no turning back

• thirty seven •

elijah

The moment she entered the room, my gaze glued to her. A petite and curvaceous angel, her fair hair floated around her shoulders as she waded toward me. I unconsciously wet my lips at the sight of her, already wanting to wrap myself around her again.

Her eyes darted to mine once she reached the table, and I frowned. The gleam in them from before had vanished. My guard instantly lifted while I scanned the room for a possible threat. Finding nothing apparent, my eyes landed on her once more.

"What?" she asked before I could.

"You tell me. You look . . . different. Did something happen?"

"No. Everything is fine." She forced a tight-lipped smile that set off all kinds of alarm bells and sat down. Her focus fell on the food that had arrived in her absence and she began to eat like she wasn't outright hiding something. It bothered me endlessly when she felt the need to conceal information or opinions.

I frowned at her, tapping my fingertips along the table. "You know you're a terrible liar. I don't know why you even try. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," she insisted. "I just ran into this girl in the bathroom. She was crying."

Strange. I joined her in picking at some of the dishes we ordered, asking, "Was she hurt or something?"

"Not physically. She said it was family drama."

"She couldn't wait to cry til she got home?"

Gladys rolled her eyes, a hint of life reappearing in her expression. "Not everyone can suppress their feelings like a robot."

"So, what happened? Why did this upset you?"

She chewed on her food quietly for a moment. "I don't know. I guess I miss having a family and friends."

"You have me . . . and Brant," I grumbled reluctantly.

The grimace that crossed her face unsettled me. I rested my forearms on the table and peered over at her, my frown deepening. She sighed.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about Brant, actually."

"What about?"

She bit her lip but then noticed the way my stare lingered on her mouth and quickly released it. "We should let him go back to his family."

"We?"

"Yeah . . . I mean, you're employing him because we thought he killed Bernice. But he didn't. He wants to hold his dad accountable, and he wants to be with his family."

I sat back against the booth and sighed. "He can't."

Pink lips pursing, her brows knit together. "Why?"

"Because his father is going to stir up a bunch of shit if the limelight is directed at him. Besides, that's not the only reason Brant is here. He's here to protect you. I don't trust anyone else with you while I'm away."

The fiery look she gave me brought a smirk to my lips. It made me want to lay hands on that gorgeous ass.

"Why do you look like you want to cut my heart out?" I asked, the smirk growing.

"You treat him like a pawn. You treat everyone like a pawn. They all have lives outside of the Zare universe, you know."

"In my line of work, people are dispensable, Angel. If you get too attached, your emotions will distract you from getting shit done."