Curiosity Killed the Cat

Chapter 12. Team Work Makes the Dream work

"There is no way in hell we are letting this asshole come with us," protests Welsey. "He's unreliable, Laney." Wesley leans in next to me crouching his back like an old man with back problems.

"Hey, I can hear you!" Connor pouts from in front of the cash register.
"Good!" Wesley doesn't look at Connor when he says it. "Look, I know he's not the greatest person to be around but he's been there before and can get us answers no one else could." Wesley just stares at me hoping I'd say no.

"Again, I can hear you both loud and clear."

"Come on Wesley. I've known Connor long enough to know he won't do anything that I'm not expecting." Wesley shakes his head profusely.
"I'll rewatch your Superfast movie and give it a good review if you say yes. Not that I'm really asking for permission." I cross my arms waiting for an answer.

"Not that your freaky self would wait for me. I'm not letting you go alone." And it's true. So far Wesley has stuck with me despite our differences. He hasn't wanted to do the majority of things I've suggested but still went along with me.

A small smile inches on his lips before he says, "I'm going to force you to watch every single second of Superfast until you enjoy its humor to its full extent." Rolling my eyes I summon Connor over.

"Welsey and I have agreed to let you lead us safely into your illegal place." Connor nods subtly.

"About time! So are we taking my car or are we all going to give each other piggyback rides as Welsey slowly wheels us on his death mobile?" Connors smirks with enjoyment on his face.

"We can still leave you at home. It's not too late." Wesley rolls his eyes at Connor as if he's speaking to a child.
"I'm driving." Sighing deeply, I exit first.

The two follow me out like children who are throwing tantrums.

"Shotgun!" Calls Connor running to get into the passenger seat. "What are you twelve?" Wesley takes his backpack off putting it down on the floor of trash I've gotten piled up.
"Your backseat looks like my house," mumbles Welsey under his breath. I flash him a glare through my rear view mirror.

"I'll put the address in on my phone, you just focus on driving, alright," Reassures Wesley. "Okay, thanks!" I'm about to put my car in drive when Connor stops me.

"Hold up. I forgot to clock out for the day." Connor quickly gets unbuckled. "Seriously Connor. We're in a time crunch here." I sigh, putting the car in park, allowing Connor to run inside. As soon as Connors gets out of the car, so is Wesley. He quickly swings open my passenger door and takes Connor's spot.

I can't help but laugh. Wesley joins in as his eyes caress the location he looked up on his cell phone.

His eyes crinkle at the side whenever he laughs or smiles. It's sort of adorable. Especially with wavy brown hair bouncing around his face. Noticing my eyes on him, Wesley's eyes darted over at me. I quickly look down feeling a little flustered. "Connor sure is a piece of work." Wesley clears his voice looking a little flustered himself.

"That he is. He's annoying and all but I've known him since coming to this school. I guess that's where my trust comes from. My trust in him isn't that much, unfortunately." I let my eyes rest on the gorgeous sunset. Its pink and orange color reflect off Wesley and my face.

"Some people said you two were together? Is that true?" Wesley inquires. His eyes rest on me. Soft and curious. "Who's some people?" Is he asking for himself?

"People I've talked to. The ones from that night at the party. They saw you two together and thought that perhaps you guys were dating."

"Oh." Is all I manage to get out. I hadn't realized that so many people saw us together. Did people witness him kissing me? My face turns bright red with embarrassment.

"We're not together." I clarified. "Besides, I could never be with someone so arrogant."

"Bro, seriously?" Connor is back and furious that Welsey took his seat. "Just get in the car," I groan.

The car ride over was surprisingly pleasant with almost complete silence. Wesley directed me mostly but that way about it.

When we arrive at the location Zachary wrote down for me I'm shocked to find it's an abandoned warehouse. "What'd you think? It'd be something like a Build-a-Bear workshop?" Connor says emotionlessly.

"I was hoping for something like an ice cream parlor. I'm starving," groans Wesley. The warehouse isn't as dark as I'd expected it to be. It appears to be what it actually looks like. An abandoned warehouse.

Connor walks about two paces in front of Welsey and I while the two of us stay close beside each other.

"I don't like this, Laney," whispers Wesley. "I know, I don't feel good vibes in here," I whisper back. It feels cold and clammy as we walk between tall, empty shelves. We have our phone flashlights on until we finally approach a small office with glass as the wall. Two buffy men sit busy in the office on computers.

I pause in place, grabbing Wesley's cold wrist when I see a rifle laying against one of the glass walls.

"I see it. Can you grab my grandfather's old army pistol from my backpack," commands Wesley. Connor has made it into the office and is already talking with the two mysterious men.

"Why the hell did you bring a gun?" I whisper, feeling my heart rate quicken. 

"I'm not walking here without protection." He's right. What if this goes south? This suddenly feels like the end to a CSI episode. "Do you even know how to use one?" I whisper as I see Wesley slip the gun into his coat pocket. "No, but how hard can it be right?" Worriness is placed in Welsey's voice as we make it to the office.

"Who are you?" One of the men stood up. "These two college students are interested in our business. They're looking to score some cash." Connor explains, placing his hands in his coat pocket.

"Aren't they all?" says the other man with a deadpan expression. "What's the password?" asks the man on the right. "Pink fox." Connor tells the scary looking man. The man standing up has a scar that runs from his forehead all the way down to the top of his collar bone. I wonder where he got it from.

"The boss gave me this." Mr. Scarface noticed me looking at it. "Big Bear?"  He nods. "Aye. Kind of badass right?" He smiles proudly. "Maybe if you have a pain kink." mumbles Wesley under his breath.

"Alright time to check you guys." My eyes widen as Wesley and I quickly turn and look at each other. His gun.
Mr. Scarface starts patting down Connor first before Mr. Nameless goes to Welsey. He left his skateboard in my car so all Welsey has to take off is his backpack and his coat. But he keeps his coat on despite Mr. Scarface's suggestion.

Take your coat off, kid. "I'm cold," frowns Welsey. "So am I? But I'd rather not waste time and twiddle our thumbs. Take off your damn coat!"

With no other choice, Welsey shrugs off his coat and Mr. Nameless finds his gun. "Planning on robbing a bank, kid?" The two men laugh at Welsey who stands there without a care in his eyes. "Perhaps." Wesley's sarcasm is going to get us killed one day.

After taking our identification cards, phones and Welsey's gun, We're shown to a trap door that's hidden by a hideous rug. The trap door opens to a large creaky staircase.

"This is so sketchy," I whisper. "I'd be shocked if it weren't," Wesley whispers back. Upbeat music gets louder and loud the more we decline the staircase.

When we reach the bottom we find a large open room. Several people around our age or older sit at tables or at a bar. Men and women similar to Mr. Scarface and Mr. Nameless upstairs, standing still guarding the place.

"Alright, we're here. Now where does the Mystery Incorporated want to start," says Connor turning to Wesley and I.

"Which one of these people is Big Bear?" I answer, sucking in a deep breath.

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Chapter posted: 7/13/2022

How do you think they're plan is going to go?