Page 2 of The One

2

ANGEL

Ihave calmed down a little, but my heart is still racing. I'm not sure if it's from being snatched out of my house while in the middle of a nap, or that the man next to me has to be the scariest one I've ever seen. Not to mention the hottest. But I need to focus. Not turn into a blushing schoolgirl, even if that is what I am.

“What about Riley?” I rub my palms against my thighs, realizing I’m wearing sleep shorts with teddy bears on them. If he doesn’t kill me, I might die of embarrassment or throw myself out of this speeding vehicle. Not that I can get the door open. I’m basically doomed.

“With Nikolai.”

“Oh.” When I passed out on the couch while watching reality TV, my new friend and romance book junkie partner was there with me. I’d awoken to hulk man plucking me off the couch like I weighed nothing. “Wait, did he come over?”

“He has Riley.” Hulk’s answers are short and right to the point. That is when he chooses to answer one of my questions.

I feel a sense of relief knowing that Nikolai has her. No one takes care of Riley better than her boyfriend. Nikolai almost choked my brother’s girlfriend out for putting her hands on and trying to bully Riley. Some might think that’s insane, but I thought it was kind of sweet in a weird way. My brother’s girlfriend Becky is the worst kind of mean girl. I don’t get how my brother deals with her. To be honest, he’s not much better when it comes to treating people nicely.

“You don’t look like my father’s normal security.”

Usually, they all wear fancy suits with earpieces. They could double as FBI agents. I believe some of them have served as them in the past. If anything, this hulk of a man might pass for some of the men I’ve seen my father let come and go late at night when I’m supposed to be in bed. He frequently holds small meetings in his second office downstairs. I don’t know why he has two. Well, three if you count the one that isn't in our house. Two in one house seems like one too many, but I keep those thoughts to myself.

“I’m not.”

There he goes again with the evasive answers. I huff out a breath in frustration. At least he doesn’t appear annoyed at my questions. It's a habit of mine to ramble when I feel out of sorts. I've tried to overcome it. It annoys my father and brother to no end.

“Is somewhere safe also somewhere close?” I ask when he pulls off the highway and enters an area with only warehouses. This doesn’t look very safe, but again, I keep that thought to myself. He’s obviously the professional here and good at his job.

“Yes,” he grunts. I try to keep track of where we are going, but the buildings are tall, and he loops through the empty streets that are quickly turning dark, like a maze he could do with his eyes closed.

"Think I’m getting scared again,” I blurt out. I should have kept that to myself. I need to be cool and calm, so if I wanted to take off when he opens this door, he wouldn’t see it coming.

"No one will hurt you while I am next to you."

“Cause you’ll protect me?” I peek over at him. One of the streetlights we drive under illuminates his face for a second, and I see a thin scar across his neck. He’s not your typical handsome, but there is something so attractive about him. I know it’s ridiculous to be thinking about this right now, but I can’t help it.

“Yes.” To prevent myself from reaching out and touching his scar like a little weirdo, I clasp my hands into a fist. “Don’t be scared,” he orders, and one of his massive hands comes down over both my fisted hands in my lap, covering them easily. Jesus, the man is really big. His touch soothes me in an unexpected way. I hadn’t anticipated that.

“It’s kind of challenging to not be scared when you don’t know what is happening.” I peek over at him to see if he’s going to give me a little more than a few words this time.

“I can understand that,” he agrees.

“And?”

“And?” he repeats.

"You should say something like, 'I can understand that, but'thenexplain why I shouldn't be afraid."

“I did.” I blink, trying to understand what he means. Mr. Hulk removes his paw from my hands in order to pull out his phone.

“Oh!” It dawns on me. I do an air gun and shoot him. “Right, because you’re next to me.”

Oh, my God. I quickly drop my finger gun. Did I really just shoot him with an air gun? I really want to throw myself out of this vehicle now. At this point, he must think I'm the biggest dork in the world.

He pulls up to a metal fence that is a couple stories high and has a giant gate. At the top of the gate, barbed wire is arranged in a crazy pattern, adorned with giant spikes. It swings open for us to drive through.

“That’s like a prison fence.”

“No one in or out.” He glances over at me. “Unless I allow it.”

“Right.” I sink back into my seat. Should that make me feel better or worse? “Not like I can get out.” I say this while attempting to gauge his reaction.

---