On the Rocks

X (ATLAS / HAZEL)

"Fuck" I slam my fist on the desk. It takes all my restraint not to throw my phone across the room.

"What do you want us to do, Boss?"

I shut my eyes in anger and take a breath. "Send me the details now. I'll get Andros on it and we will find the motherfucker." I hang up and slam my phone down. Shit.

As I run my hand across my face, I hear the door open and I can already tell its the guys. They file in and take up their usual spots in my office. 

"Dmitri is on the move again," I sigh as they wait for me to speak. I watch as they all visibly tense and anger passes through their eyes.

"I thought we scared the Russians into hiding," Andros growls.

"Well I did," Theo snaps back to him. 

"He obviously has gotten over his fear," I roll my eyes at them. I notice Dawson sitting quietly across from me, his face contorted in deep thoughts. What is he up to?

"Antonio is sending me the details we know about him," I continue, "and I will put someone on surveillance of his known contacts. If we get a hit, we move in." They nod at my instructions and I note Dawson still hasn't said anything. Andros notices it too and nudges him, snapping him out of his daze.

"My bad, boss. I was just thinking... what if he targets Hazel," Dawson admits. My eyebrows furrow. Surely Dmitri doesn't know about Hazel in our lives? I mean she barely is in our lives and may never be.

"How would he know about her," Theo quizzes him. 

He shrugs, "I'm not saying he does. I just think it's a risk to have her close to us. Maybe her not accepting our offer at first was a blessing in disguise." The room goes silent and we all sit there, stunned as we let his words wash over us. 

I consider the options. Either we put her life in danger by being with us, or we protect her and have to live a life without her influence. Neither option seems appealing. But I can't let another person get hurt because of me...

"He's right," I mutter. I hate to admit it but we can't let Hazel be put in the crossfires of our business. 

"What the fuck, boss," Andros spits. I glare at him. He's knows why I'm doing this.

"Yeah, come on, Atlas. We can't give up on her now," Theo says to me, anger in his eyes. They don't understand. They haven't lost someone like I have.

"No. That's the way it's going to be. She's some girl that we haven't even fucked and you two are acting like you are already pussy-whipped," I spit at them, letting my anger rise. They glare at me as Dawson hangs his head, almost ashamed he even suggested the idea. 

I watch as Theo storms out of the office and Andros stands up, squaring up to me before muttering "Don't act like you're not affected by her, Atlas." He follows Theo out the door and Dawson takes his cue to leave. 

I down the glass of whiskey on my desk but find myself throwing the empty glass at the door in anger. Shit. The glass shatters in contact with the wood and scatters onto the floor. 

A flicker on the CCTV on my laptop screen catches my attention. What is she doing here? We told her to stay home until she recovers. The anger reaches my head and I storm downstairs.

She is walking through the doors when I reach her, with her head down, trying to go unnoticed. But I noticed her. Of course I did. 

"Can you not follow one simple instruction," I seethe down at her, grabbing onto her shoulders. I feel goosebumps spread across her skin as she freezes at the sound of my voice.