A Billion Broken Pieces (Incongruity Series Book 2)

by Thandiwe Mpofu

  A small smile makes its way on my face, feeling proud of her for some reason.

  Next, I look for sweatpants, I spot a black pair as well as a black hoodie and I’m all set. Or she’s all set, whatever. Camouflaging with the dark background of the night will be our friend in escaping this, whatever the hell it is.

  I stride over to where she stands, watching me with ill-veiled curiosity. I think now she is catching up with the fact that we have to leave immediately. Good.

  I implore her to sit down on her bed and I immediately start dressing her, adding layers to the long sleep t-shirt and shorts that I would be damned if my men stare at any second longer.

  I help her tug on the sweatpants first, then allow her to pull them all the way up whilst I help her put on her socks and her running shoes. My movements hurried but precise.

  But if you ask me, I’d rather not be adding more layers to her ridiculously tempting body.

  However, Chloe being Chloe, there is no way she can just sit there limply and agree to what I say, let alone go along with it.

  Her stubborn streak finally shows its presence. At this point, I would be very disappointed if I didn’t see that fire in her eyes. As long as it’s there, I know she is still fighting.

  I think she most likely got that fire and hot temper from her Grandfather. An old man that she doesn’t know exists.

  Another secret that she will not forgive me for withholding.

  But unlike her grandfather, she works hard to keep that fire in check, making me wonder what she’ll be like, how she will feel like, when she unleashes that fire. Another thought that provokes other parts of me.

  “Not now? What do you mean by that?” She demands, shooting up from the bed, leaving me kneeling before her. She is a spitfire for sure.

  She stands in the middle of the room, her arms folded, gearing up for a fight. She is tenacious if nothing else and I appreciate that quality about her, but right now, that uniqueness will get her in so much trouble.

  And maybe even killed. But I refuse to think that way.

  All I know is we have to get out of here. I stand up, stepping closer to her heat, towering over her. But it always feels like she towers over me with her tenacity.

  Power play.

  “It means just that Chloe, or do you need me to tape your mouth shut? There is something else going on here and we need to go. Right now!” My words come out terse and angry.

  She is also angry and growing frustrated with me as the seconds tick by, but all that matters is her cooperation in getting her dressed and out of here.

  It doesn’t really help matters that before receiving that message, I was ravishing her sweet mouth, leaving both of us sexually frustrated. But then again, what’s new?

  As of a few minutes ago however, we have been plunged into a scene of Rush Hour or something. But this is unscripted, making it that much more threatening.

  Danger, ripe and menacing, wafting in the air like a poisonous gas.

  “You are such an asshole, I’m not one of your minions or one of your thousands of employees that you can order around! I won’t follow your every demand, damn you!” She defiantly declares, making blood rush to parts of me that I wish I could ignore for the time being.

  That smart mouth of hers. . .

  “I have no desire to lord over you. Not in the way you are thinking anyway.” I say as I lower my voice to a hoarse whisper, leaning down to her ear.

  As I alternate between looking her in the eyes so she knows that I’m serious as hell, I enjoy the delicious shivers that rack her body when I graze my lips over the shell of her ear.

  Such a beautiful spitfire. And so very stubborn.

  “I’ll explain later.” I promise her. “Right now, we have to go.” I whisper to her when she remains silent.

  Her captivating eyes that fuck with my concentration like nothing else I know, wide and looking up at me in a way that’s shredding me from within.

  There is fear there. A kind of fear that she hides with her sass and smart mouth. But in this moment, it’s so apparent and I know it’s just a glimpse of what she carries within.

  No one deserves to have the kinds of shadows and pain like the ones that cloud her eyes. Always present in every move she makes.

  The knowledge that we are running right now, boils my blood in more ways than is possible and all I want to do is get ahold of the scumbag who did this to her.

  And I will.

  “Okay?” I ask her quietly, hoping that she will take my cue and be silent for now.

  “Okay, but I can damn well dress myself, Gideon.” Her voice comes out in a whisper and all I want to do is lean down and taste her again.

  Her not so guileless gray eyes piercing my soul in a way only she is able to do, and has been doing since the very beginning.

  “I know you can dress yourself, and if this was another day where your life isn’t under threat, I would have sat back and watched you do that very act.” I gruffly inform her, my fingers softly, almost reverently running down her sides as I direct her to raise her arms.

  Her breaths come in short, labored bursts but she can’t look away from me, neither can I honestly. She has the most gorgeous, unique pair of gray eyes I have ever seen in my life.

  Almost beguiling and captivating in nature.

  It’s crazy how there can still be room for fueling attraction between us, even at the height of danger. But then, there is nothing normal about us and as far as I can predict, there won’t ever be anything normal or common.

  That’s just how it is.

  She automatically raises her arms to allow the hoodie to slide into place.

  At my words she doesn’t say anything, but her breaths are now shallow and rushed. Just as they were a few minutes ago when her soft, temptress body was melting in my arms.

  There is a knock at the door, breaking both of us out of the vortex of desire intermixed with anger.

  I know it’s Tom but I remain silent until I have Chloe dressed and covered.

  She is also silent, the tension between us only kept at bay by the imminent danger before us, danger that we need to avoid for now then circle around and deal with when she is somewhere safe.

  I rack my gaze up and down her body to make sure that she is covered properly then tug her hand in mine so she moves along with me to the door and out of the targeted place. Her body presses into my back as we move, making me feel as if she needs all the support she can get, her grasp tightening in mine.

  That small gesture shows me just how much we understand each other in this moment. She trusts me to keep her safe, and I won’t fail her.

  I steal another moment to look down at her, to make sure that she is alright, because if there is something I know about Chloe it’s that, she sees her vulnerability as a weakness.

  And she also doesn’t like showing it to other people.

  What she doesn’t know however, is that her vulnerability is her biggest strength. It gives her the fuel and ability to fight and be who she is. It sparks that fire that I both loath and desire at the same time.

  “Are you ready?” I ask her.

  “For the unknown?” She responds as she sharply looks up at me.

  “Among other things.”

  “Oh, joy!”

  She is humorous without even trying. If this wasn’t a grave moment, I would have burst out laughing but there is no space or time for jokes. Yet, she centers me, grounds me in a way that I need right now.

  I open the door and I look at Tom. He doesn’t say anything but I know it’s bad. I feel my anger washing over me once again.

  “Where are they?” I ground out.

  “Three minutes and closing. We have the back entrance secured.” He informs as we move down the small corridor with tightly controlled speed and precision, straight out the apartment door.

  “Do we know who they are?” I question as we move.

  “Negative, sir. Max is working on it.” Tom responds.

  I hav
e no doubt that Max is already on it, working towards figuring this out.

  “I want those bastards dealt with.” I ground out. “Get me all the information I need.” I instruct him. If there is a man that I trust and know can get any kind of information, including a human being, it’s Tom.

  We turn left instead of going right where the front entrance is. My men have the blueprints to this building and all other buildings around this neighborhood, for precautionary measures.

  I know that all of them have studied the layout of Chloe’s apartment, as well as her work place. There is no way I will gamble with her safety, hoping that the devil I know doesn’t get to her.

  In the past few years, I have witnessed the closest people to me being hunted and pinpointed one by one. Being taken out as if all they are, is body bags and symbols of a fallen dynasty and legacy.

  First the accident that took my Grandmother’s life and put my Grandfather in a place he hates with all his being. Then, my father, suffering from a bad heart attack that almost took his life.

  Leaving my mother and sister to constantly worry about him and looking over their shoulders, wondering what kind of attack is coming next.

  No way is Chloe next, not if there is still breath in my body.

  “Gideon, what about my apartment?”

  The subject of my musings and concern asks as we go down a narrow staircase, a dingy light bulb our only light source.

  “Right now, we know that it is compromised, and the only objective at the moment is to get you away from this place.” I respond, making sure my voice is firm and steady, familiar, so as not to spook her.

  “But I have very important stuff up there.” She informs as we get to the back door which is held open by Tom as we come rushing out.

  Fred is standing by the car, the backdoor wide open, waiting for Chloe and I to get in. John rushes to the driver’s door and gets in, turning over the car and in a matter of a few seconds, we are all in the car and peeling out of there.

  “I hardly think now is an appropriate time to think about material possessions, Chloe.” I inform her as I take out my phone. There is business to be taken care of, particularly, finding out who is behind this heist in the middle of a dead night.

  “That’s not the point. I don’t care about some cheap clothes. I mean, there is stuff in there. About him. About me too.” She points out worriedly.

  I look at her, contemplating the merits and perils of the situation. I see why she would be concerned. There is a probability that her information and plans could end up in wrong hands. At this point, everything is a possibility of danger, we can’t take any risk without calculating them first. The only problem is that time is not our friend tonight.

  “I’ll have it taken care of. Don’t worry about it.” I promise her, while texting Tom to secure her apartment.

  There is a tense, expectant silence in the car as if we are all waiting for something to happen. Waiting to be hit by some kind of explosion. But as John takes back roads and my occasional glance through the back window, we soon breathe easier when we realize that we are not being followed.

  Chloe is silent, gazing outside the window and occasionally looking at me. I know she wants answers and she is only holding back her anger at me because we are not alone.

  She is fire, this woman.

  Everything about her is fire. Sexy, inviting, mesmerizing. Until she burns you, scorching your very being into a heap of ashes. A heap of nothing.

  She has this uncanny ability of captivating me, drawing me in and making me lose my mind. It’s like nothing else I’ve felt before, fucking with my concentration in a way I’m not too sure I feel comfortable with.

  At least that’s how I felt, as I remember her pained, but beautiful eyes, piercing my soul as she lay bare her frenzied thoughts and emotions. Questioning her trust of me and the way I appeared in her life. Questioning everything really.

  And who can blame her, after all that has happened in her life?

  I didn’t lie to her though.

  I know exactly who she is; even parts of her that she doesn’t know about herself.

  And now, intermixed with the events of this night, is my own internal questioning of what I should tell her.

  The dilemma of whether I should or shouldn’t tell her everything. The reason why I searched for her to begin with. Why I’m keeping her close and her role in this. . . war. A war that has taken a different turn than I was expecting.

  A storm is brewing. Between us, around us, within both of us. I know it’s just a matter of time before it all comes crashing down on us and around us.

  But I don’t care when and where that will happen, just as long as she is with me.

  This need, this inexplicable need is something foreign to me. I can’t explain it and I don’t want to examine it too closely.

  All I know is, she is my responsibility. With or without my Grandfather’s initial instruction. I knew it from the day I got my hands on the intelligence report about her.

  And now, she is with me, her anger and confusion palpable. Her soft, angelic features tense with confusion.

  But she is with me. That’s all that matters. For now.

  Chapter 2

  Chloe

  I’M NOT SO SURE WHAT’S happening and I don’t want to confront Gideon right now. Not in front of John and Fred who are seated up front of the SUV.

  I have no idea what happened to Tom or where he disappeared off to. All I know is, I’m in a tinted car with a brooding man beside me, busy on his phone, occasionally letting out a frustrated curse under his breath.

  What I do know, as the car speeds through empty streets, indicating a late hour, is that I have been thrust into a dangerous situation. A situation that I believe Gideon wasn’t prepared for, nor does he know much about it. Well as much as he wants to.

  Gideon isn’t exactly a man that fancies being caught unaware but he’s damn well prepared for any outcome when it comes to his security, I’ll give him that.

  What I can’t quite figure out, among other things, is why me?

  It’s obvious that I was the target tonight. And no matter how you spin it, anyone coming for you in the dead of night is not coming on friendly, social terms. Gideon’s silence on the matter is what is eating at me the most.

  “Why do you think they wanted me for?” I question him, the silence unbearable.

  My imagination is running wild with all sorts of scenarios. All of them ending with me, left bleeding out to die in a ditch somewhere.

  Okay maybe I’m dramatic, but we did discuss that before.

  “I’m not sure.” He responds after a long pause, saying the words like he hates the answer himself. “But we’ll know soon enough.” He savagely vows, with a harsh bite to his voice.

  “How did you know? How did your security know?” I question.

  It’s not the first time I have wondered about that. Everything was done swiftly, with impressive precision. And how did they know where to go? Why were Fred and John here? I refuse to believe that Gideon moves around with all that security.

  I have a sinking feeling within me that I know the answer to that, but it can’t be. Please don’t let it be true.

  “Why were they,” I indicate with my eyes to Fred and John, “there? You don’t look like a coward, needing all that security around you.” I state, looking at him with suspicion.

  I’m dreading the answer. It’s in this moment as we stare at each other that I realize I don’t know much about the man who just took my first kiss. Ruining me for any other experience.

  Gideon has secrets. I bet he even has secrets about me that I don’t even know myself.

  “I think you already know the answer to that. Or else why would you ask.” He responds curtly.

  “I would ask because I want you to say it!” I seethe.

  Gideon monitors me like I’m a prisoner or something. Well, I’ll be damned!

  “They were there and are always there, with rotation or oth
er personnel of course, for your protection.” He explains, with an air of importance, waving his hand around like its common sense. Or like it’s normal.

  Always there?!

  “So, you mean to tell me, that I’m under surveillance and you’ve authorized these two to watch me twenty-four hours a day?” I almost screech but I’m aware that we are not alone in the car.

  This is too much!

  Tonight, I just learnt; by my own inquisition without any of his forthcomings, that he knows who I am. He knows my full name, my background and why I’m after Demetri. I think he connected the dots after finding out what happened to my parents but either way, he lied!

  It’s as simple and as angering as that.

  He lied through his perfect teeth, telling me—no—vowing to me, that he would share every bit of intel that he has with me. He promised!

  I’m not dense, I understand that the word ‘everything’ means just that. Every-bloody-thing!

  I mean, I deserve to know whatever is going on. Being kept in the dark is not exactly one of my strongest points in life.

  At this point I’m not even mad about whoever is after me, I’m seething and angry at Gideon.

  And I’m also hurt but that doesn’t matter. Emotions are just that, emotions.

  “I would hardly call this surveillance.” He states, his icy gaze finding me and pinning me to my seat, but I’m too heated by betrayal and disbelief to care.

  “What do you think they call this then? Witness Protection Program?” I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes at him. And well, that doesn’t really go down well for me, as I notice his face cloud with anger. Gideon has never really liked being challenged, or being questioned by a sassy female who won’t bend to his every whim like he is probably used to.

  There is a pregnant kind of silence in the car, and I can see through the corner of my eye Fred and John shifting uncomfortably. I don’t care, they’ll receive their fair share of my anger tomorrow.

  “I put them there for your damn protection. Looking at the events of not too long ago, if your memory is too short to remember, you are safe right this moment because of them.” He grits out, his own anger palpable in the silence of the car.