Temporary Alliance

Chapter 3 : Secrets

Alexander eyed the dark grey case questionably but didn't say anything so I didn't bother telling him what it was. We both went out and I locked the doors, looking at my house and feeling wistful. During all the years I've lived here with my parents, no threats came all the way to our home and I guess my parents truly tried hard to prevent that as well. I wondered how everything could change so quickly.

I slid my things into the trunk of the car and made sure everything was secure before I closed the door. Upon shutting the door shut, I saw that Alexander was standing quite close to me, eyeing me carefully.

Feeling unnerved from his scrutinizing gaze, I snarled at him. "What?"

Without saying anything, he quickly tugged me into his arms, firmly holding me to his chest. I felt him gently place his head on top of mine and heard him sigh softly. Just like that, all I could feel was the warmth of his body slowly soaking into mine, keeping me safe and shielding me away from the bitter morning breeze.

My breathing stopped. Absolutely confused by his uncharacteristic behavior, I limply stood still. "Don't touch me."

Alexander didn't let me go, instead, he tightened his brawny arms around me and pulled me closer to his hard chest. His scent flooded my nose and I couldn't help but feel a sense of calm wash over me.

I didn't know how long we stood there but he soon slowly let me go.

"Were you hurt?" His voice was brisk and distant but when I stared into his eyes, they showed a lot more emotions than he let on. Genuine concern was in his eyes and I didn't want to see that from him.

I pushed him away from me and this time, he stepped back. "Perfectly fine." I answered back, equally as sharp and crisp, then I quickly walked to the passenger side and got in the car.

Alexander had gotten in a few moments later and we reversed out of the driveway.

Not even a few minutes later, Alexander's phone rang and he clicked a button on the steering wheel.

"Go," he answered.

"Got them all and they're being taken to headquarters. Forensics are coming by to check up in half an hour. Anything else?" I heard Victor inform Alexander of the situation.

"Meeting at eight. Everyone."

I could literally hear the frown in Victor's voice. "Oh, come on. When I said 'I'll see you tomorrow', I actually meant after twenty-four hours, not today after the sun comes up."

"Two hours." Alexander's tone was clipped.

"Fine. I'll see you in two hours," Victor grumbled then quickly hung up.

It was silent for a while after that but I was the one that broke it.

"I have some rules, too," I told him while looking out the passenger seat window. "I get my own room."

"That's fine," he started. "We need to convince my mother."

I snapped my head in his direction, staring at him horrified. "Are you trying to set us up for failure from the beginning? Here I thought agreeing to marry you was the hardest part."

He continued facing the road and didn't bother to answer me so I continued.

"Convincing your mother is going to be impossible. I still remember the time I snatched one of your mom's homemade cookies that were cooling on the racks when I was six and told her I wasn't the one who ate it." I felt goosebumps rise on my arms. "She's a terrifyingly fierce woman when she's lied to. I cried for a solid week and promised not to do that again. I'm not going through that again for you."