“What’s your role in this?” she asked Brendan.
Brendan scratched his head. “Actually, the only reason I came here is to accompany Aiden.”
Zhu Zhu pondered for a bit. “Oh!” she cried. “You are the friend that Aiden literally broke out of the house to go meet up with.”
Brendan turned his head in instant confusion at Aiden, and Aiden stood up in a panic.
“Details—details not worth getting into.” He waved his hands out and screamed at Zhu Zhu with his eyes to not give away the chain of events that happened.
Zhu Zhu backed off. She looked back and forth between the two of them and smiled coyly. Her hair bounced with every step she took, and she left the room with the first real smile that Aiden had ever seen. “We should hurry or He Bao might burn this house down to escape.”
“He broke out of the house?” Brendan persisted.
“She’s not going to tell you anything!” Aiden called in frustration.
“Young people.” Diane rolled her eyes, dragged the unconscious man into the room, and left him on the floor.
The scent of blood still tinted Aiden's nose, but the air breezed around him despite the suffocating walls. His stepmother was still alive, and Mr. Chen survived. He helped his brother accomplish what he died for, and now Aiden stepped toward the light to catch his dream inside his own hands with Zhu Zhu by his side—a family free from the curse of Infinite.
Chapter Eighteen
A piece of furniture smashed against the other side of the door right as they approached the room where they trapped the young men. “I’m telling you that something is wrong! Please! Help me break down this door. You have your family in danger as well!” He Bao pleaded on the other side.
How ironic that he’s the only one who has a sense of danger,Aiden couldn’t help thinking to himself. The doorknob shook, and the edge of the door barely lifted outside the frame before slamming back into place by the electronic lock.
“You’re overreacting. There was a traitor in Infinite. The gunshots were to murder the traitor, and the locks were to ensure we would stay safe. They’ll come get us soon,” one of the boys said inside.
The door rattled even harder.
They stood in position, with Brendan and Zhu Zhu a good distance away from the door. Zhu Zhu looked to Aiden for the cue, and when he nodded, she sent a single text to her brother, “Cover your mouth and nose.”
A beat later, Diane unlocked the door. Aiden pulled it open slightly to toss a small ball over the threshold, and a foul-smelling gas released in green smoke.And back away immediately.He leapt back, covering his nose. The door released, and He Bao stumbled onto the ground with tearful eyes. Diane kicked the door shut, and the sound of unconscious bodies hit the ground.
Aiden brushed the stinging air away. “It didn’t get to your nose, did it?” he asked Zhu Zhu.
Zhu Zhu’s eyes widened. She pulled away from him and ran toward He Bao, whose heavy footsteps pounded against the floor. His shoulders braced, and his fists clenched.
“He Bao—wait, let Aiden explain.” Zhu Zhu threw herself in front of her brother, but He Bao bulldozed past her pacifying attempts with a laser focus on Aiden’s face.
He's just worried,he tried to reassure himself.Diane’s right over there. Besides, I can protect myself.
Burning hatred rolled off of every inch of He Bao’s body. “I knew you were the traitor. What did you do to Ma? I’ll kill you if you did something to her!” He raised his arm in a flash.
Aiden jumped back and placed his feet into position, but He Bao stepped forward faster than he calculated.It’s okay. Readjust, and then just—
A familiar shadow fell over his face, and the impact of the fist against skin echoed in the air. “Brendan!” Aiden cried, heart stopping at the loud crunch.
Brendan stumbled away in pain. Blood dripped from his nose.
All thoughts of self-defense evaporated. He reached for Brendan. “Let me see.” Gently, he pulled Brendan’s hand down, wincing at the stream of red trickling down the poor boy’s face, brighter than usual against his pale skin. Brendan continued to reel from the impact.
He Bao eyes narrowed. “You bought undercover police with you?” He stomped forward, arms bulging.
“Wait, wait, wait!” Aiden stepped in front of Brendan, holding out his arms. “He’s just a white boy in his first year of college from a well-off family. He’s not undercover!”
“You sure have the nerve to make up such aridiculousstory.”
“It’s true,” Brendan interrupted with a muted voice. He pinched his nose and leaned his face upward. “Iama white boy in my first year of college from a well-off family.”
