#67

“Where’s Tennessee?”

Kaelen craned her neck to look past the gap in the door. Amber was speechless due to a flurry of thoughts and possibilities.

Did they make an appointment? If so, why? A sex partner even though he has a lover? Did it have to be this woman? What if it wasn’t an appointment? Can I just snap at her and kick her out?

“Can I come in?”

“No.”

Standing before Kaelen, who naturally stepped forward, Amber stated firmly.

“Tennessee isn’t here.”

“…Then who is that behind you?”

When she asked, pointing to the familiar figure approaching over the shoulder of the tall Amber, a resolute answer returned.

“My lover.”

…Huh?

“Who is it?”

Tennessee suddenly poked his head out from behind Amber. Before Tennessee could say anything, Amber slammed the door shut.

“That woman!”

As soon as he announced Kaelen’s arrival, Amber grabbed Tennessee and began his interrogation.

“How did she know to come here? Were you in contact? Why are you contacting her?”

Being pushed while his shoulders were gripped, Tennessee’s back soon hit the wall.

“Calm down. I didn’t make an appointment with her.”

The obsession and jealousy that had surged toward the breaking point dropped a level. Then kick her out. As soon as Amber commanded, the doorbell rang again.

He tried to ignore it, but the doorbell continued to ring at short intervals. Intending to tell her to get lost, Amber opened the door. Despite having the door slammed in her face, Kaelen only looked amused.

“Amber, let me just—”

“How did you find out where we are?”

His tone was calm, but it was clearly an interrogation. In the time they hadn’t seen each other, Amber had grown huge, become a man, and… changed quite a bit. He hadn’t known him personally, but he hadn’t expected him to grow into such an obsessive man. Kaelen reached that conclusion on her own.

“What do you mean ‘how did I find out’? It’s not like you were hiding. Your trail was laid out from security firms to defense contractors; doesn’t that mean you want people to find you if they wish?”

Kaelen felt a bit cheated. Although they weren’t the type to share personal stories, having worked together for several years, he knew reasonably well how Tennessee handled things.

If Tennessee intended to hide, he wasn’t the kind of person to leave such clumsy traces. From security firms to defense contractors, or the gaps in between, his trail was clearly documented on paper. This meant he had no intention of hiding.

‘Then why didn’t you look for me? I sent letters! If you were going to live like this, hurting yourself instead of living properly, you should have found me!’

Amber recalled Tennessee’s shout echoing in his mind. Kaelen’s tone had been calm, as if stating the obvious. Was that it? It was true that Tennessee had run away—a fact no one could deny—but it also meant he hadn’t severed the final link. It meant that if Amber wanted, he could come find him…

The thick fog seemed to be lifting little by little.

“Amber.”

Tennessee’s low voice called.

“Yes, Tennessee.”

Answering affectionately, Amber turned around. He didn’t forget to lock the door, leaving Kaelen standing right there in the entryway.

“Let him in. Let’s hear what it is.”

The cigarette between his index and middle fingers shook slightly. Amber had a lot to say, but after hearing those words from Kaelen, he felt a sudden surge of generosity.

“Tell me when you’re finished talking.”

Tennessee’s black hair, which had grown quite long, brushed softly against his fingers. Exhaling smoke, he nodded. With a smile that didn’t hide his twisted aura, Amber opened the door.

“Did you hold an international conference or something? Took you long enough to open up.”

Kaelen muttered as he walked in. He then began to pour out a barrage of questions at the silently seated Tennessee.

Dating? With him? I knew it; it was weird since the photos. Well, not that I was looking at the kid with that kind of eye, but something was just different, you know what I mean? With an age gap like this, I wonder if I should report you. Fine, stop glaring.

Amber’s hand, which had been preparing to leave, paused at the rapid-fire words.

…Photos?

Picking up his car keys as if nothing had happened, Amber bit his lip anxiously.

Since the photos? What did that mean?

There was no question asking why he had come. As if telling him to get straight to the point, Tennessee simply listened to Kaelen’s chatter. And by the time he was on his second cigarette—meaning, in a very short amount of time—Tennessee lost his patience.

“I don’t have time to chat with you about the joys of life. Tell me why you’re here.”

“Do one job for me.”

“Duration?”

“One year. Two at most.”

“No.”

The offer and the rejection followed in rapid succession.

“The compensation will be certain—”

“I have plenty of money.”

Look at how their relationship had changed despite not contacting each other for years. Surely, Amber would think he had been abandoned again. Tennessee had no intention of taking on a long-term operation while having to soothe an anxious Amber.

“Tennessee, just help me this once. It’s not an immediate deployment. So that you can recover your health further…”

“I already said no. The conversation is over.”

Tennessee crushed out his cigarette. Kaelen’s voice grew slightly louder.

“It’s a great opportunity. You’re still at a prime age; are you just going to keep resting? I can’t guarantee safety, but I guarantee the payout.”

Amber’s expression wasn’t good as he prepared to leave. In a way, it was a natural reaction. Since he had shown hesitation while leaving, it seemed he had many things to ask. He would probably pout if he wasn’t contacted soon. Amber didn’t pout often, but once he did, the aftermath was severe.

Seeing that Tennessee didn’t leave a single opening, Kaelen’s voice dropped.

“What was that kid’s name again. Was it Huston?”

He searched for a reaction, but Tennessee showed no agitation. Not easy, Kaelen clicked his tongue inwardly. Despite having shared a bed and known him for years, he still didn’t understand the man.

“He committed suicide. On the surface, at least. That was your doing, wasn’t it?”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Unfortunate? Ha! Kaelen laughed openly.

“You’re acting like you don’t know.”

“Katie, look at me. I’m at the point where I need to hire a caregiver. What could someone like me possibly do?”

“I told you before, immunity isn’t a license to kill. Do you think I couldn’t do it if I blew this wide open?”

Would it be better to refuse by threatening an FBI agent, or would it be better to kill him?

Tennessee quickly calculated the possibilities.

Because they were in a relationship where they entrusted their bodies to one another but never their hearts, there was a high probability that Kaelen had informed someone of his destination before coming here. If he had to die, the body had to be thoroughly disposed of so it could never be found. Amber would be back within 30 minutes. That was too tight a window to dismember a corpse. Amber would misunderstand, but it would be better to tell him to come back in three hours to be safe.

With that thought, Tennessee’s busy gaze flickered toward the drawer where the gun was kept, then dropped back to Kaelen. Realizing the meaning, Kaelen’s smile vanished instantly.

Exhaling his final puff of smoke, Tennessee decided.

“Do you think you hold my leash?”

As his tall frame stood up, a long shadow cast over the room. Kaelen reflexively stood up as well. Tennessee’s tone was light, but it was more realistic than any threat.

“Do you think it would be faster for you to make this case public, or for me to find your parents hiding in Norway?”

“You…!”

Once he found out the location of the family, it was Guatemala, Japan, and even Norway; she was a woman who hid her family away meticulously. It was obvious how fiercely she cherished them. To be so full of ambition yet unable to discard her family.

One can never truly succeed unless they are prepared to throw everything away to reach a certain position. People with nothing to lose reveal themselves at some point. The FBI, stained with all sorts of filth, would certainly recognize that weak point in Kaelen.

Tennessee decided quickly.

He had to kill him.

It wasn’t that Tennessee killed people easily. However, if Kaelen spread word of Huston’s business, this daily life—this wound that had finally burst and might have completely healed—might fester hideously once again. He would rather stain his hands with blood than see that happen.

It couldn’t be helped. It was just as his cold eyes flashed.

“Tennessee, I’m back.”

The door opened and Amber entered.

“Sorry for interrupting, my car suddenly broke down…”

While the sound of car keys being set down and hurried footsteps entering the dining area echoed, Tennessee and Kaelen’s eyes met.

“Yeah.”

With a sigh, Tennessee stepped out of the dining room.

Lucky you.

A smile with that meaning landed on Kaelen.

“…Tennessee, you…”

Still, since he had been threatened once, he would likely act defensively from now on. He might even try to stab him in the back. So, eventually, he would have to kill—

“…You’re really sexy.”

What?

Tennessee, who had been frowning, suddenly found Amber, whose expression had been wiped clean. Something had been layered over the Amber who usually spoke affectionately. Blue eyes pierced into him like arrows, and Tennessee felt the illusion that he was standing right in the center of a spotlight.

29 – Chapter

“I already knew, but he really is charming….”

Kaelen poured a massive amount of Texas heavy crude oil onto a house already on fire.

He was a woman who couldn’t be dealt with.

As Tennessee’s menacing gaze pierced through him, Kaelen let out a small yelp and raised both hands. Gathering his jacket and bag, Kaelen brushed past Amber, who was struggling to suppress a scream that felt like it would burst out at any moment.

“Thanks, Amber.”

Leaving behind words that Amber couldn’t possibly understand, Kaelen waved his hand.

“Alright, alright. I won’t do anything stupid. I was just testing the waters.”

Having come and gone without gaining anything and only succeeding in provoking a temper, Kaelen shook his head and headed for the front door.

“But you can still do the short-term work, right?”

“No.”

“Ah, seriously.”

I’ll have to find someone else. Ugh, it’s so hard to find people…

Kaelen disappeared, rambling complaints just as he had when he arrived.

Slam. The door closed, and an immediate silence, like the calm before a storm, settled in. Amber hung up the jacket he had lightly draped over his shoulders and pulled off his sweatshirt, revealing a thin short-sleeved shirt.

Then, he lowered himself into the chair where Kaelen had been sitting.

“Did you two have sex?”