Chapter 05

MIRANDA

"You don't remember anything from that night?" Quinn asked in a hushed tone, making sure not to disturb the students around us.

We were hauled up in the library since I had an assignment to complete for psychology. Quinn offered to join me, calling it her designated time to study but I knew she had other reasons for doing so. She wanted to check up on me and I was almost certain that she was avoiding Gunnar.

"I remember snip bits but otherwise it's blank and I'm not even attempting to remember. Maybe it's a good thing I forget that night ever happened," I murmured, glaring down at my textbook. It had been opened to the same page for the last hour.

"I mean, that's completely up to you," she began wringing her fingers, a nervous trait of hers — the thing about Quinn was that she had way too many nervous traits. I admired her, though. She never let her doubts stop her, "I hope you realize that Ace isn't going to stop till he finds out who did that to you."

I let out a low groan, scrubbing a hand down my face, "Why didn't you just call Gunnar?"

"Because he would have been too interested in me than you and I knew Ace would focus more on you. It was a smart decision. I mean, he took you home and you're safe," a smirk pulled at the corners of Quinn's pink stained lips as she flicked her wavy strawberry blonde locks over her shoulder, "you should be thanking me."

"Yeah, yeah, you know I'm grateful," I scoffed, ruffling my short jet-black dyed hair that looked as if I hadn't run a brush through it in centuries, "anyway, this assignment is going to be the death of me. I swear."

"What is it about?" Quinn reached over the space between us, grabbing the textbook and skimming through what was written. As she read, a broad smile began to split her lips, and then she chortled, blue eyes shimmering with amusement, "You've got to be kidding me? How have you not chosen anyone yet?"

"I don't know who to pick," I answered with a shrug, "I mean, there are so many good options but I want to stand out. I don't want to do something that someone else in the class is possibly doing."

"Look, all you have to do is research someone and then judge their psych," Quinn made it seem so easy and I had a bad feeling that she was about to pitch an idea to me that I didn't like, "it doesn't have to be someone popular, just someone messed up enough to get you an A. I think I know the perfect person."

"No!" I whisper yelled, yanking my book back and slamming it shut. The sound reverberated through the silent room which had multiple pairs of eyes descending on me. I offered them an awkward smile before turning to Quinn with a scowl, "You're out of your mind."

"Am I?" Quinn leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest with a victorious expression, "All you have to do is spend time with Ace, not hitman Ace, just ex-ranger Ace."

"Aren't they one in the same?"

"No," Quinn's smile fell flat, "I know you don't exactly like Gunnar and Ace but they're good in their own way. Maybe if you spend some time with Ace, you'll see him the way I see him. If he was as bad as you think he would have never helped you or me for that matter."

"You know what your problem is, you see good in people even when there's not a stitch of goodness left," I chided, pointing my finger at her, "and none of the As—"

"Baby girl."

I was abruptly cut off by a voice that had my hackles rising. My pulse quickened, beating against the thin layer of skin at the crook of my neck, and my palms fell cold, dampening with cold sweat.

Ace rounded the table, moving from behind me — where I felt his overpowering presence — to in front of me. The man then pulled out the chair beside Quinn, turned it around, and then sat down with his legs on either side and his arms crossed over the backrest. Ace leaned in and placed a feather-light kiss on Quinn's cheek which had me internally gagging.

"How are you feeling, babe?" He stressed the word babe as his cold, calculated hazel orbs landed on me.

I squirmed slightly in my seat, uncomfortable with his presence, but I soon snapped out of it and leveled him with a deadly scowl, "What are you doing here?" I hissed in return, not caring to answer his question or chastise him for calling me, babe.

"I asked you a question first," Ace retorted with a stupid smirk. I learned that slapping him across the face didn't remove that smirk, it only made his smirk grow.

Freaking psychopath.

I let out a huff in frustration, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure about that? You don't look too good," Ace's eyes trailed down my frame — or whatever he could see of it.

I wore a thin layer of makeup which barely hid the dark circles lining my eyes. The flowy pink tank I wore helped hide the fact that I was too lazy to wear a bra this morning and I fought my way into my black jeans. One wrong move and I was certain I'd rip the seams.

"Whatever, I'm not here to impress you," I snapped, doing a quick sweep of what he wore.

The man always seemed so put together. His hair was perfectly styled to the side, a light peppering of hair framed his sharp jaw, and the small scar over his lips seemed to stand out under the warm yellow glow of the light above us. He wore a black, short-sleeve button-down with the sleeves rolled which exposed the ranger tattoo on his right bicep. Although the lower half of his body was hidden beneath the table, I recalled seeing him in black jeans when he passed me.

"I think I'm going to leave you two alone now," Quinn's voice drew me out of my thoughts.

I whipped my head in her direction to offer her a glare but that didn't face her in the slightest. She gathered their belongings and sauntered away with a proud smile while humming some song under her breath.

With a deep groan, I settled into my seat knowing that I couldn't run away — he would just follow me anyway, "You never answered my question," I finally said.

He answered with a shrug, bringing two fingers up to trace the seam of his lip, "You weren't at home or at the coffee shop you and Quinn seem to have an obsession with."

"So, how did you did you find me here?" I raised a perfectly arched brow in question. Honestly, I wouldn't put stalking past this guy.

"Find my phone," he pulled his phone out of his pocket and waved it in the air, "it's proved to be a helpful app when it comes to tracking you down."

"You're incorrigible."

"And you're the bane of my existence."

"Hardly," I counted, settling my elbow onto the table and resting my chin in my palm, "what do you want, Ace?"

"Literally, all I wanted to do was check up on you. You aren't feeling any side effects and shit, are you?" His gaze became more scrutinizing, lingering on every one of my features for a minute too long.

"I'm fine," the hairs on the back of my neck stood up once more and a chill ran down my spine. For some strange reason, I felt as if someone was watching me. In a subtle gesture, I looked over my shoulder and scanned the rows of tables behind me. Each student that sat there seemed to be engrossed in whatever they were doing.

"Why are you suddenly as white as a sheet?" Ace whispered, drawing my attention back to him.

I shook my head, "It's nothing."

Ace didn't listen to me, though. He was already scanning the place to find the source of my discomfort. When he came up empty, he quizzed, "Did you remember something or see someone that could have spiked your drink the other night?"

"No," came my quick response. Maybe my body was giving me the signal to get the heck out of this library and far away from Ace. The only bad person in the room was him. I wasn't about to ignore my body's reaction to him.

Gathering my books, I stuffed them into my backpack and then rose to my feet, "You've seen that I'm good, now you can leave me the hell alone."

With those words, I turned on my heel and walked out of the library. Quinn and I had walked here, wanting to avoid the busy roads. It felt good to feel the wind brush against my face and tousle tufts of my hair. Grey clouds flooded the sky above, giving it a gloomy appearance. Tonight it would storm — the perfect weather to curl up with a good book and some hot cocoa.

"Come on, I'll take you home," Ace called from behind me.

I knew he was following him, I just hoped he would remain silent so I could forget his presence, "I'm good, thanks."

He chuckled which had my feet faltering. It was a chuckle that sounded as if it came from the depths of hell, "Get in the car, Miranda."

I swallowed the lump lodged in my throat and slowly turned to meet his hard glare, "Really, I can walk home."

He didn't look impressed at my words, taking a single threatening step toward me which had fear locking my muscles, "It's good not to ignore your instincts, baby, but I'm not the one giving you that feeling."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I challenged, crossing my arms and leaning my weight onto one leg, "you're wasting my time."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," he growled with another step, "that feeling of being watched. That eerie chill that raced down your spine and had every micro-hair on your body lifting in unease. The faint beads of cold sweat that gathered along your temple and the way your pulse picked up for no reason. It's why you were subtly looking around the room and why you raced out of there when you realized you had to get away."

"The only person I need to get away from is you," I snarled, going against my better judgment and stepping toward him so we were face to face, "so why don't you just stay away from me so I can live my life in peace without looking over my shoulder."

Ace leaned in, warm breath dancing over my right ear. My breath hitched as I waited patiently for his next set of words. The air between us instantly shifted and it was no longer fear I felt.

"You want me to stay away from you, fine," Ace pulled away from me, a cold draft replacing the warmth of his body. He began walking away, swinging his car keys around his index finger. Looking over his shoulder, he added, "don't ignore your gut instinct, baby, and make sure to lock your door and windows tonight. You know, just in case."

I watched him get into the driver's seat of his matte black Audi. In a matter of seconds, his tires were screeching out of the parking lot. I expelled a sharp breath before continuing my trek back to my apartment. Quinn probably had one of her drivers pick her up so I wasn't worried about her. All I cared about was getting home before that eerie feeling came back.

I sped walk through the crowded streets, dodging the people as best as I could. My apartment was only a few blocks away which meant I should reach home before sunset. Ace's words rang in my ears which freaked me out further. He never bothered to tell me to make sure my apartment was locked, even when he broke in on so many occasions and I found him asleep on my couch. In the beginning, it sort of scared me, finding a trained killer on my couch wasn't exactly a normal way to start my mornings.

He never told me why he did what he did but it had only started after the night I had broken Quinn out of the Astor mansion with the help of her brother. After that Eddie guy had shown up at my apartment, Ace had made himself a nuisance. Most nights he spent sleeping on my couch and if he weren't then I just assumed he was busy doing a job. Just the thought of it had me shuddering.

I made it to my apartment moments later just as the sun was beginning to set. Usually, I'd take the elevator up to my floor but this time I decided to take the stairs — running up them two at a time. I knew it would be stupid of me to look back but it put me at ease each time I did. Knowing no one was following me had me grasping at the last bit of calmness I had.

When I entered my apartment, I did exactly what Ace had told me to do. I made sure everything was locked, drew all the curtains, and buried myself under my comforter. I hated living in constant fear. I had to find a way to relieve myself of it even if that meant doing my utmost best to avoid a man like Ace.