The gangleader and me

Chapter 8

Jake POV

I get in the SUV and rethink what just happened. I can't stop thinking about what she said. Normal, she wants normal. At this moment, I know that I should leave her alone but I just can't ... She invades my mind all the time. I can't think about anything else but her.

Every time I close my eyes, I see her red hair and her green eyes looking at me. Then I hear her laugh and it resonates inside my head. I've never been hooked like this. Of course, I've had girlfriends before but it was so long ago. I was 17 and now I am 24. After a bad break-up, I just forced myself to stop loving and girls became just a fling or one night stands. None of them had me hypnotised like this. Cassie was so natural. She was genuinely pretty and I knew that she didn't know or believed it herself. I really wanted to show her and to prove to her, that she was beautiful.

Once the car stopped in front of my door, I got out and run up the stairs to my room. I paced a few minutes and her words kept going threw my head : Find a normal guy. I was normal once. No guns, no money, no fear. Being a gangleader became more than just a job. It became my life. And until today, I never wanted to share it with anyone but now ... I was thinking fucking to much. I turned around and punched into the wall to let out my fustration.

A knock on the door got me off my thoughts.

" Come in "

" Hey man ! What's up ? You ok ?" Jake asked motionning to my hand that was bleeding.

" Yeah, I'm fine. What's new ?" I replied coldly

" Well, the Sharks are getting on our land. Chris and Tyler met them near our boundaries an hour ago." he stated

SHIT. The Sharks were the second gang in town. They were the only gang we had to worry about because the others were too small and pledged alligeance to me. We'd been fighting for at least two year with this gang to prove them we were better. It was a silent war of course but it numbered many losses and I wasn't ready to get back at war again.

" I will take care of it tomorrow. Send them a warning after to see how they react. I don't want them to feel threatened or anything." I reply going back in the gangleader mode "Anything else ?"

" Yeah ! The cameras in Derek's appartment have been installed" he told me " Thought you might wanna know."

I nod and he leaves my room. I go to the bathroom to wash my hand before heading to he control room. I ask Max, my tech engineer, to pull out Derek's home camera. And I see her. She jut got back and she's kicking her shoes off before putting a wine bottle on the kitchen counter. I look at her as she walks to the bedroom and just that makes me smile.

Normal, Normal ... I need to prove to her that I can be normal. Or I have to at least show her that I'm willing to try to be. I go back to my room and get ready. After my shower, I head out and search Derek in the house. I find him around the pool table talking with one of my guys. I walk over to him and ask his appartement keys He hands them to me with a weird look. I thank him and head to the cellar to pick up a bottle of white wine.

I go out the door and jump in my black porsche. I stop at the florist to buy her favorite flowers and a minute after, I'm in front of Derek's building. I get off my car and I greet the men posted up front for her safety. I go up and ring the bell. When she doesn't answer, I open the door with the key Derek gave me. I enter the appartement and I was about to call for her when I hear her singing voice. I follow the lovely sound and look at her dancing in the kitchen. She turns around and I can see her surprise in her look. It is the best facial expression I have ever seen. And a smile is planting itself on my lips.

Cassandre POV

" What the hell Jake ?? Are you trying to give a heart attack ??" I yell a hand on my chest to steady my breathing.

" Sorry "

" What are you doing here ? And how did you get in ? " I say madly while picking up the piece of glass on the floor.

" I- I came to have a date with you. A normal date ... I even brought a piece offering " He says showing me the wine bottle

" Normal is not breaking in a girl's appartement to scare her to death !" I scream going to the trash.

" I didn't break in. I opened the door with Derek's key " He replied smiling and waving the keys in front of me which made me roll my eyes.

" And you are playing it romantic too ?" I ask intrigues pointing to the flowers. White peonnies, my favorite. " Did Derek tell you they were my favorite ?"

" Lucky guess " he says smirking. And I roll my eyes again.

" I was about to eat so - " I begin looking at the boiling water and putting my hand on my hips.

" Good ! I'm starving ! " he cuts me off putting the bootle on the counter and looking through the drawers.

" What ? What are you doing ?" I ask bewildered at his attempt to invite himself

" Looking for the corkscrew !" he replies "The wine will not open itself up"

I sigh and realise that he is really trying and after glancing at the bottle that must cost more than my pay, I give in. He's lucky I love wine.

" Fine" I say in exasperation walking to the corkscrew and back to hand it to him " But this is not a date and we are just eating ! Now I'm going to put a sweater on and this bottle better be opened when I come back " And on that I walk in my room.

It's been an hour that we are talking to each other. I am forgetting that he is the gangleader that I fear and discover the real Jake that lives underneath. We laughed a lot and he was in the middle of a great story when the subject of 'my protection' came up.

" I think you are making to much noise for nothing " I say to him. He stares at me with a small smile and his blue eyes show hapiness. I can't help but feel glad that he feels like this around me even though I know I shouldn't.

" No ! Too much would be posting one of my guys with you at every moment of the day !" he replies. I roll my eyes and grab my glass of wine. " But I have to admit that the cameras in the appartment are making me less worried " he looked at me with a smirk.

I drank my wine and I was about to roll my eyes when his words hit me. I choked on my glass when I realised. I turn to meet his eyes.

" WHAT ??!" I yell and he just nods. He has his playful smile on. "So, when I was dancing earlier, your men saw me ?" I ask embarassed. He nods again and I blush to the point of becoming a tomato. I take a huge sip of my wine. And turn back at him.

" This is a huge invasion of my privacy " I say again on an upset tone.

" I know sweetheart. But at least I know that you're safe. " he replies leaning a little towards me.

" And why is it so important to you ?" I ask not leaving his eyes and leaning in myself.

" Because I care about you " he states brushing my lip with his. I close my eyes to breath the intensity of his gesture.

We were about to kiss each other when his phone rang. I straigthened in my chair and took my wine again. I can't believe I was about to kiss him. Damn alcohool !! You are not my friend right now ! He gets his phone out of his pocket exasperated and hit the answer button. I can hear loud noises coming from the other end of the line.

" What ?" he says in a cold and bossy tone. I hear muffled words and loud bangs. I can get out words like 'attack' and 'sharks'. I don't understand it at all. I get up to put my glass in the sink and turn around to Jake who just hung up on his call.

He's looking at me with a mad look. Mad isn't even enough to describe his look ... It was more deadly. He got up quickly and walked towards me fast which made me take a few steps back. At that moment, I was really scared of him. He came to me and took my hand in his and looks deep in my scared eyes.

" We need to get out of here now."