Page 81 of Take Me (Dark Odyssey 5)

Christian reaches for my face and touches over my cheek.

“Lilly, on occasion I have to take care of certain things that happen that affect my family business. But I swear to you that this is me. The real me. What you see is what you get. There is nothing more to see underneath what you’re seeing now. Do you understand me?” he says and I look deep into his eyes.

“I do.” He releases me and I pull in a shallow breath.

“Good. I’m not him, Lilly…” he says and I know he’s talking about Miguel. “I don’t know more than what you told me. But I know I’m not him. Don’t make the mistake of thinking I am. I’m no saint. I probably will go to hell. But I assure you it won’t be the same hell as Miguel Diaz.”

His gaze clings to mine as I swallow hard. I never told him Miguel’s name. I don’t think I should show any form of surprise that he went searching for a name.

“You won’t go to hell,” I say.

“Well, maybe you can save me Angel.” The corners of his lips turn up into a smooth smile.

The ripple of that spark flows through me and I stand on the tips of my toes to kiss him. He kisses me back, holding me so he can deepen the kiss, but pulls away just as we get going.

“Later, we’ll pick that up later. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Will…you be safe? I mean will you be careful?”

“Yes. I can assure you I will be careful,” he says answering only that part of the question. I know well enough that wherever he’s going isn’t going to be safe. “There’s something big I have to take care of. Georgiou’s number is on the fridge. You call him if you need anything. I mean it, anything at all.”

“Thank you.”

He steps away from me and I watch him leave.

My heart trembles now as pieces of that wall I placed up continue to fade away.

I know what’s happening to me. I’m worrying about him because I’m falling for him.

I’m falling and I don’t know if I can stop myself.

Or if I want to.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Christian

I jumped on my bike and ride away. We’re assembling at Checkpoint A which we discovered after the mission last night was a factory on the other side of Chicago, very near the woodland areas. That’s where the fuckers are keeping the guns and the other items they stole. A truck is supposed to come by to pick up the guns and deliver them to be shipped to their new buyer, Kar Pleshov.

Again I give them credit for the bravado of tactics.

But they aren’t as clever as we are. Our plan last night to find out where Check Point A was ran smooth without hiccups. Us finding out the location was the worst thing that could happen to them. Tonight we plan to fuck with them the same way they fucked with us and get the guns back.

This is the final part. the resolution and I hope all will be resolved. I decided that asshole the other day watching me must have had something to do with Falcone so I made Vincent aware of it and dropped it.

I didn’t want to divert my attention to looking around for shit when this mission required my undivided attention.

Then there was Lilly to think about. Twice I found myself connecting with her . The first time was when I spoke of the past and the tutor who changed me. I just left out the parts about what the tutor meant to me. it was Amelia. that was how we met. She was the good girl. The good little bookworm asked to tutor the football jock so he could stay on the team. That was how we began. I hadn’t talked about that story to anyone in years.

It was the first time since Amelia’s death that I didn’t think about that part. I just thought of the memory.

The next time Lilly and I connected was earlier when I told her I wasn’t like Miguel. I could see her thinking it and I had to set her straight. I set her straight like I wanted her past this arrangement of ours. It was an automatic reaction and important to me that she knew I would never treat her badly.

When I met the guys and we took our positions around the woodland area by the factory I forced myself to focus.

Shit’s supposed to go down in about five minutes so I need to be ready.

Lilly is what awaits me after this. She is what will be waiting for me at the end of this dark tunnel of shit. I just have to survive and make it through to the other side.

---