His Eternal Flame

by Valentine, Layla

  “Enjoy your stay, Mr. Nettles. If there is anything you need—and I mean anything—feel free to let me know. I’d love to make your stay all the more comfortable,” she pouted, pressing the room key into my palm.

  As tempted as I was to take her up on the offer, I was exhausted from the long flight I’d just made. I smiled politely at her, thanking her for the key and going upstairs to my room. I could feel her eyes upon me as I walked away, and I considered taking her up on the offer later.

  Much later, after I’d had some much-deserved rest. In the meantime, I had no doubt that my dreams would be haunted with beautiful women who were just out of reach.

  I would never admit to being lonely. At least, not out loud.

  As I settled in the hotel room, I found myself taking out the photograph of my target once again. My mind should have lingered on the attractive woman at the front desk of the hotel, someone I could actually be physical with, without running the risk of ruining a crucial mission.

  Shaking off the thoughts of Emily were harder than I cared to admit, however. I stroked my thumb against the pale expanse of her skin that was exposed in the photograph, wondering what she looked like beyond the picture which only captured her face.

  I wondered if she would be tall, slender, willowy. Would she be petite and deliciously curvy? It was a mystery I longed to solve, and though it was only a matter of time, I was getting impatient.

  Truthfully, the fact that I was getting so wrapped up in this mission should have troubled me, and in a way, it did. I never usually got so caught up in a job, but I’d also never been placed in such a direct ‘shining knight’ position. I’d done my share of helping people in my lifetime, throughout the years I’d been working for the military. Helping people was part of what got me into this job.

  Sappiness typically wasn’t my thing, but the loneliness that I’d slowly been forced to come to terms with was making it more difficult to view women through a strictly sexual lens. I knew the chances of finding my true love in the daughter of a crime lord were slim, but I couldn’t deny the warmth that had crept up on me since I’d first seen her face.

  I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to actually meet her, to sweep her away from this place. It was still a hope of mine that she would allow herself to be taken, but I knew it was unlikely.

  There was more than a slight chance that her life wasn’t as abysmal as I may have thought. It had been some years since she’d lost her mother; life in the States would be little more than a distant memory for her. I might have a harder time convincing her to accompany me than I’d expected. I couldn’t help smiling at that. The opportunity to use my charms was never a bad thing.

  Being charming came naturally to me. I had to work my wiles on a regular basis to land a new bedmate nearly every other night. It was fulfilling for some time, more fulfilling than being alone, at least. I couldn’t imagine what it might be like to actually try for once, try to win someone for longer than the span of a single night. Most things in life came effortlessly to me, had done so since I was a young boy.

  Thus far, I’d never managed to find a woman who made me want to try hard enough to win her heart. I’d messed around with a few girlfriends, but they scarcely remained as such for longer than a week. I wasn’t one to stick around long, a womanizer by most standards.

  Truthfully, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to stick around. Deep down, it was hard for me to have the confidence to remain with a woman and feel like our relationship was actually…worthwhile. I felt as if I were constantly fumbling to make jagged pieces fit together, puzzle pieces from the opposite sides of the board.

  I wanted to love someone. I wanted to fall in love, and have someone fall in love with me in turn. It just didn’t seem a likelihood. I was hard to please.

  Looking at the photo once more, I exhaled a sigh as I considered the girl’s delicate face. This Emily Madden made me feel things I hadn’t felt in years, and I hadn’t even met her yet. I suppose it was because I felt like I could understand her—that is, if she would give me the chance. I couldn’t shake the thought that she wanted to escape a life of mediocrity nearly as badly as I did.

  I felt my eyelids beginning to grow heavy. I knew I should enjoy what time I had left to myself before risking my life to potentially tear this girl’s life apart. It was a bitter thought, but one I tried to make bittersweet.

  I was going to try my best to be her knight in shining armor, not her kidnapper.

  Chapter 5

  Emily

  The sound of knocking on my apartment door woke me from pleasant dreams, and I fought the desire to groan as I buried my head under my pillow. The knocking persisted, and irritation flowed through me as my cellphone began to ring.

  I threw my pillow off of my head, lurching upright and lumbering towards my phone. I swiped it up, answering it in the kindest tone I could muster.

  “What?” I demanded, and it turned out the kindest tone I could muster wasn’t very kind at all.

  I heard a stuttering and stammering on the line, and I scowled in the direction of the door as the knocking continued.

  “Hold on a minute!” I shouted in the direction of the front door, not bothering to draw the phone away from my ear.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I can call back…” my father muttered, and as much as I wanted to tell him to call very much later, I swallowed my annoyance long enough to speak to him.

  “No, Dad. Not you. Someone is at the door,” I grumbled, grabbing a robe and pulling it on. I tied it around my waist, keeping my phone against my ear with my shoulder.

  “Oh! That’s probably Bruno. I’ll hold on while you answer,” my father replied.

  I rolled my eyes, slipping my bedroom shoes on and shuffling across the apartment to peer out the peephole. I scowled as I saw the man in question waiting outside with a large bouquet of flowers.

  I yanked the door open, and Bruno smiled nervously, thrusting out the flowers and beginning to sing happy birthday completely off-key. I winced, and my dad cheered on the phone.

  “What’s all this for?” I asked balefully, reaching out to take the flowers before closing the door in Bruno’s face mid-song.

  I grumbled as I sought out a vase for the flowers, which were already wilting in the Guam heat.

  “It’s your birthday, honey! Did he give you the box as well?” my father asked, and I could almost see his grin through the phone.

  At that exact moment, the knocking on my door resumed and I gritted my teeth before rushing back over to yank it open. Bruno smiled nervously, offering me a birthday card as well as a large jewelry box.

  “Is that all?” I asked, and he nodded before taking the hint and shuffling away.

  I watched him go, flipping the card open and reading the message inside.

  “Aww, Dad, this is so nice,” I forced out.

  “Did you open the box?” he pressed, and I turned my attention to the large jewelry box.

  I popped the top open, feeling a brief surge of delight when I saw the necklace housed within. It was probably worth at least ten grand, considering the gold and precious gems that all swirled together to form a rainbow. I nearly dropped my phone as I considered the present, blurting out my thanks without even thinking.

  “Oh my God, Dad. It’s so beautiful,” I babbled, and he laughed unabashedly.

  “A beautiful necklace for my beautiful girl,” he crooned.

  I smiled initially, but a sense of bitterness crept up on me all too quickly when I realized that no one would ever see me in the necklace—rendering it practically useless.

  “Th-thank you,” I managed, only able to feel somewhat grateful.

  At the very least, the necklace would match the outfit I’d picked for the evening. If it was anything like every other birthday I’d celebrated since age fourteen, my dad would insist upon taking me out to a fancy dinner, with the day leading up to that filled with people coming in to primp and pamper me.

  Truthfully, I’d have be
en just as happy with a simple chocolate cake with fudge frosting. I missed the quaint birthdays I’d had as a child, where my mom would buy a cake from someone who would always misspell something, and we’d wear silly party hats and play games with my school friends.

  “I’m glad you like it, dear. I was driving myself insane trying to find the perfect gift. You’re turning 21, so it’s only appropriate that I get you an exquisite present.” He paused, seeming to think for a moment before speaking again.

  “Oh, shoot, I should have gotten the earrings as well. They weren’t a set, so I didn’t buy them, but I’m sure you would have loved them,” he announced, sounding much like he was pouting.

  “It’s fine, Dad. It’s a perfect gift as it stands,” I tried to comfort him.

  He sighed, humming under his breath for a moment before speaking again.

  “Well, if you’ll meet me downstairs in twenty minutes, I thought we could go to that breakfast place you like so much,” he offered, likely all smiles again.

  “Oh, that’s great. I’ll be down shortly,” I said with false enthusiasm. “I’m just gonna take a quick bath. Bye, Dad,” I said in a hurry, hanging up before he could argue. It would be one thing if my father was taking me out alone, but I knew he would have a dozen security guards following us the entire time.

  Walking towards the closet, I flung the doors open and grabbed a pale blue sundress, yanking it out of the closet and carrying it with my socks and underwear to the bathroom.

  I set my clothes on the counter, placing the necklace beside them. I stared into the mirror for a moment, my eyes dull with resentment. Sighing, I turned on the hot water for the bath and waited for it to fill up.

  Sitting on the edge of the tub, I rested my chin in my palm and allowed the room to steam up before stepping into the water. My cheek still throbbed a little from my father’s slap, but the hot sting of the water distracted from the pain.

  I thought of the night before—more specifically, the knight before—and a tingle shot from my stomach down between my thighs.

  I breathed a sigh, trying to ignore the fluttering sensation. I knew that the moment I started to enjoy myself, I would somehow be interrupted. Bruno likely would have forgotten a gift, or my father would have sent him back to sing the birthday song over again.

  All the same, I couldn’t resist allowing my hand to slip between my thighs for the briefest of moments. As I pressed my fingers against myself, I closed my eyes and allowed the world around me to fade away.

  Unfortunately, that godforsaken phone began to loudly ring again, and it was a sound I couldn’t ignore. If it was my father, and if I didn’t answer, he would send the whole security team up here to check on me. I quickly rinsed off, skidding across the bathroom floor and nearly slipping on the wet tile before managing to grab my phone.

  I answered quickly, more flustered and out of breath than I would have liked.

  “Honey, are you almost ready? I’ve made reservations,” my father implored.

  I hesitated a moment before replying.

  “Why did you need to make reservations? There’s always plenty of tables at the cafe,” I inquired softly.

  “I made reservations for all our destinations today! Besides you and I, the only other company we’ll have will be security, I just want to spend some alone time with my special girl,” he chirped.

  I rolled my eyes, shuffling back to the bathroom. Leave it to my father to do something extravagant and unnecessary. I glanced at the necklace as I stepped in the bathroom, giving pause as I wondered just how much I would be able to pawn it for. My father controlled my finances, which made it difficult to plan an escape.

  If he didn’t know about the funds, however, I would be free to catch a flight to the States with little issue. I smiled to myself, not realizing I was still on the phone with my father. He cleared his throat, and my face dropped as I realized the gravity of the decision I was making.

  If I decided to leave Guam for the U.S., I’d likely never see my father again. I would have to start anew, get a job, find an apartment…

  Starting from scratch would be my only viable option. Just the same, it was a better option than being trapped under my father’s thumb for the rest of my life. I was tired of not being able to live freely. I would miss him, and in spite of everything, I still loved him dearly.

  Resolving that I would be kind to him for the last day I saw him, I forced a laugh and offered him some reassurance.

  “Sorry, Dad. I’ll be down in five. Don’t leave without me, all right?” I joked, grabbing my dress from the bathroom counter.

  “I would never leave you, honey,” he chuckled, and my heart throbbed almost painfully.

  Swallowing my hesitation, I hung up the phone and got dressed. Placing the necklace around my neck, I noted that it suited me beautifully. It seemed as if my father knew me even better than I did.

  At least, he seemed to think so. Maybe I would be making a grave mistake by leaving him behind.

  It was a risk I was willing to take.

  Chapter 6

  Owen

  Some hours later, I woke from my nap, glancing towards the clock to see that it was nearing 11 p.m. I lurched out of the hotel bed, brushing a hand through my disheveled hair and making my way towards the bathroom.

  Looking into the mirror, I grimaced at how exhausted I looked. Well, it wasn’t as if I was trying to charm the pants off the girl. There was no reason for me to get prettied up for the sole purpose of stealing her away. Although I had somewhat given up on the idea of her coming willingly (why on earth would she?), I would still exhibit what kindness I was capable of, considering the scenario.

  I tried to ignore the distinct reality that I was risking life and limb to steal Emily away from her father. I was all too aware of how protective fathers could be of their daughters, having encountered my share of angry fathers in Hawaii. I chuckled, shaking my head at the memory.

  Still, the slight uncertainty I felt creeping up my spine was undeniable. Confidence without cockiness was the name of my game, but that confidence wavered just slightly that night. It wasn’t as if I was going to ask her out or something equally ridiculous, and I was somewhat annoyed with myself for being so nervous.

  “How will she be able to resist?” I muttered to myself as I got dressed, putting on a set of dark clothes.

  The longer I could avoid being spotted, the better. I had no idea how many bodyguards may have been in Emily’s presence at any given moment, let alone the guards patrolling the apartment complex. I had a plan that I considered rather foolproof, and I gathered what few items I had brought into the motel room with me, stashing them in the trunk of my SUV before slipping back inside to swiftly check out.

  The beautiful woman from before looked me up and down with a pout when I informed her that I would be checking out. She rummaged around under her desk for a moment, jotting something down on a scrap of paper before handing it to me.

  “Call me sometime, handsome,” she all but purred.

  I smiled at her, tucking the number into my pocket to dispose of a bit more conspicuously.

  “Of course,” I lied, winking before rushing out of the hotel.

  I made my way to the SUV, hopping into the driver’s seat and jabbing the key in the ignition. It was my last moment of solitude before I put the mission into action, and though I was excited, the hesitation remained as well. I adjusted my mirrors, killing time for several long minutes before sighing and turning the key.

  “It’s now or never, Owen,” I said firmly, trying to pump myself up.

  It worked to a certain degree. I shifted into gear, driving in the direction of the apartment complex I knew Emily Madden would currently be sleeping peacefully inside of. I came to a stop a block away, pulling my vehicle into a back alleyway where it would go unnoticed. At least, that was my hope. As I got out, I swore it felt like my heart would pound out of my chest.

  Striking out in the direction of the complex, I moved caref
ully yet swiftly. I could hear the distant sound of music, musing that someone must be having a party. Tonight wasn’t a night for festivities. I had to focus.

  Stopping short, I stared at a large and burly figure guarding the outer exit of the apartment complex. It might have been a setback, but fortunately, I’d not planned to enter through the front door. I circled around the building, keeping an eye out for other guards that might be roaming the premises. There were a few, but most seemed to be gathered towards the front of the building, enjoying a smoke break.

  They were making the job far too easy for me.

  I reflected on my notes, tracing through my mental layout of the apartment complex. I grinned as I reached the proper side of the building, stepping up to the wall and pressing close to it. I could hear the laughter of the burly men towards the front of the building, and idly wondered how Emily managed to get any sleep with those morons roaming night and day.

  A thought for another day, perhaps when I could properly question her. For the moment, I needed to figure out the best way to scale the side of the building. There seemed to be the occasional crack in the brick exterior, places that would make for suitable enough footholds if I could actually reach them. I stepped back, glancing around the corner and sighing with relief upon seeing I’d gone unnoticed.

  Rushing towards the building, I leaped up and grabbed my first perch, the sill of a window which was just in reach of the next crevice. I made short work of scaling the building, pausing as one of the guards circled turned and glanced around curiously.

  “What’s up, Tito?” one of his companions called out, and the guard lingered for a moment longer.

  He looked all around, but fortunately did not look up, allowing me to remain unseen, at least for the moment.