Crossing Lines

Chapter 7 - Hayden

The ringtone from her phone next to me startles me out of my sleep. Mila doesn't get a lot of messages, so when I glance at the screen, I'm not surprised that it's her.

My brow furrows when I read her text. She's at the Cabaleri? How the hell did they get a room? They're usually booked weeks in advance.

Well, it does have its perks...

That's quite the upgrade. Thanks for letting me know, I reply.

Yeah, I know. Wasn't my idea...

I raise an eyebrow at her response. She doesn't sound too happy, which baffles me. I mean, this is the Cabaleri. That inn she told me about was at the far end of the city with not much around it, which is why I wouldn't have chosen it if I went to New York.

And so I just have to ask her, curiosity getting the better of me. You don't like it?

No...I mean, that's not it.

Then what is it?

It takes a few minutes until her response shows up on the screen, but I furrow my brows as soon as I read it. Hard to explain, I guess. I just expected something different.

Different isn't always bad, though.

No, I know... She replies. Why are you still up, anyway?

I wasn't. Your phone is just annoyingly loud.

You know it has a tiny button that adjusts the volume, right?

Her response makes me laugh. She's right, I guess. Touché. So, why are you up?

We just arrived, and I was about to go to bed but then figured you'd probably need to know about this change.

Ah, I see. Well, thanks for thinking of me.

Sure thing. I'll try to get some sleep now to avoid the jet lag. See you tomorrow, Hayden.

I don't know what it is about her, because believe me, there are enough women in my life who throw themselves at me. But this one just awakens something different in me, because that's exactly what she is. She's different. At least from what I can tell. It's not like we've had a lot of time to talk in person, after all. That's why I wanted to take her out to dinner, and that's also why I'm not telling her I'm staying at Cabaleri too.

She might think meeting in the lobby for a minute to do the swap is enough, but that sure as hell won't happen. I'm curious about her, about who she is and what she does, because everything about her is so mysterious. Her guards are up, and I can't even blame her. In the end, I'm a complete stranger to her.

But I'm doing the best I can to change that.

Sweet dreams, Lucky.

***

"What the fuck, Hass? You're supposed to train with us, not break my legs!" Kill's voice makes me turn around, and I see him rubbing his shin with gritted teeth.

"Not my fault when you don't know how to do your job." Jason's reply is tainted with a smug-ass grin.

"You're the one unaware of the right moves, you fucking idiot! Did you not pay attention during the last training?"

"Rogers! Hass!" Our coach's voice has all of us turning to the sideline. "What the fuck are you guys doing?"

I walk over to Kill, who by now stands up straight again.