Chapter 9

I backed away slowly, watching with a panicked look as Jasper approached me.

He had a tiny frown on his forehead.

He regards me from head to toe. Checking out my outfit.

I've never had to wear something as expensive and exposing as this. No occasion prompted me to afford such a piece, not even my extravagant 17th birthday party.

I couldn't afford it nor could I afford the Jimmy Choo heels I wore to compliment the dress.

Jasper wasn't stupid. Though, he knew nothing about fashion but, at least, he knew I should be in Chelsea, not several miles away. He knew I shouldn't be in an expensive restaurant and in this expensive outfit, doing God-knows-what.

I swallowed hard.

“What are you doing here? Is Elijah here?”

His frown deepened as his gaze sweeps around the restaurant, expecting to see Elijah somewhere.

I panicked, my brain doing a quick analysis of a lie I could come up with.

Something that would ease me out of this mess, effortlessly.

But, I came up with none except the one lie that slips through my lips:

“A friend. I'm here with a friend.”

Heaven knows the only friend I have is Valerie. In eighteen years of my life, I've only hung out with Valerie and Isobel.

But, I want to believe Jasper would be too busy with work and his personal life to realize that. Surely, Elijah wouldn't have blabbered that to him somehow.

A bile built in my throat when his frown grew deep, as if he wasn't buying my lie.

For one thing, Jasper was the nosy type. And I remembered teasing him about that countless times because it suits his job description well.

A nosy FBI Agent who would stop at nothing to satisfy his curiosity.

Right. Jasper doesn't stop until he satisfies his suspicion and something tells me that he finds this situation rather suspicious.

“Brielle, you are miles away from home. What kind of friend asks to meet that far away?”

That tone. It's not a tone of concern or worry. He is just being nosy and invasive.

I can't even lash out at me and tell him to mind his business. It's something I've never done before, it's something no situation has warranted I did. So, it would be absolutely weird if I did it now when all he wanted to know was what I was doing in an expensive restaurant, far away from home.

“I—”

The words die in my mouth when a certain bald head comes into view, emerging from the corner he disappeared into, a salvet paper pack in his hand.

I stiffened.

What if he blabber to Jasper about who I was? Oh God!

Instead of plotting an impossible mission of escaping Ace Reynolds, I should have taken that time in explaining to Elijah.

I nibbled at my lips nervously immediately as the bald head man approached us, standing beside me.

He extends the pack of Salvet papers to me and I take it with trembling hands.

“He is an old friend. He was held up by work here, so he suggested I come by.”

I managed to keep my voice steady. Normal.

My eyes dance around Jasper’s features for a sign of doubt. When his frown settles, I release an inaudible sigh of relief.

Who knew that little details could be the one to convince him.

Now, onto Mr bald man.

I was hoping to get him away from Jasper, explain the situation to him and have him swear to seal his lips about who I was. But, not when Jasper was already turning to him, his hand finding the gun holster by his waist and holding it in place.

Wait, why was he here? In his work uniform, by the way.

“We’ve discussed this, Mr Landon. There is no one here.”

Mr bald man suddenly had his face wrinkled in a huge, disturbed expression.

If Jasper was on duty, that means he was here on a search warrant. Why?

“Exactly what I wanted to believe until I saw her.”

His chin jabbed towards me and I became stiff again.

“She is the only one here,” Mr baldy takes a brief pause. “With her friend.”

My head snapped to him, eyes popped and jaw dropped.

Did he just lie on my behalf? I was sure I heard Ace introducing me to him as his wife, why would he then say I was a friend?

Something is fishy.

“Exactly. A friend. What friend reserves a whole five star restaurant?”

Jasper suddenly turns to me, that knowing smirk planted on the same down-turned shaped lips he shared with Elijah.

“Brielle, please can I know what job this friend of yours does? Certainly, no normal person would afford to book a five-star restaurant in one piece.”

Damn!

I swallowed hard. Before I could come up with a response to his interrogation - not that I could think of any at the moment - Mr baldy stepped before me as if protecting me from Jasper, glaring daggers at Jasper.

“He is an old friend and he has asked me for a favour to let him use the restaurant since there wasn't any other Italian restaurant in the area. It was a favour, Landon.”

The atmosphere shifted, feeling tense and rigid all of a sudden.

“So, what are you afraid of, Mr D’tuelle? Why don't you let us do our job if there is really nothing you are hiding?”

Jasper probbed, stubbornly.

“There is nothing here, Landon. Take your men and leave before I do something you’d hate.”

Standing behind Mr Baldy, I just watched the scene growing even more intense.

I fixed the puzzle. Jasper was here on a crime search warrant, obviously on duty, in search of a criminal, probably disclosed by an insider or a tracking device.

Wait. A criminal?

I paused. I frowned. Then, it hit me.

Ace Reynolds!

Christ!

“I-I need to go back.”

I informed in a haste. But, none of them paid attention as I slipped away, both immersed in the arguments of whether or not Jasper should search the restaurant.

I scrambled into the opposite direction, heading for the elevator with shaky legs.

The Feds are here for Ace Reynolds.

Oh my God.

The moment I dashed into the room, almost stumbling on my heels, I walked up to Ace who was seated, devouring his meal.

My breath is shaky and my palm, sweaty. I rub them together, trying to calm myself. If Jasper finds Ace… with me. Fuck no!

Immediately Ace notices me, he frowns, shuffling to his feet.

He looked really appealing in his Wine tux three piece suit.

He approached me, worried about darkening his features.

“Are you okay?”

Hell no!

“I-I-I”

Suddenly, I lost the ability to come up with words, my lips quivering.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Ace holds my face in his palm, stroking my cheeks softly.

His gaze. There was something about the way he looked at me. It made me feel wanted. Needed. Lusted after. It made me feel butterflies in the pit of my stomach.

Even now, in this panicking hour, I turn to a piece of jelly beneath his scrutinizing gaze.

“You are safe, baby. You are safe.”

I tried to steady my breath as Ace held me closer to him, his hood briefly coming in contact with my belly.

I stifled a gasp.

“Now, take a deep breath, and speak to me.”

I inhaled sharply, puffing out on his chest. Christ. I feel so small with Ace Reynolds. The height was not enough, towering over me, he just had to be as intimidating.

“I-I met Jasper. He is Elijah’s brother and works for the Feds. I think he is looking for you. We need to leave, Ace.”

His name somehow felt foreign in my mouth. Illegal. Like, I've gone out of the line.

“The feds?”

His gaze stays expressionless like I hadn't just told him that he was dangerously close to getting captured and exposed for his crimes. He looked too bothered that it increased the race of my heart.

Is it a bad thing or a good thing?

“What are you doing, Ace? Call your boys or something? We need to leave before Jasper sees us!”

He says nothing, unmoving, his gaze pinning mine. Then, a hint of frown accompanied with doubt touches his face.

Wait, was he suspecting me?

“No, Ace! I swear! I didn't call him here.”

Ace continued watching me, not buying my defense.

Shit!

I pictured the way he casually took out a gun from his holster last night and shot Luke right on his leg. I shuddered in fear, looking at that same spot for a hint of a gun. Of course, he had a gun!

He is a freaking gangster!

“Ace, believe me, please. I don't even recall the day we last spoke.”

Last week Friday. But, I needed an alibi. Something to convince him.

There was an escape for betraying Jasper and Elijah but, there was none for betraying Ace. There was nowhere to run. Nobody to turn to.

Even if I dug a hole and crawled into it, Ace would fish me out.

“Come on, Ace! I've not left your side since we left home and I've not been with a cellphone.”

I pleaded desperately, ignoring how irritation swells in my stomach when I made mention of “home”.

My pleading and protest was a futile attempt when Ace gaze darkens, glued on me, intense and rummaging.

Suddenly, a smile spreads across his face.

Ace Reynolds actually smiled. Gorgeous. Breathtaking. All shades of beautiful.

He fucking grinned, like showing his white set of teeth.

At me.

Oh my God.

“Of course, I know you didn't. I was pulling your legs. But, damn I want to do that again.” His delicate fingers took a strand of hair that had fallen out of the outstanding ponytail the saucy lady helped me style, tucking it behind my ear. “You are so cute, Brielle.”

I gulped down a bile.

“Seriously, Brielle, don't ever think anything would make me point a gun at you and pull the trigger.” He takes my face in his palm again, the coldness of his knuckle rings turning me into pieces of vegetables.

“Over my dead body will I hurt you.”

Whoa.

“I'm to protect you and make sure no one touches a strand of your hair. I need you to bury that idea of me ever hurting you, okay?”

I stay frozen, staring at him like he grew a second head.

“Tell me you understand.”

I nodded, slowly. In awe of his sudden confession.

“Good.”

Ace abruptly bends over, planting a lingering kiss on my lips. He doesn’t move his lips against mine. It stayed planted. Glued to a spot.

Carried away by the delicacy of his lips, my hand finds the hem of his suit, tugging at it, inviting him for more.

“What the hell?”

A familiar voice rang through the room.

Turning around, my heart leaps to my throat when I make eye contact with Jasper who was lingering by the entrance, watching us in horror.