2 weeks later
France
These past two weeks it's been back to back going to events, meeting people, doing things off of the list that Graysons grandfather had made.
We're getting around just fine, we've become a good team, we try not to piss each other off and mostly spend time together only when there's events and outside of that we don't bother each other.
Cole and Malika has been following us everywhere and at least they're making this easier for us. Keeping the air lighter with their presence.
But right now it's just me and Grayson, at an art gallery. One if his grandfathers requests, from what I've heard this was his passion, he liked art. And today we need to pick out a piece to bring back to NewYork.
"I like this one" I say staring at a painting of an landscape.
"You think?" Grayson asks quietly. The gallery is so quite that I think everyone can even hear us whispering.
"This one doesn't confuse my mind like the others, and it looks like an actual painting not just colour splotches on canvas" I don't really understand art, yeah it's beautiful and hard work but some of these works are confusing. And they're selling for the price of a house.
"I guess" he says and turns to find someone who could tell us about this painting.
A worker comes and tells us about the colours used in the painting and why it's so important and expensive and tell about the landscape pictured and what the artist felt making this piece and it's a lot of words but we end up taking the piece and as we walk back to get the painting all packed up for us a different piece catches my eye and I go to investigate while Grayson walks away with the worker.
It's a painting of a small cottage house that has lavender growing in fields stretching in the back. And there's a picture of two cats cuddled up by the doorstep, one is black and the other one is ginger and they're sleeping peacefully.
"How much is this?" I hear Grayson ask from behind I didn't even notice him coming back. I break my eyes away from the painting and walk back to him and the worker.
"120 000" the worker is saying. And I look at the painting I just looked at.
"We'll take it too" Grayson is saying and I look at him as the worker nods and goes to pack up the painting.
"Didn't we have to get just one?" I'm asking.
"You like this one" he says.
"Yeah, but we don't have to get it" I say as he pulls out his card and gives it to the worker.
"You're gonna be living with me for a year might as well get you something that you're gonna like there" he says and some of his men get the paintings and carry them safely to the car that's gonna take them to the airport and back to New York.
"I could've bought it myself if I wanted to" I say quietly, I don't like someone spending so much money on me. I don't mind spending money on other people, but when they spend it on me I feel uncomfortable and I feel like I have to give something back. That's how it's always been with Levi, I don't mind giving him money but whenever I landed from him I had to give back and I don't like the feeling of owing someone something.
"I know you could" he says and leads me out of the gallery.
"I'll give you back the money for it" I say and he stops.
"Can you just accept it without a fight?" He's looking at me once again. I want to know what's hiding behind that cold gaze.
"I don't like to owe to people" I say.
"You don't owe me anything, I'm not expecting you to give me back the money or repay me in any other way" he's saying "think of it as a gift"
"A very expensive gift" I point out.
"It's nothing" he says and finally start walking again.
"It isn't nothing" I say quietly but he heard me because he stops again and the next thing he says "you had no problem accepting a ring that cost a lot more than that painting"
"I'm gonna give it back after the year anyway" I say defensive.
"I don't need you to return it" he's saying.
"But I will" I say and he pinches the bridge of his nose. "And I'm also transferring you the money for the painting"
And the next thing I know he's grabbing my chin by his hand and holding it tight so I'm looking up at him. His look is serious and searching my eyes. "You're not giving me back anything" he says in a low tone. His eyes dip to my lips and I'm holding my breath, my heart racing.
"And from now on, as long as this contract is up to date, I can spend as much money as I want on you and you have to get used to it" he says so possessive and serious looking back up in my eyes again.
"Understood?" He asks and I'm at loss for words so I just nod. "Good"
For a while there he doesn't let go of my face. He's holding tight, his eyes looking straight into mine and I can hear my quite breaths. I'm hyper aware of everything, my chest raising in even beats, my heart beating in my chest, cold sweat ticking up the back of my neck. And his eyes travel to my lips and suddenly I'm holding my breath but not even a second later he lets go.
For a moment I'm frozen to the spot but then he nudged for me to walk and I do.
***
We walk back inside the house and it's surprisingly empty, there's no sight of Malika or Cole here. Maybe they went out.
"Where are they?" I'm asking and Grayson is shrugging his shoulders. "I'll call Cole" he says.
I watch as Grayson talks on the phone and then I notice a weird hole in the ceiling that for sure wasn't there before. What the hell. I stand up from the couch and walk over to Grayson who's still on the phone he furrows his brows as I approach him and I point to the hole. He looks at it and immediately pulls me to him and behind his back.
I feel him reach in his jacket and he pulls out a gun. That's new. He points it at the hole and shoots, all while still on the phone and the next thing I know there's someone screaming in the attic.
He hungs up the call and slides the phone on the counter. "You okay?" He asks and I nod.
"Who the hell is there?" I ask quietly.
"I don't know, stay here" he says and leaves to the hallway where there's and opening to the attic.
GRAYSON
I make my way up to the attic. There's a man rolling around with his head bleeding from the shot. I don't think I've seen him before. Just as I approach him I pin him to the ground and point the gun at him, he's begging, tears in his eyes. But sadly for him, I don't give out second chances. No matter what he was trying to do.
I take one shot and his eyes go blank. The life slowly draining from them as he stops moving and bleeds out of his forehead.
"Where the hell are you?" I answer the incoming call.
"I ran out to check out the shipment" Cole says.
"Get back as fast as you can, and call the pilot, we're leaving today" I say.
"What happened?" Cole is asking.
"I'll tell you later" I look at the lifeless body again "and stop messing with Malika, I'm not dealing with Kate when you're done with her"
"How did you-" he starts to say.
"I have eyes, I've seen how you look at her" I step down from the attic and walk back to the living room.
"We're just having fun" Cole semi laughs but I find nothing funny about this.
"Call someone to clean up" I say and hung up.
My eyes meet Kate's. She's visibly shaken up, she's not used to my world, she doesn't belong in it. We come from totally different family's and backgrounds. She's like an Angel, sweet and innocent, extraordinarily beautiful, but here she is, in my dark and cruel world.
And if I could I'd kill her grandfather for sending this upon her, but luckily for him, he's already dead. So all I can do for her is keep her safe for this year, and then send her back to her family and never let her see the dark again.
"Who was it?" She's asking.
"No one I know" I tell her and walk closer to her.
"What did you do?" Sweet and innocent.
"You don't want to know, Angel" those big green eyes staring back at me, trying to read mine, worry lingering in them. I can tell she wants to run, just now all this became real for her and she wants to run, but yet she's frozen to the spot, the curiosity getting the best of her.
"Get your stuff, we're leaving" I say and she walks past me but then stops in the middle of the room.
I can see her chest rising and falling from here. How tense her muscles are, how on edge she is.
"I'm scared" she says so quietly I almost hear it, it's more like a breath. And then she turns around again and I find myself walking towards her.
I grab her head, her hair going through my fingers and she's looking up at me with sparkly eyes. "I won't let anything happen to you" I whisper and I mean it.
"Don't let a little set back scare you" I say and now her hands are on my wrists but she doesn't break the eye contact.
"You just killed someone" she breaks the eye contact and zones out at a further corner of the room.
"I never said I was a good guy" I say and her eyes drift back to mine "but, I am a man of my word" she's listening carefully.
"And I promise you, I won't let anything happen to you"
I drop my hands and so does she. And I'm already missing her touch, feeling her warmth against my palms.
She takes a breath and turns to walk away again. And this time she makes it to her room.