Adalia POV
Asher tenses more than I thought possible as Zayn closes the car door. He smiles when he sees me but it quickly disappears when he sees Asher. He takes slow, cautious strides towards me as Asher observes him. From the brand to his feet, to the tattoos shown right at the collar of his black shirt, to the cross earring in his ear. When Zayn gets close enough he engulfs me in a short friendly hug.
"What are you doing here?" I smile softly while pushing my hair back.
"I came here earlier to see if you wanted to hang out or something today but I went to the store to get something." He explains stuffing his back pocket.
"Sure just go in and give me a minute." I gesture towards the house. He nods and turns away as I turn towards Asher. His glare harsh on Zayn. His posture is incredibly sharp as if no room for flaws or imperfections. His guard higher than Mount Everest and his jaw is sharp enough to cut through metal, though that's not much different than usual.
"Are you ok?"
He snaps out of his gaze and looks down at the ground.
"Yea. Um, I'll be back tomorrow night." He mutters.
"Ok. See you later." I wave as he turns the engine back on. He drives away with no further response. I sigh pushing a curl behind my ear. I walk into the house and see Zayn sitting on the couch looking down at the phone in his hand.
"Hey." I walk up to him and he gets up from his previous position on the sofa.
"What do you want to do today?"
"How about going to a waffle house for a start because I haven't eaten yet." I walk towards the stairs.
"Sure. Where are you going?"he asks with a cocked eyebrow.
"I'm going to get my hoodie. It was cool outside. You can come if you don't mind." He doesn't respond and just follows me. I walk up to my room and head straight to my large closet, that actually has small mini closets inside. I search for the jacket I wanted, unable to find it.
You ever have that piece of clothing that is there when you aren't looking for it but it disappears the second you start looking for it. Like what the fuck, did it just grow legs?
"Can't find it?" Zayn says from behind me. I shake my head and walk out the closet. I try to remember the last time I had it, but instead my mind seems to recall all the times I've had it like months ago.
"Oh. I remember now." I sigh and walk out the room turning off the light as he's right behind me. I walk down the halls making turns until I've made it at the personal gym.
"Question."
"Shoot." I say walking towards the treadmill.
"You work out?" He points to me with suprise evident on his face.
"Correction. I run from my thoughts or problems." I correct him. He nods approvingly."I block out my thoughts with music and I use the gym as another thing to focus on."
"Good strategy."
"Well let's go." I say while walking out.
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Asher POV
"I thought you weren't coming back until later." Elton says sitting in the same spot he was since I left with Adalia.
"Change of plans." I say rushing down the stairs into the basement. It was a dark space with a small window near the ceiling. Concrete floor with a computer, and board. The part of the board my eyes are focused on has a picture of Lilah and Cameron with sharp pins holding them in place. There is a red string that connects both of there strings to Adalia's, only because that's there daughter. I move my gaze from the picture of the beautiful blue eyed girl to the green eyed imbecile. I reach into a drawer pulling out the red string to connect Adalia and Zayn.
"Why are you connecting them?" Jai asks from behind me. I don't turn towards them as my mind tried to connect the complicated connection.
"He was at her house."
"How would she even know him?" Elton questions from behind me.
"I don't know he wasn't in her background check meaning they met recently." I say.
"Where's blackwood?"I ask both.
"He went out with this girl. Ariel Woods." Jai responds.
"Background check."
"On it." Elton leans over facing the computer. He pulls he information before printing a picture of the strawberry blonde. He smirks at me before handing me it.
"What's with the stupid look on your face?" I grumble reaching for a pin.
"She's best friends with little bit. Along with a guy named Alexander Walker." He reads off the bright screen.
"Alexander Walker. Wide Receiver. He plays football with Asher and I." Blake says walking down the stairs."Hey what's she
doing on the wall?"
"She was at the exchange." Jai explains.
"Oh shit, the exchange. I forgot." I pull out a sharpie and a post it and write on the board, taping the piece of paper.
"His initials. He sent her a message to meet her there leaving his initials." I say still writing.
"It was a set up." Blake states. I point to him with the sharpie in agreement.
"But the exchange never happened because the guns went off." Elton says from his seat at the computer.
"What would they earn from that?" Jai asked confused.
"A scared girl." Elton speaks."Zayn was just trying to scare her as a step to the bigger plan."
" You think differently." I let my mind wander.
"You just have to connect the pieces to get the answer."
"She couldn't have met him there. It's a connection but she didn't meet him there." I run a hand through my hair frustrated.
"So how would she know him?" I mutter looking at the same board hoping that something will just go off in my brain. My gaze stops on Lilah and Cameron. Do they know she knows him? I mean they are always out on missions. Besides that one business party. The business party.
"Wait, the business party. Was he there?" I ask the three guys standing in front of me.
"No one was there except for Jake so we wouldn't know." Jai shrugs. I pull my phone out of my pocket, placing it on the desk. I click on Jake's contact and press the call button. After a few rings he answers and I switch it to speaker.
"What's up, Ash?" His voice enters the room. Focusing on a blank spot on the wall I respond.
"The business party. Was Zayn there?"
"Uh, yea. Along with the Carter's." He recalls.
"Was Lilah and Cameron's daughter there too?" I ask taking out another piece of paper.
"Yea. She was introduced to everyone including Zayn. And I must say, they got some good ass genes." He explains. His slight Italian accent present.
"Right!" Jai says behind me.
"I mean goddamn." Elton mutters from his chair.
"That is one blue eyed babe." Blake says from the side, leaning on the wall.
"Enough." I growl, my hand stopped writing.
"Someone's salty." Jai flips his imaginary hair like the dumbass he is.
"I would say someone's jealous." Elton mutters.
"Do you like her, Ash?" Blake has this enormous smile on his face.
"No, I do not." I grumble.
"So you don't think she's pretty?" Jake speaks up from the device.
"I didn't say that, of course I think she's pretty." I mutter.
"You've been caught." Jai whispers in my ear. I groan earning a chorus of laughter behind me.
"Anything else I need to know, Jake?" My finger right above the bright red button that's just calling my name. You know, I wish all of them had a bright red button that would just make them disappear.
"Zayn and Adalia disappeared for a few minutes before the party ended. He came back before I left though." He explains.
"Alright thanks, bye." I slam my finger down.
"Lilah and Cameron are idiots. Why would you purposefully showcase your kid to the enemy?" Jai says dumbfounded. After a long moment of silence, Elton speaks.
"Maybe they used her as bait." He mutters pulling his lip ring between his teeth.
"She can get killed like that!" I exclaim. Blake smirked at my reaction.
"Blake you better not say shit or I swear to God, I will shoot you." I threaten.
"When do they get back from Peru?" I nod towards Jai.
"This Thursday they should if no complications." He responds.
"Well they can come in Friday then." I mutter writing it down.
"What about Zayn?" Jai asks.
"He has a plan and motive unknown to us at the moment. There's someone else working with them other than the people on this wall because he's too much of an imbecile to think of using little bit by himself." Elton says from beside me. I noticed the use of his new nickname for her.
"What about Adalia?" Blake questions causing me to look up at him.
"We just have to make sure we know where she is at all times. That way we can be prepared." I explain.
"How would you do that if you're sitting right here?" Jai asks.
"Tracker." I say shaking my phone.
"How did you manage to do that without her noticing?"
"I stitched up her head after the exchange. She left her phone when she went to change."
"She got shot?!" Blake replies.
"Someone hit her but she didn't get shot. She would be dead because it would have went to her brain." I explain.
"Where is she now?" Elton mutters from the chair. I pick up my phone, opening her location.
"Waffle house on Main." I shrug.
"How will you know if she's ok?" Jai asks.
"We will. Plus she's with Jake and her friend right now. So he can't do anything." Elton responds quietly.
"Speaking of Jake. " I say as his name pops across my phone screen.
Blackwood: Adalia's here with Zayn.
Me: keep an eye out.
I look up from my phone to see Blake on his. As if feeling my eyes he looks up.
"Well I'm out." He sighs.
"Where are you going?" I question.
"Carla's throwing a party."
"I'm definitely coming." Jai rubs his hands together.
"Who's Carla?" Elton asks getting up.
"An easy hookup." Blake grins.
"Are you coming?" Elton turns to me.
"No I'll go next time." I exhale deeply.
"That's progress! He usually shuts us down." Jai squeals like a fucking pig.
"Can you calm the fuck down?" I groan rubbing my temple.
"I'm going upstairs." I say walking up the staircase.
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Adalia POV
"I had fun today." I say stepping out of Zayn's white car.
"Me too." He says wrapping his arms around my torso. I wrap my arms tightly around his neck in the hug. We let go after a moment and I look at the house.
"Well I should go." I smile brushing through my hair with my fingers.
"Bye, Adalia." He turns to leave, but not before I notice the E.S. tattoo under his right ear. A scar right under it.
A/N REMEMBER TO VOTE PLEASE