The Silvia Saga: Boxset

Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Harlan

I push Oliver against the alleyway wall—he hits it with a thump. “What were you thinking, Oliver? You can’t just go up and start talking to her. You know our mission and you could have ruined it all,” I yell, grabbing his throat and applying pressure. His mouth opens slightly. I can’t believe he did that after everything that has been drilled into our heads since we were young. He still couldn’t help himself. He is such a rule-breaker; he irritates the shit out of me.

I pull back, releasing him, before storming through the alleyway and into the café.

Oliver follows me in and slides into the empty booth. He throws his arms in the air. “Sorry, man. I just couldn’t resist. I was on watch. I haven’t talked to her in years—you know how it is. I needed to hear her voice. I needed to be closer to her.” He grins.

“What could you possibly be smiling about?” I almost growl. This isn’t the time for this shit. A waiter comes by taking our coffee orders.

“I was just thinking about her. She is the same, man. Still a little firecracker. Oh, bro, I have missed her, and the worst part is that she has no idea who I am anymore.” Oliver runs his fingers through his hair. I still at his words, memories fighting their way through my annoyance.

Her giggles echo through the forest as she runs off and I chase after her. She looks over her shoulder and her toothy grin causes me to smile back.

“You can’t catch me,” she teases as she dodges through the trees. I laugh. Technically I could if I really tried, but I enjoy how much she loves winning and I won’t take that away from her. I’d do anything to make her happy.

I shake my head. “Keep it together, man. We know our mission. We can’t be going off track. We have one job, and we must stick to it,” I grit out, placing money on the table and pushing back my chair. Oliver opens his mouth to respond but seems to think better of it.

“Come on. We have to go check on Declan and Blair to see what Dara has been up to since your little run-in early today.”

We shouldn’t even be here yet; it is too soon. But things have been getting worse back home and we need to make sure she’s still safe.

We have been following her at a distance for the past two weeks. She wasn’t meant to see any of us yet. But Blair and now Oliver had other ideas and those rules flew out the window as soon as they saw her. Surprise, surprise.

As much as I want to run up and pull her into my embrace, it’s not the right time or place. Besides, she doesn’t even remember us. If I did do that, she’d likely try to fight me off. To her, I’m a complete stranger. My stomach churns at the thought of her not remembering me, but that’s how it’s had to be to keep her safe.

We make our way out of the café and step into the cool evening air. Wind whips through the quiet streets as we walk toward the Wellington where Dara works. The closer we get, the louder the streets become. Cars hoon past with music blasting into the night and people spill out onto the pathways from the various clubs and restaurants. The sounds are almost deafening compared to the tranquil noises of the forest that I’m used to.

We stop in front of the bouncer at the entrance, bypassing the long line to get in. He takes one look at us and waves us through without a second thought. Looks like Blair or Declan took care of that for us.

Music bounces off the walls and I feel like covering my ears to drown it out. I have no idea how Dara works in here. People migrate to the dance floor, moving their bodies to the beat, carefree and enjoying their night out. A pang of jealousy rolls through me, wishing that I had that luxury, but I don’t.

Oliver brushes past me, walking ahead to one of the sort of hidden booths to our left where Blair and Declan lounge. I follow him in and sit, bracing my hands against the table between us. “Update?” I ask.

“Dara just rocked up to her shift. She seems distracted.” Declan sighs, glancing behind me to the bar.

“Well, that might be because troublemaker Oliver broke the rules and talked to her earlier today.” I whack him over the head, and he curses, rubbing his skull.

“What the hell, man? You know the rules. We aren’t meant to engage with her. It’s not time yet,” Declan yells over the music. He bangs his fists on the table, letting out an angry growl. A few people stare over at us, causing a scene. Fuck.

“Look, I am sorry. I just couldn’t resist. I won’t interact with her again until it’s time.” Oliver sighs.

“I’ll make sure you don’t get a chance. You can’t ruin this. This has to work out to plan. Everything is going to shit back home, and we will need her more than ever once it’s time,” Declan growls.

I let them go at it, looking over my shoulder at Dara. She’s busy pouring drinks, chatting away to a couple of guys, and I fight the urge to storm right over there and rip their hearts out. I can’t stand the thought of anyone talking to her, let alone touching her. My grip on the table tightens as I try to calm myself down. My heart rate is through the roof but it’s impossible with her. She’s the only one who has this control over me and my body, even after all of these years. They say the heart grows stronger with time and space, and I’d be the first to believe that judging by what’s happening right now. I don’t even know who she is anymore, none of us do.

Someone touches my hand. I spin around to find Blair watching me. He pulls away and leans farther back into the booth with a telling smile on his face. He always knows how to distract me and calm me down.

Checking my watch, we have to head back home soon as the portal won’t be open for much longer. We decided it would be best to always leave one person here to keep an eye on our princess. The waiting is what’s killing us all, but it won’t be long until she’s back where she belongs. Until then, I have to keep my shit together and not snap too many necks for people simply looking her way.

“Okay, guys, we will have to go back tonight. Blair, you are on watch until we can return,” I say, giving him a hard look as if to say don’t fuck this up. We need to keep her safe until it’s time.

Pushing myself up from the booth, I turn around to have one last look at her before leaving with my brothers. She throws her head back, laughing at something one of the other staff members said. I smile to myself.

You have no idea how important you are, Princess.

I just hope you remember us when the time comes.