CHAPTER FOUR
Blood.
The stench of blood was all I could smell as I stared at the doctors in front of me, running and checking on patients. A stretcher pushed passed me, and a young girl stared back at me, eyes wide with an oxygen mask over her face. The blood slithered down her head as she made eye contact with me, as if asking me for help. A doctor crouched over her holding the flashlight over her eyes as he tried to get a response. Her chest heaved heavily, her eyelids fluttered close, but her gaze remained on me.
I could feel the vomit come up and I dashed to the nearest bathroom. I coughed up my breakfast hunched over a toilet. I spat loudly and flushed. My stomach rumbled as I stared at the mirror. I turned on the faucet and crouched. The last time I was in a hospital was when I was 17. I shut my eyes as the memories of my stepfather crouched over me as he rained blows on my face flashed through my eyes. My right arm tinged, the scar reminding me of my dark past.
"You're safe. You're okay," I muttered.
"Mia?" Tara's voice came through the mic, and I quickly did a sweep of the bathroom to make sure no one was in there and touched the mic.
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?" her voice was filled with worry, and I smiled.
"Yeah," I stared at my reflection and scrunched my eyebrows. "What the hell am I doing?"
"Getting close to your target."
The event of the party replayed in my head.
"Thank you."
I got lost in his scent, his embrace, in him. There was something that pulled me to him, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it was undeniably there. His warm breath tickled the nape of my neck, his fingers sliding in my hair reminded me of our kiss. His arms felt like I was exactly where I needed to be. It made me feel safe, like I was... home. I moved away from the hug and stared into his eyes. They captured mine so easily, pulling me in their depths with no one to help me. I felt trapped and the weirdest part was—I didn't mind. My gaze fell on his lips, so soft, so near and yet so... forbidden.
Tara cleared her throat, jerking me out of my thoughts. I moved back quickly and adjusted my dress.
"Um- uh, it's okay," I rarely stuttered, that was out of behavior for me.
"No really, you saved my life, and that move you pulled?" he looked... impressed.
If anyone had tried to kill me—if I didn't have so many enemies—my first reaction would be shock at the fact that someone wanted me dead. He didn't look fazed that someone had just pointed a gun at him, rather all he felt was awe that I had saved him.
I tilted my head. "You don't seem all that surprised you just had a gun aimed at you."
His eyes shifted multiple times as he scratched his head. "Believe it or not, it isn't the first time."
My eyebrows shot up. "Really?"
Someone else wanted him dead.
"It comes with the job," he shrugged.
"And what job is that?" I asked.
Damon Walker, CEO of Walker Foods and Co. He had been named three times in the top 10 under 30 most eligible bachelor and multi-millionaire in the New Times Magazine. He was an icon in the Food industry, making his company the best in the country. He had branches in forty-one states, and five countries. He travelled multiple times a month for business meetings around the world and there were rumors of opening another branch in Asia. While this was more than impressive, none warranted him being hunted like a fucking rat. He was lying.
He brought out his card and held it out to me. Damon Walker—CEO Walker Foods and Co. Nothing I didn't already know about.
"So, I'm guessing they want to kill you to get your recipes?" I flipped through the card and stared at him.
His laughter made me pause, mostly because they sounded like something I wanted to listen to for the rest of my life. It was a low rumble that bounced off the walls and imprinted itself in my brain.
"Something like that," he said.
'I didn't know you could fight," he changed the subject, too fast, like he feared me asking more questions.
Weird.
"There are many things you don't know about me," I said. He was hiding something, I wanted to know what it was.
George came back after dragging Elliot out and whispered something in Damon's ear. I turned away, pretending to fix my dress and touched my mic.
"Find out everything you can on Elliot, his phone records, family whatever you can, and don't let him out of your sight," I whispered.
"You got it," Tara said.
Damon shook his head. "There's no need to involve the police and make sure to keep it from him."
Who's him? Alan River?
"Sorry about that," he turned to me.
"Hmm, well," I glanced at my wristwatch. "It's pretty late."
"Hold on," he held my arm and goosebumps crawled up my back.
His touch was electrifying, rooting me in spot. I knew it was dangerous, I knew I shouldn't feel that way, but I couldn't help it.
"What?" my voice was low, dripped with desire. I was ashamed by how my body was enslaved to my desires and I was not strong enough to fight against it.
His breath caught in his throat as he stared at me. He saw the lust in my eyes, and I could see the battle going on behind his.
A word. And I would be his.
"Um-," he let go of my hand and took a step back. "Do you wanna be my bodyguard?"
The lust was quickly replaced by confusion. I frowned and looked at him in disbelief.
"What?"
"You saved me, and I've seen you fight. I'll pay you any amount," he said.
I saved him because I wanted to be the one to kill him, I didn't want anyone to take that satisfaction away from me, but he wanted to hire me as his bodyguard?
"Goodnight, Mr. Walker," I turned on my heels and walked away.
I peeked through the doors when I was out of sight to see him pacing round the room, hitting his head. I dialed Tony.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid. Fuck!" he yelled, just as Tony picked up.
"Someone else wants the target dead," I said.
"I'm not surprised. Alan Walker has lots of enemies."
"You said no one else knows he's Alan's son," there was a pause.
"Find out who wants him dead."
"On it. Also, he hired me to be his bodyguard," another pause—this one longer than the last.
"Do it."
So, there I was in the hospital, the last place I wanted to be, puking out my guts.
"Ivy?" a voice called from behind the door, and I looked up. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. I'll be right out," I washed my face and sighed.
I was in the hospital visiting the mother of the man I was supposed to kill.
"What could possibly go wrong?" I muttered to myself.
He peeled back from the wall and walked towards me with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Hibiscus. My favorite flower. Did he get them for me? How did he know they were my favorite? My eyes trailed up his body; it was the first time seeing him dressed casually. He had on a grey sweatshirt with the letters HOT on it—there were no truer words printed on a sweatshirt. His loosed jeans fell over his ankles and he wore a pair of sneakers to match. He looked nothing like the CEO of a multi-millionaire company, and the man I fantasized about many times.
His bangs fell over his face making him look eight years younger. He looked hot in a different way, like this naive thing I would love to destroy its innocence.
"Hi," his smile spread across his face.
I glanced at the flowers in his hands.
"They are my mom's favorite," he said, and I nodded curtly.
"I see." What the hell was I thinking?
We walked silently to the elevator, and I glanced around. "Where are your guards?"
"I asked them not to come."
"Why?"
He pressed a button. "Cause I have you?"
What an irony. "Right."
I still haven't gotten used to it. I had never protected any of my targets before. What the hell was Tony thinking?
Silence surrounded us and I glared at the buttons, wishing it to go faster. I tapped my foot anxiously. All this was new to me, it made me nervous.
Stay close to him. I'll give you the orders to kill him when the time is right.
Tony's voice resounded in my ear. Was I just supposed to wait until Tony decided? The tension was killing me. I wanted to fuck him. I wanted to kill him. I was forbidden from doing either. I didn't like that one bit. I glanced at the camera on my right; I knew Tara was watching us. Even though I knew I could trust her, I didn't want her to know about my attraction to Damon. The mission was the most important one I had ever been on. I shudder to think what Tony would do if he saw me kissing the enemy. It was the only thing stopping me from jumping on him at that moment.
The door pinged and opened, and I could not step out fast enough. The VIP ward was quiet and spread out vastly in front of me
"Over here," he turned right, and I followed him.
He opened the door gently and stepped in. The sound of the machine beeping filled the silent room as a woman sprawled on the bed a few feet away from us. Even though she had a machine hooked on her, she was really beautiful. I could see where Damon got his looks from. Her black hair matched his and they had the same nose. He dropped the flowers on her nightstand and held her hand. He kissed it as he slowly caressed her hair. I stood there awkwardly, watching them. I had no idea why he'd wanted me to follow him visit his mom, or why he wanted me to see a private and intimate moment between them.
I fiddled with my thumbs and looked away. I had no one to love and care for like that, having lost my mom at a young age and lived home to home.
"Do you want me to leave?" I wanted to escape as far away as possible.
"No. Stay."
Shit.
I nodded and clasped my hands, reveling in the silence. I had never felt more at peace.
"She got sick a few months ago, ovarian cancer," he broke the silence.
I had lost my mom at a young age, and I knew what it was like to feel helpless. You want to help, but there was nothing you could do to make them feel better. It was the most awful feeling in the world.
"I'm sorry." I meant it.
"She only has a f-f... few months to live," his voice broke.
I walked closer to him and touched his back. "I know how it feels to lose a parent. I wish I can tell you the pain goes away."
I stared at the ceiling to keep the tear from falling. There was no way I was going to cry in front of him. I wasn't going to rehash my past, no, it wasn't about me. The breath caught in my throat when he pulled me closer and hugged my waist. His tears soiled my top and I stood still, not breathing. At that moment, he wasn't just some target I was meant to kill, he was just a man who was afraid of losing his mom. He was being vulnerable in front of me and while that would have set me off and have me run the other way, all I wanted to do was comfort him.
So, despite the warning voices in my head, I pulled him closer and patted his back gently. I was comforting the man I was meant to kill. I could only imagine Tony's face.
"Damon," a small voice called out and I pushed him away gently, like we'd been caught doing a bad thing.
"Mom," he wiped his tears quickly and turned to her. "How do you feel?"
"Never better," she smiled.
He chuckled and held her face gently. "You look beautiful."
She rolled her eyes playfully. "Now, now, stop teasing this old woman."
He laughed. "Old? All I see is a pretty woman kicking ass."
"Language," she scolded, and he chuckled.
Her gaze held mine. "Who's this?"
"Um-," he paused and glanced at me.
"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Walker," I am an assassin sent to kill your son. "I'm Damon's_."
"Girlfriend," he interrupted, and I blinked at him rapidly.
"Really?" the smile lit up her face, they had the same smile.
"Mom," he pulled me closer.
"Meet Ivy, my girlfriend."