Heiress in Distress

•Chapter 31•

"Follow me," He says, nudging his head in the house's direction.

I do, falling in step by his side as he sticks both his hands into his hoodie's pockets. Oddly, he walks towards the rear of the house, looking over his shoulder at the front door to ensure no one has walked out.

He takes me to where I remember to be the garage, but he doesn't go to the one they had my car kept in, he walks to the adjacent, identical garage.

He retrieves a pair of lock keys from his pocket and squats down, "I see you've met Verdi. Congratulations," He says, his voice almost inaudible behind the sound of the garage door as he rolls it open.

I mutter a distracted "Thank you" as I follow him inside, my head already turning here and there in inspection, but everything immediately turns dark because Aurick has pulled the garage door down.

A few seconds and several footsteps later, the room breaks in blinks of light before it settles on a moderate lighting.

My knees recognize it before I do. I only manage to take in a 180 degree of my surrounding, swallowing a choking lump.

I'm in the middle of what I'm pretty sure is my parents' secret headquarters. With all the suits and sparring equipment adorning one wall, numerous tv monitoring screens lining the other, and at least a ton of pictures of people with labels lining the last wall, the room clearly states that some of the most dangerous schemes have been discussed and to some extend, judging by the abundance of screens, executed in here.

I take a deep breath, aware that Aurick is watching me.

He goes to a door at the other end of the room, holding the doorknob, "Do you need a moment?"

I blow the breath, "No, I'm okay,"

His hand falls back to his side, before he pushes both hands into the pockets of his hoodie, again.

I go to the wall directly across from me and reach over, with a tremor-wrecked hand, to caress the fabric of what I know to be my mother's tracking suit.

"You said you'll cover for me.. in one condition. What is that?"

He makes his way to my side, placing a hand on my shoulder and applying the slightest of pressure to turn me away from my mother's suit. 

He rests both hands on my shoulders, leaning in slightly so we're both staring directly into each others' eyes, "I want you to promise me something,"

He takes my silence as a tacit urge for him to continue.

"I want Élise away from these people. Promise me, you'll keep her away from this life,"

I only stare at him, before a nagging question raises my hackles slightly, "How deeply are you involved with Elias ?"

"We've been best friends way before he took over Vanguard,"

"Then you probably know Elias would do everything in his power to protect those he cares about,"

He sighs, "I do, but accidents happen, and their consequences are irreversible,"

I know that. I've experienced it firsthand.

He squeezes my shoulders slightly, "I need to know you're well protected,"

"Elias-"

He quickly cuts in, "I know Elias has men on you and Élise, and I know he'd made you fight Cordelia just to ensure you're martially prepared for anything," he looks directly into my eyes,

"But I want you armed at all times,"

It takes me a second to translate his words before I reach into my backpack, pulling out the gun Elias gave me, "Elias gave me this and told me to use it whenever I felt the need to,"