Chapter 84: My Little Brother Is Coming Out
Ron stumbled around the corner before putting his hidden earpiece back in.
"Ron, you seriously deserve an Oscar for that performance."
"When I can't cut it in this job anymore, I'm gonna try my luck in Hollywood," Ron smirked.
"You mean with that Transformers actress? Ron, a woman with a reputation like that can't be good news. You better wake up."
"So, the woman who drugged me is one of the good ones? If I'm not mistaken, that was GHB, right?" A captain of the IRS Special Operations Team getting drugged by a woman—if this got out, his former colleagues would never let him live it down.
While getting taken down by Paige wasn't exactly shameful, the problem was that nobody else knew the full story. In everyone's mind, Paige was just some junior agent who washed out quick.
Ron didn't dare elaborate, but thankfully his chemistry background was solid enough to figure it out.
"That's right, GHB. I even had a shot of bourbon to help speed up the absorption. Don't worry, I calculated the dosage based on your medical records from the past few years—guaranteed no permanent damage."
So that's what medical records are good for? Ron felt a wave of annoyance. "Alright, how are our two lovebirds doing now?"
Ron changed the subject. Since they were no longer in visual range, their only surveillance was through the traffic cameras Paige controlled.
"They left about five minutes ago, so that little performance was for nothing. Feeling frustrated again?"
"Not at all," Ron's eyes lit up. "Can you use the traffic cams to see if there's a car tailing them? They'll be about three to five car lengths back, maintaining distance. The driver's a scary-looking bald guy. That whole drunk act was for his benefit."
"OMG, there really is someone exactly like you described! How did you know?" Paige exclaimed.
"Years of field experience, obviously. The dead guy Harry's son is clearly amateur hour, and the veteran who trained him wouldn't trust him to handle a real mission solo."
Ron got into his prepared vehicle and started the engine. "Tell me where the veteran is. I'm tailing him now."
"No need for that. I'll just send you the coordinates of the old assassin's house. Head over there and wait."
Ron's phone buzzed with a text from Paige containing the new location. As expected, it was Beverly Hills again, but this time further out from the prime real estate area.
Probably because the rent was cheaper out there.
Ron drove there quickly, but unfortunately, when he arrived, the two men inside were already in the middle of a fight. After watching the tedious brawl, a muzzle flash lit up the corner of the room.
It was the bald man! Arthur had made his move!
The opportunity Ron had been waiting for had finally arrived. While the two assassins were cleaning up the scene, Ron managed to plant a tracking device on Arthur's car.
And then...
Then he went home. As a well-funded federal agent, Ron wasn't about to waste time on a couple of small-time players. He simply planted the tracker on Arthur's car to monitor his movements.
When the real showdown between Arthur and the assassination company went down, he could swoop in and claim the biggest prize.
As they say in the military, this was a classic case of letting your enemies weaken each other before moving in for the kill, and Ron was positioning himself perfectly.
...
After saying goodbye to Paige, I dragged my hungry body back home, only to remember that I'd barely touched my dinner tonight, and the fridge was completely empty.
Penny might slack off on housework, but she was surprisingly efficient at demolishing everything in the refrigerator.
Ron had no intention of going out for groceries, so he used his spare key to enter Sheldon's apartment next door. Knowing Sheldon's habits, there would always be at least three days' worth of food in his fridge, and it would be well-organized.
However, when he opened the door, he witnessed an extremely bizarre scene in the living room.
Sheldon was half-crouching beside the coffee table with his mouth wide open toward Leonard, their positioning was extremely suggestive, and given Ron's experiences today, his mind immediately went to the wrong place.
"Oh my God!" Ron smacked his forehead. "I must have walked in at the wrong moment. Sheldon, my dear brother, have you finally figured out the whole relationship thing? You picked an unusual partner, but don't worry, I'll try to smooth things over with Mom."
Leonard was frantically waving his hands. "Ron! What do you think we're doing here?"
"Aren't you letting my brother give you... you know? Look, I'm not gay, but I don't judge. I'll still consider you family if you two get married.
Don't stress about it—given your special situation, we won't ask you to change your last name, but it'd be nice if one of your adopted kids could carry on the Cooper name."
Ron gave them a knowing smile.
"Ron! Didn't you notice the cotton swab in my hand?" Sheldon asked indignantly.
Ron nodded thoughtfully. "So same-sex couples need to sterilize before... activities? Good to know, good to know."
"No, no, no! Ron, you've got it all wrong. Sheldon asked me to collect a bacterial sample from his throat. He thinks he's getting sick!" Leonard was getting overwhelmed by the Cooper brothers.
Thinks he's getting sick? Yeah, that's definitely Sheldon!
Ron shook his head in disappointment. "Well, even though you probably don't believe it—and honestly, neither do I—our family did take him to plenty of doctors. At least he's mentally stable now and not actually ill."
"We're talking about Penny! Penny just got back from visiting a bunch of sick people today, and she might have brought germs back with her. She was even in our apartment for over ten minutes. Now this place is like a giant bacterial petri dish!"
"Sheldon! Penny doesn't have any symptoms. I'm positive she's not contagious," Leonard shouted back helplessly.
"Please!" Sheldon's germophobia kicked into high gear. "If the flu was only contagious after symptoms showed up, it would've been eradicated thousands of years ago."
"Ancient peoples back when they were making cave paintings and stone tools would've figured out how to eliminate runny noses!"
Ron walked past the still-ranting Sheldon, opened the refrigerator, and grabbed some milk. He also took a box of cereal, made himself a bowl, and settled onto the couch.
"Honestly, guys, if Penny hadn't cleaned out everything in my fridge, I really wouldn't want to witness this circus act of yours."
(End of Chapter)
join patreon for update and advance 40+ chapters
https://www.p-atreon.com/c/Soulforger
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
"If you're enjoying this story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone! Your support keeps me motivated and helps the novel reach more readers."
"100 Power Stones this week = 1 extra chapter release!"
"500 Power Stones = 2 extra chapter release ."