Back in college, Joshua and Amari were known as the 'cold princes' a nickname that people on campus came up with. Both of them were known for their blank expressions. Amari would only chat and laugh with the people close to him, and Joshua never seemed to laugh with anyone else.
They were pretty similar, though not exactly the same, at least from most people's perspective. With his gorgeous hair, Amari's got the power to charm anyone. They've both got stunning blue eyes, even though they're different, and together, they make a perfect pair.
Amari was supposed to go to the college for Omegas, the place where the Elite and the Conglomerates would all meet up. His family had long stopped being Mafia, and now they were aiming to another status. They were trying to figure out how to get Amari into one.
As part of the elite or conglomerate group.
Amari turned his parents' hopes down for the first time back then. He decided to go to college with the idea that it would help him meet his longtime crush, Joshua.
Amari never regretted his decision.
"Stop, let's stop here, Josh!" Amari took a deep breath. They were already in a quiet place where not many people passed by. A local park. They were both out of breath and sweating.
Trust me, he only hits the gym for some low-key workouts a few times a week. This sudden burst of speed left him gasping for breath.
Amari was down in the dumps, trying to catch his breath, when he looked up, eyes wide. Amari knew the man pretty well, but he'd never seen him laugh that hard.
"What's going on with your stamina?" With a laugh that was so wide it seemed to stretch the whole way across the table, he said, looking at Amari with a mocking tone. Amari wasn't offended, but he did feel a little flustered.
It's not because he's out of breath from running, it's because Joshua's hand is still holding his hand tightly. It's also because he was laughing like a kid in front of Amari.
"Ah! Your face is red!" He started laughing again, reaching out to hold Amari's cheek.
Amari didn't say anything for a second, then he got his act together and stared down to avoid Joshua's hand, which was still holding his face. Joshua let go of his hand on Amari's reddened cheek.
"Wh-why are you running?" He asked, he's trying not to freak out in front of Joshua, who's got a look on his face like he's about to say something. His hand was still holding his, helping him get back on his feet.
"Someone is watching you."
"What do you mean?"
"Outside the cafe, someone is watching you... Well, it's not the first time I've seen someone watching you. But this time, they're different."
Amari's eyes rounded just right. He knew his parents always had someone watching over him from afar, but today he asked everyone to wait in the lobby while he was at the cafe. No matter what his parents thought about it, those people never disobeyed Amari's orders. They'd stand guard somewhere nearby, but not too close. Then, who was it?
"It looks like the guards sent by my mother-" He tried to keep himself calm.
"No." Joshua interrupted Amari, "Your parents used to get guards from a company I know, they've been with them for years. These are different people, but it's the same group that was watching you before the shooting."
Amari was rooted to the spot. He'd never realized that before. He always thought the people around him were the ones his parents hired. This was the first time he thought that someone else was watching him.
"Do you know who these people are?"
Joshua nodded and said, "I know a few guard hire services. I'm also checking out which agency your parents usually use."
"Pardon?"
"Look, I know this might sound strange, but I've been curious ever since the whole shotgun thing went down. Amari, you being targeted? This isn't the first time, is it?"
Amari sat down on one of the benches near where he was standing. His legs seemed to have lost all strength. Joshua's question snapped him back to reality. He'd been so distracted by his desire to meet the man in front of him, but now it hit him. He's pretty sure Joshua called because of the shotgun incident.
Ah, he felt like a fool.
After letting go of Joshua's hand, Amari started tidying his hair. He was back to his senses, so he wasn't going to dwell on silly things after his meeting with Joshua. Stupid.
"Yeah, someone targeted me. It wasn't the first gunshot incident."
He was still standing in front of Amari when he started telling him how he got the threat in the first place. The threats started with an email, but they got more and more extreme. They went from drinks laced with laxatives to many other things.
"The shotgun attack happened a while back, when I was in the car. All of a sudden, my tires and windows got shot. Thankfully, no one was hurt, including me and my personal driver. We're doing well, but that's what happened."
Joshua crouched down in front of Amari, who had his head down, "They weren't trying to kill you..."
"How?"
Amari looked into Josh's eyes by accident when he looked up at what he was saying.
"Yeah, that shot wasn't meant to kill you. They were aiming for you, but their goal wasn't to take your life."
Amari looked confused. He couldn't figure out why these people were after him.
"From what I've seen, it seems likely that the reason for the change in management is that you took charge of the company. Do your parents have any enemies?"
"Uh... That's..."
Joshua didn't say anything for a second, then scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah, since your family was part of the mafia before, you must have some similar enemies. But that shot wasn't meant to kill you, at least not at first."
"Ah, Josh…"
"Yeah?"
"Someone previously sent me a gun."
"A gun?"
"Yes, it has the initials CB engraved on it..."
Joshua stood completely still after Amari told him, "You sure about that?"
Amari nodded, "I'm not sure what kind of weapon it is, but I've got a picture of it. The weapon's still in my house. There's also a note with the following on it.."
Amari showed Joshua the photo on his phone, a long-range long barrel. For snipers, MsMiran TAC 50. Joshua slides another photo, and there's an embossed lettering that says 'CB' short for Campbell. It's interesting that all weapons made by the Campbells aren't traded easily, and they don't really sell weapons to the public either. But, all the weapons with these initials were only sold by the Dhurudatta family to certain families.
That is a private ownership.
Then the letter in the next photo shows, 'If this bullet goes through your head, you'll look more beautiful.' along with a .50 BMG bullet, CB is also engraved there. This is already too specific.
"You know what? The guards picked up the bullets that were left behind after the shooter's attack, and surprise, there were also letters."
"Yeah, I know. That's why I wanted to see you today. I also took one of the bullets, and I was surprised to see those initials."
Amari glanced at Joshua and felt disappointed that things didn't go as he'd hoped. But then he tried to act casual, "Then, do you think it would be possible for me to check the names of the buyers of this weapon?"
Then Joshua looked over at the darkness, as if he were looking for someone. He then waved his hand before answering Amari's question. A big, tall guy went up to him, "Shin, could you take him back to the company lobby? I guess the guards are all on the lookout for him now that he's not at the café."
"Wait, Josh..." Amari automatically grabbed Joshua's hand, which was now right in front of him.
"Ah, this is Shin. He's a trusted member of my family. You'll be safe with him."
"But..."
Joshua sat back on the bench, looking at Amari. In the dim light, he could see that the man's eyes were a light blue.
"I'll give you a call later. For now, I can't say for sure if I can give you a list of the names of the people who bought the weapon. The Campbell family's hand-engraved weapons aren't traded like regular goods, they're kept as private collectors' items. It's a private ownership."
"Private ownership?"
Joshua nodded, "That means there are only ten people in this country who can buy it. Because of the rules we've got, I'm going to try to look into this. For now, please stick with your guards. They probably aren't planning on killing you, but I don't know what their real reasons are."
Amari just sat there listening to Joshua explain things, but he felt a little uneasy afterwards. It shouldn't even be something he's thinking about. Joshua could just talk to him about it, and he can ask Joshua about why Amari was targeted too. He shouldn't have been disappointed.
"Amari, are you taking the suppressant?"
"Huh?" Now Amari was confused by the man's question.
"My apologies, but it seems like you're about to go through HEAT. I can smell your pheromones."