Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Grayson and Kendall's class ended early. Just when the latter thought they could directly go home and relax, the former asked her to drive him to the racetrack. "Why are you in such a hurry, Grayson? It's only three o'clock in the afternoon! Isn't it too early for the race to start?" Kendall asked in annoyance.

"You can consider Wednesday the most exciting day for racers and avid spectators. This is when we get to watch thrilling and breathtaking stunts by fearless racers who come to the venue early. That is also why I deliberately chose a schedule with fewer classes every Wednesday," Grayson explained, his eyes glimmering in excitement.

"Wait, what did you say? What day is it today?" Kendall asked in shock, not minding the rest of Grayson's words.

"Wednesday," the latter replied as he narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you being too dense to lose track of date?"

Hearing that, a long list of profanities almost escaped Kendall's mouth. Then, she swiftly turned the steering wheel and made a U-turn on impulse.

"Hey! Where do you think you are going?" Grayson asked in confusion as he peeked outside.

Kendall, who was in a hurry, didn't even bother to glance at him at first. Her eyes remained focused on the road as she explained, "I'm sorry, but I have to meet an important person shortly. I promise it won't take long."

Hearing no response from Grayson, Kendall looked at him and reassured, "Don't worry. We should arrive at the racetrack on time."

"You better make sure of that," he gave in despite a heavy heart.

Not long after, Kendall parked the car in front of a shooting range, which baffled Grayson. "What are we doing here?" he asked, knitting his eyebrows.

Kendall, however, did not answer. Instead, she casually walked inside, leaving him with no choice but to follow.

As soon as she saw her grandfather, Cyrus, she stopped in her tracks, looked back at Grayson, and instructed, "Just wait for me here in the waiting area. I'll be back shortly."

Surprisingly, Grayson only nodded and sat obediently. He looked straight ahead and watched Kendall through the glass wall in the waiting area as she approached an old man and kissed his cheek.

Then, she wore safety glasses and ear muffs before taking out a gun. After gearing up, she leaned closer to her grandfather, said a few words, chuckled, and fired the handgun skillfully.

Grayson gasped for breath as he saw what Kendall did, utterly lost for words. He couldn't believe how she managed to hit the bullseye whenever she pulled the trigger. Because of that, Grayson couldn't help but be amazed and scared at the same time. He thought he shouldn't provoke Kendall too much, afraid of having the same fate as her target.

After the consecutive sound of gunshots, Cyrus stopped firing. He turned to Kendall and said, "I thought you had already forgotten our date."

Kendall felt a pang of guilt as she heard what her grandfather said. She wouldn't have remembered what day it was if Grayson hadn't mentioned it. Still, she smiled faintly and said, "How is that even possible, grandpa? This is the only day I can spend quality time with you, so how could I forget about it? Besides, I have a feeling that I will be able to beat you today."

Cyrus then nodded in satisfaction. After that, he looked at where Grayson was and asked, "By the way, who's that good-looking young man with you?"

Not having the faintest desire to be secretive to her grandfather, Kendall truthfully said, "He's... a special assignment, grandpa."

Nodding, Cyrus replied, "Is that so? Then, why don't you invite him here so he won't get bored?"

"Don't mind him, grandpa. He doesn't even know how to hold a gun," Kendall refused, shaking her head unhesitatingly.

However, Cyrus remained persistent and said, "Then teach him. Well, let me invite him inside myself."

After saying that, he ought to walk straight to the waiting area where Grayson was, but Kendall blocked his way.

"He doesn't know my real identity, grandpa," she reminded.

"I understand, honey. You don't even have to remind me of that. There's nothing to worry about," Cyrus sensibly said.

Then, he headed to the waiting room, stood before Grayson, smiled, and asked, "Why don't you join us, young man?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine here," Grayson reluctantly refused.

Still, Cyrus refused to take no for an answer. He came closer to Grayson, put his arm around him, and said, "Come on, young man. Be a man! Join my granddaughter and me."

"Granddaughter?" Grayson repeated as his eyebrows knitted.

"Yes, she's my granddaughter. Now, let's go inside. Shooting is fun, and you'd surely enjoy it," Cyrus said before pulling Grayson inside the shooting range, leaving him with no choice.

"Do you know how to hold a gun?" Kendall asked as soon as Grayson approached.

"No. It's my first time here," the latter admitted.

Kendall then took an extra gun, safety glasses, and ear muffs and gave them to Grayson, whose face was filled with confusion.

"What am I going to do with this?" he asked in ignorance.

"Teach him, darling," Cyrus commanded without glancing at the two, utterly busy preparing to fire his own gun.

Kendall could only do as she was told to keep the image of the obedient granddaughter that she was. With a crumpled face, she put the safety glasses and ear muffs on Grayson.

Despite being in the service for years, Kendall had never developed the trait of being patient and dedicated to teaching beginners. Thus, displeasure was evident in her tone as she taught him how to handle a gun properly. She firmly told him to straighten his hands while aiming at the target.

"I had no idea that you were this boyish, Hailey. You could even fire a gun," Grayson whispered in disbelief.

"Stop whispering and focus on what I am teaching you. If it weren't for my grandfather's request, I would never put up with you," Kendall replied while gently patting Grayson's arm.

The latter then sneered as he said, "Do you think I want to do this? Hell no. I just didn't want to appear rude in front of your grandfather if I refused."

After a few more instructions, Grayson fired the gun several times. When he saw that all his attempts were way out of the target, he turned to Kendall and said, "I don't think I can do this, Hailey."

"You keep missing the target because you're not holding the gun properly," Kendall scolded.

Annoyed, she stood behind Grayson and helped him stretch out his arms. After that, she corrected his posture by placing her hands on top of his hands and readjusting the way he was holding the gun. She also taught him how to aim at the target properly.

Grayson bit his lips lightly, utterly taken aback. Even though he knew Kendall was merely guiding him, he couldn't help but feel a little awkward because of what she did. His heartbeat even accelerated when he felt her body pressing against his back and her grip on his hands.

"What are you doing, Hailey?" he asked, swallowing nervously.

Kendall, on the other hand, rolled her eyes upon seeing his anxious expression. "Relax, Grayson. I am not taking advantage of you. I'm kindly teaching you how to properly aim so that you can hit the target for once. Now, stretch your hands out properly, close your left eye, take a good look at the target, and try not to be surprised once you fire the shot," she said.

Grayson did as instructed, but he still couldn't hit the target. Seeing that, Kendall heaved a deep sigh, unable to conceal her impatience.

She stood behind him again, rearranged his hands from the back for proper aiming, and repeated the same instruction she said earlier. However, none of what Kendall said had synced into Grayson's mind. All he could think of was her being too close to the extent that he could feel her breath brushing against the back of his neck.

Kendall immediately noticed that Grayson was distracted. Thus, she gave him a deadly glare and irritatingly asked, "Are you listening, Grayson?!"

Hearing her annoyed tone, Grayson snapped back to his senses.

"What? Yes, of course! But go easy on me, Hailey. Firing is too difficult for a beginner like me," he reasoned, pretending to sound irritated.

"Concentrate, okay? Just relax your hands," she reminded before stepping two steps back. "Now, try firing again."

Grayson then took a deep sigh and pulled the trigger a few times. His face immediately lit up when he saw that his shots had now made it inside the target.

Proud, he turned to Kendall and boasted, "Hailey, did you see that? I hit the target twice!"

The latter didn't want to rain on his parade, so she nodded and said, "See? You're just so tense earlier. Well then, keep shooting."

Cyrus, who was watching from the side the whole time, also smiled and commented, "You're a fast learner, young man."

"Thank you, Sir!" Grayson replied in delight, unable to take the smile off his face.

Once he had calmed down, he began firing again, and this time, almost all of his attempts were successful.

"Damn! Did you see that, Hailey?" Grayson excitedly asked while pointing at the targets he successfully shot. "I'm starting to enjoy this! How come I have never thought of trying this before?"

Kendall raised one of her eyebrows but secretly smiled when she turned around. Aside from her grandfather, she also felt satisfied seeing Grayson's quick progress.

"I got it now, Hailey. You don't have to guide me anymore," the latter said, feeling utterly confident.

With that, Grayson kept firing, unwilling to stop. Cyrus then took the initiative to speak when he saw the latter enjoying himself too much.

"I didn't lie when I said firing is fun, did I? Well, as much as I wanted to stay, I still have an appointment to attend to. If you have spare time, maybe you can join us again next time," the old man said.

"Sure! I'll clear my schedule to join you again next time!" Grayson enthusiastically replied.

Kendall, on the contrary, could only shake her head due to the latter's overflowing excitement. 'Seems like this guy has totally forgotten that he has a race to attend to,' she thought.

Grayson and Kendall waved their goodbyes to Cyrus before returning to the car. Even though a few minutes had passed, Grayson still couldn't take off the smile on his face.

"Damn, Hailey! Your grandpa is so cool!" he praised.

However, instead of being grateful, Kendall sneered. She said, "Shouldn't I be the cool one since I was the one who taught you?"

This time, Grayson's smile gradually faded. He said with a poker face, "That's what I was about to say next, but I've changed my mind."

The sudden change in Grayson's mood instantly made Kendall's lips curve upward. A sense of satisfaction lingered in her heart, knowing that Grayson knew how to respect elders and enjoy simple achievements.

The latter, on the other hand, felt as though he caught a glimpse of an angel. His eyes remained focused on Kendall, who was smiling genuinely with gratification radiating from her eyes and expression. Only after a seemingly long time did he take his eyes off her, roll his orbs, and shake his head repeatedly.

However, he still couldn't help but glance at her from time to time while she was busy driving. Grayson wanted to ensure that he wasn't hallucinating or seeing things because the longer he stared at Kendall, the more enticing her aura became.

Of course, the latter was observant enough to notice Grayson's occasional stares. "Why do you keep looking at me?" Kendall asked and smiled while looking straight at the road. "Are you amazed that you could learn a skill from someone you have always considered dumb?"

Grayson's mouth formed a circle, surprised at Kendall's unobtrusive and straightforward question. 'How did she know that I was looking at her when her eyes remained focused on the road the whole time?' he thought.

Not wanting to appear suspicious, he adjusted his sitting position and defensively said, "Who's amazed? Me? Hell no! I was just wondering if you're really a woman."

"Gosh! Does admitting that I amazed you a hard thing to do? Grayson, saying a single praise won't cost you too much," Kendall teased.

"Yeah, right. Dream on!" Grayson replied.

...

When the two arrived at the racing venue, Chester and the others were already waiting for them. Just like the first time Kendall met them, a few bottles of alcohol were set on the table while women accompanied them.

"Where were you, guys? You missed all the exciting races!" Chester announced.

Hearing that, Grayson sneered and reasoned, "I was supposed to be here early, but Hailey went somewhere else."

"Look at this man! He was the one who enjoyed firing so much and lost track of time, and now he's pinning the blame on me!" Kendall complained to herself as she sat on the hood of one of the parked cars.

It had only been two minutes since they arrived, but a woman had already approached Grayson with a beer in her hand. Usually, the latter wouldn't think twice and flirt with any girl who would come to him, but he was reminded of what Kendall did the last time she caught him flirting.

Afraid that she would report to his girlfriend, he looked at her first to see if she was watching. Once he ensured that Kendall was looking in a different direction, he quickly accepted the beer from the woman and kissed her quickly on the lips.

Time ticked forward, and the race began again. Kendall sat quietly on the side, unwilling to put up with the rest of the gang, who had nothing to do but flirt with women. The only thing that caught her interest was when it was Grayson's turn to join the race. Crazy as it might sound, his participation immediately livened the atmosphere, forcing Kendall to cover her ears due to the women's deafening screams. The cheers rang out even louder when he won.

Kendall then felt the urge to approach Grayson and greet him when he returned. It could be said that her attitude toward him softened a little due to the respect he showed for her grandfather. However, her cellphone rang just when she was about to rise from her seat.

Seeing that her chief captain, Spencer Brood, was calling, she stood up and looked for a relatively quiet place.

"Hello, Chief?" Kendall greeted.

"Inspector Whitlock, is Mr. Hoffman with you right now?" Spencer asked, not bothering to return her greeting.

"Yes, Chief. Why did you ask?" she asked, sensing something was wrong.

Sure enough, Spencer ordered, "Send that boy home and head straight to the headquarters. We have something important to talk about."

"Noted, Chief," Kendall replied without asking any more questions.

When she was about to hang up the phone, Spencer spoke again on the other end of the line, saying, "Make sure that he won't leave the house, especially when you're not with him."

"Yes, Chief," she said.

After dropping the call, Kendall walked toward Grayson and the others, who seemed to be talking about something serious. However, when they saw her coming, they immediately became silent. Some even diverted their gazes elsewhere.

Because of that, Kendall suspected that they had arranged a date tonight without her.

"What were you guys talking about?" she doubtfully asked.

"Huh? Nothing!" the men defensively said in chorus, making Kendall more distrustful.

She said, "You guys have probably set a date tonight without me."

The men's eyes widened, looking like they got caught. But then, Chester chuckled awkwardly and said, "What? Of course not! Why would we go somewhere without inviting you?!"

Kendall then furrowed her eyebrows and said, "Make sure that you're telling the truth because I wasn't trying hard to be Grayson's slave to be part of your circle of friends but still be left out."

Frightened, Chester swallowed nervously and stated, "We're not lying, Hailey!"

Kendall didn't say anything more to Chester and simply turned to Grayson.

"Grayson!" she called loudly.

Hearing that, Grayson abruptly pushed the woman next to him and replied, "Why?"

"I want to go home, so I'll drive you to your house now," Kendall said.

Grayson smiled, shook his head, and said, "You can go home now if you want. You don't have to drive me home."

"No!" she disapproved. "I'll drive you home because I don't want this thing to be something you could use against me later on."

Grayson understood where Kendall was coming from, so he guaranteed, "Don't worry. I am allowing you to go home now, and I promise I won't discredit you for this."

Kendall would have been jumping in delight upon hearing that if it weren't for the order she received from Spencer. So, she furrowed her brows and firmly said, "I said no. Keep pushing me away, and I'll be more suspicious of you guys planning something without me. I won't even go home until everyone else does."

Left with no choice, Grayson irritably said, "Okay, fine! Let's go home."

He stood up quickly as he could only follow her wishes rather than having her look after them the entire night.

'I could just follow them to the club after she drives me home,' he thought.

...

In the car, Kendall occasionally glanced at Grayson, who could not look straight into her eyes. Because of that, her guess that the gang was planning to go somewhere tonight grew stronger.

Sure enough, traces of excitement for her to leave were all over Grayson's face when they arrived at his house.

Before leaving, Kendall glared at Grayson and reminded him, "Make sure you're not going anywhere, Grayson."

Unable to take Kendall's oppression any longer, he complained, "Why do you care if I leave the house or not? Who are you to tell me what to do?"

"Just don't leave your house. If you're planning on deceiving me, know that I'll find out about your lies eventually," Kendall stated, sounding like a threat.

Grayson sneered and asked, "And what will you do if I leave tonight?"

Kendall then walked closer to him, smiled eerily, and said, "I'll break your bones."

In the face of Kendall's threat, Grayson swallowed and embraced himself. He remembered how painful it was when she twisted his hand.

"Are you trying to control me now?!" he asked in irritation.

Kendall didn't answer. Instead, she turned around and walked out of the garage.

Grayson, on the other hand, furrowed his brows and yelled, "I'll go out whether you like it or not!"

Still, the only response he received from Kendall was, "Do it if you dare!"

...

After Kendall left, Grayson furiously kicked the car's tire and muttered, "How dare that girl tell me what to do?!"

Just then, his cellphone rang.

Chester was calling.

As soon as he picked it up, he heard the latter's lively voice from the other end of the line, saying, "Bro, where are you? We're already on the way to the club."

"I'm still home," Grayson dejectedly replied. "Hailey told me not to go out."

"What? Why?!" Chester asked.

"I don't know either, dude. She and Abigail are now close, so maybe she doesn't want to give me a chance to cheat on her," Grayson guessed.

"Then don't tell her you're leaving," Chester urged.

Grayson knew the latter would say that, but it was no use.

Frustrated, he replied, "She said she'd find out once I lied or sneaked out."

Chester couldn't think of any other solution, so he could only ask again. "So? What will happen if she finds out?"

"She said she would break my bones," Grayson replied.

With that, Chester fell silent for a moment.

After a few seconds, Grayson called, "Chester..."

"Yes, bro?" Chester responded.

"I'll follow you guys to the club, but if Hailey asked, promise that you'd cover me up," Grayson negotiated.

And for the second time, Chester fell silent.

Then, he said, "Bro, I think Hailey is right. Why don't you just stay home and rest? You must be tired from the race."

"What?! Are you saying that you can't cover me up?" Grayson exclaimed.

However, as much as Chester wanted Grayson to come and join them, he was just as afraid as him.

"I'm sorry, bro, but you know how strong and bold Hailey is. Maybe we could go out next time! I'll hang up now. Rest well!"

Chester didn't even give Grayson a chance to respond and directly hung up.

Enraged, the latter vented his anger at the car tire, kicking it repeatedly.

"How dare her to tell me what to do?! Who does she think she is? She's supposed to be my slave, but she keeps acting like she's the boss! This is no longer right. I should set things straight now, and I won't let anyone order me around!"

After saying that, he got into his car and inserted his key into the keyhole. However, Kendall's last words before she left earlier suddenly played on his mind.

"Do it if you dare!"

Thinking about that, he hesitated. Then, he pulled out the key again, got out of his car, and slammed the door shut.

"I hate her!" he shouted as he stormed inside the house.