Fated to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 96: Saved Him

Chapter 96

~Kael’s POV~

I tightened my grip on the informant, Uriel, and dragged him toward the door as alarms suddenly began blaring throughout the underground facility.

Red emergency lights flashed across the corridor, voices shouted in panic as footsteps thundered in multiple directions.

"Back to the hatch!" I barked.

Raiden ran ahead, clearing the path as we sprinted through the corridor. Gunfire erupted behind us as several guards appeared from the processing room.

Raiden fired twice without slowing down. Both men dropped.

The explosion above had thrown the entire operation into chaos. Smoke began pouring down through the ventilation pipes as we reached the ladder.

Raiden climbed first and shoved the hatch open. Immediately, the night air rushed down into the corridor.

I pushed Uriel upward while Raiden grabbed him from above and hauled him out onto the ground.

I climbed up right behind them. The moment I emerged, heat blasted across my face. The front half of the warehouse was already burning.

Flames roared through the broken loading doors while thick black smoke spiraled into the sky.

Sirens wailed somewhere in the distance.

Raiden dragged Uriel toward the car while I slammed the hatch shut behind us. We all rushed towards the vehicle and dove in seconds later.

The engine roared to life as I slammed my foot on the accelerator.

"Drive fast," Raiden ordered amidst gasp.

"Already on it, cowboy." I glanced at my side mirror just in time to see the burning warehouse collapse inward with a violent crash. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

For several seconds, neither of us spoke, we just took that moment to catch our breath. And it wasn’t until Uriel groaned weakly in the back seat.

Raiden finally exhaled slowly. "Well," he muttered. "That escalated quickly."

But my mind was still locked on the man’s final words.

They didn’t want you to find me. They wanted you out of the capital.

Which meant only one thing. Whatever was about to happen... was probably happening back home.

***************

~Kael’s POV~

Uriel’s mother opened the door the moment I knocked. Her eyes moved quickly from my face to the boy standing beside me, and relief flooded her expression so fast it almost made her knees buckle.

"Uriel," she breathed.

The kid stepped forward immediately and wrapped his arms around her. "I’m okay, Mom."

She hugged him tightly, holding his head against her shoulder before finally looking back at me. "Thank you."

I gave a small nod. "You need to pack a bag," I told her calmly. "Take him and go to a hotel tonight. Somewhere quiet."

Her brows furrowed. "A hotel?" She glanced between her son and me. "What happened?"

I lifted my hands in mock surrender. "That’s not on me to say. I am sure your son can fill you in."

Uriel glanced at me. I could see the guilt in his eyes, but right now that wasn’t much of my problem. He had mixed with the wrong crowd.

"Lay low for a while," I added. "Just until things settle."

Uriel glanced up at me. "Is something bad going to happen?"

I crouched slightly so we were eye level. "No," I said evenly. "But it’s always better to stay ahead of trouble."

His mother tightened her hold on his shoulder, understanding the warning beneath my words even if he did not.

"Alright," she said quietly. "We’ll leave tonight."

"Good." I straightened and stepped back. "Lock your doors," I added before turning toward the car.

************

A few minutes later, Raiden stepped out when I stopped at an empty intersection. He slammed the door shut and leaned down toward the open window.

"You’re dropping me off here?"

"You have legs," I replied dryly. Raiden snorted. "Besides, you came to find me on your own. I am confident you will do it again."

He rolled his eyes at me dramatically. "Also, be careful lest a traveller mistakes you for a girl."

Now that got him slightly pissed. "Fuck off, Kael."

"As you wish." Just as I shifted the car into gear, he suddenly spoke again.

"Oh, right," he added casually. "Your wife said hi."

I paused. Slowly, I raised one brow. "Did she?"

Raiden watched my face carefully. Then his grin widened. "Oh well," he shrugged. "Everyone said hi. I just wanted to see the reaction on your face."

I stared at him for a second before shaking my head. "You’re an idiot." He laughed as I gave him a mock salute. "Get home safe."

With that, I drove off.

—

By the time I reached the house, exhaustion had finally begun creeping into my bones. I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The first thing I noticed was Alanna.

She was standing near the kitchen counter, arms loosely folded, her gaze moving slowly from my boots all the way up to my face.

One eyebrow lifted. "You look like you fought through a herd of cattle."

I smiled faintly. "Something like that."

Her eyes lingered on the dirt smudges on my clothes and the tear in my sleeve.

"What happened?"

I leaned my shoulder against the counter. "Needed to see something through." Alanna studied me for another moment before nodding slowly. "Have you been up since I left?" I asked.

She gave a small nod.

"Jade wasn’t coming out of her room," she said. "So I thought I might as well relax."

I nodded in understanding.

Walking around the kitchen counter, I opened the fridge and grabbed a beer.

"Get a glass," she said suddenly.

I looked at her. She lifted a bottle of dark red wine sitting on the counter. "I just opened something stronger."

A small smile pulled at my mouth.

"Mixing alcohol now?"

"Don’t pretend you’ve never done it."

I chuckled quietly and grabbed two glasses.

She poured the wine first, then tilted the beer bottle and filled the rest.

When both glasses were ready, she handed one to me.

We clinked them together.

"To bad decisions," she said lightly.

"To old habits," I replied.

We both drank. The combination burned slightly on the way down. I groaned immediately I put my glass down, earning a soft laugh from Alanna.

"Do you remember that trip to the lake?" she asked suddenly.

I frowned slightly. "Which one?"