I’m drying my tears with my hands when Adrian walks back in. He moves close wrapping his arms around me. “Okay babe. I have our checks. Mason said he’d meet us out the back.” I step back and look at him. “Oh God you have a date and I’m ruining it for you. I feel so stupid.” I grab my bag and move towards the door. Adrian follows next to me. “Don’t worry hon. He can wait.” I shake my head. “No Adrian. Go on your date. I’ll just take a cab back. There’s no reason for you to cancel. I mean it’s not like Gideon was here for me. He probably doesn’t even care. I’m making too big a deal of this.” He shakes his head, but I refuse to let him ruin his night. As soon as we step out of the door and on to the street, I look at Mason. “I’m sorry Mason. I was having an emotional break-down. You and Adrian are going on your date. I’m going to call a cab.” Mason and Adrian look like they want to argue further, but I hold up my fingers in reproach. “No arguments! I’m taking a cab and you two are going out. Is that clear?” They both nod their heads like two naughty school boys. Adrian takes Mason’s hand and says. “Well at least let us help you get a cab.” I shake my head again. “No. I’m a big girl. I can call a cab on my own. Now shoo!” I say pushing my arms out in a sweeping motion. Adrian gives me a big hug and walks away. “You be careful baby girl. Text me when you get home.” I nod my head and walk towards the other side of the street.
I’m about to hail a cab when a man stops next to me. He’s gorgeous, tall with dark hair and green eyes. He’s wearing a black suit and sporting a five o’clock shadow. He has razor sharp features and a muscled body. He gives me a charming smile. “Hello. You’re the beautiful dancer from the gala. You were incredible.” His praise brightens my mood. “Thanks.” He moves closer running his eyes sensuously down my body, then extends his hand in greeting. “I’m Micah.” I place my hand over his. “Jade.” He licks his lips tightening his hand over mine he whispers. “Jade. What a beautiful name. Can I buy you a drink Jade?” He says pointing to the gala building. I take a deep swallow and think for a moment.
Maybe I need to find a distraction. He can probably make me forget Gideon. But then I think about going into the gala building and I feel nauseous. Pulling my hand away I shake my head. “No offense, but I’d rather not walk in there.” He frowns looking towards the building in question. “Why not? I don’t bite.” I give him a small smile and look around uncomfortable. “It’s not you. I just…my ex is in there.” His eyebrows go up. “Oh, I see. Was he one of the dancers?” I shake my head. “No. He was actually in the audience. We had a bad break up and I’d rather not bump into him again.” He smiles sympathetically. “Okay then, how about we go somewhere else. There’s a nice lounge right there.” He points to the lounge in question. I look back at him and shrug my shoulders. “Okay.” His smile widens and he places his hand on my waist. “Let’s go.” He says nudging his head.
We both get a seat right away. Micah and I talk as we wait for our drinks. “What made you go into dance?” I look around the room then at my lap. “I’ve always danced. I love it.” He leans closer making me a little dizzy. He’s incredibly beautiful. However, all I can think about is Gideon. I’m playing with the candle on the table. “How about you, what do you do?” Micah gives me a sexy smile. “Me? I work for a government agency as a contractor.” His words make me think of Gideon. I remember he said he works for the government. What are the odds? He reaches out and slides his fingers over a lock of my hair. “You said that your ex was at the gala. Who was he?” I pull back in surprise at his question and shift around my chair uncomfortably. “It’s stupid because he probably doesn’t care. I saw him and kind of freaked out. We didn’t end things on good terms.” Micah’s eyes sharpen at my words. “I’m sorry.” I nod my head. “Yeah. He slept with me then dumped me.” My eyes blur with tears. I try to stave them off. However, Micah doesn’t act uncomfortable. Instead he wipes his thumb over my eyes. “I’m sorry. It sounds like he was an asshole.” His words bring a smile to my face. “Yeah. I guess he is. I just felt pretty stupid. I’d rather not talk about it. Can we change the subject?”
Our waitress appears back laying our drinks on the table. I play with the rim of the drink looking down thoughtfully. I look up startled when Micah places his hands over mine. His eyes focus on mine. He opens and closes his mouth as if wanting to ask something. Giving me a chagrined look he asks. “How old are you Jade?” My smile widens wryly. “I’m eighteen. Actually, I turn nineteen this Friday.” I look up at him waiting for a response. His smile widens and he lets out a relieved breath. “Good. Maybe I can see you again, for a birthday dinner?” I smile at his charming little boy pout. “Well I just met you Micah. How old are you?” He bites his lower lip and raises his eyebrows. Placing his forearms on the table he tilts his head. “I’m thirty years old, much too old for you.” I shrug my shoulders. I mean, Gideon is twenty-eight. “No. Not too old. My last boyfriend was twenty-eight.” I shrug my shoulders.
We drink and talk about everyday things after that. Micah is funny and sweet under his bad boy persona. Once dinner is done we take a walk outside. Micah pulls me with him towards the entrance of the alley and pulls me into his arms. He kisses me. His lips are firm and sweet. I wrap my arms around his neck running them through his hair. He pulls me closer. He’s a great kisser, not as good as Gideon, but exceptional. I close my eyes feeling his tongue twine with mine. I bite his lips making him groan. Suddenly, he’s roughly pulled away from me.
Micah falls hard against a car. Gideon is standing over him. I cover my mouth shocked. Gideon picks Micah up by his collar and pushes him hard against the car. Micah looks at him shocked. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing Gideon?” He says releasing his neck from around Gideon’s hand. Gideon looks from me to Micah enraged. “You don’t get to touch her. She’s mine.” My mouth is gaping open at this point. Micah gives me a questioning look. I shake my head vehemently and step towards Gideon. “Are you kidding me Gideon? I’m not yours.” Gideon shakes his head. His jaw is stiff. Micah however looks puzzled. “Wait. You’re her ex?”
I nod my head looking at both of them. “Yes he’s my ex, and there’s no reason for him to be upset over our kiss. He cheated on me.” I look at Gideon who looks pissed. He’s prowling in place tightening his fists. Then a thought strikes me. “Wait? How do you two know each other?” Micah and Gideon give each other a long look, and then turn to me. Gideon answers. “We work for the same company.” I put my hand over my forehead irritated. Pulling back I hold my hands out to create distance. “No, no, no, this is not happening.” Unable to process anymore I turn and walk away from both of them.
Gideon catches up to me gripping my arm. “Wait…Jade we need to talk.” I pull back my arm angrily. “What is there to talk about Gideon?” He runs his hands through his hair in frustration. “FUCK! This is not how I wanted this to happen.” This time my anger gets the best of me. “Screw you Gideon. You cheated on me and you have the nerve to attack someone that I’m with. You know what? Stay the hell away from me.” Micah moves closer to me which seems to piss off Gideon. He takes an aggressive stance blocking Micah from moving closer.
“This is none of your business Micah. Why don’t you go home?” Micah smirks and says. “It looks to me like Jade is none of your business.” He turns back to me. “Let me find you a cab Jade. I don’t think it’s a good idea that you walk home alone.” Gideon pushes his shoulder hard. “She’s not going anywhere with you asshole.” Suddenly they are both face to face like two angry dogs. I throw my hands up and push my arms between them. “Stop it! What’s wrong with both of you?” Gideon gives me a pleading look and Micah just stands there with a frown. Frustrated, I run my hands down my face. “I can’t do this. I need to go.”
Gideon shakes his head vehemently. “No Jade. Please listen to me. What happened was not what you thought. I made a mistake. I need to explain. Please.” I hesitate, blinking back tears. I want to talk to him, but I don’t know if I can handle the pain. Then suddenly the decision is
taken from me. A car drives up the mouth of the alley and a few men come out. Gideon and Micah visibly stiffen. The men block the exit and surround us. Frightened, I move closer to Gideon who pulls me behind him. One of the men points a gun at us. That is when all hell breaks loose. Micah kicks the man’s arm knocking the gun out of his hand. Gideon punches another one in the face, kicking his shins then kneeing him in the head. Another man reaches for me, but Gideon grabs him by the scruff and tosses him into the street. Gideon turns to me. “Run Jade!” He pushes me further into the alley. I turn and run, but a man steps in front of me.
He wraps his arms around me. I kick his foot and head butt him. The breath leaves my body as he tightens his arms around me. I can see Gideon and Micah fighting. My vision begins to dim as I struggle for breath. “GIDEON!” I scream out. Gideon turns and runs towards me. The man holding me throws me down and pulls out a gun aiming it to my head. Gideon stops. “Let her go. This is between you and me.” The man smirks. “I don’t have to do shit. I’m going to kill the bitch then I’m going to finish you Kane. Willem will be happy.” I can feel the gun digging into my head. I’m panting with terror. I look up at Gideon who is now pointing his gun to the man. “Fine then, you kill her and I’ll kill you.” The man gulps loudly. I guess he’s no longer feeling cocky. Gideon continues to stand there looking pissed. The man grasps my hair pulling me up. Pain rushes through me. I try to pull his hand from my hair. It hurts so much. I close my eyes cringing, when a shot rings over my head. Then the pressure is gone.
I flinch when a body falls next to me. Gideon moves forward lifting me into his arms and tilting my chin up to his. “Jade, are you alright?” I nod my head trying not to look at the fallen man. Gideon places his hand around my waist ushering me over to the alley entrance. Micah is standing there looking concerned. “Jade, are you okay?” I nod my head looking at Gideon. “What the hell is going on Gideon? Who are those people? Why are they after you?” I look around confused. I can see several men lying unmoving on the floor. “Fuck! We’ll talk later Jade. First we need to get out of here.” He ushers me out of the alley.
He looks at Micah. “My car is nearby. I’m taking her to my place.” I wordlessly cling to Gideon as they walk back to the car. Micah joins us on the way back. I can hear Gideon and Micah talking but I can’t hear what it is. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. All I can do is stare out the car window.
Chapter 22: Revelations
Gideon
I’m holding Jade’s body close to mine as we walk up into my apartment. I turn to Micah. “Jade and I need to talk privately. Come by tomorrow and we’ll talk.” Micah looks at Jade’s quiet form solemnly. “Fine, but I want to make sure she’s okay before she leaves.” I open the door and usher her to my sectional. Micah moves behind us. “Where’s your liquor cabinet?” I point to a cabinet in the kitchen and squat down in front of Jade.
She’s sitting there stiffly without saying a word. Micah comes over handing me a glass. “It’s whiskey.” I hand the glass to Jade who takes it and gives me a questioning look. “Jade, baby, drink it. It’ll make you feel better.” She looks the drink and tilts the glass into her mouth. She grimaces placing her hand over her mouth and coughing a little. Leaning forward she places her drink on the coffee table and looks back at me and Micah. “Are you two going to tell me what all of this was about?” She stands up pacing back and forth. “Why did those men attack us?”
Micah clears his throat. “This is my cue to leave.” He looks at me nodding his head. “Don’t forget about tomorrow.” His face softens as he looks at Jade. I grit my teeth when he places his fingers under her chin tilting it up. “Will you be okay sweets?” I have to restrain myself when she gives him a sweet smile. “I’ll be fine Micah.” He smiles back caressing his finger down her cheek then walks away.
Once Micah is gone she turns back to me her smile dropping down her face. I open my mouth to say something, but no words come out. It’s ironic that I can kill someone without blinking an eye, but the thought of talking to this beautiful girl makes me break out in jitters. She looks as beautiful as ever. I swallow deeply and move forward. I clear my throat several times, “Jade.” I give her a small smile, but she doesn’t respond. I swallow again. “I’m sorry.” She looks down at her lap then back up at me. “Please Gideon I just want to know what this is about.” I try not to let her coldness affect me. After all, I did deserve it.
Running my fingers through my hair, I continue. “Look Jade. I… I know I messed up...” She licks her lips and rises from her seat. She gives me an incredulous look and walks towards the door. I reach for her arm pulling her to me. Her eyes glimmer with hate as she pulls her arm roughly away. Then she moves closer and grits out. “I don’t want to talk about us Gideon. I just want to know why those men attacked us. Otherwise, you can go straight to hell.”
My nostrils flair at her anger, I’ve missed this so much. I let her walk to the door and follow behind pulling her against it. Suddenly she raises her hand up and slaps me in the face. “Go to hell Gideon.” Her lips tremble and her eyes begin to water.
Unable to help myself I push her further into the door. Her hands are on my shoulders and mine are on her waist. I lean my forehead against hers. “You need to listen to me Jade because this is important.” She turns her head away, but I don’t let it bother me. Instead I run my nose over her hair and cheek. “I didn’t want to hurt you Jade. But being with me is a death sentence for you.” Her eyes snap to mine. She gives me a venomous look and pushes at my shoulders. “You know what? Forget it! I just want to go.” A tear slips down her face. I can’t resist. My hand grasps her neck and pulls her mouth towards mine. My body burns at the touch of her sweet lips. She resists at first, but then melts into my body.
I suck on her lips and tongue. I tighten my arms pulling her hips against mine. Her hands run down my back to my hips. Our tongues continue to duel. My hands move to her neck pulling her chin closer to me. The kiss is almost brutal. I bite her bottom lip and run my nose over hers. “Listen to me Jade.” I whisper breathlessly. “I didn’t sleep with her…” She pulls back licking her lips. “Don’t…Gideon…please.” She says brokenly. But I refuse to stop. “No Jade. I love you. I’ve loved you since I met you.” I look into her eyes wiping my thumb over a stray tear. She gives me a pleading look. “Then why did you do it Gideon? Why?” She says wrapping her hands around my neck.
I look over her shoulder coming to a decision. I pull back holding my hand out. “There’s something I need to show you Jade.” She looks at my hand giving me a weary frown. “This isn’t some kinky Fifty Shades of Grey scene where you show me your sex room. Is it?” I shake my head and laugh in amusement. “No Jade. I don’t need to beat a woman to bring her pleasure. I promise no whips or flogs.” She lets out a nervous breath and takes my hand. Placing my hand on her back I walk her into my bedroom towards my closet.
I open the closet door moving towards a wall in back of my shoe rack. Behind one of my shoes is a keypad. I type in a code and the wall opens revealing a wall full of weapons. There are swords, machine guns, knives, handguns and so on. Jade gasps in shock then moves towards the wall. She looks at me over her shoulder then turns back running her fingers over a few of the weapons. “What are these weapons for Gideon?”
I move towards a computer monitor near the weapons placing my hand over it for a scan. The computer reads my prints and turns on. The Confradia’s insignia pops up. I look back at Jade. “This is the reason why the men attacked us Jade. Micah and I are not just military contractors. We work for a secret group called the Confradia. We are an extremely secret elite branch of the military. We’re called in when political talks fall apart or when our laws do not protect innocent citizens.” She gives me an incredulous look. “I don’t understand.”
I grasp her hand and lead her back to my room having her take a seat on my bed. She sits there quietly as I pace back and forth in front of her. Then I turn back running my hands through my hair. “Jus
t know that I’ve never killed an innocent. The people they send me after are sometimes serial rapists, skin traders, and child molesters. They’re people who have too much money and power too be stopped. That’s when I’m brought in. This however, does not make me popular with the bad crowd. I have a lot of enemies Jade. One in particular that I’m currently hunting is very deadly. I thought that I could protect you, but…”
I look around the room feeling frustrated. “That weekend that you went to your mom’s house. Someone broke in here. He was sent by the guy I am looking for. He was looking for information about me and anyone associated to me. I guess I panicked. I needed to find a way to keep you safe. When you texted me that you were on the way, I went out and hired a hooker to pretend that we were having sex. I promise you Jade. I never slept with her. I couldn’t. Not when I knew that I was in love with you. What happened tonight was another example of how dangerous being in my life is.”
Exhausted, I close my eyes and discharge a deep breath. I don’t know what else to say. I kneel before her placing my hands over her knees and look into her eyes. “Say something.” Her eyes focus on mine. I hold my breath. Suddenly, she moves forward placing her hands over my jaw. “I do love you Gideon. I don’t know how I feel about this. I mean, tonight was pretty scary. But I don’t think I can stay away from you.” She smiles giving me an impassioned look from under her lashes.
Somehow her words make me feel whole again. I feel like a part of a puzzle that has been put to rights. Her fingers caress over my mouth. I nip at them with my lips and place my hand over hers lowering it down to my heart. My mouth moves close to hers. I can feel her breath over my face. Our lips move hesitantly over each other. She licks her lips and nips at mine. Our tongues meet hesitantly.
My hunger for her explodes within me. I pull her forward and kiss her with all the passion in me. She clings to me tightly, my tongue sucking on hers. Our mouths are locked as if in combat. I pull her legs around my waist, stand up with her in my arms and walk with her to my bed. I lay her down under me grinding my body against her sensually. I pull back looking into her heavy lidded eyes and kiss them gently.
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