Burning Soul

Fifteen

Fifteen
⚡️Blaze⚡️

"Care to explain why my daughter was nearly trafficked last night?" My face is blank as I sit in the uncomfortable chair in front of Everlee's father.

His face is hard, and his fists are clenched tightly. I wouldn't be surprised if he killed me right here, right now. I've already beaten myself up for putting Everlee in danger, so I probably deserve every punishment coming to me. Although death wouldn't be the worse. It would be never seeing her beautiful face every day.

"Speak!" The palm of his hand slams onto the wooden table with a loud smack.

Inhaling a deep breath and adjusting myself in the chair, I finally speak. "I was told to answer a call. Josh had replaced my position so I could quickly take it. He said it was important."

"If Josh told you to fucking jump off a cliff, would you do that too?!" I shake my head. "Use your fucking words."

"No," I say through gritted teeth.

"You put my daughter's life at risk."

"I know."

"Are you incapable of doing your job? Was all that training when you were a child a waste of our time? Do we need to bring you back to the lab for an assessment?"

"No, sir."

"You're not stupid, Blaze. So don't fall back into that routine of disobeying, when you know what the consequences are. Now," he leans forward on his forearms, staring at me intensely, and continues, "have you been interacting with my little girl?"

"What do you mean, sir?" I play dumb. I know what he means. But why would I admit the truth?

"Talking." And kissing and cuddling. Yes.

"No, sir. I would never go against the rules. I quite value my life, and no offence, your daughter is not worth the risk of talking. I'm just here to do my job, which is protecting her. That's it." He squints his eyes.

"But you can't even do that, Blaze."

"I got to her in time. I killed those men."

"But you wouldn't have had to do that if you had stayed on your station." He tilts his head, and I try my hardest to not reach over and smash his nose on the wooden table. No shit, Sherlock.

"I made a mistake, sir. It won't happen again." Pushing back that anger, I compose myself and wait for what he has to say next.

"No, it won't happen again Blaze, because if there is even a hair on Everlee's head which is out of place..." he pulls out a device with a subtle red button. My face falls. "I will not hesitate to end your life. Now get out of my sight."

With a harsh frown, I stand up, the chair aggressively falling back. I storm over to the door, ready to rip it off its hinges, but I am stopped by his irritating voice.

"Don't be stupid, Donovan. You value your life, and Everlee's."

My blood runs cold.

•••

"You're still alive then. Must have gone well." Cairo pats my back with a playful smile on his face, but I'm not amused one bit.