Loving the Bodyguard [Complete]

IX

Dedicated to _Twilight_22

"His eyes are captivating. I could lose myself in them, away from all the worries of the world."

____________________

Hailey

A mesmerizing pair of gray eyes concentrated on my face. They were not just gray; they were silver; silver like the metallic armor of a brave knight. They were alluring, deep, mysterious, and intriguing. The color was a mixture of dark gray and silver with specks olive-green. They were like the ashes of the bonfire. They gave vibes of strength, power, and authority.

"Hey! You okay?" asked a honeyed sexy voice. The voice was warm and attractive. It had a soothing quality like the sound of the ocean crashing against the shore.

"You deaf or what?" the guy with the honeyed sexy voice questioned.

"I'm sorry." The words slipped from my mouth.

My attention diverted to his face. He had a heart-shaped face with sun-kissed skin. He had arched his eyebrow; his silver-gray eyes focused on my face. The prominent cheekbones, chiseled jaw, and straight-edged nose made him look like a star straight out of Hollywood movies. He had a light stubble beard that gave him an attractive look. I felt as if Aphrodite had carved him herself. He was smolderingly masculine.

A deep cut had sliced the tissue of his cheek; blood had dried around its edges. It was ruby-colored like the red wine. It seemed fresh had barely healed. If I touched it with my fingers, the thin blood clot line would break, and scarlet fluid would ooze out. He had a split lip, and specks of blood spattered on his sun-kissed skin.

He seemed like a commando who had returned from a long fight. The cuts and splits made him look manly like a protector that fought till the last breath in his body. His straight dark brown hair was messy, They were shorter on the sides and longer on the top. He smelled like sweat, ferrous blood, and gunpowder. It had subtle hints of citrus fragrance with a sandalwood undertone.

"Angel!" the familiar voice of Ralph Hernandez sent shivers down my spine.

I did not respond.

"Ace! You're alive?!" Ralph said out of disbelief.

His name was Ace, that's what Ralph said. Ralph knew him, but who was he? Ralph had caged me in his mansion from the past one week, and I had never heard Ace's name.

"Ralph! What do you mean?" Ace questioned, his voice full of annoyance.

"Don't you fucking say my name? I'm your Underboss." Ralph snarled, his jaw clenched.

"I don't give a damn."

"Fucking hell! You should be dead by now. Cole is one of the best-trained men in the Cosa Nostra."

Ace flew towards Ralph and held him by the collar of his shirt. He pinned him with the wall, his fist clenched. Ralph's face turned pale, a mist of shock spread in his eyes. He seemed horrified as if he had seen the living face of death.

"You sent your right hand to kill me. Seriously? I expected better from you." Ace mocked.

"I-I leave... leave...me," Ralph stuttered.

"Have you lost your mind? That explosion killed men from our Mafia. Your right hand, Cole is critically injured; I doubt his survival."

"Hey! What happened to Cole?" Ralph asked, his voice breaking.

"Stop acting. You bloody, drug addict." Ace spatted.

He pushed Ralph hard; his fist collided with Ralph's jaw. Blood dripped from the sides of Ralph's face. He looked white as if life had drained from him. The drops of Ralph's blood stained the white carpet.

"Ace! How dare you?" Dominic yelled, passing Ace a deadly glare. He ran towards Ralph and helped him get to his feet.

"Ask your beloved son."

"Stop it! You idiots! Somebody planted a bomb at the ritual room; we lost five men. Four soldiers and one Capo. Here, you're busy with family drama," Dominic said, his tone serious.

Ace sighed. "You can relax! Your beloved son, the future heir, the great Ralph Hernandez, set that bomb. It was his planning to kill me."

"What?" Dominic exclaimed; he didn't believe the words that Ace said.

"Ace! You're lying."

"Am I?" Ace asked.

Dominic didn't answer and instead stared blankly at Ralph.

"You trained me to be your reflection and Ralph's shadow. Your fucking son can't digest the fact that I'm better than him. He's scared." Ace breathed.

"Take my car and leave. We'll talk later." Dominic tossed the car keys towards Ace.

Ace caught the keys and vanished down the stairs.

"Angel! What were you doing with him?" Ralph questioned, wiping the blood from his jaw.

"Ralph! We need to talk. Wait in my room. Right now!" Dominic said in a neutral tone. He had pinched his eyebrows together.

"But, dad."

"Leave. Right now!"

Ralph bowed his head down and disappeared along the corridor. Dominic gripped my wrist.

"Ah!" I cried.

He dragged me along the corridor. A stinging sensation spread in my wrist. My wrist burned with pain. I felt as if somebody was tying tight ropes around my wrist.

The Hernandez family was more messed up than I had thought. Ralph's obsession with me, his hatred for Ace. I had never been a part of the Kings' Mafia, but Dad once told me that in the Mafia, family means everything. Every member of the Cosa Nostra was a part of your family, and you never harm them until they turn against you or break the Omertà.

Ralph killed five members of his Mafia only to kill Ace, but why? Who is Ace? Why does Ralph hate him? What did Dominic mean when he said stop this family drama?

Various questions arouse my curiosity. I wanted to know more about Ace. I may not know him, but I could not stop thinking about him. He was not afraid of Ralph nor Dominic. He hit Ralph and yet, Dominic let him go. Why?

I wanted to run away again, but there was no way out. Ralph visited me daily, waiting for the wound on my head to heal. He was desperate to get engaged to me.

I took in a deep breath. Ace's eyes were the only thing that came into my mind. They reminded me of ashen clouds and silver rings that held an unfathomable promise of love and pain.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed reading. Don't forget to vote :P

P.S: Thank you for support. We complete the journey of 10K words. This is my first book that is half way and reached 10K.