24. alessia

24

ALESSIA

The thick tension makes me wonder if these two have some past because every single interaction they have when I'm around is volatile. It's like one wrong move and a punch will be thrown.

"I'm not taking her anywhere if you'll be there. You know she'll be fine with me." Zeke insists, huffing out his chest.

"I don't know shit. " Creature argues back.

Why is he acting like this?

I stare at the two men sitting in front of me. Both of them are tensed up, clearly wanting to go at each other's throats. I look around, with shivers running through my bones, hoping someone will pull me out of this situation. But Kane is deep into his lunch, and Rooker converses deeply with Lopez.

Saved by the bell, my watch pings, signaling that lunchtime is over and it's time to go back to work.

I scrunch up my napkin and tap my watch as the men have a dick-size contest in front of me.

"Well…I'm going back to work now…" I stand up, grabbing my tray from the table, and Zeke locks in his hateful stare, keeping his narrowed eyes on Creature. Creature stands at the same time as I do, like he's prepared to walk me back to my job.

A wave of tenderness washes over me as my previous relationship reminds me that I don't have to feel guilty about moving on. Jack sure as hell didn't feel guilty about it with Bailey. And if Daegan doesn't want to explore, I want to give Zeke a chance.

I bend down and enter Zeke's space, leaning into his ear so Daegan can't hear.

"I'll text you. See you later." I murmur warm heartedly, doing my best not to taint my tone with something that's more than just friendly. I walk away from a smiling Zeke, and he stands. Before I turn around, I catch him walking back to his team of co-workers with a chip on his shoulder. They all cheer him on, like a bunch of jocks at a football game.

"You really have to work on your whispering skills." Daegan pushes the door open to the cafeteria and holds it, waiting for me to walk outside. I roll my eyes, not caring if he heard what I said. I shuffle past him, my feet walking against rocks, and my skin gets blasted with beaming sun rays. Warm winds greet my hair, making my curls fly with them.

"And you really have to work on your people skills," I bite back over my shoulder. I walk back into my office building. Surprisingly, the hallway is empty, which makes me feel like people are still out at lunch, and I have more time to kill than I thought. I make a mental note of that to start extending my lunches longer.

"I don't like people. Therefore, I don't need to work on something that doesn't need to be fixed." He cheerfully states as he follows me, so close I can feel his gaze on my back, sending those lustful flames to burn me from his proximity.

His shadow is something I don't think I'll ever get used to.

"Daegan," I hiss under my breath, warning him to quit getting on my nerves as I continue to walk, passing my other offices and supply closets.

"Valentine." He quips back.

My heart skips a beat at the nickname.

I turn around on my heels to face him, making him come to an abrupt stop. He catches himself before he crashes into me, saving me from the impending doom of his massive body weight.

"Please, stop. People are talking. People are saying that I'm getting personal security just because I'm Ravenmore's?—"

"Daughter." He finishes in a dark antagonizing manner.

"Step-daughter." I correct, forcing it through clenched teeth. I brush my curls back and suck in a deep breath to calm my nerves before a very stone-cold Hannibal.

"I don't need this. I don't need you or Kane watching over me. I'm safe, everything is okay, and you should be fighting this with me by talking to Ravenmore and getting this called off. You should?—"

He looks around me. His beautiful, light eyes wander around, checking our surroundings behind me, like he's disengaging from the conversation.

"I don't take kindly to people telling me what to do, especially when they can't even reach the height requirement at carnival rides."

My mouth drops open. I place my hands on my hips as his eyes crinkle with a devilish smirk. I know it's there under his ominous mask.

"You did not just insult my height, you jerk."

"How many times do we have to have the same conversation before you understand that you're under orders just like I am? You have to follow my orders until your deployment is over. You're not safe. And I don't like Zeke, isn't he with a girl named Violet? I refuse to babysit you while you hang out with him. You can do better."

"One, what makes you think I can do better? And two, I'm pretty sure he's single. And three, I am safe. We're safe! I won't let you interfere with?—"

A loud explosion interrupts my seething. The walls and ground vibrate like an earthquake hit the Earth, and my heart sinks to the pit of my stomach. Faint screams are heard from a distance, and people start scrambling around us in a panic. Doors start exploding open and closed as our entire environments continue to shake.

I freeze, trying to get a grip on the situation, wondering what the hell is happening, but before I can blink or swallow nervously, I'm being dragged into a dark closet by Daegan. He grabs my arm, pushing me into it, and I let him.

I'm grateful he's taking initiative when I can't seem to think for myself. Flashes of my stalker and my reality hit me hard. I'm reminding myself that I am in a zone during a time when war is ongoing. Fear paralyzes every single muscle inside me until I'm almost cramping from tensing up so hard. If it weren't for Daegan, I'd still be frozen in the hallway.

"Oh my gosh, Daegan, what was that?" I grab at my chest, finally gathering my thoughts, and pull on my seashell necklace, trying to calm myself down.

He locks the door and pulls out his phone. He ignores me as he sends messages, and I pace in a circle as another explosion rattles the building. I hang on to the shelves like a lifeline, feeling it rattle underneath my tight grip. The sound is closer and louder, causing my ears to ring. I hold up my palms to my ears and close my eyes.

"You were saying, Valentine? Please do finish your sentence…something about being safe?" He crowds my space until my back hits a shelf of paper supplies. He palms both sides of the shelves, locking me in as I still cover my ears with my hands. His voice is still muffled, but I can still hear his words clearly.

Our faces are about three inches apart. His hypnotizing scent fills every single part of me, making me forget where I am and what our mysterious situation is.

"How are you so calm right now? It sounded like a bomb!" I ask him with my brows pinched inwards, furiously.

He ignores me again and takes out a bullet when a considerable part of me wants him to hold me and tell me that everything will be okay and under control. But then again, I feel like I would get that from Kane…not from Daegan. I'm with the cold bodyguard, not the nice one.

"Do you always twirl a bullet in your fingers?" I place my hands down as he stands by the door again with his phone out. It's a dark room with no windows, so we can't see anything in the hallway or outside.

He turns around with a depraved look in his eyes. "Oh, baby girl, there are more places I'd like to twirl this bullet."

Did he?

Did he just imply?

Butterflies kick in, and I'm trying to process what he means by that, but all that leaves my lips is a snarky remark.

"Don't call me that."

"What? You're not a girl?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"Nope, no idea."

"Stop it."

He invades my space, "I'll call you whatever I want, whenever I want." Cigarettes and his cologne hit me hard, and I want to slap him…and then kiss him because I know how his lips feel. I know how hot he is underneath that mask, and I miss it. I miss him being vulnerable around me, even if it was just for one night.

The fear that once filled my veins is now replaced with temptation.

And as if he can read my thoughts, he leans down, our height difference forcing him to bend his knees, and I catch a glimpse of his Adam's Apple bobbing up and down like he wants to match my thoughts of desire. "And you're not going anywhere alone with Zeke." He snarls, reminding me of our earlier argument. My eyes squint in defiance.

Even though there's chaos happening all around us, it doesn't compare to what this man does to my heart, and I decide to act on it, bracing myself to make a move since he won't.

The dim lights flicker, flashing against my hand as I reach for his mask.

I want to see him.

Daegan stops breathing, and so do I. But I don't get to execute.

"You're obsessed with me," I whisper, our mouths so close to each other. I can smell the hint of cigarettes and his scent.

"Obsessed and following orders are two different things." He growls low.

I smirk, taunting him further, as the throbbing in between my thighs gets louder. "You always want to know where I'm going, what I'm doing. Who I'm with…are you sure you're not obsessed?" I arch a brow, biting my lip, hoping it'll stop me from reaching in for a kiss.

"I'm sure."

I look down, and there's a tent in his pants…a very large tent.

"Your hard cock says otherwise."

Daegan hums, and his eyes crease with determination. "Don't start something you can't finish, Valentine. Because when I start something, I always finish."

Fuck.

Daegan takes a step toward me, my back hitting the shelves again. A stack of papers falls to the ground from it, and I'm about to make the first move.

But then it's ruined.

Our phones ping, and a loud alarm screeches through the building. Daegan grabs my hand, puts it back to my side, and walks away from me.

Kane: There's a drone attack. Get the Admiral's step-daughter somewhere safe. You know the protocol, Creature.

"The alarms are going off, and an attack is happening. Let's get you somewhere safe." He repeats the text from our group chat and opens the door. He motions his hand forward, guiding me toward the exit I don't want to take. I want to stay here and wait it out in private until we know what's happening.

"What? Being alone with my so-called babysitter in a room isn't safe?"

I walk past him and into the hallway. I don't make it far before he grabs my arm. Instead of leading me past a crowd of frantic civilians, he growls against the side of my head, his masked nose grazing against my head, "It's fucking dangerous."