The blood was pounding in her head as it had rushed from her heart. She wanted to get away from the center of attention but how could she do it without breaking the byplay Ji Hoon set up?
As usual, Ji Hoon sensed her thoughts and drew her to the corner of the room.
"Are you alright?" he asked her with concern. She looked at him, shocked that he was so unaffected, so calm.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just need some food..." she said in a high voice as she started devouring whatever her hands came upon. A bunch of women joined her, chattering in awe at what happened. Laura ignored most of them and avoided Ji Hoon. She needed a moment – no, an hour to recover from that. She ate quickly and bolted from the buffet table outside.
"Laura, wait!" Ji Hoon said following her. But the women seeing they wouldn't get anything out of Laura, hounded him instead with frivolous questions.
"Is it true you're her new boyfriend? How long have you been dating?" Ji Hoon clicked his tongue in annoyance. He couldn't lose sight of her...
Laura blindly walked out of the hall panting. She fanned her cheeks wishing she retained a semblance of control. She felt like she lost her mind and the food didn't even help.
"That was quite a show your boyfriend put on there." Luke's voice came to her ears. She blindly looked up at him.
"Go away Luke, I'm not in the mood." She said looking for the exit. Luke pouted.
"I'm trying to make things right. Can't you even give me a chance?" he said. Laura noticed this time that he was holding two glasses of amber liquid.
"You could at least accept this as my apology." He said.
"I don't drink alcohol." Laura said, walking away from him.
"It's ginger ale." Luke said, swirling the glasses. "I'm not that insensitive you know." Laura hesitated. She didn't want the drink but she also didn't want to appear rude.
"Fine." She said and took the glass from him. she drained it in one go.
"Happy? I accepted your apology. Now I have to go." She said walking away. Luke watched her with a devious smile.
"Oh, I couldn't be happier." He said draining his own glass.
Ji Hoon meanwhile, was watching this little exchange from the hall. He felt uneasy from the moment he saw Luke stop her and tried to extricate himself hurriedly from the gossiping women. When he saw Laura next, she was drinking from a glass Luke gave her.
"Laura, no!" he hissed urgently, running towards her. He caught up with her at the front door.
"Laura, what did you drink? The doctor said you weren't supposed to touch alcohol for a while." He said, trying to hide the panic in his eyes.
"It was just ginger ale. Lighten up." Luke said from behind. Ji Hoon turned to him with clenched fists, his face dark as thunder.
"Stay away from her!" he snarled. Laura looked at him in surprise. She was about to say something when she suddenly swayed and everything became blurry.
"Oh, I feel funny..." she said, clutching her head. He turned to her just as she passed out in his arms.
"Laura!" he yelled. He checked her pulse and found it was too slow. He immediately pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Get the doctor to Fort Estienne now!" he said. "It's an emergency!" he turned to Laura cradling her in his arms.
"Laura, wake up! Please, you have to be okay!" he pleaded, trying to revive her. He turned to Luke with a bloodcurdling look.
"WHAT DID YOU GIVE HER?!" he shouted. Luke looked mildly surprised.
"Oops, I must've accidently given her my glass. It had an antidepressant in it. Let me take her to -"
"DON'T. COME. NEAR. HER." Ji Hoon growled out each word with thunderous fervor. He carried her out to the car. He strapped her in and got in the driver's seat, starting the car with such alacrity the valet who was standing nearby blinked. Ji Hoon drove out of the lot so fast he left scorch marks on the road.
"Hang on Laura, I won't let anything happen to you." he said with fervent assurance. Laura moaned softly before slipping into the darkness.
"Ji Hoon..."
The slow rather shrill beeping of the heart monitor finally woke Laura up. Her vision was still blurred but she could make out a familiar dark haired figure in a tux sitting on a chair next to her. Beside him was a tall stand with an IV bag hanging from it.
"Ji Hoon..." she said though her words slurred. He had been watching her and took her hand when she woke.
"Laura. I'm so glad you're okay." He said in a raspy voice. Laura frowned.
"What happened? Where are we?" she asked. Ji Hoon gave a ghost of a smile, remembering her asking similar questions the night they first met.
"We're back home. You passed out at the party." He said in the same monotonous voice. Laura tried to sit up but shook and struggled, realizing how weak she was.
"Easy." Ji Hoon said, coming to her aid. "Doctor Garner said you need to rest until the sedative wears off."
"What – sedative?" Laura asked, trying to remember something in her foggy brain. Ji Hoon's fists clenched.
"Later. I'll tell you later." He said.
"Ji Hoon, please. I told you not to keep things from me." Laura said, regaining some of her senses. Ji Hoon exhaled heavily.
"Luke slipped you an antidepressant claiming it was for him and that he 'accidently' switched glasses." Laura didn't miss the emphasis on 'accidently'. "The dose was too high for you and you passed out."
"Diazepam?" she asked.
"Yes, how did you know?"
"I've heard him brag about it before. It probably was an accident." She said. Ji Hoon's eyes hardened.
"Are you defending him? He almost poisoned you and you're covering for him?" he asked cynically.
"It was an accident. It wasn't a lethal dose and it was my fault for taking the glass from him." Laura said, avoiding his eyes. Ji Hoon stood up suddenly.
"Laura, have you lost your mind? No wait, you have. You're on a damn sedative for goodness sake. You're not thinking straight." Ji Hoon said with a grim disposition.
"My thinking is perfectly normal, thank you." Laura said stiffly. "And it's better if it was an accident. Just forget it and don't tell Andrew or my father."
"What? Laura, do you even hear yourself? Maybe I should get the doctor to come check you again. Because there's no way what you're saying makes sense now. I have to report this! You were in danger on my watch! If anything happened to you –"
"But nothing happened, okay? I'm fine! I'm still alive! Which means you didn't fail to protect me!" Laura cried, turning to him with tears in her eyes. "If you report this now, you'll get fired! I can't bear it if you go! Please!" The tears fell fast now. Ji Hoon deflated and sat down stunned at her words. She wasn't worried about Luke; she was worried about him. About losing him.
"I need you. I want you here. If you get fired, I won't have anyone to protect me." she sobbed. Ji Hoon swallowed heavily and squeezed her hand.
"They'll find someone else to guard you. You'd be better off with a whole team of bodyguards." He said his voice thick with emotion.
"I don't want anyone else. I want you." she met his eyes with heart wrenching tears. "You can't leave me after kissing me like that."
Ji Hoon clenched his jaws. Words failed him for a moment. He didn't want to leave either; but he couldn't ignore his mistake. Yet he wanted to protect her; she had become the center of his attention since he committed to this.
"You promised." Laura said, her sobs dying down. Ji Hoon looked at her and took her cheek in his hand.
"I promised I wouldn't leave you, didn't I?" he said, stroking it. he leaned close, enveloping her in a hug.
"I'm sorry for getting mad. I won't leave you Laura." He said softly in her hair. "As long as you need me, I'll be here for you." Laura smiled weakly.
"I'll hold that to you." she said. Ji Hoon tried to smile back.
"Get some sleep. Doctor Garner is downstairs. I'll get him to check on you once more." He said.
"Okay but – could you make me an Americano? My throat is parched and I'm dying for some coffee." She said.
"Coffee will just dehydrate you more." He said.
"Please?" she looked at him with wistful eyes. He sighed.
"Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes." He said, leaving. Laura glanced at the clock. It showed three forty five. Ji Hoon hadn't slept all night, watching her.
Giovanni Vultaggio sat at his desk, drumming his fingers on the table. His eyes lazily flickered to the telephone near him as though he was expecting a call. His faithful bidder Enzo stood next to it, also waiting. The moment it rang he picked it and held it to his master's ear.
"Speak." Giovanni said.
"I'm calling to report that the mission failed. I couldn't get her away."
"I see. So you bothered to call me to inform me of your incompetent failure." He said. "In your insignificant mind, it occurred not to you that wasting my time with such futile facts would not cost you."
"It's not my fault I can't get her alone!" the man on the line shouted. "That damn boyfriend of hers got in the way. He's too overprotective."
"I see. Then I'll have to eliminate him first." Giovanni said.
"I think you mean 'we'. Without my intel you'd have no chance of getting what you want. And I want revenge." Giovanni laughed.
"At this point your needs are irrelevant. You failed repeatedly to do what my men could have done in an hour. You and your father are weak –"
"He said they live together!" the other man shouted. "If you can break into fort Estienne, you get the girl. You deliver her to me and I'll pay double."
"Living together... How interesting. That was not the report I got from my intel."
"I paid for half of your operations! You owe me! Get me the girl and you can put an end to Talavera! If you don't, I won't sit still either." Giovanni's lips curled into a poisonous smile.
"Mr. Wetmore, are you threatening me?" he asked. "It appears you don't know your place. Since you dared challenge me, I will demonstrate exactly what I can do in this city."
"I'm trying to cooperate with you, you old geezer!"
"You haven't any manners I see. I shall have to remedy that sometime. But for now, I will carry out my plans as I intended. Unfortunately you won't be getting the girl. Good night." Enzo put the phone down.
"Enzo, do you know why they call me the 'Hades' of New York?" Giovanni asked.
"Sir..."
"It is not because I rule the underworld." He said, fiddling with a small dagger which was perched on his desk. "But because I ruin souls."
"Will you deal with Mr. Wetmore?" Enzo asked. Giovanni nodded.
"Yes, but not now. He will get what is his due. For now, I'll take care of things my way. I will have the girl before nightfall."
Ji Hoon sat at the dining table with his head in his hands. He checked his watch – it showed six twelve. Doctor Garner had left after confirming that Laura's condition wasn't serious. She just had to sleep it off. He, on the other hand, hadn't slept a wink all night. Not that he needed to. He had been used to sleepless nights since his mission days.
He stared at the phone which he had put down a few minutes ago after reporting to Andrew. Andrew was worried but promised not to mention it to Mr. Talavera yet. Ji Hoon said he would come report it himself later that morning. Even if it meant he might get fired.
As long as Laura was okay...
"You didn't sleep?" Laura's voice came from the stairs. She had come down slowly, clinging to the banisters for support.
"I'm fine. You should be in bed. Why did you come down? I would've come up if you needed something." Ji Hoon said running over to help her.
"I had to make sure you were still here." she said softly. "I figured you might run off to my stepfather if I didn't stop you."
"I told you I wouldn't leave." Ji Hoon said softly. "Don't you trust me?" Laura averted her eyes at that, remembering his words before their kiss.
"You need to change. As good as you look in that shirt, you look better in a tee." She said, changing the subject.
"I will." Ji Hoon said seeing that she had changed into her own clothes as well. But before he had the chance, the bell rang, indicating that someone was at the gate. Ji Hoon turned to the intercom and suddenly became alert.
"Are we expecting someone this early in the morning?" Laura asked. Ji Hoon shook his head.
"Not since doctor Garner left..." he went to intercom.
"Who is it?" he asked.
"Zane. I'm from the security team at Talavera. I was sent as backup for Miss Talavera's protection." A man said. Laura looked nervous.
"Are they replacing you? Ji Hoon –"
"Shh." Ji Hoon said quietly, putting his finger to his mouth. He turned back to the intercom.
"I'll have to confirm it with headquarters first." He said. The man held up a card to the intercom camera.
"I have a high level pass. I'm coming in." he said. Ji Hoon turned off the intercom clenching his fists.
"This doesn't feel right. I don't trust him." he said. "Laura, I need you to listen to me."
A few minutes later, Zane entered the living room. Only Ji Hoon was there, standing square shouldered and rigid.
"I'm here to secure the VIP." Zane said. Ji Hoon stared him down with intense scrutiny.
"I wasn't briefed that the VIP security was getting replaced." He said. Zane blinked for a moment as though taken aback by his reply.
"I'm sure her boyfriend can understand." He said. Ji Hoon nodded slowly as though digesting the situation. The man didn't realize he'd given himself away by mistaking him as Laura's boyfriend. Two more men entered all dressed in black suits, their earpieces clearly visible. Ji Hoon gave them quick once-overs.
"Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit them." Ji Hoon said unexpectedly. Laura, who had gone upstairs after instructions from Ji Hoon, stopped by the banisters at the top on hearing his words. Her brows furrowed. That was a quote from the book 'To kill a Mockingbird'. Why was Ji Hoon bringing that up? Was it perhaps – some kind of code?
Zane looked at Ji Hoon like he was off his rocker and chuckled.
"I have no interest in shooting birds though I would warn you not to underestimate my shooting skills." He said. Ji Hoon's stance shifted.
"Wrong answer."