FIVE

~Abella 

“This has been the worst week of my life.”

They are the first words to come out of my mouth as Sam walks into my apartment. She barely has time to put her bag down before I grab her arm, pulling her toward my bedroom. We always collapse onto my bed and talk when either one of us has a problem. Usually it’s a problem Sam had, but now that has fallen upon my shoulders. 

“Is this about that Cian guy who interrupted us at the bar? God he was hot,” she says, crawling across my bed covers to lie beside me. 

“Half of it is about him, and the other half isn’t,” I say. Underneath this bed, the duffle bag full of money sits there, ready to be dug out by authorities before I’m dragged off to the prisons where I will spent the rest of my life. At least I won’t be harassed by Cian, or offered anymore jobs by Alpha Noah. 

Sam sits up. “Tell me everything.”

“Might as well start with the fact that I got offered a job...by Alpha Noah. Something about sorting through his mail because someone wants to assassinate him. Not sure who would want to do that...but regardless, he offered me a job and I don’t think I’m going to take it,” I say, practically all in one breath. Sam blinks at me a few times, before squealing. 

She jumps up and down on the bed on her knees, clapping her hands. “You have to take it, are you kidding me? You’re working for the Alpha, which means not only being paid a ton, but you’re rubbing shoulders with the most powerful man in this Pack!”

Of course that’s what Sam takes from this. 

“You forget I have no social skills, and after this, I’ll be living in the bowels of the place, and I’ll never see him. Not that I want to,” I sigh. 

“You’re taking the job...So, what else is going on?”

Instead of explaining, I get up, kneeling beside my bed. Sam watches keenly, as I reach  under, dragging out the black leather duffle bag with a golden zip. As confused as she might be, Sam finally remains quiet until I open the bag, revealing the money stuffed immaculately inside, before her voice squeaks out in shock. 

“Who...what? Wait, how did you get this much money?” she questions, hopping down beside me. She grabs a fistful of notes. “Have you been lying to me this entire time about having no money so I’ll pay for dinners out?”

“Would you put the money back, please,” I growl, grabbing it from her hands before I zip it back up. “I don’t want fingerprints on it.”

Sam hops back onto the bed, raising a questioning eyebrow at me. I wish it were easier to explain, but considering I don’t know all the details, it’s going to be hard to get Sam to understand. Actually no, Sam believes anything, even if it’s not real. She just likes the entertainment of it all. 

“Cian left it for me. He wrote a note too. All because I admitted I struggle with money. I haven’t seen him around since he delivered this, although it was only yesterday. I need to give it  back, but I don’t want to see him every again,” I tell her. 

Sam blinks a few times, looking genuinely confused. “You’re telling me you don’t want to see the ridiculously hot guy from the Desire Pack who gave you tons of money?”

“Well no...”

“Are you crazy? I’ll go tell him you don’t want the money if you’re so shy. Maybe I’ll even suggest to him he should give me the money,” Sam says excitedly. I know she is just joking, but I still feel uncomfortable. Crawling back onto the bed, I let Sam pull me into her arms. Her hugs always make my worst fears vanish. For the meantime.

I close my eyes. “I’m not shy, I just don’t want to see him. He’s weird, and he stalks me. If I call the police I’m scared they will find out about the money. He’s a total creep is my point, and no one is telling me why all these strange things have been happening recently.”

“This is good. Now, tell me about this job. Did you meet the Alpha, or just one of his assistants?” she asks, brushing at my hair. 

“I met him.”

Sam raises an eyebrow, demanding more information. “He was odd. It was almost as if he was about to beg me to take the job, like his life depends on it. He even said I could live there, which of course I won’t be doing that because then you won’t be able to visit. So I don’t know what to do really. Or what to think of him.”

“Be honest here, is he hot? Don’t look at me like that, can’t a girl be curious? Compare me Cian to Noah,” she says, looking at me with glazed eyes. I frown at her, making her shrug defensively. “Look, I’m living vicariously through you. I don’t have two impossible attractive me pining after me.”

I roll my eyes. “Noah doesn’t want me, and Cian...I don’t know what Cian wants from me, but I think it’s illegal and has something to do with money.”

Sam claps, wanting me to get to the point.

“Noah is mysterious, I can’t wrap my head around him. He’s always vague in the way he speaks, and I don’t know much about him yet. And Cian is forward and intrusive as if he wants to unearth my biggest fears,” I explain to her. 

Sam squeals, as if this information is the most interesting thing I’ve said all night. Maybe it was a mistake bringing her here. I should have known all she would be interested in it whether or not these guys that are terrorising me are hot or not. I couldn’t care less about that, even if it does linger in the back of my mind for a single moment. 

“Look, I need to get rid of this money. Like right now. If it means finding this Cian guy again, I’ll do it, but how am I meant to know where he is?” I exasperate. 

Sam grabs my arm, pulling me up. 

“He obviously lives in this apartment complex, since he saved you from that freak show who stalked you, and put the money in front of the door, so maybe have a look around, you might just happen to run into him,” Sam offers. 

As unlikely as it might sound, I’m to the point of desperation. I could burn the money, but that would be a waste. Not to mention the legal ramifications that might also come from it.

“Stay here,” I instruct.

Thankfully, Sam stays in my bedroom while I leave my apartment. I’m silently hoping Cian won’t be around, which is more likely than not. As much as I want to get rid of that money, the other part doesn’t want me to face him again. He scares me, quite frankly, and I don’t know what he wants with me, which makes this situation all the worst. 

The halls of the apartment building are awfully quiet at this time of night. The main demographic this caters to elderly people and those my age that aren’t well off. Just like me. 

Just as I got down the elevator third floor, which is just under mine, it struck me. If Cian has so much money, why would he have a place here? And I know practically everyone who lives in there...

“God Abella, aren’t you stupid,” I mutter, turning on my heels. 

“Stupid? I somehow doubt that,” I hear, before I nearly hit my forehead on a chest all dressed in black. 

Stumbling back, my heart jumps into my throat, as I realise it’s Cian, standing there, his hands shoved in his pockets, his signature move at this point. He appeared like magic; I didn’t even hear his footsteps approaching. Either he has an extremely light step, or he is using other forces...What am I talking about?

“Sneak up on me why don’t you,” I grumble, crossing my hands over my chest. Despite the fact that I came out here looking for him, actually having him be here is more frightening than I expected. 

It occurs to me once again, how otherworldly he seems. It’s intimidating. 

“What are you doing loitering around this place past curfew?” he asks, that feline like smile spreading to his eyes, which glisten darkly. He’s challenging me, wanting me to snap and say something he can retort to. “You never struck me as the kind of girl to like anything out of her comfort zone.”

“You don’t know me. At all,” I say promptly. “So what are you doing here? You don’t live here.”

I feel better now I’ve come to that conclusion.

“I came here to see you. My note said I would meet you outside your apartment complex to take you to dinner. I suppose there is no better time than now,” he says, as if it’s not nearing midnight. 

Sifting back through my mind, I try recover the words of the note in my subconscious. Ah yes, the note that was lay on top of the money I was gifted. The money. Cian hardly looks bothered that that amount of money came out of his pocket. Either that confirms he stole it, or he is just seriously rich. The lavish clothing he wears suggests the latter. 

“Dinner? A note? Sorry, but I was too distracted by the hoard of money that was on my doorstep,” I comment.

Cian smiles, leaning his shoulder against the door. “Ah yes. I hope it has made your life a little easier.”

I have to force my anger down.

“No, it hasn’t. I want you to take it away. I don’t want it, and I don’t need it,” I insist, brushing past him. When I turn around, taking steps backward, he is following me, smiling softly. “If you don’t take it, I’ll burn it. It must have been a dent out of your pocket.”

“Money is such a mortal thing,” he says with a dismissive shrug. “I can constantly supply you and it not be a big deal.”

I frown, unsure if I heard right. “Sorry, mortal?”

Cian almost seems to flinch at his mistake, closing his eyes to shake his head. I can only wonder what he means by mortal. We are all mortal standing here...At least that’s what I’ve convinced myself to think. 

“Nevermind. Return me the money if it burdens you so deeply,” he says, taking a lurching step forward to close up the space between us. “But it must be over dinner.”

Cian raises his eyebrow. I know this isn’t an option to get out of. Either I go to dinner and sit with this complete stalker, and get rid of that money, or I don’t, and maybe go to jail to have that much cash stashed under my bed.

“You are so persistent,” I mutter. 

Cian winks at me before turning to walk away. “I’ll be here tomorrow.”