"What the…" Kian flinched, clutching at his heart again, clearly not expecting him to be there. The way he set up the situation earlier should have made him give up. It should have.
He turned.
After a heartbeat, "No." A flat-out rejection.
Two girls passed them, giggling and sneaking glances at Xal, but his eyes stayed locked on Kian.
"No? Why?" Xal stepped closer, pointing as if it were a simple fact. "You said you were trying to find Khem. You wanted a bodyguard. I am a bodyguard, and I want whatever you have on Khem, plus I want to find Khem too. It's a win-win."
"Didn't you just say I'm useless?" Kian shot back.
You are though.
"You still are," Xal confirmed, voice rough, "but you're the only one I know who can lead me to him." His jaw tightened, fists curling by his sides.
I'm a tool to find Khem. Huh. Praise him for being so brutally honest. Kian had been right about being able to trust him, but there was a slight hope that he wouldn't be like every other person ever to come looking for him, expecting the impossible.
But he is hurting.
Xal's whole body was vibrating with barely contained emotion; Kian could almost see the tremor in his shoulders. He couldn't let him make a decision he'd regret once his anger cooled.
Today must be too much for him.
"Xal…" Kian began carefully, trying to keep him away from whatever doom lay ahead.
"There's a high chance I'll never find Khem," Kian said, forcing his words out slowly. "It's been 4 years, and I haven't gotten a single clue of its identity. I only know that it has a human shape, but engulfed in dark energy, tendrils seeping through. It's almost like a black mass that you can barely make out the features if it moved. And no, asking on social media is not an option if that thing is a human. We will be making ourselves sitting ducks." He took a breath.
"You still have your mom and dad. They love you. Don't waste your life on this wild goose chase."
He glanced at Xal's arm. "Not even my bodyguard yet, and you're already hurt. The things I do aren't rainbows and sunshine. My world is a mess, and I definitely am not a saint. I was putting up a nice face to get you to work, but I didn't know that you were a family man. You are dead weight for me at this point. I'm not comfortable taking responsibility for you. I have enough on my plate. But I promise you, if I ever find Khem, I'll let you know."
"No, Kian…" Xal calling his name for the first time, the syllables thrummed through Kian's skin.
The white thread between them shone brighter.
"It's my sister who got murdered. What makes you think I'll sit on my ass and wait?" His words were slow with barely contained desperation and anger; his knuckles were already whitened.
Kian mentally face-palmed. He shouldn't have revealed all this. Maybe he should have let Xal run berserk and get swarmed by spirits.
Jeez… shut up, Kian.
What? It would have been easier!
"So, I don't care how bad things are. I want to find that bastard!" Xal's voice cracked, just once, before he clamped his jaw shut.
Damn it, he's persistent. What should I do? What should I do? He is definitely a liability for me.
He knew Xal wasn't about to back away easily. So Kian thought to give him a taste of what he was about to face, and when he was in the field with him, surely he would quit within two days.
He gestured for him to follow.
Their footsteps echoed in the parking lot, skidding to a halt.
"I'm done doing the nice guy act. I gave you a warning, but you don't seem to care. Whatever happens from now on, it's your problem. First of all, I don't want you to decide yet. I'll give you two days to think about it-"
"I don't need two days," Xal cut in immediately. "I've already decided."
Kian huffed. "Let me finish. Two days to think about it. On the third day, I'll send you the job description. Be ready or whatever." He shouldn't care less; he just wanted him out so no blame came to him. Working alone was less stressful.
"From the fourth to the seventh day, you join me, observe, help me out, and then give your final answer."
Xal's shoulders rose and fell. He still looked like he wanted to argue, but his eyes softened just a little. "Okay. If that's what it takes."
"Yeah. Just don't die. I hate dealing with paperwork."
Xal crossed his arms, some of his old composure returning, but tension still in his jaw. "I was a bodyguard. I won't die that easily."
"Pfft… okay, Mr. Immortal. But my condition still stands. Here." Kian handed him his phone to put in his number.
Then he got into his Suzuki, left without a goodbye.
✦ ✦ ✦
The dreadful feeling that clung to Xal's insides like molasses eased just a little. Kian had given him what sounded like a chance but also a threat, with that remark about paperwork. Either way, now he had a solid lead to start. He watched as Kian drove away and looked around.
No threads. No floating shadows.
His phone rang. It was his mom; he had forgotten to call back. She would break if she knew why they had lost Xehelya.
Wetness crept into his eyes again.
He swallowed the lump, cleared his throat, answered, and put the phone to his ear, only to pull it away at the high-pitched voice. "... Do you have any idea what time it is!? If that sweet boy didn't answer the phone, we would've been worried to death!"
Sweet boy? Tsk… already becoming mom's favorite, over her own son. Xal's mood turned sour with a pang of annoyance. He casually told the same lie Kian had told, informing her that he was on the way back home. Not trusting himself to find the way back on his own, in this wrecked condition, he booked a taxi.
At the doorstep, he got an earful from mom for getting too drunk, apologizing, made a beeline to his room, dropped onto the bed, and tossed and turned trying to get some shut eye.
The burning anger and relentless helplessness kept him wide awake until dawn.