CHAPTER 115: A SHINY GIFT!

Elias leaned in the doorway, arms folded. He felt happy watching them play together. Lila had been alone all this time, and finally, she has found someone to play with. Not just one but two.

’They really are going to have a lot of fun.’

A guard appeared beside him.

"Sir said to bring you to the training room," he said quietly.

Elias frowned. "Training room?"

The guard just nodded and started walking.

Elias turned to Lila. "Watch them for me?"

Lila gave him a thumbs-up without looking away from the screen where Dante was teaching her how to drift in Mario Kart.

Elias followed the guard down two flights of stairs, through a hallway he’d never seen before, to a heavy metal door.

The guard opened it and left.

Elias stepped inside, a bit nervous.

The room was long and plain... white walls, rubber floor, targets at the far end. He knew this place existed but he just never thought a day would come when he would enter.

Viktor stood in the middle, wearing a simple black t-shirt and black pants. His sleeves were pushed up, showing his forearms.

He was looking at a black case on a table with a smile on his face. When he heard the door closing, he turned his head.

"Hey," he said, smiling like Elias was the best part of his day. Of course, he was.

"Hi," Elias said, walking away from the door. "What am I doing here?"

"I want to teach you something," Viktor said. He gestured to the case. "Open it."

Elias walked over slowly and unlocked the lid. He wasn’t sure what was inside. He exhaled through his mouth and slowly lifted the lid.

Inside, on black foam, was a gun.

Small. Black. Shiny.

Elias’s stomach flipped as he blinked repeatedly, hoping it wasn’t what he was seeing. A real gun.

Viktor watched his face. "It’s yours. Do you like it?"

Elias looked up fast. "What? Like it? What am I to do with a gun?’

"It’s for protection," Viktor said calmly. "Things are getting dangerous. I want you to know how to keep yourself safe. And Lila. And the twins, if it ever comes to that."

Elias stared at the gun as it might bite him.

"I’ve never even held one," he said.

"That’s why we’re here," Viktor said. He stepped behind Elias and put his hands on Elias’s shoulders. "Pick it up."

Elias hesitated, then wrapped his fingers around the handle.

It was lighter than he expected and also cold.

It felt strange in his hand also.

Viktor’s voice was soft in his ear. "Good. That’s a Glock 43, easy to carry. Only six rounds, but that’s plenty if you know what you’re doing."

Elias swallowed. "I don’t know what I’m doing."

"You will," Viktor said. "First rule: never point it at anything you don’t want to kill. Even if it’s not loaded."

Elias immediately pointed it at the floor.

Viktor smiled. "Perfect."

He spent the next hour teaching him everything. How to load the magazine. How to rack the slide. How to stand... feet apart, knees soft. How to line up the sights. How to breathe out when you pull the trigger.

Elias was nervous at first and his hands shook. He was scared his hand was going to blow off.

But Viktor never rushed him.

He stood behind him, arms around him, hands over his, guiding gently.

"Breathe," Viktor would whisper when Elias tensed. "It’s not going to harm you."

"Good. Again."

By the tenth shot, Elias hit the target dead centre.

He stared at the hole in the paper, shocked. He wanted to jump like a child but he restrained himself.

"I did that?"

"You did that," Viktor said proudly.

Elias turned in his arms, eyes bright. "Show me again?"

Viktor laughed and kissed his forehead. "As many times as you want."

They stayed another hour.

Elias got better and better as the training continued. When they finally stopped, Elias’s hands didn’t shake anymore.

He put the gun back in the case carefully.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Viktor closed the case and pulled Elias into a hug.

"I need you safe," he said into Elias’s hair. "That’s all."

Elias slowly hugged him back as his hand drummed on Viktor’s back.

"Thank you for the gun. I’ll use it well,"

.

.

Meanwhile, deep in the house, Gerald stood alone in the old storage room. Dust floated in the air as old boxes lined the walls. A single computer sat on a desk, screen glowing blue.

Gerald’s hands shook as he typed.

Kane, Elena

Kane, Daniel

Accident

Year: 20XX

A file opened and the first thing he saw was a video footage.

Security camera from a highway. His hands trembled as he clicked play.

A car... a silver sedan... driving fast. The traffic lights turned red and a couple was crossing the zebra lane. Other cars in the first two lanes had stopped, but the third lane... The silver car was still speeding towards the couple.

Before the driver realised the red light, it was too late. The driver couldn’t hit the brakes at that speed and ended up hitting and crushing the couple.

Gerald covered his mouth with both hands.

"No," he whispered.

People gathered to check the couple but the silver car drove off. Some people took out their phones to take pictures and videos, but the car was nowhere to be found.

He paused the video as he stared at the frozen image. He sat on the old chair opposite the computer and ran a hand over his face. He was too shocked to speak.

"It can’t be," he said to the empty room. His eyes filled with tears. "No way... Those people were Elias’s parents and..."

He shook his head and put down his hands.

"I must make sure Elias doesn’t know about this. It makes me guilty, but if he knows about his parents’ killer, his relationship with Viktor would be over. The Drago family... The twins... I can’t imagine what would happen."