by Anna Kendra
“I already said sorry a thousand times! How long are you going to hold it against me? Now, are you going to do your job or do I need to call Christian?” If there was one person Selena both feared and respected, it would be his brother.
“Fine, you jerk! Is it the same Arthur Stone who got arrested for marrying a minor and abusing his wife?” she asked, switching instantly from annoyed bitch to professional informer.
“Yes,” Julian answered, his jaw clenched.
“Fine. Give me a few hours,” she said and hung up instantly.
Rude, he thought, but he knew that Selena will help him out no matter how grumpy she got. But he also knew that ithardly takes her an hour at most to gather all information, but she’ll hold back for longer just so she can get back at him.
So, while waiting, he went to the kitchen for a late breakfast but couldn’t find the maid anywhere. Instead, he walked to the table and grabbed an apple and walked out into the backyard where he found Leo playing basketball alone.
He had felt a little awkward in front of Leo before, wondering about the relationship between Sia and Leo’s father, but now that he knew the truth, he felt proud that the kid had been there for Sia when she needed him most. He was a very sensible boy, which wasn’t usual for a boy his age.
“Need help?” he asked, finishing off the apple and throwing the core in a trash can.
Leo’s head snapped in his direction, causing him to drop the ball which came rolling towards Julian’s feet. “Sure,” Leo answered with a smile, a smile that was exactly like his mother’s.
“Okay then,” Julian said, picking up the ball. “Get ready to be defeated by the almighty!” he said, then took off, running.
“Not a chance!” Leo laughed and ran after him.
They played for some time, and Julian realized he was having more fun here with Leo than he had with his brother. Christian had always been the scholar, the nerdy one, so he liked spending more time with his books than with Julian. It’s not that Christian didn’t care; he did care a great deal about Julian. He just rarely showed it.
They were so engrossed in the game that a yell from Sia startled them both. Julian turned to look at her, and his breath was caught in his throat. His eyes widened. Holy shit, he thought. She looked hot. He had never seen this much of her legs exposed before, and he was in awe of the creamy white complexion of her skin. He noticed her blush, and he couldn’t help but imagine those sexy legs wrapped around his hips. But he controlled his emotions through clenched teeth. He was here for work, not for his cock.
Sia and Leo were talking about going to someplace named “Paradiso” and he saw Leo practically dash towards the house. He soon learned that it was an Italian restaurant which was Leo’s favorite. After Leo was done changing, they were well on their way to their lunch destination.
The restaurant was pretty simple. Pink and blue walls made a nice contrast and the atmosphere was perfect for a family outing. Lunch was delicious. And it wasn’t just because the food was good. No, it was also because he was having lunch with people he really enjoyed being with. Sia, Julian noticed, loved to eat—a trait he loved in a woman. But mostly he enjoyed how mother and son bickered over the menu and then watched them quietly steal food from each other’s plates when the other didn’t notice. He watched in amusement as Leo stole a piece of chicken right from under Sia’s nose while she was busy on a phone call from her office.
After lunch, however, it was time for a fight between him and Sia.
“Stop right there! I brought you here, so I’ll pay! It’s my treat.”
“No, no! You already pay me for my services, but I think it would be rude to make you pay. So I’m paying!”
“Come on! I should pay.This was my idea.”
“Maybe next time. I’m paying now.”
“But—”
“Mom! Julian! You guys are acting like little kids!” Leo interrupted. “Seriously? If you guys want to pay so badly, then just pay half each. See? It’s that easy!”
“Oh, really? And what about you?” An amused Sia asked her son.
“Oh, no! I’m a minor with no job. You pay for me, Mommy!” Leo told his mother slyly while batting his long lashes for added effect.
“You’re not getting any pocket money this week, mister!” Sia mock glared at her son, but they both took his advice and split the bill.
Walking out of the restaurant together, Julian couldn’t help but think that they felt like a family—Sia and Leo holding hands and walking slightly behind him while he kept an eye out for trouble.
His phone rang in his pocket, and Julian immediately took it out, relieved to see who was calling. Finally, he thought.
“You guys go ahead. I’ll be right back. Okay?” he told Sia.
“Sure,” Sia said, smiling, and walked ahead with her son.
“Yes?” he answered as soon as they were out of earshot.
“Arthur Stone, forty-four, semi-good looking, took over Milton Co., probably by cheating, and then married their daughter. Sentenced to lifetimeimprisonment for fraud, abuse, child abuse, and rape. Was in the prison for the last ten years and eleven months—”
“Wait! What do you mean ‘was in prison’?” Julian asked, a sudden chill going down his spine.
“Would have known earlier if you’d let me finish, jerk!” Selena snapped and then continued in her no-nonsense tone. “As I was saying, was in prison for nearly eleven years, but he ran away three months ago, and the police haven’t found him since. I’m working on the details of how he ran off, but it’ll take time to hack into the cop’s top secret classified shit.” Selena hung up once again, extracting her revenge for the hundredth time.
“Fuck!” Julian angrily ran a hand through his hair.
And that’s when he heard the screech of the tires.
Chapter 8
It had been an amazing lunch date with her son and her bodyguard. And yes, all Julian was to her was a bodyguard. He had promised to keep her and her son safe. But did it change the fact that she was physically attracted to him? No, it didn’t. But she’d be damned if she decided to act on it. Last night was a moment of weakness, but she’ll make sure it never happened again.
Sia decided to focus on things other than the six-foot-something impeccable man that was her bodyguard. She hadn’t been able to take time off from work due to immense pressure, but she had finally decided she needed time with her son—her family. And she didn’t regret the decision of skipping work for lunch. The only problem was even the amazing food in front of her didn’t help curb the jealousy that she felt when a waitress would give Julian flirty looks or when they would bend down a little more than necessary just to give him a peek of their cleavage. Good thing Julian hadn’t paid any attention to their desperate behavior.
Julian had waited back to take a call so she’d walked on ahead to her car with Leo. Once she reached her car, she told Leo to sit in the backseat and buckle up while she waited for Julian. Though he wasn’t speaking to the phone, he looked stressed and angry, running his hands through his midnight black hair and messing it up even further.
She was about to go over to ask him what was wrong when she heard a sudden screech of tires diverting her attention to the speeding Volvo at the exit of the restaurant. Something about the car felt awfully familiar and made a chill of fear trickle down her spine, rooting her to the spot.
She watched, transfixed in horror, as the tinted glass window of the Volvo went down low enough so that the barrel of a gun could poke out of it. And that was when she saw the trigger being pulled, the sound of the gunshot loud in the air as she felt deaf to any other noise around her.
***
Everything happened so fast that it felt surreal. Sia was standing stiff as a board. Her feet felt like boulders as her thoughts went to her son who was now safely inside the car. She thought, this was it. This was how she was going to go. She only had time to look back into her son’s eyes for a single piercing instant. But the next instant,
she felt her back roughly hit a car door and pain explode in her forehead.
It took a minute to register what had happened as her heart hammered inside her chest like a machine gun. She was pressed up against her own car, while Julian shielded her with his body. She could already see a deep gash on his shoulder as blood spilled onto his white T-shirt, staining it red. Julian had saved her at the last minute, pushing her out of the way and taking the hit himself. He took out a small gun from his back and pointed it at the Volvo.
“Leo, keep your head down and stay away from the windows!” Julian yelled, making Sia wince at the loud noise as Julian fired at the wheels of the Volvo which was now speeding away.
He then turned to her and noticed the gash she’d gotten when her head hit the side of the car. “Keep your head down and get inside, okay? And give me the keys,” he told her urgently while reaching out and opening the backseat door.
Sia felt like she was unable to move. Her feet felt like lead, and her body went numb with fear, but her concern for Leo was far stronger than hers, and somehow from that truth, she found her strength to move. She kept her head down and got in.
By that time, a large group of security guards had gathered around the entrance. Julian made eye contact with them, asking them if the coast was clear. The guards nodded, and Julian walked over to inform them regarding what had happened and also show his ID. But he was soon back, sliding into the driver’s seat. As the engine roared to life, he looked back at mother and son cuddled in the backseat and yelled, “Hold on tight!” before moving full speed ahead.
He didn’t make any stops, but he was alert, watching the road for any cars that might be tailing them. He reached the Milton house within record time and locked the main gate with the new security code he’d installed last night.
He parked in front of the entrance and got out before pulling the back door open. Never in his life had he ever felt scared for anyone like the way he did now for Sia. She had a death grip on her son, but she was fading in and out of consciousness. Leo, too, had his arms tight around his mother and was shaking like a leaf.
Julian pried Sia’s arms off her son, and as soon as he pulled her closer to his chest, she passed out. The gash on her forehead wasn’t deep, and the blood had dried, but he knew it was more than the physical injury that had caused her to lose consciousness.
“Get inside, Leo! Quick!” Julian shouted his orders. He knew that the boy was scared, but right now, the only thing on Julian’s mind was keeping them safe.
“B-but Mom?” Leo asked helplessly, tears glistering in his light amethyst eyes.
Julian felt bad for the boy. He had probably never played action games in his life. Such gentleness was his nature, and here he was, witnessing a liveaction shoot-out. “Go,” he said, this time gentler. “I’ll take care of your mother. And tell Martha to prepare the first aid box.”
Leo nodded and left the car while Julian pulled out his phone and contacted the security guards at the gate, giving them orders not to let anyone in unless he said it was safe. He placed his phone inside his pocket and got an unconscious Sia out of the car, carrying her inside the house.
As expected, Martha was standing at the doorstep, with a large white box in her hands, pale as a ghost as she watched Sia’s numb body in Julian’s arm.
“This way,” Martha said, climbing up the stairs to Sia’s room without wasting time on the hows and whats. Julian followed behind her, carrying Sia as if she weighed no more than a feather.
Julian laid Sia down on the bed when they entered her room. Martha immediately started cleaning and bandaging her wounds.
“Julian, will you step outside, please?” Martha asked sternly. “I need to change her.”
Julian nodded, and with great willpower, stepped outside the door. The thought of anything happening to Sia left him horrified. However, he soon spotted Leo not too far from him, sitting on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms tightly wrapped around them.
“Hey!” Julian called out before walking over to him and taking a seat next to him. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
Leo shook his head, but he was rocking back and forth from anxiety and panic. Julian put his arm around the boy’s shoulder and pulled him close to his chest. “It’s all right, kid. Your mom’s gonna be fine, and today will feel like it never happened.”
Leo nodded against his chest, unable to speak, but he clutched Julian’s shirt in his hands for comfort, and his shivering receded considerably.
Martha came out after a while and gave them the okay sign. Leo had calmed down by then, but he had also fallen fast asleep. He motioned for Martha to point out the boy’s room and then carried Leo and placed him on his bed. Since there weren’t any physical injuries on him, Martha just took off his shoes and socks and pulled the covers over him to let him rest.
“Here.” Martha handed Julian the first aid box. “For your shoulder,” she said when Julian gave her a confused stare.
Only then did Julian remember taking the shot for Sia and the wound on his shoulder. He’d gotten injured before while performing his duties, but never in a state of preoccupation. Never in his life had he been distracted by a charge, not even the ones he was fucking. He hadn’t even touched Sia but here he was, uncharacteristically out of focus
“Thank you,” he told the elderly woman.
“No problem. Today has been a rough day for you all,” Martha said solemnly before making her way to the door. “Call if you need anything. I’ll be downstairs. And do tell if you need stitches. I’ve never stitched a person before, but I’ve helped Sia stitch garments.”
“I guess that qualifies.” Julian chuckled, shaking his head, as Martha turned her back to go out of the room.
But then, she stopped in her tracks just before she went out the door and turned to face Julian. “Just don’t hurt her,” she said warily, closing the door on Julian’s shocked expression.
Did she know he had feelings for Sia? That was the first thought in his mind, as he stood beside the bed, alone with Leo.
But as he looked at the first aid box in his hands, the only thought he had was to keep both mother and son safe from a psychopath who had somehow managed to escape from prison and was now after their life. This was no longer a game to harm Sia. This was an all-out kill strike, and Julian will find the bastard before he managed to do more harm.
Chapter 9
“Did any outside party help him?” Julian asked Selena as they stared at their own copies of the blueprint of the Central Prison.
“Nope.” Selena shook her head, her long black wavyhair pulled back into a ponytail. “Any friends he’d made were inside the prison. In fact, he even escaped like a rat, through the sewer system.”
“How?” Julian asked as Selena went over the map to show him the details.
Selena was wearing her usual outfit of dark jeans paired with a black company T-shirt and a black leather jacket over it. Not only did she prefer to dress like a badass, but she was also one in real life too—even if she just appeared on a screen on his laptop like right now. No one could question her efficiency.
Now she pointed her finger, its nail painted bright red, at a cell near the back of the prison. “This is where he had been kept for the last two years. In fact, this entire area is reserved for people with the most heinous crimes. But two years without movement was a stupid decision on behalf of the prison authority. Since he’d calmed down and showed fewer signs of aggression, the authorities had thought he’d accepted his fate. But Arthur seemed to have carefully calculated eachmove. He tracked the guards’ checkin times as well as the time for meal deliveries. And then he dug up his toilet seat and made a hole big enough so he could pass through, and voila! There went out our rat. Right through the sewer systems.”
“But this isn’t as easy as it sounds,” Julian told her after carefully studying the blueprint. “The only area of the prison which has their toilets linked to the sewers is in that particular area and only t
hose two cells have such links. It would’ve taken him a hell lot of trial and error to finally make his escape, which wouldmean he had to spend a large amount of time inside the sewers to map out his escape route. And according to the data you gave me, the guards never found him out of place when they were on rounds.”
“Exactly.” Selena smirked at him. “This is why I told you that he’d made friends inside the prison.”
“Explain.” Julian folded his arms over his chest.
“The topsecret files that I hacked into told me it was David Muller who helped him escape. He was one of the prison guards on duty at the time, and coincidentally, he too had gone missing the very same night that Arthur Stone escaped.” Selena looked at Julian. “The police have searched their houses thoroughly, but they are nowhere to be found, and since three months have already passed without a sighting, the police have almost given up on the case.”
“Well, they can’t just disappear without a trace, and from the attacks that happened on Sia, they’re clearly still in town.” Julian rubbed his hands down his face before turning to Selena. “Find out if David and Arthur have any connection. The bastard’sbroke and doesn’t have a penny to his name. We need to find out what prompted a prison guard to suddenly go dark if money wasn’t in the picture.”
With that, Julian turned off the communication on his laptop and went back to watching over Sia.
***
Sia regained consciousness with a start.
Her head hurt like hell. Her temples were throbbing with a headache which she knew was just making its presence felt when the events of the day came rushing back to her.
Leo!
Her eyes snapped open as she inhaled a lungful of air.