Chapter Twenty Five
Sang
My spine straightens and my muscles tense when I see the gun in the hand of a big, burly, tattooed guy. It's silver and he holds it in his hand with so much confidence, it feels like the gun is an extension of his arm.
My eyes move up his arm, tracing the lines and colors that mark his tanned skin. The ink disappears under the arm of his t-shirt, his bicep bulging under the stretched marterial. My eyes move up and to his face and I blink, because the softness in his eyes as he looks down at me doesn't match what I expected or imagined when I saw the gun in his hand.
The bigger surprise is the way my whole body becomes aware of him, much like it does when my boys are around, or close by. I realise he's looking at me, staring more like. I look to Dr Green just as he says, "Put the gun away, Raven."
Raven, the tattooed giant, moves his eyes from me and looks Dr Green up and down. "What the shit are you wearing?" His voice has an accent, one I can't place.
"Axel and Marc are expecting us," Dr Green says, ignoring his question. "The others will be here over the next hour."
"Best let you in then," Raven mutters. He steps out the way and holds the door open for us, waving the hand that still holds the gun. Dr Green pulls me in behind him. "You have pups here to see you, Ax."
Pups? I shake my head and let Dr Green pull me inside. He shakes his head as we go by Raven and although I try hard not to look at him, I can't help but look at his face. His eyes are soft as he looks down at me, but there's something else swirling in the chocolate brown depths; confusion, I think. Maybe. I'm not sure.
He steps towards me, just a few inches. He's so close I can feel the warmth coming from him. The move is unexpected, yet I don't find myself stepping away. I move by him, keeping my back to the wall. When I'm past, I face Dr Green's back but the weight of chocolate, confused eyes weighs heavy on me.
I shake off the feeling as we walk into a family room. Someone sits on the sofa, leaning over the coffee table. He looks up, and mismatched eyes lock onto mine; a blue one and a green one, both striking. I itch to take a photo of something that's rare. It's not often you see people with different colour eyes, and the few I've come across are just simple dark brown paired with hazel. Or, a pale blue with a pale grey.
But never striking blue and green.
He stands up, brushing his hands down his jeans. "Hey, you got here okay?" He asks.
Dr Green nods, pulling the keys to the car out of his pocket and chucking them at him. The stranger catches them in the palm of his hand. "Yeah. The others will be here soon," he responds and looks around. "Where's Axel?"
"I'm here." A different voice says from behind me, and I spin around, my eyes landing on a khaki green, button down shirt. My eyes follow the buttons until I'm looking at a strong jaw. I keep going up until I found his eyes. Almond shape, dark eyes framed with black rimmed glasses stare back at me. My lips part as he pushes some long black hair from his face, tucking it behind his ear.
I look away, unable to handle all this male beauty going on around me. It's...I don't know what it is, but it's making me feel things and think things, and...I don't know.
"Sang, this is Axel and that is Marc." Dr Green points towards the boy with mismatched eyes. He and Raven must only be a couple of years older then me, close to Dr Green's age, but Axel has to be a little older than Dr Green and Mr Blackbourne. He doesn't have an ounce of boy in him. He's all man.
A hand is held out in front of me, and I look up and straight into the curious blue and green eyes of Marc. "Pleasure to meet you, Sang. Would you like a coffee? I make the best coffee in town."
I hesitate for a second before taking his hand in mine, greeting him with a handshake. I shake my head at his question, giving him a small smile that causes his head to tilt to the side. "You don't want coffee?" He asks.
I shake my head, releasing his hand to sign. He watches my movements with a frown, and I realize after twenty seconds that he doesn't know sign language. I let out a small grunt and look to Dr Green who is grinning like a fool, his green eyes sparkling. "She said—"
"That she's never tried coffee before," Axel finishes, and I flick my gaze to him. His face, so handsome, is blank of emotion, giving me no idea what he's thinking. Reminds me of another man I know.
Marc grins. "Well, I'll introduce it to you. Best coffee you'll ever try, I promise." He winks at me before moving into what I assume is the kitchen.
"You don't speak?" Raven's accented voice has me looking towards him. He leans against the wall near the front door, arms folded across his broad chest. He seems like the brooding type, similar to North. I wish I had my camera.
I shake my head, but my lips part as my tongue goes to form words. I realise then that I want to talk, I want to talk around them even though I just met them. I frown down at the floor, so unsure, so confused.
"Does she know why she's here?" Axel asks.
Dr Green leads me to a couch and sits down. I follow suit and release his hand, tucking mine under my thighs. I feel Dr Green's eyes on the side of my face, but I don't look at him. "Not yet, but she will," he says. It's then his phone rings. He quickly pulls it from his pocket and answers, putting it on speaker. "Hello?"
"We're all on our way to the Sergeant Jasper, clear of any tails." Mr Blackbourne's voice comes through the speaker and I tilt my head, looking at the phone. "Is Miss Sorenson okay?"
I lift my eyes to Dr Green's. He raises an eyebrow, asking if I'm okay. I shrug my shoulder, because right now I'm not sure. Dr Green says something into the phone, but I tune him out as I push myself to my feet. Looking towards Axel, I sign. "Can I use your bathroom, please?"
"Second door to the left," he says pointing to the hallway. I nod my thanks, giving him the smallest tilt of my lips to show my appreciation. His eyes narrow and I look away, unsure of what that small action meant with the rest of his face showing no emotion.
I make my way down the hall and go into the bathroom. Closing and locking the door, I go to the sink and take a few deep breaths. Today's events have completely overwhelmed me, and I'm not sure what to expect next. The thought terrifies me, yet sends a thrill right through me that causes my heart to hammer in my chest.
I do my business and wash my hands. Looking down at the matching tracksuit. I silently plead for Gabriel to hurry up. I want my own clothes back. These form fitting ones make me feel I'm gaining more attention than I want.
But you like it, Sang. A voice says in my head. I shake my head. I don't like it. Well, I don't think I do. Maybe I do. I don't know. This is all so confusing. Dr Green and the boys are confusing; what I feel towards them. And then there's Raven, Marc, and Axel who are very handsome and attractive, something I even noticed.
I quietly groan as I unlock the door and swing it open. Walking back to the family room, I hear raised voices and pause. In my line of sight I see Axel standing there with his arms folded across his chest, looking bored.
A female voice reaches my ears. "What do you mean another bird is here?" The screech causes me to wince and step back at the same time. My movement catches Axel's eye and he turns his head to look at me, halting me in my retreating tracks.
"Kayli, calm the fuck down. Stop being so fucking jealous," Raven's accented voice says. I still haven't worked out what the accent is yet. "She's with Blackbourne and his team. Not with us."
"And that's suppose to make me feel better?" That same female voice screeches. I assume this voice belongs to Kayli.
Axel's eyes harden as he looks at me. I'm almost positive he's not really glaring at me, but at the female currently shouting and screeching in his family room. He breaks eye contact and in a tight voice he says, "I suggest you leave, Kayli. One of us will call you later, when everyone is gone. It's Academy work we need to deal with right now."
"And I can't be around, right?" Kayli says. "Well, screw you, Axel Toma. Screw the lot of you."
A breeze of dark hair and sun kissed skin wearing jeans and a red tank top goes towards the front door with stamping feet and a foul mouth. In a way, I'm glad I decided to stay hidden and out of the way. Unnoticed, just how I like it.
When the door slams shut, I move forward and into the family room. Dr Green, Marc, Raven, and Axel focus their eyes on me. I stuff my hands into the back pockets on the tracksuit bottoms as my eyes move from one face to the other. "So, that's the girlfriend?"