XVI
Andros Valetti
W e fucked up.
Correction.
Atlas fucked up.
When he told us to stay away from Hazel, he was killing our chances with her. He was so wrapped up in the new potential threat of the Russians, he ignored the new potential of our precious angel.
She barely looks at me as she opens her apartment door, just whisking the coffee out of my hand before striding away. I follow behind her like a lost puppy, completely smitten by every move she makes.
She puts her earphones in her ears, like she usually does, and ignores me for the whole walk over to the bar. I could easily drive us, but I’ve grown to love the silence of our walks together.
She pushes open the door to the bar and I walk in behind her, immediately looking up to see Theo and Dawson frowning down at us. Hazel scurries off to the staff locker room whilst I climb the stairs to join them on the mezzanine.
“Still not talking to you?” Dawson smirks. I lean on the railings, watching over the closed club as the staff get it ready for opening. I don’t answer and he chuckles as Theo pats me on the back.
“Fucking hell,” Theo groans as Hazel walks out. She’s chosen an outfit that would kill any man just by looking at her. Her midi black dress has made regular appearances as her work attire and always seems to get her the most attention. It fits her like it was tailor-made, the long sleeves and subtle neckline giving only a tease as to her delectable body underneath.
She strolls to the front of the bar and starts arranging the straws, giving us a glimpse of her perfectly formed ass. We all groan in unison, before looking at each other and smirking.
After receiving a text from Atlas, we head into his office and I lean against the wall, pulling out my phone without acknowledging him.
“Still hung up on her?” Atlas asks me, a tint of amusement in his voice.
I see red.
“Fuck off, Atlas! She was perfect and you fucked it up for all of us,” I growl, turning on the CCTV on my phone so I can watch her. She’s still at the bar, but is now behind it as the customers trickle in.
“Go get laid and get over it,” he argues back in his usual bored tone.
“Asshole,” I mutter. The others begin to talk about work but I zone out, keeping my eyes on Hazel as she moves about the club. She disappears through the back, and I flip the cameras to the alleyway, my grip tightening on my phone when I see her alone out there.
“What’s wrong?” Theo nudges me, peering at my phone screen.
“Nothing… just Hazel’s gone into the alleyway alone to empty the bins, and I’ve got a bad feeling,” I press my lips together as I watch the camera.
“For fuck’s sake… let’s go take a look,” Atlas sighs. I look up at him to see him standing from his chair, rubbing a hand over his face. I nod and we head downstairs. Dawson rams through the emergency door and my hand instantly moves to the gun at my waist when I see what’s happening.
Pulling it out and taking the safety off, I nod to Atlas. He nods to Dawson, who runs over to Hazel. She’s lying on the floor, blood gushing out of a gash on her forehead. One eye is swollen shut, and her neck is viciously red with finger marks. He grabs her and lifts her out of the way, carrying her over to the car we have parked at the back of the club.
The rest of us focus on her attackers; three men who are currently getting the shit kicked out of them. I land an especially harsh blow to one assailant’s eye, making sure to give them the same injury they gave Hazel.
Once we have them subdued into unconsciousness, Atlas pulls out his phone and calls the cleanup crew to take them to the warehouse.
We’ll question them later.
I run over to the car and slide into the driver’s seat. Dawson is tending to Hazel’s bleeding head in the backseat, and after the other two climb in, I drive us home. Atlas barks to the doctor on the phone, who meets us at the house.
Dawson carries her inside and sets her down in the guest room. I pace the floor as the doctor gets to work, but with the four of us crowding around her, the doctor soon kicks us out of the room. He doesn’t even flinch when Atlas and Theo raise their guns at him.
Atlas stalks off to his office and we all follow, Dawson and I with our own irritated agendas. Theo sits, completely bemused and emotionless by the events of today, whilst I pace the floor of Atlas’s office and Dawson leans against the doorframe. Atlas sits in his office chair and leans back, looking annoyingly calm at the situation.
“What next? Are you going to fire her to keep her safe?” I scoff.
“We left her alone and she still got hurt, Atlas,” Dawson adds, folding his arms across his chest.
“Andros hasn’t been leaving her alone,” Atlas responds, his eyes meeting mine.
“I’ve been fucking walking her to work. She doesn’t even talk to me. Are we just supposed to leave her unprotected when the Russians are running loose?” I roll my eyes.
“We’re meant to be watching her from a distance. You painted a target on her back,” Theo decides to chime in.
“Either way. They have made their intentions known about her. We’ve got to keep her here,” Dawson voices.
“You still can’t do anything with her,” Atlas shakes his head.
“The fuck we can’t,” I scoff and walk out, heading to the guest room to see Hazel.