Chapter 138: A good talk with a good friend

“What am I the worst person to ask about?” Kellen asked, perking up in interest. Brent chuckled at Kellen’s enthusiasm.

“Well, I’ve inherited my family’s title. Half in the face of my brother, half to prove my grandfather he was wrong about me. Okay, it’s more like 90% to fuck my brother over, but that’s not important right now.” Kellen felt it was very important since Brent didn’t like his family and had made it clear he wanted nothing to do with them.

Granted, if his brother had killed his grandfather, that would be a good reason to take everything from him, but Kellen wasn’t dumb. That would not be enough to get Brent to take on such a huge burden.

The man ran away from romantic relationships and Kellen had to resort to blackmail to get him to sign a contract to work for him. Blackmail and bribes. He didn’t willingly take on anything that had weight. He preferred to coast through life without having to worry about the pressure of anything else.

If he was willingly walking into not just base level pressure, but into power that Kellen could only imagine, something life altering must have happened.

“Okay. So you inherited it officially?” Kellen clarified and heard Brent sigh on the other end. Kellen’s Mom looked tight-lipped, her expression somber. Kellen had a feeling that she knew this already, and while Kellen wanted to be upset about it, she worked basically as a spy of sorts. Doing all kinds of trips and other things so it could have been anyone who told her what was going on.

Likely Aunt Dina, but Kellen wasn’t going to point fingers.

“Yeah. I did. We were even attacked but that didn’t stop it. Over the last few weeks I’ve been slowly tightening the noose around their neck, but they keep trying to ruin my public image. Because Guides over here are really protected, everyone has kept me out of the public eye. I can’t let this slander stand. It was one thing to do it when I was just a powerless kid who couldn’t do anything for myself. It’s another thing to do it when I have my damn boot to their throat.” Kellen agreed.

Kellen knew best that the public had a large pull on how the world treated you. His parents had always been in the limelight in the city, and outside of it. People knew of the Woods family because his Mom and Dad weren’t from this city, they decided to settle here because it was the safest place for them, and the place where they met.

At least, that was what Kellen was told. Given everything that was going on, and that Kellen was told that as a child and he had no biological grandparents, Kellen wasn’t sure if that was true. And he didn’t really care if it was true either. This city was his home now, it was his parents home, and Rhys thought of it as home too.

So, getting the public on his side had been hard, and it hadn’t fully worked in Kellen’s case. He was too rough around the edges and too much unlike the other Guides out there. He knew, in the back of his mind, that most people treated him more like an Esper than a Guide. That was fine by him.

Brent now needed that same cover because while he was a Guide, Kellen knew that he was in heavy enemy territory. The E.A.G. had a bigger hold over there. How big? Kellen didn’t know, but he knew it was big enough that those fuckers thought they could sink their teeth into his city. Rhys, Sergei and Gunther had made sure that they had been dealt a serious blow.

Kellen was not going to let the pain train halt in its tracks.

“So you need to do some heavy publicity shifting.” Kellen said calmly. “However, I do think a press conference right now is dangerous.” Kellen said. Kellen could hear the cheers of Aunt Dina on the other side.

“I am disappointed in you.” Brent said, and Kellen let out a light laugh.

“I didn’t say you shouldn’t do a press conference. I’m saying you shouldn’t do it right now. Instead, you should say you’re going to host a press conference, have a body double, let everyone know that you are going to do it and then when the E.A.G. show up, massacre them.” Kellen’s Mom’s gaze went purple when she heard her son’s calm, but merciless words.

The cheering on the other side of the phone stopped too.

There was a long, silent pause before Kellen continued.

“I would even suggest doing it a few times. Make it hurt. Make them show how fucking idiotic they are. Obviously try to protect the civilians. They shouldn’t have to suffer because there are monsters among them, but the E.A.G. needs to know fear. They need to have someone bite back. Someone needs to start making it obvious that they are just dumb fucking idiots who had a powerful backer. Make them bleed. Then, when we come, we’ll hunt them down and dig them out.” Kellen said.

More silence, before Brent started laughing. Deep, loud laughter that made Kellen pull the phone away from his ear so that he didn’t wince. It went on for a while before Brent spoke.

“Oh man. You should see the looks on their faces. It’s like they’ve all been stung or something. Man, you’re just proving I’ve been too soft. I’ve already had to kill a few, but the cops covered it up. If I keep trying to do a press conference as the next head of the James family and I can’t even step onto the stage, there is no way that they can hide it anymore. Especially if it happens over and over. You’re a damn genius, Kellen. This is why you were always in charge.” Kellen could hear Brent’s smile in his voice and Kellen couldn’t help his own smile touching his lips.

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short. You’re smart too. No doubt you wouldn’t have gotten this far otherwise.” Kellen told him kindly. Brent’s chuckle died down slowly, ending with the other man sighing.

“Okay. So, I wait to hold the real deal event until you guys get here. When do you think that will happen? Not that I want to rush you, you guys have your own E.A.G. problem.” Brent was right about that. Kellen stared at the Guides around him, turning to look behind him and find that everyone was trying to listen in.

The glittering, curious eyes made Kellen’s heart warm.

“Well, you’re right about that. However, we might have, no we probably have, dealt the group here a serious blow. Rhys did it.” Kellen told him. “And Miro.”

“Miro?” Brent repeated. “Wow. Good for him. Wherever they were is probably a beautiful, dangerous garden now.” Kellen hadn’t seen the space but he was sure that Brent wasn’t far off the mark.

“Yeah. He was in Rhys’ back pocket. Apparently giant worms showed up and with Miro’s help and a few others, they executed them and also captured a higher up. Gunther got rescued along with a bunch of Guides. They’re all very curious about who I am talking to right now.” Kellen told him, letting him know where he was.

“Oh! A bunch of new recruits? Are they drinking heavily of the Kellen Field Guide juice?” He asked, sounding excited and Kellen gave a pained smile.

“Well, they are too young to drink heavily of anything, but I am thinking of having them learn some basic Field Guide things for their own safety. We’ve got some rather…powerful Guides among them.” Kellen told him. Brent made a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat.

“Understood. Well, I’m sure they’re in good hands. Taylor’s got a big heart, and Charlie’s probably right there, isn’t he?” Brent asked, a slight smile in his tone. Kellen smiled too, glancing over at the younger man.

“Yeah. He is. I think he’s helping a lot because he’s been in the same spot a lot of these kids have been in. Plus, you know, his aura.” Kellen tried to be vague about it and Brent snorted.

“Yeah, that. I would say it’s more about his charming persona and his go get ’em attitude.” Brent joked and Kellen laughed.

“Well, I can’t argue that.” They quieted for a second, sitting in the silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable. Just…something that they both missed. It was a comfortable silence. One that Kellen and Brent had sat in before when they had been on the front lines, and also in Kellen’s office.

Kellen could tell that his Mom was getting antsy from the silence though, like she had something she wanted to say but was holding her tongue. So, instead of staying silent forever, Kellen turned back to a question that Brent had asked.

“I don’t know when we’ll be there. I can’t leave until I’m more healthy. Rhys and Taylor’s orders. Not to mention our other friend’s orders. I’ll see when I can get my second session started. Now that most of the issues with the E.A.G. have been sorted, at least on the surface, we can go through with the funeral service for everyone. I think there are a few more things we have to do before we can come over. I want to say next week. Hell, I would love for it to be next week, but it’s probably going to be two at least.” Kellen sighed as he told Brent that. He didn’t like that it was going to take that long, but it was better to be honest.

“Understood. I get it. I’ll keep an eye out for the funeral. Well, I don’t want to keep you for long. I’m sure you have mountains of things that you need to do.” Brent tried to keep his voice lighthearted, bright. However, Kellen could tell that he was a bit disheartened. Kellen knew that there wasn’t really anything he could do to make him feel better, either.

Kellen sighed, dropping his head slightly as he focused on his knees for a second.

“You’re probably pretty busy yourself, Mr. Heir. Do you have a phone? Can I get your number?” Kellen asked and Brent sighed.

“I don’t have a phone. Your Aunt has been uh, very kind.” Kellen felt his face fall into a deep frown.

“You don’t have a phone? What the fuck?” Kellen gasped at himself for swearing, but that didn’t hide his own anger. “Put her on the phone, Brent. She has to answer for this.” Kellen knew that he sounded like an asshole, but he couldn’t help but feel anger inside of him.

If she was taking care of Brent, why the fuck didn’t he have a phone? Matter of fact, if he was the heir to some big family over there, why didn’t someone else get him a damn phone? Why was that not something that he had?

Kellen’s Mom’s soft, restrained chuckle had Kellen snapping his head in her direction. He gave her a look, wondering if she knew about this. She smirked.

“I warned her to treat him well, or else you would rip a strip off of her. Henry already did.” She tsked after that, shaking her head. “She’s made her bed, go for it. If she hangs up, I’ll force her to pick up again.” Kellen’s Mom told him, and at the very least, Kellen was glad that his Mom had been advocating for Brent.

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