Page 18 of The Reluctant Hero

Like what? His dad?

Ugh, I just grossed myself out.

These two need their teeth knocked in. See how many women they pick up when they have to rely on their personalities instead of their supposedly huge dongs.

It’s getting to the point that I’m going to explode all over everyone with nonstop curse words and threats I’d never be able to pull off. My control over my temper is a slippery rope, and I’m losing my grip.

I leave them all behind without looking back.

I like that I’m getting better at taking the stairs at my apartment. The huffing isn’t as bad, and I’m seeing some results in my waistline. But it isn’t worth the harassment. I’m finding a cheap gym close to the apartment and exercising alone with headphones. It’s more my speed.

7

Haunted

Cade

I enjoy this class. Muay Thai. Something new to learn without the pressure of survival. Not-so-friendly faces to enjoy. I’m hoping to strike up a friendship with one of them. Max seems to be the most likely target. Shade refuses to speak with either me or Jake. He watches us like a hawk as if we’re here for trouble. Knowing Jake, it's a good call. I’m not letting his distrust of us joining dampen the excitement of getting out and beingnormalfor once.

Asher seems nice underneath his Iceman persona. It’s not as frozen as I’m used to, which makes him more approachable. I’ve become immune to the freeze-out over years of working with Gabe. It isn’t really intentional. It’s a guard that shields them from pain. A great manipulation tactic, too.

I have other methods. My tactic is a sly amount of attention and friendliness, sometimes flirty, other times benign. It's all a play on my good looks and ability to charm. It’s as second nature to me as the ice is to them.

I wonder what it would be like not to have to do it every time I go out. Just be my morose self in public and see who speaks to me then. A lot of the women I charm would take a look and walk away. Red flags all over the place. I’m at a point in my life that would be nice. I’m turning into the older trio of dicks I work with.

Ace is bottled up rage with zero tact. Mikael is uninterested menace. And Gabe. He’s been frozen for so long that he’s a walking meat locker.

“Wakey, wakey,” Jake taunts me softly.

I snap to awareness, something Jake has to call me back to more and more often lately.

“I thought you liked this,” he continues with little interest. There’s no one around yet, so he can be himself. We’re still in the car, waiting to go into the gym. It leaves me free to be myself as well. Jake can be dead serious with a smile. I can’t. I have to let go sometimes, and around Jake, it’s easy. He doesn’t get offended at much.

“I do. I’m just in my head.”

He makes a thoughtful sound. I know he’s here because I’m here. He doesn’t care about friends. He calls them collateral damage. And women? Good for sex and keeping at arm’s length emotion-wise. He’d rather be sitting in the office watching a movie or playing video games while his brain goes to places I never want to witness.

His life makes mine seem like a fairy tale. I used to pity myself for the things that had happened to me. Meeting Jake was a slap of reality that left me horrified. I lost a loving Father to greed and manipulation, and Jake losteverything.

He doesn’t hold it against me either. He considers our pain equal in measure. I’ve bent his ears with my whining and he listens, rebuts, converses. But he never complains, and he never makes a joke out of me like most of the recruits I’ve met. They all think having my Father’s money was a comfy place to land when he was murdered. All I want is for him to play touch football with me one last time.

I’m a joke in the business and everyone knows it. A pretty face that feels sorry for himself. A boy that killed a woman. It’s rare with how abusive some of the others have had it from their mothers. No matter the reason, it’s disgusting to the majority of the business.

“Out of the car, Cadey,” Jake mocks and gets out.

How did my assignment to help control a nutjob become him babysitting my depressed ass?

I was passed off to Jake because Matthias appreciated my ability to manipulate people with charm and a smile. My original team disbanded abruptly, which was a relief. The bullshit was getting overwhelming. I thought I’d have family there. I was wrong.

My brand of manipulation had the weird effect of Jake mimicking my friendly attitude. It isn’t that he listens to me when I tell him not to do something. It’s him making an effort for me not to feel as alone. It’s weird that he saw it and immediately acted. Like he adopted me in some fucked up way. My family is now made up of one unhinged psycho and a bunch of ice blocks.

The door opens, and Jake grabs my bicep to pull me out.

“Put your face on, and let’s go.”

Like my act is a coating of makeup to conceal my flaws. I guess it is.

My smile goes into place as we walk in. Jake’s boyish version of it is already displayed. Asher is standing outside his office talking to Max. Shade comes out of the lockers and eyes us as we approach them.

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