainties." James looked at me as if he just figured me out. 

I drowned my sorrows with alcohol and after I emptied out almost every last whiskey bottle the bartender sent in, I tapped Code's shoulder and gave a slight clench to it, I knew he was drunk as a horse;

"I can. I can sacrifice anything for her. Even if it means my own life." 

—

Blacked out from the endless booze, I couldn't remember what happened next or what we did. My head ached and my body was stiff, did Code and I freeze to death last night? I could not open my eyes from the pain until I felt someone touch my forehead. 

With the freezing palm on my forehead, I jolted from the bed, opened my eyes, and immediately scanned the place. I was shocked to see her pause mid-air and it was obvious she was also startled by my reaction, 

"Isabelle?" 

I checked for my clothes and gave a sigh of relief that I was still wearing the same clothes as I did last night and looked for Code. 

"Why are you here?!" 

Emily entered the room with Code with her. She seemed upset and disappointed with what she saw and immediately grabbed Isabelle away from me. I noticed I was on a hangover IV drip so was Code who walked to the bed half awake and much devastated as I was. 

"Next time if you decide to kill yourselves just jump off the river." 

"What did we do last night?"

"Bro, don't go there. It was a lot!" 

And flashback slowly ran into my memory as if it were carefully curated pictures and fragments of our shenanigans last night. 

"You should be ashamed, Rossi!"