They hurried down the stairs and then to the door.“Don’t touch anything on the walls,” Nathan said to cayden as they ran.Nicholas opened the door and hurried out.They all stood outside of the house, watching as the men got out of their van. The experts were dressed in protective gear, with their faces partially obscured by visors. They carried large black cases, which apparently contained all the equipment they would need to disarm the bombs.Nathan swung his hands in the air, waving to the men as they began approaching.“Wait there,” he shouted.The men halted abruptly, looking around for any signs of danger.Nathan and the boys marched to the men.Nathan approached the lead expert, a man with broad shoulders and a serious expression. "Good morning," he said, extending a hand. "I'm Nathan. “The expert in the middle shook Nathan's hand and introduced himself as Thomas. “Good day.We are from Mr. Swack.”“Okay, the bomb specialists, I suppose,” Nathan said. “Actually, we stopped yo

Nicholas left for the drinks.Nathan looked at Cayden and found that he was staring into a corner of the cafeteria. He traced his gaze to a table where Pedro, Alex and some other of his basketball teammates and friends were seated.“You should go talk to them,” Natnan said.“Yeah, I should,” Cayden said, pulling his chair backward. He got up and walked towards the table.“Hey, what’s up guys?” Cayden asked lending out his arm for a handshake to all the boys starting from Alex.“I’m good, brother,” Alex said, receiving Cayden’s palm.Cayden went on to shake all the boys up to Pedro who completely ignored his outstretched arm.“I’m alright,” Pedro said, indifferently.“You sure?” Cayden asked, curiosity and shock playing on his face.“Yeah, totally,” Pedro said.Cayden looked at him confusedly, and then reached for a seat and sat.“So what’s been happening guys?” Cayden asked, trying to develop a topic of discussion.“Nothing much,” Alex said. “We were thinking of organizing a friendly

“I totally understand, but he also has to understand that this isn’t some heavenly race. If we don’t act smart, we’d all be six feet beneath the ground before we know it.” Nathan said.“I understand that this whole thing is really pissing you off. But we have to calm down and be diplomatic about it.” Cayden said. “Take for instance we eventually take that route, he can play us right into the hands of the police if we’re not careful.”“He can’t do that, not when he is into contrabands and other dirty business.” Nathan said.“But you guys wanted to send him to jail also. Cayden said. “Isn’t Rose’s dad also into this kind of business?”“Yeah.. he is. But we cleaned up all traces before going to the police.” Nathan said.“And what if he does the same? Of course he’ll know it is us who kidnapped his children or wife. He’ll simply clean up also, then go to police and file a complaint against us for kidnapping and also selling contrabands.” Cayden explained. “And when the police come looking

He hadn’t gone much steps away from her house when his guilt revisited him, only harder this time.Nathan hailed a cab and got in, taking a seat in the back. As the cab drove him home, he couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt that had been gnawing at him since his encounter with Letha. He couldn't believe that he had let his guard down and allowed himself to make out with her, despite knowing that it was a bad idea.A voice inside of him tried to quell his guilt by telling him that he didn’t go too far but it didn’t work.The guilt that he felt was overwhelming, and he couldn't help but feel angry at himself for his lack of control. He had been so careful to avoid anything that could compromise his position in his relationship with Letha and Rose, but one moment of weakness had undone all of that. How could he have been so foolish? He didn’t know if foolish was the right word or vulnerable.As the cab sped along, Nathan's thoughts raced. He wondered what would happen if Rose found

Nathan marched out of the library, his heart pounding against his chest. He was beyond angry, and he couldn't wait to confront Letha.As he walked out, he bumped into Nicholas and Cayden walking in. Apparently, they were looking for him but he just walked past them, almost hitting them, without even acknowledging their presence.“Did he not see us?” Cayden asked, after making way for angry Nathan to walk by. He stormed into the cafeteria and scanned the room for Letha. It didn't take him long to spot her sitting in the middle of a group of friends. He marched towards her and asked her to step outside so they could talk. “We need to talk, now!” Nathan said.“Hey what’s up?” Letha asked. “ Why not have a seat?”“We need to talk outside.” Nathan said, making himself sternly clear.She stood up, and he grabbed her arm tightly, pulling her towards the door.“Nathan, you’re hurting my arm,” Letha complained as they walked, trying to break free from his grip.“That should be the least of y