I had gotten myself the following day to grab myself something to eat. I wore casual clothing and men's clothing. Because now Seth is here, I can't let my feminine features set free. I'm back to binding my breast.
I groan.
I'm not too fond of wearing the binds, but I had no choice.
I left my room, and after I closed my door simultaneously, Seth came out from his room across mine.
We were both shocked and awkward about what happened yesterday. I felt terrible for yelling at him.
"Morning!" He beams a smile.
I guess yesterday's argument didn't affect him at all.
"Morning," I mumble and start to leave.
"Wait, Terry," Seth caught up as he walked side by side. "Are you heading to the dining hall?"
"Yes."
"Great, let's have breakfast," then he wraps an arm around my shoulders. I fought him off, but he held on tight and dragged me.
In the dining, there was a breakfast set up. A buffet with choices of scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes. There are other items in this contemporary breakfast. I picked oatmeal with raisins, a bagel with Philadelphia cheese, and orange juice. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I have the habit of eating light.
"I'm starving," Seth joins my table with a tray of food to fill up at least four people.
I almost choked on my juice. "You going to eat all of that?" I say, looking at the mountain of food.
"Yeah," Seth says with excitement and picks up his knife and fork as he starts with three stacks of pancakes covered in syrup. Cutting a piece and taking a bit, he moans. "Damn, that is one good pancake.
I scoff as I spoon a bit of oatmeal. "Don't all pancakes taste the same no matter where you get them from?"
"Yeah, but it's all about the person who makes them." He smiled and ate another bite of his pancakes before stuffing his face with eggs and portions of bacon.
I shake my head and focus on finishing my breakfast. As I spread the creamy white cheese on my bagel and bring it to my mouth, I spot Hugo and Sully entering the dining hall with six children.
As the two men told the children to get breakfast, I watched their every move. The children look scared and rush to grab anything. Hugo and Sully grab a table and protect the children. I also look around because it can't be just these two executives. I found four men looking like thugs sitting across from Hugo and Sully.
Bingo.
Just as expected. Being executives to their boss, they have to have bodyguards. They only brought four men with them. They are confident that nothing will happen to them or the children.
Judging by the children's ages, they don't look between six and ten. The younger they are, the more expensive they are sold to disgusting perverts.
Images of my memories had me recall my life when I was in their possession. The woman they call Madam Red, the person in charge of the lives of many kidnapped children, is chosen for their perfect features to sell off worldwide. She chooses five or six children to be sent to the auction. She has them pampered, well-fed, and finely clothed to ensure no markings on any parts of their bodies. I was about to be one of them, but Madam Red had me stay because she saw potential in me. At first, I didn't know what she meant, but when she had me bathed and dressed with light make-up, put me in a private room, and when Hugo entered.
I shut my eyes tight, and simultaneously, my hand squeezes something hard. I broke it.
"Hey! Terry!"
Hearing Seth yelling, I open my eyes and see my hand wet from the mixture of blood and orange juice. I hadn't realized that I had broken the glass cup.
Seth rushes to get the paper towel and wipe the liquid off my hand and the table. "What the fuck were you thinking?" He retorts, but it wasn't because of anger but of concerns. "Be careful."
I watch him in astonishment to see him caring for me. Then I felt the eyes present around me as we made a scene. I glance at other people from their tables, looking while others are turning their heads. Now that I am a man, some people feel uncomfortable seeing a male caring for another male in this manner.
I pulled my hand away from Seth's and took the paper towel from him to care for my injury. "Thanks, I'll take it from here."
"You sure?" He says in concern as his face tells it all.
"Yeah," I look around for a host. "Excuse me!"
A male host approaches our table, surprised at the table with spilled orange juice mixed with my blood. "I accidentally broke the glass cup, which cut my hand."
"I see. Of course, we will have this clean-up for you." He says. "If you want, I can have someone send you to the infirmary."
"No, that is okay. Thank you." I push my chair and stand. I look at the table with Hugo and Sully having breakfast with the children.
"Terry, are you sure? I can take you." Seth offers. But I ignore him and focus on the target.
"No, just finish your breakfast," I tell him without looking at him.
As I waited for the opportunity, I wrapped the paper towel around my hand, hugging it against my chest, and with my free hand, dug inside my back pocket to pull out the tracking device. It was Hugo who stood and walked across to grab more coffee. I had this chance to throw away the bloody paper towel in the same direction as him.
I reach toward Hugo as he is refilling his cup. I purposely bump into him, placing the tracker in his coffee.
"Oops, sorry, man," I say apologetically.
Hugo glared at me and said, "No worries." Then he walks off back to his table.
I grab more paper towels and return to where Seth finishes his breakfast. As I walk away, I peer slightly at Hugo's coffee mug as he raises it to his mouth and drinks it.
Success.
The tracker is tasteless and tiny, easy to swallow without noticing. So, once Hugo drank his coffee, the tracker was already inside his system. I glance at my watch and tap on the screen to see a GPS marker and a red dot indicating Hugo's position.
With this, I know where Hugo is going and bring me to that bitch.
"Terry?"
I snap myself off Hugo and look at Seth. "Um, Seth, I'll return to my room to clean my hand."
"Are you sure you don't want to go to the infirmary?"
He has too much concern for me, and with minor wounds on my hand, it's nothing to fear.
"I'm okay, and I got my first aid kit with me. Just finish your breakfast. Don't want to waste food." I pulled up a smile, and Seth made a face.
He blinks his eyes at me before he makes a dumbfounded, goofy expression. I can see his eyes twinkling.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I sort of quiver at his expression
"You smiled."
"And?"
Is that why he is looking at me like that?
"You have a beautiful smile."
At that moment, my face heats up. I turn my face the other way, hiding my blush. "Shut up. You shouldn't say that to a man, especially from another man."
"But it's the truth. Has nobody said that you have a beautiful smile?"
I pause and revert my body to face him.
I dress as a male person who doesn't know if my gender often calls me beautiful. They have never seen a beautiful man, only because I'm female. And I take in those compliments, but the word beautiful coming off from Seth feels different.
My heart thumped.
I turn to have my back facing him, still blushing. "Just don't randomly call me beautiful out in the open."
"I don't feel ashamed calling you beautiful." Then Seth smiled. A smile that haunted me the first day I met him. His smile is like a sunlight brush, and I can't help but stare at it.
His words made me blush even more that my whole body was caught on fire. Can he be any smoother? And how can he not be ashamed to call a man beautiful? People here are going to think he is into men. Unless he likes both ends, which I don't, he does. This is Seth we are talking about. I am not close enough to know his personal life where we share secrets with him; I'm more like a buddy. I don't want Seth to feel that way, but it seems he doesn't care what other people think of him.
Oh God, please kill me now!
"Shut up!" I storm off, increasing my pace, keeping away from him as much as possible with a heated face.
The loud blow horn of the ship explodes in my ear as I and all the passengers walk off. As I walk, I never let my eyes off Hugo and Sully. I look down at my watch and flick my finger on the GPS tracker before I drop my arm to the side. "Terry!" my voice booms behind me as I turn my head and body to find Seth beelining his way to me. "Man, there are many people here in a hurry." He breathes. "So, where are we staying at?" He asks as I call out for a cab before I can give him a deadpan expression."We?" I repeated the word."Yeah, we." He smiles, followed by the dimple on the right side of his cheek. I suck in air to keep myself from falling. He and his damn brothers have those dimples that no one can resist. That is why Effie, Lily, Claire, and Thea all ended up with one brother, and the only one is the joker of the bunch. And I'm stuck with him on this trip.Nope, I won't fall into his trap by flashing his smile. I need to concentrate on his mission. A few young girls around the ag
It was hard to control myself with Seth standing by me this whole time. Being alone with him in the elevator was driving me insane. The smell of his cologne filled my nose and created these unknown feelings inside. I couldn't pinpoint what I was feeling when I was with Seth. It is different when I'm around the men in my team. They can make me feel like this mysterious emotion than what Seth can do. I shake my head.Me: Call Ghost and tell him to get his ass over here now!!I command and put my phone down. I brush my hair back and look back at the shoe box. "Hey, Terry," I hear Seth's voice behind me, then a knock on the door. I panic, push the shoe box off the bed, and sit down as if nothing happened. Seth stops and looks at me oddly. "Is everything okay?""Yeah," I shrugged and gave my best smile to assure him not to take a glance at the shoebox on the floor. When he starts to tilt his head to the side. I kick the box further back until it's invisible to see. "Why wouldn't it be?"
I'm going out of my mind and will make Kendall pay for making me wear this uncomfortable dress. Don't get me wrong, it's not tight or anything. I don't particularly appreciate showing my bare shoulder area and cleavage where anyone can see. Also, it has a slit-up leg part as the dress flows elegantly around me.I found a few men looking at me, and I suddenly felt sick."Can you stop fidgeting," Ghost says through his teeth.Once we arrived at the auction house, it was in a private lot owned by The Order. Before entering, he handed me a masquerade mask as the invite suggested to keep the buyers anonymous. Although the auction was only a way to attract the rich, displaying rare antiques for the show, the real one is beneath the lot. To enter such a secret auction, you need a stamp of their sigil - a crow.Crows are said to be known for their clairvoyance and foresight. But the crow being used in the Order has a deeper meaning. Because they are considered wise, they are also known to br
I washed my hands, scrubbing off the imaginary dirt from how I was feeling on Hugo. Just the thought of a stranger made a twist in my stomach.It takes work for me to get used to men touching me. The men in my team had to avoid physical contact before I could claim they weren't a threat. I had to build trust in myself than in them.Now that I'm here in the restroom, it's time. I have to get rid of the guard to continue my search. I glance down at my watch with the red dot still blinking."It's below," I mumble. Is there another basement? I was scanning around this large fancy marble restroom with bright ass lights. I find an air vent at the end of the aisle of bathroom stalls.Crouching in front of it, I pull out my tools from my purse, and with a mini-screwdriver, I unscrew the nails. With the last screw, a loud bang made my head turn."Hey, are you done in there?" Robert yells on the other side of the door, making his voice bounce off the restroom walls.Shit!Putting my tool back
Scanning the dark surroundings, I can feel a movement in the corner. I slowly take each step.In the corner, I flash my light, curl up, and hide its face. I lean closer. A little girl reveals to me. She has dirt all over herself that I can't tell. The only thing I could tell was her eyes. They flash rich hazel color. She huddles herself, scared.I lower my gun and put it back in its holster, "Hey," I say quietly, not to scare her off. "I'm not here to hurt you.""W-who...who are you?" She asks, with a stutter. She's terrified."I'm someone who will get you out of here." I reach for her, but she pulls herself back."No!" She whispers, screaming. "If Mama Eva knows I'm gone, she will hurt me. She will hurt the others."She's talking about the other children that were brought here. Luckily, I'm not worried since Ghost is doing his job on the other end.I pull up a small smile. "Don't worry, a friend of mine will save them.""But...but..." she looks away and hugs her legs tight. "Mama Eva
I can hear the Order men closing in, and if they see one of their comrades dead and the other passed out, this whole side quest operation will end."O-okay," she whispers, and just as she takes my hand, footsteps are heard above us.I pulled Persephone behind me, pulled my gun out from my holster, and hid under the stairs."What the fuck?" An Order man shouts. "Who the fuck did this?"Heavy shoes creak the wooden floor above us as they survey the scene. While they are up there, I planned to get the both of us out alive. Fragile hands held onto my dress tight. I look down at Persephone with her eyes closed and her body shaking. It must be scary for her to trust a stranger like me to get her out. But I had no choice but to take it with me. I hold her with my free arm."Shit, check the perimeter. This fucker didn't get too far." says Order men one ordered. "Nestor, check the girl.""Man, why must I check the brat?" complains Nester."Just do it," says Order Man one and snaps at Nestor. "
"Are you just going to sit there and sulk all day?" I say to the oversized kid sitting across the room, glaring at me, and I can't help but laugh in my head.Since we arrived in Los Angeles, staying in one of Odin's summer homes, I had to put an innocent act in front of Seth. I had to change from the bloody dress I had worn, remove all my makeup, and it's right back to an XL T-shirt and sweats.Persephone looked at me oddly when she first witnessed me binding my chest. I had to inform her it's part of a persona of mine, and it needs to be kept a secret.The following day, after one of Odin's family doctors came to check on me, I read through the reports from Kendall. Seth came busting in like there was a fire, and he gave one look at me, and all hell went loose.He kept wailing and screaming about how stupid and reckless I was to go on a mission alone. Of course, it was my duty, and I also had some teammates with me. Seth had taken his eyes off me and glared at Ghost and Gunner. They
I stand in front of Persephone's room, wondering how she is doing. After Seth left to grab food, I decided to check on her.With my nose close to the dark oak door, I raise my hand and knock on the door. Once I hear her voice, I open, take a peek inside, and find her sitting on the bed with her back against the headboard and her knee up under her chin. The worried look in her eyes makes me want to hold her until there is no crest on her forehead.I never had this feeling before, not with all the kids I have rescued. Whenever I see Persephone, I want to keep her hidden from the world that would harm her. It's like some instinct. She and I just met, and suddenly, I want to protect her. The first time I see her in a critical state, although she is properly pampered, a special childlike Persephone is nothing but treated as an object. Eva will keep her until she is in good use. Just like me.I remembered the day I was adopted, and I felt special. It was my big day, and although I had to le
"Your child didn't die," I state, watching as her expression becomes more agile. "You abandoned her.""No...""God wasn't calling for her because it was her duty. You abandoned her because your lover left you.""No! Shut up!" Eva screeched and held her head as if her brain was about to burst."The child you hated, the one you were about to kill, is alive and well."Eva became distraught, shaking her head - sun denial."You're lying...my child died because God needed her-""No, stop with the bullshit, Marjorie," cutting her off. "She's alive and well.""H-how...how do you know of this?" She staggers back, terrified. "No one knew about my past...No one!"I scoff, seeing how stupid she looks. Thanks to Kendall's discovery, I wouldn't stumble upon my birth certificate that day. Now that she's at her weakest, I must end it."You created the Order for what? Because you wanted the attention from the man who doesn't love you.""Shut up!""He doesn't care for you because he already has a famil
"There you are," then smacked me hard with her shotgun.I fell back on the floor and quickly moved to the side when she took a shot.I dash past her, heading to the emergency exit while she continues to shoot at me. I ran down a few stairs far down but stopped to catch my breath. Sitting on the bottom steps, I panted and then lay my back on the cold wall when I felt a warm, stinking pain on the back of my arm.My other hand reaches on my back and pulls to find fresh blood.Luckily, I've been shot in the arm, but it's a flesh wound; otherwise, if I didn't dodge, it would be the end of me. I wasn't quick enough because the virus was making me lose strength."Shit," I hiss. Then, I reached my pouch and applied medical treatment to myself.It was a quick fix, and I applied the wrap when I heard Eva roaring and looking for me."You can't hide forever, Little Sparrow," Eva taunted as she pulled another gunshot on me. "Soon, the virus will take over your body, and once I kill you, I'll be kn
The windows shattered as we entered the penthouse. I fell off Little Gunnar, pulled my gun from my holster, and aimed at Eva, the only one not bothered by our sudden entrance. The mayor, his two guards, and Pete hide from the impact."Get up," I grit through my teeth. Eva did not listen or move but sipped her cup of water. Not even caring, I charge toward her and grab her by the color of her red jacket with a gun to her head, "Are you deaf? I said get up." I snarl and shove her,"Who are you?" the mayor, Jimmy Murphy, called out as he emerged from the couch. "What is the meaning of this?"Unaware of what Eva had planned, he wasn't expecting her visit."My name is Sparrow, Mayor Murphy. I work for The Daggers under the leader and owner, Odin King. I can explain later and have the window fixed, but stay away from this woman," I say, pointing the gun at her head."What are you talking about?" He paused and looked at me. He seemed perplexed. "Your Sparrow? Do you know she told me about th
Bullets kept shooting from behind as I stayed hidden and had my head down to avoid getting my headshot."Fuck," I growl at the outcome. "This isn't good."The lengthier I wait, the more Eva will be suspicious of Pete. I don't think he can act like Poppy. If Eva knew Poppy was a fake, she would have him killed and detonated the bombs early.But why wait in the morning?I know it's already midnight, and the sun will take six hours to rise. Eva already convinced the mayor to lock down the city because of terrorist activities.She claims to use the smoke bombs fuse with her particular virus to pretend she has the cure.Unless...terrorist attacks...virus...oh fuck!That bitch will make me the terrorist, hence accusing me of starting a war. I'll be a public enemy to the country.I need to stop this disaster before innocent people die.Bullets kept flying over my head, and I was getting pissed that Eva had this all planned out from the start. I am infected with the virus, and once I am uncont
It's a race against time, and I feel my body fighting against the virus. I checked my watch as many times as possible, just watching the numbers on the seconds go down in a flash.The whole purpose of this virus is to give Eva the advantage of being a savior once she reveals that she has a cure. But also to prove that she is someone. Being rejected and unloved by the man she never considered a father made her who she is today.I exited the freeway and entered the streets of L.A. I put my bike to a halt, letting the engine run. I opened my helmet shield and glanced down at my watch to see the tracker on Pete. He and Eva were still moving, and I was just about a bit away. I shut the shield and drove in that direction. My earpiece beeped as I tapped the answer button on my bike."Ken, I'm close to Pete," I tell her."Cap, you are never going to believe this."I noticed the concern in her tone. "What?""I've searched the locations of the gas bombs in each of the cities you mentioned. Gues
Red.The color is a standard color you see on a traffic light to stop. The color you see on fruit, like apples and cherries. On a vegetable like tomatoes. Valentines can also symbolize romantic love and physical passion, making our hearts race toward someone we love. Red is the color of heightened emotion, strength, and power.But red can be a negative thing that you see. The color red is linked to passion, love, desire, power, anger, or rage.That is what I'm feeling right now. When Eva stepped off the boat, my whole body went on lockdown. My heart is palpitating, and my blood is boiling to the point I'm seeing red.Seeing her for so many years wearing that damn red outfit, I wanted to hit something. I hated her wearing red. It's okay for other people to have red on them or receive red roses, but red on Eva fits her perfectly as she is the devil herself. Flashy and cunning like one.My stomach churned. I wanted to throw up, but now it's not the time to be disgusted. I have to focus a
"Are you sure you don't want to join you? It's better to have back up close to the target." Kendall states and asks for god knows how many times.I plug in my earpiece as I scan my eyes around the dock. We have parked the disguised transportation truck into a small base for Kendall to monitor the pier. Although I was supposed to go alone, those two insisted that I couldn't argue with Odin, even with his worries that he sensed something would happen and that the whole Daggers would be hiding and in position in case this trade went south. When I told them the plan of using Pete, dressed as Poppy, for the trade, Kendall and everyone thought it wouldn't work, but knowing Pete, his master of disguise and a Dagger member, he could pull it off. Eva is cunning and sharp; she can sense something off in a snap with one wrong move.The plan is to use Pete to trade him with the vaccine. If my calculations are correct, she will hug her and say sweet words about her worries and affection. Pete migh
I arrived in front of his salon, where his apartment was on the top floor. I pressed the doorbell, and the door flung open. Pete surprised me with his presence; he had his expensive kimono bathrobe and his face plastered in a green facial mask. He taps his foot."Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Terry Young," Pete squinted his face, his pissed-off face, after opening his apartment door. His eyes scan me up and down, then inhale sharply. "Still sexy as ever."I clear my throat. "May I come in?"He stares at me for a minute or two, having second thoughts. "You did say you have to explain, so come inside," he said, walking away from the door and allowing me to step in.I sighed, and after I had closed my door, I looked around and saw that his apartment seemed normal and not in the ordinary except for all the colorful and furry furniture and artworks of naked people.I exhale in relief, yet a bit worried.What is Kendall talking about? There is nothing creepy about his place."It's been
If I don't return Poppy to her, hundreds of children will be killed.I dropped my phone on the counter and stared at it for a minute, thinking about what she had meant.It's not like she knows I'm her daughter. She only knows me as my male counterpart, even with her hackers, who can access my background records because there are none. Once you are joined in the Dagger program, you are listed as "nonexistent." We are only given our code name.I closed my eyes and thought of a way to handle the situation before tomorrow night.Opening my eyes, I grab my phone and speed-dial the number."Hello?" Greeting in a chorus tone."Pete, it's-""Terry!!" I pull my phone away from my ear as he screams. "Oh my gosh, I know that sexy tone anywhere. How long has it been since we talked? Five years? Three? Hmmm..."I shake my head. "It's only been two years.""Ah yes, a two...years..." he stays quiet for a second, then causes an outburst. "TWO YEARS! I didn't get your call after that. That day when yo