As Lionel sent Noah the address, Noah spotted soone leaving.
"Linda Mathers son... Derek Mathers. Let's see what he is up to," Noah muttered, as he stepped out of the car and followed Derek.
Derek glanced around him a few tis as he walked, his body language jittery and uncertain.
His hands fidgeted with the straps of his backpack, and his head swivelled around.
Despite his paranoia, he failed to notice Noah tailing him, blending seamlessly into the quiet street.
"This kid…" Noah muttered under his breath, trailing him at a comfortable distance. "He's so afraid of being found out. He's hiding sothing."
Noah's eyes scanned the surroundings as they moved through the neighbourhood, his mind cataloguing every detail.
The cracked sidewalks, the fading graffiti on nearby walls.
After a while, Derek stopped in front of a big house. It had a modern decor, with a kempt lawn that scread rich.
Noah slowed his pace, ducking behind a nearby car, his gaze locked on the scene.
The door creaked open, and another teenager, seemingly around Derek's age, stepped out. Like Derek, the boy's eyes darted around, scanning the street nervously before telling Derek to co inside.
As Derek disappeared through the door, the teenager lingered outside for another few monts, his gaze sweeping the area with exaggerated caution. After a final check, he closed the door with a faint click.
Noah let out a soft, wry chuckle.
'Naive. They're trying too hard to be secretive—it makes them more obvious. These kids can't be the ones who orchestrated the ambush on Leo.'
Still, Noah's instincts told him not to dismiss them outright.
'It's better not to take any chances, I'm here anyway.'
His hands slipped into his pockets as he strolled casually toward the house, his eyes scanning for signs of activity.
A dog barked in the distance, and a faint breeze rustled the overgrown grass on the side. Other than that, the street was mostly quiet.
As he did a round around the house, he spotted a partially open window on the side. It was on the second floor, just above a drainage pipe.
Noah's lips twitched into a faint smile.
'That's my entrance point,'
Without hesitation, he let his hands fall from his pockets and gripped the pipe.
The Interdiate Soldier-King skill activated instinctively, his movents smooth and silent as he climbed the wall effortlessly.
Reaching the window, he peered inside. The room was ssy—clothes piled on a single chair, empty drink cans littering the desk.
Noah smirked.
He slipped through the window soundlessly, landing on the carpet without a sound. His eyes darted around, making sure that the room was empty.
Nodding in satisfaction, he opened the door cautiously, listening for voices.
Faint chatter reached him from downstairs, becoming clearer as he crept toward the staircase.
"I'm telling you, Derek," one of the boys was saying, his voice loud and excited, "that chick was banging. She even gave so ecstasy pills—they were lit!"
Derek's voice followed, equally as excited. "You need to get so more for . Damn, she has ecstasy pills? How'd she even get them?"
"She told she's got connections to so olders," the first boy replied, his tone smug.
"Olders? You an…?" Derek's voice trailed off, laden with curiosity.
"Yup. I an them."
Noah's eyes narrowed.
'Olders. Likely referring to gang mbers. These kids might be more useful than I thought
"Guess what," the boy continued. "I was at her house yesterday, and she slipped up."
"Slipped up how?" Derek asked.
"Soone called her while I was there. She picked up, and after a second, she scread, 'You're gonna be put in jail!' She freaked out when she realized I was there though, and she just said, 'I'll talk to you later.'"
Derek let out a low whistle. "No way, they must've done so deep shit."
"Yeah, but wait until you hear this. When I went back ho, I heard about the gunshots in our area. The timing's too close to be a coincidence. I think these people she's connected to are the sa ones who did it."
Derek's voice turned awed. "Damn. How'd they even get guns? That's badass."
"How should I know?" the boy retorted, his tone turning sulky. "I only just got to know her. She's cool, but she keeps asking for money. And she still hasn't, you know…" His voice dropped suggestively.
Derek laughed. "Oh, right. Aren't you eting her at six later? Why don't you just make the first move?"
"You think so?" the boy replied hesitantly.
"Yeah, man. Just go for it."
From his position upstairs, Noah pieced the conversation together, his mind rapidly connecting the dots.
'This girl is connected to gang mbers. She's likely acting as their link to the outside—gathering money, maybe even baiting people into traps.'
The ntion of the phone call was telling. Soone close to her had panicked about being caught, which tied directly to the ambush on Leo.
'The timing wasn't coincidental as the kid said.'
Noah thought, but he still wasn't sure.
These kids weren't the masterminds, but they were connected enough to be useful.
'So that's how it is.'
Noah's lips curled into a smirk.
He backed away from the staircase and slipped out the window as quietly as he had entered. Landing on the ground, he brushed the dust from his jacket and walked back to his car.
As he sat in the driver's seat, he glanced at his watch.
Six o'clock.
'Let's see where this kid will lead ' Noah thought.
"He might lead to a big fish, maybe I should reward him." He chuckled lightly.
The sky had darkened, casting an orange and violet hue across the city as the ti hit six o'clock. Noah checked his watch, his gaze shifting to the boy who had left his house earlier.
Derek seed to be returning to his ho, but the other kid lingered outside, his posture restless as if waiting for sothing.
Soon enough, an Uber arrived.
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