Chapter Five
Lumi
Iturn down Luka’s offer to drive me to the Agency and then home.
Part of me, a big part of me, didn’t want him to see where I lived.
It is so different from where he lives and the world he is used to.
Truthfully, it’s a far cry from what I am used to, but it’s a roof over my head, and the door has a sturdy -ish- lock on it.
I wasn’t lying when I told him I didn’t like climbing the stairs and walking the hallway at night.
I try to be safe and conscious of my surroundings, but just in case, I carry mace and a small dagger-like thing on my keychain that I always keep in the palm of my hand as I walk from my car to my apartment.
It wasn’t always like this. There was a time when I was in a dorm, going to college with people just like me, dreaming of a better future.
But that future never came for me. Life got hard, and I ended up here.
I’ve spent hours crying about it, but this is my life now, and the faster I accept it and move on, the quicker I can dig myself out.
At least that’s what I tell myself every night I lie down, so waking up the next day won’t be such a battle.
Tonight? Tonight is different. I find myself thinking about Luka.
What must he be doing right at this moment?
Is he catching up on work I kept him from today?
Is he lighting a fire in the fireplace and sitting on the big soft sofa watching the flames dance?
Is he entertaining some beautifully polished woman who fits into his world perfectly?
Maybe she’s his ‘yet’ and he’s still trying to woo her?
How foolish is she? With those eyes and that gentle, sweet smile, who wouldn’t want to say yes to him? The only thing that kept me from saying yes was pride and the fact that I need this job. I looked; it is highly frowned upon for an elf to stay with their client in any overnight situation.
What would it be like to have someone like Luka in your life? To have the man’s full attention on you? I was with him for a day and felt like I was a princess. He almost made me forget about…well, everything.
Luka Frost is a dangerous man.
What would he think about what happened? Would he blame me the way I blame myself? Would he offer his warm arms for me to come into?
I huff out a condescending puff of air. Doesn’t matter what he would do. I’m not about to tell him, and I couldn’t bear to find pity in his eyes if he ever found out. Best to put Luka Frost out of my mind and focus on rebuilding my life.
Something outside the window catches my eye.
I'm not sure what it is that draws my attention. The street looks the same way it always does. Everything is just a little darker on this side of the city. Just a little dirtier. A motorcycle sits in one of the empty parking lots. It’s new, and I can’t help but wonder if it means someone recently moved in.
What kind of person would own that bike?
A mean-looking biker or a fierce woman fighting crime in her spare time.
I spend the next hour - alright, two- thinking about the motorcycle and the owner.
When I finally make my way to my sad-looking little twin bed, the bike is gone, replaced by a dark car with tinted windows.
Nothing good can come from that car being here.
The first thing that comes to mind is drug deals gone wrong.
That thought has me pulling the thin curtains tighter and taking a step away from the window.
I don’t want to celebrate my Christmas in witness protection or something like it because I witnessed a drug deal go wrong.
Even after heading off to bed, it takes me a long time to get to sleep, and when I do, I dream of Luka and his magical life.
I spend the rest of my morning telling myself the dreams don’t mean anything.
Then I see him again, and it’s like all my arguments have been nothing but whispered dreams in the night. When I see his smile and those drop-dead blue eyes, I forget why I would have arguments about him. He meets me just outside his door and comes around the car to help me walk across the gravel.
“How did you sleep?”
His question catches me by surprise, and I have to fight back the tears that spring to my eyes. He is at my side, sweeping me off my feet and into his house before I can catch my breath again.
“What’s wrong? What happened? Who do I need to kill?”
The last question has me giggling. “It…nothing happened. It’s just been a really long time since someone asked me…it’s stupid.”
“No, it’s not stupid, sweetheart. It’s not stupid at all.”
He wipes the tear from under my lashes, and I realize he’s not only brought me into the house…he’s sat me right in his lap. Not sure, but this is probably not something the Agency wants their elves to do with clients either. No matter how cute the client is.