Broken Trust

I can't believe I trusted him so easily. Beau's thoughts raced.

Lanet reached out to cup Beau's face, but Beau slapped his hand away, the anger in him barely contained.

"Why are you so angry? I just... What's going on here?" Zane's voice cut in, tinged with confusion.

Beau turned to face him, taken aback by the genuine puzzlement in Zane's reaction. The rawness of his own anger felt misplaced for a moment. Why would Zane bring this to him though if Lanet hadn't told him?

Lanet cleared his throat, drawing Beau's attention back to him. His expression was a mess of emotions—conflict, guilt, maybe even regret.

"Beau," Lanet started carefully, "Hue stole this security plan from Zane's sister, and her business is falling apart because of it."

Beau's eyes narrowed, a snarl on his face. "And what's that got to do with me? Why is that my problem?"

"Well," Lanet began, glancing at Zane as though asking for support, "I told him you had a friend who deals with security systems and stuff, and Zane wanted to know if they could help."

"Help with what, exactly?" Beau's brows furrowed, suspicion radiating from him. He was waiting for Lanet to say just one wrong thing.

Zane raised his hands defensively. "I don't get why you're so angry," he said, his confusion clearly genuine.

Without thinking, Beau grabbed the holographic device he had stolen and slammed it onto the table. The digital map flickered to life, revealing the same security plan Zane had just shown him earlier.

"How the fuck did…" Zane's voice trailed off. His gaze snapped to Lanet, the betrayal he felt that his own friend could hide such information from him cut deep.

"Why, Lanet?!"

Lanet didn't flinch under Beau's glare. "Zane just needs help proving that Hue stole his sister's security plan, that's all," he said steadily. "I recommended he ask your friend for help."

Beau froze, the words settling uneasily in his mind. Wait—Lanet hadn't told Zane?

"Why do you have my sister's work?!" Zane's voice rose, his confusion now giving way to anger.

Beau met Zane's gaze, forcing a mask of nonchalance over his turbulent emotions. He stared Zane down giving him a cold look. "I took it from a man who works for Hue."

Zane's mouth opened, then closed. He was dumbfounded.

The room fell into a tense silence for a beat until Zane spoke again.

"Took it or stole it?" Zane's tone was sharp, filled with accusation and disdain.

Beau shrugged, his face blank. "Whichever one you prefer. Can't exactly steal something that's already stolen."

Their gazes locked, Zane couldn't believe the coldness in Beau's eyes, the chill they made him feel. These were the eyes of a dangerous man. A wolf in sheep skin. Zane thought

"Then you're no different from him," Zane spat. "Just another lowlife thief."

The word hit like a slap, dripping with disgust. To Beau, the worst insult was being called a lowlife, after all, that's what the elites called them. Beau said nothing. Instead, his jaw tightened as he reached for the stolen security plan.

"Get out of my house," he said lowly, restraining his fury. 

"Zane, seriously?" Lanet's voice broke through the crackling tension.

"You're defending a thief?" Zane shot back.

The sharp crack of Lanet's fist slamming against the kitchen island made both men flinch. His voice was steel, shaking with restrained anger. "Look around, damn it. Polluted water, the clinic barely hanging on, what used to be a playground, the school, the library! Look at what we're dealing with here!"

Before Zane could respond, Ariel appeared in the doorway, her eyes blazing as they zeroed in on the two men.

"If you're done here, please leave," she said with an icy tone. Her next words were directed at Zane. "You want to talk about thieves, look in the mirror and in the faces of all your rich friends buddy!" She pointed a sharp nail at him. "My brother is the most selfless thief I know, and you will not make him feel otherwise, you piece of—"

"Ariel, stop. It's fine," Beau cut her off, rubbing an exhausted hand over his face. "Is Star sleeping?"

She exhaled sharply, her glare softening only slightly as she turned to him. "He didn't hear anything. He's in the attic with Teddy."

"Good," Beau said, nodding. "Ask Teddy to come down. If he wants to help Zane, he'll help him. If not make sure they leave immediately."

Beau didn't wait for a response. He moved toward the door. "I'm going to take a walk," he muttered over his shoulder, stepping out into the cool night air.

There was so much hatred in Zane's eyes now, a stark contrast to the warmth and kindness Beau had felt when they first met. It was like staring at a stranger, not the man he once thought he could trust.

"Beau," Zane called out softly, his tone barely masking the tension between them.

Beau didn't turn. Instead, he addressed Ariel without looking back. "Ariel, don't tell Teddy about this. Let him make an unbiased decision to help or not."

"Okay," Ariel replied with a frustrated huff as she headed upstairs, her footsteps fading quickly.

Beau's gaze flickered briefly to Lanet. "Lanet, we'll talk soon." His voice was tight, his words a thinly veiled warning. Lanet better have a damn good explanation for why he thought it was a good idea to bring Zane into this mess.

"I'm really sorry, Beau," Lanet said, his voice thick with regret.

Beau scoffed, dismissing the apology as he stepped out, letting the front door swing shut behind him.

As the cool night air hit his face, he heard Lanet's voice erupt from inside the house, full of unbridled anger.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Lanet shouted, his words echoing through the walls.

The sound of their argument followed Beau as he walked away, their voices rising and falling in a heated exchange. He didn't stop or turn back, the knot in his chest tightening with every step. He needed to cool off.