The Mechanic

THIRTY-SIX

I tried to move my mouth to talk but I couldn't. I turned to a complete stone from head to toe and even my tongue wouldn't utter any sound.

Hunter's face stretched into an amused smile. "Love that I have that effect on you," he snickered, his dark gaze penetrating deep to my bones. "Shocked much?"

Even blinking seemed to require extra effort. My eyes felt heavy and I suddenly got nauseous. I gripped on the counter, my pulse beating loudly in my ears.

"Hey, sweetheart. Don't be scared. I won't do anything bad to you," he chuckled before sipping his drink.

"W-what do you want?" I finally asked, my voice slightly shaking.

He gave me a questioning look. "Me? Nothing, babe. I don't want anything. Just thought it would be nice to know why Harry ditched his job yesterday."

I swallowed hard and didn't say anything. I was basically the reason why Harry did that.

"He canceled three important deals. He never did that before, that's why I got curious. You know what I'm talking about, right? You know what Harry really does, am I correct?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," I choked out.

"You can't fool me, Jade. In fact, I also know you're inside the hotel when Harry was with Dave."

My eyes widened in shock. What?

"Dave is not a fucking idiot. He knows that someone's inside the closet but he just let it slip. You probably gasped too loud or something. You're lucky he was in a very good mood that day," he informed me, his eyes not leaving my face. "He told me about it but I convinced him that maybe he was just imagining things. And then I heard Louis talking to Niall about you. That you went to the penthouse and you're looking for him."

I didn't know what to say. Cold shivers crawled to my spine as he revealed the facts one by one.

He lit a cigarette and puffed on it slowly, the veil of smoke almost covering his cold blue eyes. "I thought you're just one of his flings. But then he never ditched his job because of a woman," he said, then stared at Harry who was so busy in volleyball.

"Why are you here? What's your reason?" I asked, thankful that I could still speak despite the fear clutching my stomach.

He stood up and laughed softly. "You're a fierce one, huh. I already told you, I just want to see you. It's really nice to finally meet you, Jade. See you around," he uttered, followed with a wink that only gave me more chills.

He walked away and left me speechless in my seat with a racing mind. He just disappeared and I didn't know where he went.

"Ma'am," said the bartender in front of me. "Here's your drink."

I just gave him a nod. When he turned his back, I left the bar fast and returned to my friends.

"What took you so long?" Marty asked.

"I uh...I had a little chat with the bartender," I replied, pulling a thin smile.

"Where's your drink?"

"I finished it there." I ran a hand through my hair. "I'll go back inside the cottage."

"Why?" Leslie frowned.

"I'm not really feeling well. I'm a bit dizzy," I replied. My knees were still shaking and I felt like throwing up. That confrontation was too much for me.

"Dizzy?" Marty butted in, giving me a meaningful look. "Oh God, are we gonna have a mini Harry soon?"

I ignored him and walked away. I wasn't in the mood for his jokes, I just seriously need to lie down and breathe.