Killer Empire

Chapter 14

Julius Cain quirked an eyebrow up in disbelief but he otherwise kept silent, waiting for Nathan to finish speaking before cutting in.

"Furthermore, Gray's men were late, as usual, and the outlaws that organized the kidnappings had to be—"

The older man raised a single finger in the air, silencing Nathan abruptly as the teenager clicked his jaw in annoyance.

"I know that Leon can't do his damn job well enough but I had explicitly told you to bring Miss Evans here early. So what was the problem? You should've had your own mode of transportation prepared for extraction."

From where she stood, Devora could feel Nathan tensing up. His whole body went rigid, almost trembling in indignation. She chanced a quick glance at him just in time to see his frown form, eyebrows crinkling inward as his jaw clenched. Acting purely on instinct, she slipped her hand into his, squeezing it gently in hopes of offering comfort. She didn't know what came over her or what drove her to act kindly to a person that had betrayed her trust. All she could remember at that moment was that Nathan had offered her the same comfort when she needed it most. Now that he was distressed, she was doing the least in relaying that same compassion back.

At her touch, Nathan blinked a few times rapidly, the anger in his eyes fading. His muscles relaxed a little, the scowl he wore no longer as obvious as before. His fingers curled around hers, tightening his grip into a little squeeze. The warmth of his hand surrounded Devora's. For a second there, it seemed as though he was trying to comfort her instead of the other way around.

Julius Cain, with his eyes that belonged to a hawk, sneered at the sight. Devora and Nathan's exchange hadn't been a big, extravagant movement but he caught it nevertheless.

"Please refrain from doing that in my office, Miss Evans. Affection is revolting in my eyes."

With his words, everyone's burning gaze fell on Devora and Nathan's connected hands. Devora slipped her hand out of Nathan's, holding them behind her as she glanced at the floor, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. Heat rushed to her cheeks rapidly due to the embarrassment of getting caught. Clearly it wasn't wise to underestimate Julius Cain's hawk-like eyes.

It took the towering man mere steps to reach Devora from where he previously stood. At first, Nathan stood bravely in front of her, prepared to shield her away from the devil-turned-man. However, with just one pointed look from Julius Cain, Nathan had no choice but to step aside, leaving Devora at the full mercy of the man that had her scared out of her wits. The aura that surrounded Julius Cain left Devora stunned silly and even as someone who once prided herself on having a way with words, she found herself at a loss of it, unable to find her voice to reply when questions started to get thrown her way.

"You are such a delicate little pretty thing, aren't you?" The man's calloused hands lifted her face up by the chin, shifting it around so as to get a good look at her. It forced her to stare right into her eyes, allowing her to bear the full brunt of the piercing gaze. The eyes were windows to a person's soul but Julius Cain's eyes held no emotion. There was nothing within those frosty pale blue irises other than a hollow chasm void of any warmth. "Pity." Retracting his hand, the man sneered. Devora's chin plummeted downward from the momentum, bobbing a little. She pursed her lip, trying to erase the sensation of his chilling touch against her skin from her mind. "This job might not treat your beauty well. I would know."

He needn't specifically mention what he was referring to. Devora already knew. Although Julius Cain's face could be said to be perfectly symmetrical, a scientifically perfect face in the world of beauty, a sharp jagged line ran down the right side of his face, completely smashing that porcelain elegance into a haunting nightmare. It traced from his nose bridge to the apple of his right cheek before leading to the edge of his jaw. The scar, though not enough to completely ruin his appearance, was another additional factor that increased his formidable vibe.