Dancing With The Devil

Chapter 26

I never thought that Alistair would be someone who would allow himself to be pushed around by anyone. But without another second of deliberation the stranger, Jasper, shoved past Alistair and was moving deeper into the home. Alistair, my great protector, stood there blankly. The man who had shot someone for my safety allowed an absolute beast to stop past him, into his parents' villa, and he did nothing.

The first thing I noticed about Jasper was the violent draft that came in with him. The next thing that I noticed was how massive of a man he was. Alistair was taller than me and lean with strong arms, muscular thighs and broad shoulders, but this man made him seem small. His muscles pushed against the fabric of his hoodie and his jeans. And the way he moved was so aggressive it was almost animalistic. It took him less than a few seconds to locate me. And when those intense brown eyes landed on my seated form I realized that I had seen him before.

He had been watching me in the train station two days before Christmas.

"Jasper, don't." Alistair begged feebly, trailing behind.

"Don't worry; I just came to meet your girlfriend." Jasper replied darkly, a sinister smirk on his lips.

He took three quick steps, covering the distance between me and him in no time at all. I stood up, attempting to meet his eyes, but my legs were shaking and his intense features made me look away. He had such a haunting look on his face, it gave me chills. Evidently, this displeased Jasper because he grabbed my jaw with a certain amount of firmness that made me gasp and forced my head upwards.

The force, the suddenness, and the uncertainty brought tears to my eyes.

"Camila Lopez." He purred out, almost sounding appreciative.

It sounded like I was a trophy that he had found and I instantly wondered if he was one of Alistair's coworkers. Maybe he had come to finish the job.

"Leave her alone. You're scaring her." Alistair said.

He tried to get near us, but when Jasper turned to him instead he ended up freezing. I had seen Alistair with his superiors. I had seen how he reacted to the demeaning words Smith used and how he spoke to his parents and I had seen him wield a gun against one of his own. But this was something different entirely. There was something in Jasper that made Alistair unlike himself and that only terrified me more.

"She doesn't have anything to be afraid of." Jasper said, cocking his head at Alistair, "You're here to protect her, even if it means putting your family in the line of fire, right?"

Alistair seemed to fall out of his trance then. His shoulder shifted back and the slight expression of fear shifted off of his face and was replaced with strength.

"That's what this is all about?" he asked softly, almost sounding sympathetic. "She's not Malia. She isn't in a position to do anything malicious."

"Don't fucking bring Malia into this! This is about you and her. And you let her wander around Paris like it's her fucking playground. I followed her around Paris, you weren't even with her. She could've done whatever she wanted. What if she decides to hop on a train and not come back? What happens to your big hero act then?"

"There's almost no way she could exist on her own. All of her spending is being tracked by her friend who is being monitored by mom and dad. Unless she was going to risk begging on the street she can't get on a train, can't get a taxi, and certainly can't get a plane ticket. And if she decided that she wanted to get away from me then I just announce it and the whole world will be looking for her."

"You don't get it Alistair. You already committed treason. Letting her get away is just another sword over your head." Jasper suddenly seemed to collect himself, refocusing on his purpose, "I'm just here to let you know that things are heating up in Canada and that little tech of yours wanted you to have new IDs just in case."

"Heating up how?" Alistair pressed, but he took the documents that were being offered to him.

"It doesn't matter. You need to worry about yourselves first."

"Jasper, what's going on? Are mom and dad okay?"

Jasper shook his head, seeming annoyed with how the conversation had turned. "Everything is fine for now. Just move on and lay low. I'll be the intermediary from now on, but I have to go. I'm still working in Belgium; I could only get away for a few days."

Alistair seemed just as stunned as I felt. This man had barged in here, roughed us both up a little, whether it was emotionally or physically, and just as soon as he appeared he was leaving.

He didn't wait for Alistair to reply to him. He just stepped around him and moved back to the front door. Alistair followed him numbly and I moved myself to a better vantage point so I could watch the exchange. Neither one of them seemed to notice me and I watched Jasper's hardened expression fall away. Seeing his shoulders slump slightly and the aggression fade from him eyes I saw that he did actually look like Alistair. He just had stronger features and much more muscle on his frame. But there was something about him, something that took away the rough edges when he allowed it.

"I hope that she's worth it." Jasper said so softly that I almost missed it.

"I-"

Jasper cut Alistair off before he could even begin, "I know what you're going to say. It's what I said too."

Alistair didn't respond verbally. He just nodded slowly.

The two brothers hugged. It was fast, but surprisingly heartfelt. Then Jasper – the now tamed whirlwind- left quietly.

I stared at Alistair nervously when he watched his brother go. Then, after what felt like forever he slowly turned around toward me. I thought I had learned to read him so well. But now, when he peered up at me, he looked the same way he had when he took me in for questioning with Smith. I couldn't tell what was going on behind those eyes and it terrified me.

"Alistair-" I began shakily.

"Pack a bag, we're leaving." He responded gruffly.

He shoved past me to get down the hallway and I watched him go. My heart was swarmed with ugly emotions. I was hurt, so deeply, by his reaction to my impulsive kiss. I was terrified about the warning his brother had just given up and I was so confused about the mysterious woman named Malia and how she pertained to me.

But I shook my head, ridding myself of the thoughts.

My only purpose right now was collecting up my humble belongings and memorizing the new last name I would be given.