I may not be the one with the chain wrapped around my neck, but it sure as hell feels like it.
“Why?” I manage to get out.
“Because you escaped. No one is supposed to escape. If they do, they get punished.” He smiles up at me then jerks on the chain, catching me off guard.
I trip forward, about to fall on him, but a pair of arms loop around my waist. West’s scent floods my nostrils, and I relax as he picks me up and carries me toward the door.
Right before we walk out, I glance over his shoulder.
Steel has the man pinned down while Ellis hurriedly injects a needle into his arm. The man cackles with laughter, but his laughter soon fades into a dull whimper as his body goes limp.
“Has anyone ever told you the story of how I got my scars?” Steel asks the guy with a dark look in his eyes.
I strain my ears to listen, wanting to hear the story, but West opens the door and carries me out of the room.
I keep my eyes trained on Steel as West starts to close the door behind us. Right before he gets the door completely shut, Steel glances up at me. Our eyes meet, and that strange feeling overcomes me again, the one that tells me I’ve met him before.
For a faltering moment, panic floods Steel’s silver eyes. Then the door clicks shut, the moment slips away, and reality crashes over me.
Alexis
I remain silent as West carries me down the hallway and into the living room. He stays silent, too, but I can feel that he’s nervous. I want to know why, if he heard anything that guy said to me. Or maybe he’s freaked out because I tried to choke the guy.
Oh, my God, I tried to kill someone!
I want to make excuses for myself, but the truth is, ever since my parents died, a bit of a violent streak surfaced inside me. Sure, I’ve never tried to kill anyone before, but I’ve definitely done my fair share of punching. Was that all a build-up to an explosion? Am I some sort of monster?
A faint memory tickles the back of my mind, one I didn’t even know existed.
“Alexis, I need to tell you something,” my mom whispers into my ear.
I can’t see her, only hear her, as I lie in my bed with my eyes shut. I’m angry at her because she got upset with me for yelling at my brother. He stole my toy, and I got so mad at him that I yelled, which was strange. I rarely yell. I’m actually a pretty quiet girl, except for a few occasions when I lose control. I don’t know why I feel this way sometimes—possessed by anger. Sometimes I worry I’m broken. And it doesn’t help that sometimes my mom looks at me like I’m a monster, like she did today.
“What?” I mumble, refusing to open my eyes. Even though I don’t want to admit it, her looking at me like I’m a monster made me worry that my fears are true. It hurts me deeply.
She touches my back, but I still refuse to open my eyes. “I know you’re mad at me, but I need you to understand that I’m just worried.”
“Yeah, I know,” I mutter. “You’re worried I’m a monster.”
“No, that’s not it at all.” Honesty rings in her tone. “I’m worried one day the monsters will come after you if they ever find you.”
My eyelids open, but I don’t roll over to look at her. “What do you mean?”
She sighs heavily. “I just want you to be careful. No matter what happens, be careful. And stay away from any monsters. They could easily taint you with their poison.” She removes her hand from my back.
A moment later, I roll over, only to find her gone. I’m left wondering if I dreamt the entire thing. After all, why would my mom warn me of monsters when monsters don’t exist?
I blink back to reality as West gently sets me down on the sofa.
What if my mom wasn’t talking about actual monsters? What if she meant it metaphorically? And that talk about poison …
“West, did you hear anything that guy said to me?” I ask as he tucks a pillow underneath my head.
He swallows hard then nods. “I heard the end of it as I was waking up.”
“Did he …? Am I …?” I can’t even get the words out, so I focus on another question. “How was that guy so strong?”
West stares down at me, tracing his fingertips along my hairline. “He was probably drugged up.”
I curl my fingers inward. My hands burn from holding the chain so tightly. “By what?”
He sinks down onto the edge of the sofa with a wary look on his face. “This world that me, Steel, and Ellis live in is tainted by all sorts of dangerous things, especially drugs. And not just your average street drugs. Powerful, deadly drugs that most people have never heard of and probably wouldn’t believe could exist.”
I gulp. “And that guy is on one of those drugs?”
He nods, resting a hand beside my head. “He must have somehow taken them without us knowing, because he wasn’t even close to being that strong when I brought him here.”
“I can’t believe there’s a drug that can make someone that strong.” And that I managed to take that guy on. I shiver, unsure if I’m more scared of the drug or myself.
“There’s worse out there.” He rests his other hand next to the side of my head and leans over me. “We’ve done a lot of jobs where we tried to shut down the facilities that create these drugs, but as quickly as we get them shut down, three more are created. It’s a vicious cycle that we sadly have no control over.”
“Why would anyone want to take those drugs, though, unless they were, like, fighting professionally or something?”
“There’s a lot more reasons than just that.” He pauses, seeming undecided about something. “One being to carry through with assassinations.”
“But, why would he want to kill me?” I whisper, feeling as though the life I once knew is crumbling apart. Maybe it didn’t even exist in the first place.
“I don’t know,” he says. “But I promise we’ll figure it out.”
I press my lips together, fighting back the tears that want to spill out of my eyes. I’ve never been a crier, and I’m not about to start now. “He said the drugs he put inside me are going to eventually kill me. He called it the kiss of evil or something like that.”
“I know. I heard.” West smooths my hair out of my eyes, a crease forming between his brows.
I fight back the urge to let my eyelashes flutter. “Did you already know that?”
“No. When Ellis ran the bloodwork, your system showed devil’s poison in you, which is a strong tranquilizer. So strong in fact that sometimes it can stop other drugs from showing up in a person’s system until it’s too late.”
“So, he put devil’s poison in me to hide this kiss of evil stuff?” Maybe that’s why I’ve been overheating so much. But I’m not sure. About anything anymore.
He wavers. “Possibly.”
My lungs begin to constrict, but I refuse to cry. “Am I going to die? Because I’ve felt strange since the moment I woke up.”
West hastily shakes his head. “No, you’re going to be fine. And it’s normal to feel strange after being tranquilized.”
“But the guy said that drug would kill me.”
“There’s an antidote for it.”
I perk up slightly. “You have it?”
His gaze burns fiercely. “No, but I’m going to get it.”
I nod but worry stirs inside me. “Do you think …? Do you think that’s why I was able to take that guy down? Because I have these drugs in my system?”
“It could be.” But he seems doubtful, as if he’s hiding something.
“You’re lying to me about something,” I say, searching his eyes for the truth.
“I’m not lying about anything,” he tells me. “But I’m not telling you everything either.”
Anger flickers inside my chest. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to worry you unless I have to.”
“I’m already worried.”
“Well, you shouldn’t be.” He cups my cheek and carries my gaze firmly. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
I think back to those moments in the car when he touched me. I want to ask him if he’s doing this because of his job or if he really does care about me.
As if sensing my thoughts, he leans in, as if to kiss me. At the very last second, though, he moves to the side and presses his lips against the side of my neck. Then he begins sucking while gently grazing his teeth along my skin.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he whispers then bites my skin again. “No matter what happens. I swear to God I’ll let myself die first.”
Another bite against my neck sends my back bowing upward and a whimper faltering from my lips. West groans, slipping his hand behind my back. He presses me closer while making a path of kisses up my neck to my jawline, pausing only when he nears my lips. Then he slants back slightly to meet my gaze, desire blazing from him.
Confusion swarms my mind as I stare up at him. This is West, my frenemy, the guy I’ve spent hours fighting with. He’s friends with the guy I thought I was in love with. Yet, I want to kiss him. Badly. Perhaps the need is stemming from shock. Perhaps I’ve lost my damn mind. Whatever the reason, I remain still, waiting.
He slips his tongue out of his mouth, wetting his lips, then he leans in. Closer, closer, closer. When our lips brush, my body trembles. I’d be embarrassed, but West seems a bit shaky himself.
“I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” he whispers against my lips. “Fuck, I want this.”
What?
Before I can even process what he said, someone clears their throat, ruining the moment.
West lets out a frustrated grunt that is seriously sexy as hell. Then he moves back and glares at Ellis, who’s standing at the end of the hallway, seeming uneasy.
“We have a problem,” he tells West.
“Tell me something I don’t already know.” West’s jaw is set tight as he shakes his head. “What is it this time?”
Ellis’s gaze wanders toward me, and then he gulps. “Maybe we should talk in private.”
“I thought we already discussed this?” I push West back so I can sit up. Then I cross my arms and stare him down. “If you’re talking about me, I want to hear.”
Ellis looks at West, and West sighs.
“Just say it, man,” he tells Ellis.
Ellis releases a deafening breath. “We got the guy to talk some more, and he told us that a hit’s been put on Alexis. That Hacker Hearts Anonymous put one out on her. That’s why he’s here. And that she’s become they’re number one.”
West pales, making me wonder …
“What’s a number one?” I ask quietly, thinking I already know the answer.
Ellis trades a look with West, who shakes his head.
“Don’t lie to me,” I demand. “I want to know the truth.”
West swallows hard as he turns toward me with worry overflowing from his eyes. “It means you’re number one on their hit list.”
If I thought my heart was pounding before, I was wrong. Now it’s pounding a million miles a minute, as if it’s trying to escape my chest. I don’t blame the damn thing. I have deadly drugs in my system and some assassin organization is trying to kill me.
West lowers his head and massages his temples, letting out a string of curses while getting to his feet and raking his fingers through his hair. “Fuck, this is bad.”
“I think that might be an understatement,” Ellis says, pressing his fingertips to the brim of his nose.
“Did he say why they put her at number one?” West asks. “And, is her sister safe?”
I straighten, my gaze snapping to West. “My sister …? You mean Zhara?” I shake my head. “No, there’s no way anyone would go after her. That girl’s a fucking saint.”
Worry and a drop of guilt fill West’s eyes. “Being a saint has nothing to do with this.”
“What’re you not telling me?” I stand up and face him. “Is something going on with Zhara?”
He gives an uneven nod. “She kind of has a thing going on with another team in the agency.”
I’m taken aback. No, more than that. I feel like I just stepped into the Twilight Zone. “What do you mean a thing? Wait. How long have you been keeping this from me?”
“I just found out earlier today.” West reaches out to take my hand, but I step out of his reach.
I don’t even know why. It’s not like I’m afraid of him or anything. I’m just freaking out and need some breathing space. Unfortunately, Ellis has moved up behind me, so I only end up bumping into him.
“Relax.” Ellis pats my back. “No one’s going to hurt you. Zhara’s okay, we’re going to get the antidote, and then we’re going to figure out why a hit has been put on you.”
I glance over my shoulder at him. “That seems like a lot of work to do for a girl you barely know.”
He shrugs, a soft smile gracing his lips. “What can I say? I have a soft spot for feisty girls.”
“I’m not feisty,” I protest. “I’m a strong, confident woman.”
West snorts a laugh. “A strong, confident, feisty woman.”
I glower at him, but I’m veering toward smiling. “Whatever, weird, alpha male control freak.”
He presses his hand to his heart, feigning hurt. “Hey, I’m not controlling.”
Ellis chokes on a laugh, causing a smile to break across my face.
“No, the old West wasn’t controlling,” I quip. “This new West definitely seems like a bit of a control freak.”
His expression softens as he takes my hand. “Alexis, I’m still the same guy I always was. The only difference is now you know about my job.”
I shake my head. “You’re not the same. You’re bossy and you keep …” Kissing me. I clear my throat. “And you called me baby! What the hell was that about?”
He watches me intently. “Yeah, that sort of accidentally slipped out.”
“Well, don’t do it again. It’s weird.”
“Are you sure?” he questions, looking a bit nervous.
I open my mouth to say … well, I’m not really sure, but then Steel strolls into the room. He takes one look at Ellis with his hand on my back and West holding my hand, and then he cocks a brow.
“Why do you guys look like you’re about to have a threesome?” he asks. “I mean, I’m cool with it and everything, but Ellis and West have never really seemed like threesome sort of guys.” He grins. “Me, on the other hand …”
West heaves a tired sigh. “So, is he out?”
Steel nods. “For now.”
I glance back and forth between the two of them. “What does that mean?”
“It’s better if you don’t know, sweetheart,” Steel says with a dark look in his eyes.
I don’t know why, but I swear he’s said this to me before.
“We need to get the antidote and then start digging into HHA to see if we can figure out why they put out a hit on Alexis,” West says. “And why she’s their number one.”
Steel stares at me. “Maybe we should ask her first? Maybe she knows why they’re after her.”
I remember …
I remember …
I remember …
Remember what?
Don’t. Utter. A word.
The voice inside my head is getting annoying and making absolutely no sense. Chalking it up to a side effect of the drugs, I do my best to ignore it.
“I have no idea.” I shrug. “I didn’t even know any of this stuff existed until just barely.”
Steel appears unconvinced, but he lets the subject drop. “Where’s the best place to get the antidote?”
West shifts his weight. “I actually know another team who has some on hand.”
“Really?” Ellis asks, his hands resting on my shoulders. “Which one?”
West glances at me. “That friend of mine I grew up with.”
“Wait …” Realization quickly clicks. “Please tell me it’s not Blaine.”
West gives me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry.”
&nbs
p; I press my hand to my forehead as shock whips through me. “So, not only are you in this weird agency, but my twin sister is involved with it, too? And so is my best friend—ex-best friend?”
West nods. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”
“It’s okay.” I lower my hand from my head, too shocked to fully process everything. “It’s not your fault.”
“I know, but I’m still sorry.” He places a hand on my cheek and I find myself strangely wanting to lean into his touch. “Is there anything I can do to make this easier on you?”
“I don’t know … Just get the antidote, I guess.” I chew on my bottom lip. “Is there any way I can see my sister?”
He nods. “Of course. She’s actually been asking to see you.”
“So, she knows what happened?” I ask, even more shocked.
He nods again. “The guy in charge of the team she’s working with got a warning about Hacker Hearts Anonymous coming after you. He tried to warn you and me before it happened, but he didn’t get ahold of us in time.”
I remember how Zhara texted me a few minutes before I was tranquilized. She said she needed to talk ASAP, but I ignored her, like I always do.
Maybe I deserve what’s happening to me.
A slow breath eases from my lips. “So, I can go see her?”
West shakes his head. “Until we know more about what’s going on, you can’t leave my place, baby.” His lips quirk as I narrow my eyes at him. “But I can have him bring her over here.”
“Okay, thanks.” I want to hug him. I want to cry. I want to scream. Instead, I just stand there in shock, noting the unnatural warmth in my body and wondering how much longer I have until the drugs kill me.
Most of all, I wonder why I have a feeling that I’ve been in this position before.
West
After I call Benton and tell him to bring Zhara over, I leave Alexis in the living room and head to my bedroom to make my next call, mostly because I know how she feels about the person I’m calling.
The Other World_A Reverse Harem Series Page 9
