The Devil's 5'5

Chapter 21 - Keeper

March 6th, 3:05 PM - HYENA Gun Range - Chicago, IL Azura's POV

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"He did what now?" he yelled, either out of shock or because of the chunky yellow earmuffs over his head.

Azura rolled her eyes, as she shot another round of bullets, aiming for the vital areas. Once her magazine was empty, she flicked the button to bring her target sheet forward. Re-holstering her gun, she stepped away from the booth to give Amir a chance.

"I like him," was all Amir said before he started his round, making Azura laugh. To Amir, who was a clean freak the act of kindness done by Preston was no small feat.

Noble had finally yanked off his headset annoyed that he was unable to read his friends' lips as easily as they could. "What did he say?"

"He likes him," Azura responded as she analyzed her target sheet. She smiled, content that 4 bullets were in each of the three vital zones.

"Why? What'd he do?"

"He took care of me during my fuckening." She replied, the memory making her smile softly.

"Wait...you mean? No, that can't be right."

Rolling her lips together she could only lift her arms in a shrug.

"But you said, he's scared of you and that he hated your guts. So, what's his motive?" Noble questioned out loud, finding the actions of her roommate odd. She did not blame him since they were taught that every favour came at a cost. She shrugged again. "I'm not sure. Guess he doesn't hate me? It would make my job so much easier."

Noble nodded, but still seemed to be mulling over this new information.

Amir finished his round, joining them as they started to make their way out of the gun range and towards the little patio café.

"And he cooked for you said. Did you feel weird after, any nausea, vomiting, anything?" Noble asked, becoming increasingly baffled.

"I have to be honest; it was simple but really good. I was completely fine. Besides, it wasn't the first time he's cooked for me."

"You should still check your food every time," Amir reminded as he took a swig from his water bottle.

"Yes dad," she teased, before calling over the waiter.

"If he really was out to get you, he could have taken you out when you were at your weakest," Noble offered.

Azura scoffed, denying the claim. "He's not out to get me. And if he was, he would have been sorely mistaken."

The friends sat in silence as they continued to analyze Preston's latest act of kindness. "Could it really be because he's a nice guy?" Noble had finally started to cave.

Amir merely shrugged.

Noble nodded in understanding, "You're right. There's no such thing as nice guys."

Azura smiled, shaking her head lightly. "Whatever it is, I'm grateful. But just to be safe, I'm keeping an extra eye on him. Michael's monitoring his tracker every minute. I even placed a radius of flag points which tell me when he leaves the condo or the campus."

The boys nodded in agreement, satisfied with the precaution she had taken.

"Now I just gotta let him enjoy his vacation which gives me a week off as well." She stretched happily, at the thought of having a week break. She was ready to have her place back to herself with no more ground rules to worry about.