Just Business

The wind whistled around Neph as he straightened his posture in front of the door. He'd parked his truck behind the pod truck in the driveway leading up to the workshop.

A small sign read 'Third Chances' in bold letters.

Neph took a moment to admire the scenery around him as he waited. It was a quaint little place—cozy and inviting—just like he'd remembered. There were a few small flower beds lining the path to the front door, and the grass in the yard was well kept.

His eyes lingered on the sunflowers there. It seemed Zeph's sentimentality hadn't changed much either.

He hadn't been expecting to ever come back here after so long, but things had a funny way of coming full circle. The fact that his target was possibly affiliated with Zephyr was an interesting twist as well.

He hoped the old man wasn't still pissed after all these years.

After a couple more minutes, the door in front of him swung open. Neph smile widened. There he was in the flesh.

"It's been a while, Uncle Zeph."

He held out his hand in greeting to the older man, but it was pointedly ignored as Zephyr stared at him.

"What's the matter? I was hoping we could have a friendly chat about old times before we get into things. Maybe even play a game of chess."

"We have nothing to talk about, Nathan. Leave now."

The silver-haired man's gaze never wavered. His posture was stiff, almost as if he expected Neph to lash out.

"You wound me," Neph said dramatically, placing his right hand over his chest. "I thought you would have forgiven me after all these years."

"No, and get off my property. You're not welcome here anymore." His tone remained cold, but now there was a hint of anger behind it.

Neph continued unperturbed by the hostility.

"Come on, now. No need for that kind of attitude. You're not going to get rid of me just by telling me to leave. I think you know that. Or did you think that you'd be able to keep her hidden?"

For a moment, there was only silence.

"Who are you talking about?" Zephyr replied flatly. It wasn't very convincing given his body language.

"Audra Gen. The girl from the beach. She's inside, isn't she?"

"I don't know who you're referring to. There is nobody here but me right now."

Ah, so that was how it was going to be. Well, it wouldn't matter much.

"I have a feeling that she's here, Zephyr. In fact, I'm certain of it. Tell me, have you had any visitors?"

The older man's eyes narrowed, but surprisingly, he responded.

"You mentioned a girl, right? I have a client named Audi that was just here a bit ago. However, she just dropped off her motor trike for service before heading back home."

"Service?" He raised an eyebrow. "What kind of service?"

"Just routine maintenance and a few cosmetic upgrades. Nothing too crazy."

"I see… and you expect me to believe that?"

"Why wouldn't you? It's the truth."

"Of course it is. Tell me then, how did she head back home? It's not exactly walking distance to anywhere."

"Someone picked her up."

Neph grinned. It was obvious to both of them that they were simply playing pretend.

"Look, Zephyr, I'll cut to the chase since you're not being open with me. I have a contract that gives me the authority to search this property. I suggest you cooperate so that things don't get ugly."

The old man's face dropped.

"Damn it. Search all you want, then. But you're wasting your time."

"I'll be the judge of that. Now step aside."

Zephyr didn't move out of the way, but that didn't matter. With a sudden motion, Neph pushed his way past the older man.

There was a brief moment when the two locked eyes. He could see something burning in Zephyr's gaze. Anger? Fear? Hatred? It was hard to tell. But he tried not to linger on it too much. What mattered most was finding Audra and getting her home safely.

Neph let out a sigh.

The interior didn't look much different either. A few pictures hung from the walls, some old furniture sat in corners, and the air smelled faintly of a floral essence—that was probably new. He walked through the hallway before entering the bedroom.

The bed was unmade, and several articles of clothing were strewn about the room haphazardly. He checked the closet and found a couple of outfits hung neatly on hangers.

Check.

"Tell me, Zeph. Why are there women's clothing here? Are you seeing someone else now? I'm surprised. I thought that you would never get over your—"

"Shut up before you repeat your mistake."

Neph bit his tongue. "Still touchy about her, huh? Well, you still didn't answer my question. Whose clothes are these? They're definitely—"

"They're mine."

Neph blinked.

"…You don't actually expect me to believe that, do you, Zephyr?"

"What? I bought them awhile back." The young-old man countered. "Thought they'd suit me. You know how it is. Sometimes you just need to change things up a little bit."

"Now that's an amusing sight to imagine. I wonder, does the rest of the town know about your little secret? I imagine Minerva would have a field day—"

Zephyr cut him off.

"Are you going to waste your time fantasizing about an old twink in a dress, or are you going to get on with your search?"

"…" Neph quietly conceded that joust. If it were anyone but Zeph, he'd entertain it more. But he could never see the older man in that sort of light, especially with what he'd done for him growing up. Instead, he resumed looking around the room in further detail and shuddered.

There didn't seem to be any places that would be big enough to hide anyone, so it was unlikely that Audra was in this part of the house.

Neph shook his head as he resumed his search elsewhere.

He took several minutes to look over every inch of the kitchen, bathroom, and living room, slowly shrinking the playing board. He even tried the office on the second floor, but nothing came up. Eventually though, after nearly half an hour of fruitless searching, he ended up in the entryway to the workshop—the last room.

"Now this is a blast from the past. You don't mind if I check out what's inside, do you?"

"I do mind, but that's irrelevant."

"I'm trying to be polite here. If you'd just cooperate with me, we could have avoided this whole situation."

"I'm already cooperating. Forgive me if I don't feel particularly inclined to be friendly."

"Come on. So I made a career change and said some choice words in error how many years ago? Are those things worth holding a grudge over? You know, I still see you as a—"

"They are, Nathan. And it's not just about your path. I know that you meant those 'choice words' about Ash."

"I never said I didn't. I did apologize though. You didn't deserve to go through what she put you through, not after all the research you—"

"Just stop. Now. Last warning."

The older man walked through the doorway before he could reply. He wordlessly glanced back at Neph.

"…" He took the hint and followed him inside.

The inside of the shop looked exactly like what one would expect: messy and disorganized. Tools were scattered everywhere, and piles of parts and machinery were stacked precariously on shelves. The biggest thing though, was the motor trike sitting at the center of it all by the workbench.

Neph leaned closer to inspect it, genuinely admiring the handiwork put into it. He noted that the tracking device was still attached underneath the rear part of the frame. He smirked inwardly but kept his expression neutral.

He looked around but didn't see any trace of Audra though. It figured that Zephyr wouldn't hide the girl in the workshop.

"Okay. You can leave now," the man stated.

Neph shook his head.

"Not until I've finished checking everything. You have an emergency bunker somewhere on the property too, don't you?"

"How did you—"

"Don't worry about how I know. I just want to take a quick peek, then I'll be done. Please?"

The older man's eyes widened slightly before narrowing again.

"No. You're not going down there."

"Is that a good idea, Zeph? Resisting an officer of the law?"

"You are not an officer; you're a mercenary—one soaked in blood. And I don't care what you say or think. My answer remains unchanged. Leave my house or else I'll contact the actual authorities about this harassment."

"I wouldn't, unless you want to make things more difficult for yourself."

"…What are you implying?"

"I'm implying that you should let me finish my job. It's not personal, it's business. And it would be a shame if word got out that you were obstructing an ongoing investigation, especially one regarding a missing child. How would your colleagues react to that kind of news? I'd also imagine that your business prospects would—"

"Are you threatening me, Nathan?"

"You really like interrupting me, huh? It's not very polite, you know."

"Answer the damn question."

Neph deflated, outwardly exasperated.

"All I want to do is make sure that a girl is safely returned. Her parents are worried sick, and I don't want their daughter to be in danger because of you."

Inwardly though, Neph was waiting for the mental chessboard to close in completely.

That entire last bit had been a lie.

Audra's granduncle, Cassian, had told him that he was the only family member left—the only one who could execute her secret trust as a guardian. However, if Zeph so much as flinched at the misinformation, he'd know that he was hiding her.

"…Fine," Zephyr said tersely, clearly unhappy. "I still have no clue what you're talking about but come with me. The bunker is in the back."

Hm, no reaction? Well, at the very least he could continue his search.

"Thank you," Neph said, following him behind the house.

He wasn't that bothered. There was nowhere else left to hide.

It was checkmate.