Between the Lines✔ [COMPLETED]

[17] Busy, Busy, Busy

Kyle

As a child, living with just my uncle in a huge house at Millennium Lane always felt like waking up as a prince –except this prince had to be a slave for a criminal –and this prince had to cook his own food and be an accomplice to the leader of entire the criminal organisation. 

Ace has a lot of people working under him. He has a lot of blackmail against people. The truth of the matter is that many of these people only work for him because they're afraid of what he'll tell others. Only a selective few are genuinely afraid of this mere man.

But he's not just any mere man... I have to remind myself. 

I always found it funny how Ace took care of me. He was never a father figure. He was never my father and I'd shoot myself before I'll admit he's my uncle as though I'm proud of him. No. Ace may be a family member I simply stay with because of the circumstances regarding my parents and how if that situation gets out in the open it'll blow his cover.

Ace allows me to do what I want as long as I answer his calls, treat him like a king, and do whatever he asks without him having to ask twice. I suppose in his eyes it's a give and take concept.

When I got home this evening after finishing up at the gym, I knew I should be expecting Ace to return. His two weeks at the rigs were up. He was going to be back.

I didn't expect, however, that he would already be home before I got here. 

It didn't change much. I had to greet him as I always have –with a certain fearful 'respect' and offer him a shot of whiskey like he always used to ask of me when I was a child. He stopped asking after it became a conditioned action on my part. He stopped asking for a lot of things after I'd become conditioned, actually.

But then he stood on the rooftop balcony waiting for me to reach him with the shot glass –and when I did, and handed it to him, I turned immediately to leave. 

"A little birdy told me you're in the April Fest Play," he says, though he knows I'm walking away.

I'm halfway through a step and I pause but I don't turn to look at him. "It's true. They've cast me as the lead male."

He chuckles, and I could almost hear the excitement in his voice. "My Kyle as the lead. Do you know how much of an opportunity the April Fest blesses us with? It's a three day event, my boy. Three days. Three glorious days," he takes a sip and hums for a second before turning to me. "Oh! I should start planning!" His voice is riddled with enthusiasm and I turn to look at him. He laughs the way he always does when he's up to no good.

The April Fest?

My April Fest?

Malory, Ron and Olivia's April Fest?

God forbid Ace ever finds out that Malory is my co-star.

God forbid it. God forbid it. 

"Pack your bags, Kyle. We've got a stop off a beautiful place to make soon."

Wait, what?

A stop off?

"What should I pack?" I ask. 

Ace never asked me to go anywhere with him –well no, that's not entirely true. I mean he's never asked me to pack bags to go anywhere.

"As much as it'll take you to get through three days and nights. You have until Wednesday to pack. We're leaving at noon, then."

With that, he sips at his whiskey again and waves me off. I leave the rooftop, more uneasy than I've ever been.