The Alpha One

by Samantha Drake

  “Huh?” She lifted a brow, her previous laugh fading.

  “Now, can I ask what you were actually doing in my room?” He raised a brow again, as he pushed his weight off of the pane, his hands now shoved in his pockets. He took a few steps towards her, taking her in.

  He saw her gulp, the hand behind her back tensing. With every step he took towards her, she took one back, keeping the distance safe and equal at all times. But how far could she escape? Eventually, she hit a wall, and Sebastian managed to grab her hand, yanking it in full sight.

  For a second, Sebastian had hoped wasn’t there for any fishy business. He had hoped she had just succumbed to her curiosity and walked inside his room to look around. But that was certainly not the case.

  His mother’s necklace dangled from between her fingers, the silver chain falling over her thumb and into the air. The three emeralds were tightly held in her closed fist, and although he couldn’t see them, he knew they were there.

  “I can explain.”

  Sebastian shook his head, all amusement vanishing from his features. If only she had chosen anything else, maybe, just maybe she would have been lucky. But from all things, she decided to steal his mother’s necklace, the most precious thing he could possibly own. There was no way Sebastian would overlook that. He might have been strangely amused previously, but now, there was no place for that.

  “Is that why you were in such a hurry this morning? You were afraid to be late to a robbery?” He asked, his hand already ready to dial the police.

  “What are you doing? I can explain, I swear!” He could hear tears in her voice, but he didn’t care.

  “You will explain once the cops are here.”

  “No wait. Don’t call them. I’ll do anything, just don’t call them.”

  Sebastian fought the urge to scoff. Anything? What in the world could a thief do for a man with so much power and status like him? As if he would ever seek the help of someone who attempted to steal, from him, of all people.

  As if through a daze, a thought suddenly hit him. It came out of nowhere, so fast, he almost did not notice. Slowly, he let go of his phone, locking the screen before taking one more glance at the girl.

  “Anything?” He asked, his eyes intensely gazing at her from beneath his long lashes.

  He saw her hesitate, overwhelmed by the seriousness in his gaze. Eventually she did nod, slowly, unsure.

  Sebastian had no idea what he was doing. For the first time in his life he was going to make a proposal he did not think long about. He didn’t know if he could trust the girl, or if she was made for the job, but something in his gut pushed him to speak anyway. As a business man, he knew that listening to your gut was essential.

  “What if I have a job for you?”

  “A job?” She asked, her brows knitting together. Sebastian nodded, as he sat on the edge of the bed, his lips pursed.

  “I need you to steal some information for me.”

  Shock. That would be the appropriate term to call the emotions that reflected on the surface of the hazel eyes in front of him. Silently, he watched as she struggled to make sense of his offer, probably trying to realize if he was making fun of her or not. Little did she know, Sebastian never joked about jobs.

  “Steal for you? I-I-”

  “Yes. Do you want to do it, or do you want me to call the police?” He sighed.

  “I’ll do it!”

  “Good. Now, I assume your contact information is in the CV you handed Mrs. Marshall.” She nodded, her body still tensely pressed against the wall. “Now leave, before I change my mind. I’ll contact you tomorrow in regards to the details of the job.”

  The girl did not wait to be told twice. She placed the watch and necklace on the nightstand and half ran her way out of his room.

  *****

  There was a cruel silence hovering in the room, it twisted and turned around Aline and the two other men that sat in her living room. She watched as they studied her one bedroom apartment. She was unsure how long they had been sitting like that, but judging by the coffee that had turned cold in her hands, they must’ve been there for a while.

  She had thought about staring the conversation first. Curiosity ate her from inside. However, she wasn’t exactly sure what to ask. Hell, she wasn’t even sure if Mr. Hunter had been serious. It still felt too surreal, and she waited for the moment where police would show up at her door.

  Truth be told, Aline hadn’t slept at all the previous night. She had turned and twisted inside the tangled bed sheets, trying to escape the constant memories of the event that had happened. But it had all been to no avail. She had neither escaped them, nor had she made up any sense of the offer he had made.

  “So, shall we get to the point?” It sure had taken him a lot to decide that. Aline almost exhaled in relief, nodding as she gestured for Mr. Hunter to continue.

  “I won’t go into much detail in regards to the kind of information I need you to steal for me. All you need to know that it is work related.” He began, placing the untouched coffee mug on the table.

  Aline wasn’t exactly sure what she was supposed to say. She had barely gathered any courage to try and steal once; she doubted she would have it again, especially after being caught. But she didn’t have much of a choice; it was either that, or risking a life in prison.

  “Who exactly would we be stealing from?” She asked, her voice low.

  “Marie Anderson. The woman on which my housekeeper spilled wine.”

  “And also, our biggest rival.” This time, it was the man beside him that spoke, Jonathan, if she recalled correctly.

  “And where exactly is the information? I mean, I can’t possibly waltz inside the office and steal it. The company must be huge if it’s your biggest rival.”

  “That’s the tricky part,” Mr. Hunter said, leaning forward. He took a second to look at his cousin, and then back at her, his lips pursing for a second before parting once more: “It’s inside her home office.”

  There was no way those men were in their right minds. How in the world was she supposed to make it inside her house? She only managed to get inside his because he was searching for personnel; a fact that clearly did not apply to that woman.

  Unable to sit down anymore, Aline stood up. She paced around the room for a second, her teeth nibbling at her nails, her other hand resting on her hip.

  “And how am I supposed to do that?”

  “I don’t know. You can use the same strategy you used with me? I mean, you did manage to almost steal my necklace.” He shrugged.

  Aline hardly managed not to say something to the men. She wondered if he realized how crazy he sounded.

  “I got hired as a maid. Unless she is searching for one, I doubt I’ll be able to use the same strategy.”

  “Well then find another way!” He half shouted.

  That was it. No matter how much she feared going to jail, she needed to give the man a piece of her mind. He was driving her insane. With one finger pointed towards him, ready to tell him something, but luckily she got interrupted.

  “Actually, I have an idea.” Jonathan said, his gaze distant, as if looking at his idea, studying its every angle. “She is hosting her birthday party there; we can have her steal it then. It’s in a month. Our deadline is in eight weeks, so we have enough time.”

  “A party would be great. Everyone would be too distracted to pay attention to me.” Aline nodded, sitting down again.

  “We are invited there, but she is not. And you know Marie only accepts a plus one if that person is really close to you.” It was obvious Mr. Hunter wasn’t very excited about Jonathan’s plan. And if what he was saying was true, he had every right not to be.

  “What if that girl is your girlfriend? I’m sure she wouldn’t say no to that.” He raised a brow, a smirk playing on the corner of his lips.

  “Are you suggesting we-” Aline began breathlessly.

  “You guys date for a month, make everyone believe it’s real and seriou
s, that way, we will be able to get her inside the party. There, problem solved.” Jonathan proudly said, leaning back on the couch with both hands behind his head.

  Aline shook her head, looking at Mr. Hunter, hoping he would say something to put an end to the madness. There was no way he would agree to it. Was there?

  “We-” Aline began, ready to decline the offer. To tell the man how much nonsense he was saying.

  “We’ll do it.” Those were the words with which Mr. Hunter sealed the deal. Now that he had agreed, there wasn’t much she could do. Not unless she wished to go to jail.

  Chapter 4

  Grey misty clouds hovered above the crowded streets of New York, their color casted shadows over the two rows of steel and wheels that snaked up the road that lead to South Bronx, one of New York’s worst neighborhoods. Sebastian held back from cursing at the traffic, busying himself with making out the topic of his cousin’s phone conversation. Although the person on the other end of the call was speaking pretty loud, Sebastian couldn’t make out a single word spoken; the sound of running engines and honking cars roaring in his ears even louder than the thunder that could be heard in the distance. Jonathan’s face, however, spoke louder than words; the grim look written across his face made Sebastian anxious.

  Taking in a deep breath, Sebastian pressed harder onto the steering wheel as he entered the narrow street that was minutes away from Aline’s apartment. The closer they got to Aline’s neighborhood, the more Sebastian felt like he was in another city. The buildings in that part of the New York were old, part of a whole other generation, the total opposite of the luxurious tall sky scrapers that rose in the heart of the city.

  His silver sports car radiated between the dull chipped facades of the buildings around him, attracting the attention of the people in the streets. As he drove up the road, Sebastian eventually turned to look at his cousin, just as he hung up the phone.

  “What’s going on? Was that Rose?” Rose was his uncle’s wife. The woman had been the closest thing he had to a mom after his own mother passed away. He loved her and his uncle more than he could ever imagine.

  “My dad had a heart attack.” Jonathan’s words came like a blow to Sebastian’s gut; they cut out all the air from his lungs. His cousin sank in the cream leather chair, one hand knitting itself in his hair while the other tugged at the tie wrapped around his neck.

  “What?” In one sudden move, Sebastian turned his head to look at his cousin, the car slightly derailing before returning to its straight trajectory.

  “For goodness sake, man! Be careful!” He snapped.

  “Sorry. Go on. Tell me, how is he feeling now?”

  “He’s fine now. The doctors stabilized him, but he isn’t feeling well. Mom said I should return as soon as possible.”

  Sebastian may have been the only person who understood Jonathan. He had gone through a similar thing when his father passed away years ago. He had been sick, and while others mourned and sank in despair, he had been obliged to suck it up and take care of business. It had been his job to keep the company floating, to prevent his father’s legacy from crippling and dying before his corpse had even gone cold. Now, his cousin seemed to be following the same fate.

  “I’ll come with you. I can help you take care of things while your uncle gets better.” Sebastian said.

  “Don’t be stupid. You are about to sign the biggest deal of your life, you need to stay here. Besides, you already taught me all that you could. My father had been right to send me here.” Sebastian could see his cousin was trying his best to stay calm. He tried to smile and look strong when in fact his eyes told a different story.

  Sebastian wished he could take it all in his hands, or that there was something else he could do to help either him or his uncle, but the options were limited.

  “When are you going back?”

  “Probably tomorrow. My mom already booked a ticket; she’ll send me the details later.”

  “Okay. I’ll come as soon as I seal the deal, too.” Jonathan didn’t answer; he just smiled and nodded before sinking into his chair once again.

  Sebastian sighed as he parked the car in front of Aline’s building, his hand already on his seatbelt, freeing his chest from the annoying feeling of being held down. That morning, he had been excited to come inform his newest ‘girlfriend’ bout the party they’d be attending, because every step they did lead him closer to his sealed deal. However, after the dire news he had received, Sebastian wasn’t in the mood for such superficial things.

  Misplaced as the situation was, there wasn’t much he could do about it. Business never waited. While both men got out of the car, Sebastian couldn’t help but notice the weird guys coming out of Aline’s building. While he shouldn’t have been surprised to see thugs in that part of the neighborhood, there was something about the way they exited the building that made him think they hadn’t been there for some tea and chit chat.

  Frowning, Sebastian looked at his cousin, and then back at the men that were looking around, as if checking if anyone had noticed them. Sebastian would never understand how, but there was a foreign feeling in the pit of is stomach that made him leave everything behind and run towards Aline’s apartment. The feeling had been so intense, his rationality had been so blinded that he had forgotten about the elevator, about Jonathan.

  Luckily, he only had to climb two flights of stairs, so he reached her door before he even realized it. The door to her apartment was closed, from outside, he could swear nothing was going on. In fact, for a second, he wondered if he had overreacted, if the news about his uncle had simply pushed him in a state of pure paranoia. Doubtful as he was now, he still walked up to the door his fists banging against the wood as he called Aline’s name.

  It must’ve taken her less than a minute to open the door, but to Sebastian, the seconds seemed to pass slowly. He sighed in relief once he heard the familiar sound of a key hitting against metal, however, the moment of relief was short lived.

  Sebastian had seen the pair of hazel eyes a few times in his life, but he had only seen them in troublesome situations. Never once in a happy event. Also, never once had he seen them bathing in tears. The sight made his heart feel heavy for some reason, the way Aline hid behind the partially opened door, her beautiful locks framing her tired and scared face, made him uneasy.

  Sebastian pushed the door open with one swift move, making Aline jump back. The house was a mess, her one bedroom apartment simply spilled across the floor in piles of broken glass and furniture. In the corner, Aline seemed to be searching for words, wiping hastily with the back of her hand.

  “What are you doing here?” She asked, looking between the two men that were now standing in front of her.

  “Jonathan, go and see if those men we saw are still here. If you find them don’t do anything stupid, just call me.” He didn’t need to be told twice, he was out the door in a second, the sound of his footsteps vanishing.

  “Are you okay?” Sebastian spoke the words tenderly, a tone he had forgotten he possessed.

  The words seemed to push delicate buttons in Aline’s overall state. She had been previously trying to get a hold of herself; however, that small question threw all her attempts out the window. Slowly, she crumbled in a crouch, her hands burying her face as she sobbed. Sebastian had never been one to be touched by a few tears, but when it came to Aline, he couldn’t help but notice how his heart reacted.

  Now, that he looked back on the events, he realized it had probably been because her tears had been real. She hadn’t been trying to impress him, or get something out of him. They had been so genuine and true. Sebastian wasn't sure what to do, he stood there, his body tensed, his hands clutched on both sides of his body. He wanted to move, but do what? He had never been one to console people, no one ever consoled him in return, so the exact procedures as to making someone feel better where foreign to him.

  He would have prefered waiting for his cousin, he was better at things like that, but the con
stant sobs that escaped Aline's parted lips made a war unleash between his mind and heart. As if in a dream, he felt his feet moving, his mind still unaware of what he planned to do. His body, however, seemed to know exactly what it wanted, what was required of him.

  Aline’s head was still buried in her hands, so, by the time she seemed to acknowledge his presence, his arms had already wrapped around her body, pressing her against his chest.

  She didn't move; her body tensed, but the sobs seemed to increase. She cried harder the more she adjusted to his body, sinking into his touch. Sebastian wondered if she was aware of her acts or if she was as clueless as him.

  At first, Sebastian had been tensed, but slowly he relaxed, concentrating on the storm that rumbled in his head. He wondered what was wrong with him. He had always been a rational man, never once acted on impulse. He didn't know the woman between his arms, so why was he acting so strangely? Why did he feel so much compassion for a thief?

  None of them were aware of how long they stayed like that; time seemed to have stopped the minute their bodies touched. However, eventually Aline slowly pushed away. It wasn't until then that Sebastian realized she had stopped crying.

  Awkwardness rushed over him as he oddly removed his fingers from her hair, only then acknowledging that he had been caressing it.

  Clearing his throat, Sebastian stood up and brushed a hand over his shoulder, looking around as if searching for something. He deliberated whether he should say something or not? It was obvious he should, but what?

  As if the universe sensed he needed help, there came a knock on the door that made them both jump.

  “It must be Jonathan.” Sebastian was disappointed, his presence meaning that he had lost the gangsters.

  “Sorry I took so long, my mom called on my way back.”

  “Any news about uncle?” Sebastian honestly didn't know in how many ways he should divide his attention. As if the bad news about his uncle hadn't been enough, he now had Aline's problems to worry about.

  “No, she just called to talk about my flight.” He sighed, resting his back against the wall. “What are we going to do? I couldn't find those guys.”