Chapter 305: Trust a gut feeling

In Brent’s mind, it happened very quickly.

One second, he was ’alone’ on the stage. Next, Colby was next to him, his hand landing on Brent’s shoulder to take him away. Not even half of a second later, Kellen was on the stage and the sound of a gunshot could be heard.

The audience screamed, Espers emerged from nowhere, Kellen’s Mom grabbing Colby by the back of his neck and slamming him into the stage face first as he gushed blood from his shoulder wound. Kellen was grabbing Brent, dragging him back into the curtain for protection while other hands grabbed at Brent, making sure he didn’t trip.

Two other Espers were snapping something in place around Colby’s wrists while Rhys and the Espers who were protecting the area tried to rein in the situation. Brent felt like he hadn’t even participated, so that was probably why his reaction time was delayed when he saw the other gun.

Brent gasped, ready for the pain, but you know who was faster? Mr. Kellen Woods.

Brent watched as his friend whipped out his gun, aimed, and fired. Brent didn’t even need to question his abilities. Kellen trained hard to be a good shot and from his shout, calling for Sergei, he must have hit him.

"Make sure he isn’t a teleporter, Sergei!" Brent watched, stunned, as Aunt Dina came into his line of sight and dragged him back towards the Guild building, Kellen covering their backs.

When they got into the lobby, Kellen wasn’t ready to stop.

"Up the stairs, Aunt Dina. Not the elevator!" Kellen shouted, moving them, ushering them in the direction he wanted. Brent just went where they told him, even allowing Aunt Dina to pick him up as Kellen barked orders, protecting everyone. It didn’t matter that he looked like a curtain, no one was ignoring his orders.

Maybe it was the glowing, blue eye that motivated everyone to move? Brent wouldn’t know.

It felt like not a lot of time had passed at all as they made it up to Aunt Dina’s apartment. Kellen made sure all of the blinds were down before they even arrived, having sent up Espers that would be able to handle it if the elevator had been harmed to check the apartment first. Kellen himself then scanned it, and Aunt Dina said nothing of it as she held Brent protectively in her arms, in her own home, as Kellen checked for intruders.

Once Kellen had given his okay, she placed Brent down on the couch, not on his own feet, and headed for the kitchen.

"I’ve got this. Go, Kellen." She ordered and Brent watched Kellen hesitate. He knew that Kellen wanted to be downstairs, in the action, and Brent chuckled.

He was surrounded by S Classes right now. Kellen could afford to be a little selfish.

"Go, for fuck’s sake. Catch the asshole who shot at me." Brent ordered and Kellen met his gaze. They stared at each other for what felt like an hour but couldn’t be more than a few seconds before Kellen nodded and left.

Then, Brent was alone on the couch. He felt silly for wanting Colby to attack him now that it was over. His hand was shaking, his knees tapping, and it nearly made him jump out of his skin when Aunt Dina’s hand touched his knee.

He jerked his head up, unaware that he’d dropped it, and met her glowing, red gaze.

"You made it out alive, Brent. It’s okay. Sergei will be here soon." She promised and Brent wasn’t aware that was the words that he needed to hear. He let out a shaky breath, his shoulders dropping, and Aunt Dina held him. "You did amazing, except for when you swore." Brent let out a wet laugh.

"I apologised ahead of time." Brent muttered and she gave a wet laugh of her own.

"Doesn’t count, I’m afraid."

~

When Kellen got back downstairs, the scene was still a mess. His chest heaved, his lungs working as he glanced around at the Espers running around. Sergei was leading one group, his Mom was nowhere in sight, and Rhys was using Uncle Parker to help order the other Espers around.

They were draining the area around the Phoenix Guild of reporters, even as they were still filming. Kellen wanted to jump in and help, but gut instincts had his head on a swivel. Something was in the air. Something wasn’t quite right.

The first shooter wasn’t expected. That wasn’t in the scene that he’d seen, but like Rhys had told Kellen, there were always a bunch of futures laid out before you, you just had to select the one that you wanted. Or find the one you wanted and trace it back.

Kellen had succeeded in the one way that mattered. Colby hadn’t been able to grab Brent. That was the end goal of this outcome, and he’d saved him from being shot as well. Who had hired that shooter and where they had come from? Kellen just hoped they’d be able to find that answer out from the person themselves, unless Sergei killed them or they were smart enough to kill themselves.

Rhys’ warning had been justified, after all.

God, he was so proud of his man. He’d said everything the way that he should and even if in another time Kellen would have winced at what he said, that was a time before Kellen’s Dad had been shot in the neck in front of him. The Kellen before that time was long gone.

Kellen pushed the front doors open, stepping back out into the chaos and the loudness of it washed over him like a welcome wave. He hadn’t realised how much he’d missed this kind of chaotic chatter until now.

It filled his ears, filled his body and moved through him, invigorating him. Kellen’s eyes kept scanning the area, looking, sensing. His gut was still tight, things were not over, and it wasn’t until Kellen laid eyes on Uncle Parker instead of scanning him that something clicked in his mind.

Kellen was moving before he could stop himself.

Was it embarrassing if a Guide protected an Esper? Not in Kellen’s mind, so when Kellen came barreling into the man who had been yelling at a few reporters to keep moving just as the sound of a sonic boom filled the air and a fire lit up the spot where Uncle Parker had once stood, Kellen just hoped he’d be grateful.

Rhys, who had been standing only a few feet from Uncle Parker, barely reacted.

He simply turned, caught sight of Kellen, his eyes tightening, before he waved a hand and it was like the sudden burst of fire had never happened.

Uncle Parker lay under Kellen, stunned, as Kellen quickly scrambled to his feet. He scanned the area again, trying to find the origin of the fire or what had even happened while Uncle Parker attempted to get to his feet.

"Stay down." Kellen barked as the man was on his hands and knees. Uncle Parker froze. "Or, better yet, get inside of the building." Kellen ordered. Uncle Parker, one of the few who knew that Kellen wasn’t just a Guide, nodded and began to cover himself with darkness and move. Kellen didn’t question it, and as soon as Uncle Parker was inside, the twisting, nagging gut feeling began to fade away.

It wasn’t completely gone, meaning that whoever meant them harm was still around, but since Kellen couldn’t find them, that would linger.

"Kellen, love, can you please get back into the building as well?" Rhys asked sweetly and Kellen twisted until he was facing Rhys. Rhys smiled. "You’re scaring the civilians." Kellen blinked, staring at his loving, wonderful fiancé, and then took stock of what he had to look like.

He was painted from head to toe in all black, accented to look like the velvet curtain they had used as their background for their press conference. He had his gun out, an eye patch on, and he knew that his eye had to be glowing.

Kellen coughed, his face warming even under the paint, and quietly tucked his gun away.

"Sorry." Kellen said gruffly, glancing over the reporters that were still making their way out. Some of them were still recording, and he watched as their eyes bulged at how Rhys had addressed him. He almost laughed.

Yeah, Rhys was famously dating a Guide. A Field Guide. These people had a rather strange misconception when it came to Guides, or Guides had allowed themselves to be perceived in that way.

Not Kellen, and Rhys had been right about how talented of an individual he was.

"We’ve got it from here." Kellen turned quickly as the man who spoke up, approached. It was Elder Ellis, and with his soft smile and kind eyes, Kellen was sure that the others would relax. Kellen remained on guard.

He didn’t react to the man, so that was a clear indication to him that it hadn’t been him. He would have pinned him if that was the case.

"Are you sure?" Kellen asked and he chuckled.

"I may be the same age as your parents, young man, but that does not mean I am weak. Besides, I’ve had a rather good guiding session recently." He said with a wink before turning to the crowd. "Head inside, Guide Kellen, for Captain Thatcher’s peace of mind. I’m sure the others would like that too." Elder Ellis added and as much as Kellen didn’t want to agree with the man on principle right now, he nodded.

"I’ll see you both inside then." Kellen told them, nodding to them both before he headed for the front doors. He didn’t lower his guard, not until he was back upstairs, Uncle Parker there, Brent and Aunt Dina having a moment on the couch, and the other Espers confirming nothing had happened in the time he’d been gone.

Uncle Parker was out of breath, staring at Kellen with wide, confused eyes.

"What just happened?" He asked, and Aunt Dina and Brent, who had been unaware, turned to them. Aunt Dina’s face grew severe.

"What happened?" She asked, worried, and Kellen sighed.

"Uncle Parker was targeted after Brent was gone." Kellen explained. "Not sure why, but I could tell as soon as I laid eyes on him. Got him out of the way just in time for a giant flaming bomb to land where he’d been standing just seconds before." Kellen said and watched as Aunt Dina started to look ill.

Uncle Parker’s lips thinned, his expression growing dark and Brent? Brent looked ready to kill something.

"They’re not just targeting me?" He growled.