Chapter 67 Caught Up

Chapter 67 Caught Up
Adrian's POV 

Darien's feet were swift, jumping over fences while barreling into tight openings that would have been too tight to fit in two.

The dogs barking didn't deter me. Still, I pursued - hot on the chase.

He shot a glance behind his back - like he did a coupe of times. This time, it became his mistake.

He lost his footing.

I rounded up around the block, caught up with him and grabbed his shirt.

Then I landed a punch into his face.

He groaned, stumbling to the ground as my fist crushed his face.

"Hell, I didn't do it!" Darien yelled, plastering a hand to his cheeks. 

I jerked him to his feet.

"You have an idea why I'm here." That was more of a statement than a question.

"Then why are you running the moment you saw me?" I pressed.

His heavy breath ragged, his chest heaving rapidly. "Fuck! I told Ethan he shouldn't do it!" 

"Aren't you Ethan's cousin? You should be much aware why he did it." 

"Just let me go, will you?" Darien pleaded.

"I need answers," I gnarled.

His voice cracked. 

Unable to get answers from him, I started pulling away from where we stood - just inches away from where we were being scrutinized by neighbors.

"Okay, okay. Hear me out then." He cried out.

I paused, wheeling my face to him.

"Ethan came over to my place," he started to explain.

"Huh, huh. Go on." I signalled with my eyes.

"We were just reminiscing over our ordeal in the hands of the police at Sky's hotel. That was when Ethan got a plan to haunt and humiliate Inez with her past." His voice shook with every word he said.

"So, you agreed to it?" I cocked a brow, a knot tightening in my stomach.

"No! I didn't. I just...." His gaze shifted to the fence behind me.

I read meaning to the way his eyes moved. "Thinking of running again?"

"No, no, no. Fuck, Adrian. It isn't my fault that Ethan isn't over Inez. He just keeps using me to get back at her."

I scoffed. "Am I supposed to believe that?"

"God, how am I suppose to let you understand that Ethan had a grudge against Inez because she wouldn't give him a taste of her virginity..."

My eyes circled in surprise.

Inez was a virgin? But I snapped out of it at once.

"But how does that give him any room to do whatever he had with her. Besides, you must have nudged him to that path since you're both related." I assumed.

"Come on, brother. I tantalized with the idea for awhile. I initially wanted Inez at first because Ethan had made it seemed like she was unapproachable..."

My hands tightened around his collar. "Don't call me that. I am no brother to you." 

Darien choked. "Alright, alright."

"Move on to the story on how it got leaked." I pressed.

"Ethan must have used my monitor while he was at my place probably when I wasn't looking. Please, I have no hands in it." Darien said.

"Is that why you haven't been coming to school?"

He paused, his breath shaky. "Partly that. But I feel embarrassed crossing paths with Inez. She didn't deserve that."

My lips thinned. "Good." I confirmed. "Cause I need you to render an apology to her."

His eyes widened in shock.

"I haven't been coming to school. And I intend to make it so." He voiced.

"That's none of my business. You are going to have to render her an apology or I will find a way to throw you back in jail. Don't think because you've got a cousin who can squash your heinous crimes doesn't mean_"

"Okay, okay." He shot both hands up - interrupting me. "I will make sure to find a way."

"I don't need you to find a way. I need you to make it happen over the school's speakers."

His nose flared up. "Come on, brother. That's way too overboard."

My hands wracked his neck. He shut his eyes briefly while he held his breath.

"I will do it."

I dropped my hands. Relief washed over his face.

"You will have to do it tomorrow." 

His eyes ogled again. "Tomorrow?"

"There's no better way to diminish the rumours surrounding her. You either do it or face impending doom."

"I will send you a text of what you're going to say. You are not going to bend any text or sentence to your taste. Are we clear on that?"

"Okay." He swallowed. Left with no choice, he nodded.

"That's settled then. Did you perhaps hurt my brother?" 

I let out a small laugh which momentarily buried the fury that rose to the surface.

"You think I am Ethan?"

"I'm only asking."

"I do not hurt kids, Darien. Neither do I go after people who didn't hurt me in the first place." I snapped.

Silence ironed between us briefly. All I could hear were the harsh sounds of our heavy breathing slowing.

Pairs of eyes which watched us from across the terrain withdrew when they realized nothing was happening.

I flashed a smile across their way. And the crowd already gathering began to disperse.

"Can I go now?" Darien asked.

"Not yet. Do you know where Ethan live?" 

Darien hesitated. "Yes."

"How long does it take to get to his house?"  I asked.

"Whose house?"

I only shot a lukewarm gaze at him.

"We are not going to Sundale, are we?" 

I gnarled at him.

"About two to three hours."

"Are we going to Sundale?" His voice carried a note of hysteric.

Inez's POV 

"He didn't state where he was headed to me." Leo replied me.

"How could he not have told you where he was going to?" Irene sounded bemused by the whole talk.

"I figured he must have figured out who had uploaded your video to the school's blog." Leo continued.

"If that were the case, he would have told you." Irene whined.

"Just give me some few minutes." Leo said, then started walking towards the entrance.

My gaze flipped towards Irene. The way she watched Leo attentively as if she were on the edge.

When Leo disappeared out of the building, her gaze watlzed back to me.

"What?" Her eyes widened.

The corner of my lips quirked. "What's going on between you two?" 

"Nothing." She voiced too quickly that made me believe that she had something up her sleeve. 

Then she grabbed the spoon from my mouth and scooped up a spoonful. 

"Really?"

She winced after she'd swallowed down what she'd shoved into her mouth. 

"Why didn't you tell me there was a lot of salt in this?" She whispered.

"You drank the soup at first, didn't you?" I let out a scoff.

Her hands reached out and grabbed the food flask that was pressed between my thighs. "Yes, I did but it hadn't tasted this bad when I first drank it. Making it taste delicious for Leo was my _" she paused when she realized what she had said.

My lips stretched into a mocking smile. Then I dipped my head lower - watching her wrack her head upwards to peer a look at me.

"There's indeed something fishy going on between you two." I concluded.

"It's nothing serious. Leo had just be concerned about me lately. Asking sensitive questions about my well-being and relationship. It's nothing serious." She flipped her hand as she demonstrated.

At the mention of relationship, my insides churned.

Had Leo actually helped me out in recusing Irene from her abusive relationship.

Well, there was only one way to find out. 

"What about Dan?" I pressed.

She paused, then cleared her throat. "Dan stopped calling, or even coming over. My life has been peaceful ever since. I heard from one of his classmates that he was attacked by Gaigai gang."

My brows arched. "Gaigai gang?"

Irene shrugged. "It's something that spread like wild fire. Even Fabian confronted me and asked why I hadn't spoken up about having so-called people backing me. Now I left them to suffer for making my life a living mess."

I shifted my eyes to where Leo stood. He was still on the phone.

"Did you know who did it?" 

"Inez, trust me. I am dying to know. I told Leo about this when he came over_"

My heart tripled over. "Wait a minute, Leo came over? when was that?"

"The very day it happened. He said he came to get a volume of his favorite comic book. Does it make any sense?"

I let out a slow laugh.

"Do you think Leo is part of the Gaigai gang, Inez?" Irene shifted her eyes to me.

"It's not possible." I shook my head.

"But what if he is."

"Leo looks so caught up in his own affairs to be something he is not. Have you ever asked him?"

She scowled. "You know I can't ask him that. It makes no absolute sense."

"What are you girls whispering about?" Leo strolled back to us.

I jerked away from Irene's hands like we'd been discussing something terrible and should never be revealed to another's ears.

While Irene began to fan the heat spreading to her cheeks.
He grabbed the food flask from Irene. My eyes widened. Irene wished the floor would open up and swallow her up when Leo began to scoop from it.