Their Thief: Redemption

Chapter 8 (Part 2)

The longer his eyes burrowed into me, the drier my mouth grew in response to the effect he was having on me. And it wasn't entirely fear.

My tongue darted out across my lips, drawing his cold eyes.

When they continued lowering, it was like I had been released from an invisible hold. I was finally able to take a proper breath as he looked down at his wrist, checking his watch.

"We're late," he stated.

Dropping g his hand back to his side, he turned and continued, leaving me to blink at his back.

I jumped when a hand slapped against mine. It didn't hurt but was forceful enough that I had to catch myself from stumbling forward.

"Come on, princess, best not to keep the doctor waiting. She's squeezing you in last minute. I hear the wait times these days are abysmal, your lucky we have connections. Don't use them to make the waits longer for others."

I had begun to walk along with Jace under his pressuring hand, but I came to a halt as ice began to replace the guilt that was developing at Jace's words.

His hand dropped to take hold of mine when he realized I wasn't budging. To anyone looking in from the outside, him twinning his fingers with mine would appear sweet. They couldn't feel how steely his hand was as he pulled me alongside him. Or the unsaid truth behind his words.

They were trying to guilt me into compliance. No. Not just that. Jace breaking that man's finger was a threat aimed at me.

I tried to pull my hand from his hold. He only tightened it further in response.

"Let me go."

"No," he said, pulling me towards the entrance where the nurse from earlier stood.

I pulled against him harder.

"Stop," he demanded, jerking me to his side.

"Or what? You going to break my fingers too?"

The question had him scowling down at me. Taking another step, he gave me a sharp tug onto the sidewalk he had stepped onto, making me trip on the curb and fall against him. The satisfied smirk that I looked up to find had me shoving him away, finally freeing my hand as we neared the doors.

The nurse watched us as we approached with wide eyes. I had a feeling he had witnessed the whole scene that had played out only a short distance from here. Well within eyeshot, and earshot given the screams.

"Sir," the nurse in blue scrubs said as he stepped in front of the door. "I'm sorry but I can't allow you to enter." The swallow that followed his words was audible, but he held his ground with his chin held up high.

That may also have been because Alec stood so much taller than him.

"No need to worry," Alec said, dismissing the cautious man's concerns despite being valid and warranted. "We just had a little disagreement. Everything has been sorted"

The man looked ready to stand his ground and argue further, but then a glaze similar to the one that had overtaken the eyes of the men from earlier overtook his, giving them a far-off appearance as he stepped out of the way to let Alec continue forward.

As we passed him, I watched the man blink the haze from his eyes. Confusion furrowed his brows as he scratched his head, but he shook his head after a moment and dismissed it. Looking around the empty entrance, he decided to follow us back into the building before heading off down a hallway just side.

Watching everything play out before me once more told me everything I needed to know. The burn of the ice in my veins pushed me to pick up my pace and catch up to Alec who was almost halfway across the large foyer the doors led into.