A Silent Lover

21. Imani

The soft snick of Jae's door closing sounds behind me and I tiptoe down the hallway, wary of waking up my sleeping boy. I stand within the small corridor and pull my hands through my hair, releasing a pent-up breath of irritation from my lungs. As I make my way into the living room, a new burst of anger fills me and as if a fire has sparked inside me, I let out a low growl of fury.

"What the hell was that?!" I fume at TaekWoon who's sitting at our table, my heart still pumping too hard hours after our simple home visit had turned into a war zone. I never could've imagined that the agency would send over someone like Im; if he hadn't had a work badge, I would've easily believed him to be an imposter.

How could they employ someone so horrible, so blatantly racist?
And the fact that he'd put his hands on Jae had me boiling with rage; as far as I was concerned, jail time wouldn't be enough for what Im Seokjin had done. Rising from his seat, TaekWoon puts a calming hand on my arm and despite my annoyance a little spark flies between us, his touch just as electrifying to me as it always was.

"The police said he was bribed Imani. But they have no idea who it was, and Im himself didn't even know if it was a male or female who had dropped off the money at his office. With just a note and some cash, the cops don't have much to go on. But either way someone wanted him to dig out information about you, falsify it if necessary." TaekWoon breathes out heavily, his own face lined with worry just like mine is. I take his large hand in my own, lending him the same comfort he'd given me.

"But to use Jae in whatever they were planning? Who would do that? It's not like I have enemies; I'm an English teacher, for Christ's sake," I grumble still too riled up.

"And maybe we could've dismissed it as plain prejudice but he took it so far; Jae had bruises TaekWoon! It took me hours to calm him down enough to get him to sleep."

I flop myself down onto the sofa, the day's trials having drained me. I rub my temples, easing away the ache that resides there. And as I calm myself, I realize that TaekWoon is frowning deeply, his silence for once indicating something deeper. Suddenly I can't think about my own worries anymore.

"What is it?" I ask him gently.

"I was thinking that it's my job to protect you and JaeHyun; that today I failed at my responsibilities."

"What are you talking about? You took down Im in seconds. I didn't even see you move!"

It was true; almost before I'd realized Jae had yelled out, TaekWoon was already on the move. He was grace incarnate, his every move belying an exquisite self-possession and an innate understanding of his body's capabilities. TaekWoon's takedown of Im had been executed flawlessly, as easy as if he'd only been breathing. He'd rendered a man incapable of moving like it was a hidden second nature, only there to use if it was needed. And besides it being necessary at the time, the whole thing had been rather...sexy.

Learning that TaekWoon was a black belt in Taekwondo had been a surprise, but it seemed as if I could never learn all my husband's secrets. I pushed my hair away from my neck, the room becoming somewhat stuffy as I thought about other things TaekWoon might specialize in.

"Imani, you and Jae are my top priorities. If I can't keep you safe, what good am I to you?" His voice is quiet, more subdued than usual and I knew that no casual teasing would ease his feelings. 

"TaekWoon-ah, you can't be serious! Just look what you've done for us. Jae being here with us wouldn't even be possible without you. You don't need to be so hard on yourself. Didn't you hear Jae earlier?"

At my reference, TaekWoon immediately perks up, the smile on his face pushing my heart to its limits. I wondered vaguely if I'd ever get used to the way his smile made my pulse speed up and made the room seem abruptly brighter.