Loving the Bodyguard [Complete]

XXVI

"If I breathe you in and you breathe me out, I swear we can breathe forever."

— Iain Thomas

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Hailey

The feeling of the first kiss was special. It was like growing wings that gave you the power to fly. You feel a weird electrified sensation in your body. I never thought that Ace would be my first kiss. I never pictured us together.

We fought, we argued, and I got into trouble, and each time, he saved me like a knight in a shining armor.

I don't know why I kissed him. Maybe I wanted to kiss him for a long time.

I stared into his silver-gray eyes. They flickered like stars in a night sky.

Was he angry at me? But he didn't pull away when I kissed him. Did I do anything wrong?

I took in a deep breath and asked, "Are you upset?"

"I don't know," he whispered and pulled me in his arms. Our bodies were plastered together. He buried his face in my neck. I could feel his warm uneven breaths.

"Everything will be fine. Laura's death was not your fault."

At the mention of Laura's name, he pulled away.

"You and me, this relationship will never work," he said in a distant voice.

"You can't decide that."

"My mother loved me, and she died. Laura loved me, and she died," he paused. He pulled in a deep breath. Tears were forming around the corners of his eyes. "You love me, and I can't afford to lose you too."

"Ace! Their deaths were not your fault."

"I outlived every person that loved me. I would rather die knowing that you're with someone who loves you with all his heart than live carrying memory of your death," he said. "I don't want another loved one's name etched on a grave."

"Ace!" Tears dangled in my eyes like pearls in a necklace.

"I will send you to another continent, and you can continue to live a normal life there," he said and took out his phone.

"No." I snatched his phone from his hand. "Stop running away, please. Let's face this together."

"I could not save Laura, but I will save you from Ralph."

"What if we escape together and live somewhere else?"

"Dominic will find me, and he will make sure that Ralph slices each part of my body."

"If you help me escape, then Ralph will kill you. It's the death of you either way." My heart was beating unevenly, and I felt that it would stop beating soon.

"Trust me, I want to be with you, but I can't." He rested his forehead against mine. I traced his tear-stained cheek with my thumb.

Ace's phone rang.

"Give me the phone," he said, running a hand through his tousled hazel-brown hair.

I handed him the phone, and he swiped the accept button. He put the phone on his ear and asked, "What happened, De Luca?"

Ace's expression darkened. He went back into the serious bodyguard mode. "If you don't hear from me within the next twenty-four hours then, consider me dead."

My spine tingled, and a wave of dread ran in my veins.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked. The muscles in my body were tight.

Ace disconnected the call and started dissembling his smartphone. He took out the sim card and broke it into two pieces, throwing it in the nearby bush.

"Why are you disassembling the phone?" My breathing was getting heavy with each passing minute.

"The kidnappers released Ralph, and now, the Serrano mafia and the Hernandez mafia are behind us, and they can track us through my phone; breaking the sim card would provide us extra time," he said in a grave tone.

"Why?"

"They want you dead."

"Why do the Serrano and the Hernandez mafia want me dead?"

"They gave Ralph a choice. He could either choose his father or you."

"And he chose Dominic?"

"He did."

I clenched my fist. A whirlwind of emotions overpowered my thinking ability. I was going to die, and that too without any reason.

"We will fight together no matter what," he whispered. I felt the determination in his voice.

"What if we survive?"

"If we survive then, I will stop running away and give our relationship a chance even if we fail at the end." He interlaced our fingers.

My lips curled into a smile. I knew that we might die, but Ace's presence provided a sense of safety. I had faith in him, and I knew we would win this fight.

"Promise?" I asked.

"Promise," he said and planted a warm kiss on my forehead.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to spacegirl29 Thank you for your support. We are approaching the end. I'm excited to finish this book.

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