Chapter 8
Ilean against the door frame, watching Sasha as she works at her desk. The soft glow of the lamp illuminates her face, casting shadows that dance across her features as she frowns in concentration. She”s so focused, so intent on whatever she”s doing, that she doesn”t notice me standing there.
I take a moment to just… observe her. To drink in the sight of her, with her hair falling in loose waves around her shoulders and her lips pursed in thought. She”s beautiful, there”s no denying that. But it”s more than just her physical appearance that draws me to her. It”s her ability to keep going even in the face of adversity.
My fingers clench around the door frame as I fight the urge to go to her, to wrap my arms around her and pull her close. I want to bury my face in her hair, to breathe in her scent and feel the warmth of her body against mine. I want to tell her how much I admire her, how much I care about her.
But I can”t. I won”t.
I”m here to do a job, to protect her from the threat that”s been looming over her. I can”t let my personal feelings get in the way of that. I can”t let myself cross that line, no matter how much I might want to.
The silence of the room seems to press in on me, amplifying the turmoil inside my head. I feel like I”m being torn in two, pulled between my duty and my desire.
Sasha shifts in her chair, letting out a soft sigh as she rubs her temples. The sound of her voice, even that small exhalation of breath, sends a jolt of awareness through me. It”s like a spark, igniting a fire that burns low in my belly.
I swallow hard, my throat suddenly dry. I need to get a grip, to rein in these emotions before they spiral out of control. I”m a professional, damn it. I can”t afford to let my guard down, not now.
But as I stand there, watching Sasha, I can”t help but wonder... what if? What if I allowed myself to feel—to really feel—without any barriers or restrictions? What if I let myself fall, just this once?
The thought is both terrifying and exhilarating, a dizzying mix of fear and anticipation that leaves me feeling off-balance. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself, to regain some semblance of control.
It”s then that Sasha looks up, her eyes meeting mine across the room. There”s a question in her gaze, a flicker of uncertainty that tugs at my heartstrings. And in that moment, I know... I”m deeper than I ever thought possible.
”Axel?” she says, her voice soft. ”Is everything okay?”
I push away from the door frame, forcing a smile onto my face as I step into the room. ”Everything”s fine,” I tell her, my voice steady despite the chaos inside my head. ”Just making sure you”re safe.”
She studies me for a moment, her eyes searching my face. Then she nods, turning back to her work. ”Thank you,” she murmurs, her fingers dancing across the keyboard.
I watch her for a moment longer, my heart aching with a need I can”t quite name. Then I turn and walk away, leaving her to her work.
I”m standing in the makeshift command center we”ve set up in Sasha”s guest cottage, my eyes glued to the screen in front of me. The rest of the team is scattered around the room, their focus just as intense as mine. We”re all on edge, waiting for something to break in this case.
”Creed,” Derek”s voice cuts through the tension, and I turn to look at him. He”s holding up his phone, a frown on his face. ”I just got an anonymous tip. Says they might have some info on our guy.”
My heart kicks up a notch, adrenaline flooding my system. It”s been weeks of chasing shadows, of watching Sasha”s every move, and now... now we might finally have something solid.
”What”s the info?” I ask, moving towards him.
Derek reads off the details, and I can feel a spark of hope ignite inside me. It”s a lead, a real lead. But I can”t let myself get too excited. Not yet. Not until we”ve confirmed it.
”Alright,” I say, turning to the rest of the team. ”We”ve got a potential ID on our stalker. I want a full background check, social media, known associates, the works. Let”s move.”
The room springs into action, everyone moving with a renewed sense of purpose. I can feel the energy in the air, the anticipation. This could be it. This could be the break we”ve been waiting for.
But even as I bark out orders and coordinate the team, my mind keeps drifting back to Sasha. She”s the reason we”re all here, the reason I”m pushing myself to the limit. I”ve made her a promise, a vow to keep her safe. And I won”t rest until I”ve fulfilled it.
I can”t let myself think about what might happen if we fail, if this lead turns out to be another dead end. I can”t let myself consider the possibility that we might never catch this guy, that Sasha might never be truly safe.
So I push those thoughts aside, burying them deep as I focus on the task at hand. We have a lead, a potential ID. And I”m going to do everything in my power to make sure it”s not another wild goose chase.
Because this isn”t just about catching a stalker anymore. It”s about protecting the woman I...
I cut off that thought, refusing to let it finish. I can”t afford to get distracted. Not when we”re so close.
I huddlein the back of the van, my eyes glued to the scope of my rifle. The night is still, the silence broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves or the distant hum of a car passing by. But in here, it”s like a goddamn pressure cooker.
”You see anything, Creed?” Derek”s voice is low, barely a whisper, but it cuts through the tension like a knife.
I shake my head, not taking my eye off the scope. ”Nothing yet.”
Sophia lets out a soft sigh, shifting in her seat. ”This is like waiting for a pot to boil. You know it”s gonna happen, but it feels like it”s taking forever.”
I can”t help but chuckle at that. ”You”re not wrong.”
But even as I joke around, my mind is racing. I”m torn, part of me focused on the mission, on the task at hand. But the other part...the other part is back at the safe house, with Sasha.
I can almost see her, curled up on the couch with a book, her hair spilling over her shoulders. I can hear her laughter, feel the warmth of her smile. And it”s like a punch to the gut, knowing I”m not there with her.
I didn’t tell her where I was going tonight or about the lead we’d found. I couldn’t get her hopes up in case this turned out to be another dead end. But the guilt gnaws at me as I wish I could be in two places at once. What if something happens while I’m hunting down this lead? What if this is just a distraction? The rest of my team is at the house, but even so…
I clench my jaw, pushing the thought aside. I”m here for a reason. I”m here to do a job. And I can”t afford to get distracted.
But keeping my mind on the mission is harder than I thought it would be. It”s like there”s this constant pull, a magnetic force drawing me back to Sasha. And the more I try to resist it, the stronger it seems to get.
I let out a slow breath, trying to steady myself. I need to focus, to keep my head in the game. I can”t let my feelings for Sasha cloud my judgment, not when there”s so much at stake.
Suddenly, Derek”s voice cuts through the silence. ”Creed, we”ve got movement. Ten o”clock.”
And just like that, all my doubts, all my fears, are pushed aside.
I take a deep breath, my finger hovering over the trigger as I focus on the target. This is it. This is the moment.
I returnto Sasha”s house, frustration gnawing at my gut after what turned out to be a false lead after all. As I step inside, I find her sitting on the couch, her eyes wide and face pale. The sight of her like that is like a punch to the gut. All my frustration and anger just... evaporates.
”Axel,” she says, her voice barely a whisper. ”You”re back.”
I nod, moving towards her. ”Yeah, I”m back.”
She looks up at me, her eyes searching my face. ”What happened? You were gone for so long...”
I let out a sigh, running a hand through my hair. ”It was a false alarm. A damn misdirection.”
Sasha flinches at the curse, and I feel a pang of guilt. I”m not mad at her; I”m mad at the situation, at the bastard who”s doing this to her. But I can”t help but feel like I”ve failed her, like I should”ve been able to do something more.
I sit down next to her, my eyes locked on hers. ”I”m sorry,” I tell her, my voice low. ”I shouldn”t have left you like that.”
She shakes her head, her eyes filling with tears. ”I understand,” she says, her voice breaking. ”I just... I was so scared, Axel. I didn”t know what was happening, and you were gone, and...”
I reach out, pulling her into a hug. She resists for a moment, then sags against me, her body shaking with sobs. I hold her tight, my heart aching as I listen to her cry.
”It”s okay,” I murmur, my hand stroking her hair. ”It”s okay, Sasha. I”m here. I”m not going anywhere.”
And as I hold her, as I feel her body pressed against mine, I can”t help but feel a shift. It”s like something inside me has cracked, something that”s been slowly breaking down ever since I met her.
I”m not just her bodyguard anymore. I”m not just the guy who”s supposed to keep her safe. I”m...more. I”m her friend, her confidant. And, if I’m lucky, maybe I could be something more.
The thought is both terrifying and exhilarating, a dizzying mix of fear and anticipation that leaves me feeling off-balance. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself, to regain some semblance of control.
I”m going to catch this son of a bitch. I”m going to keep her safe. And I”m going to do everything in my power to make sure she never has to feel this way again.
Because I”m Axel Creed, and that”s what I do. I protect the people I care about. And whether she realizes it or not, Sasha is one of those people.
”Sasha, I promise you, I”m going to catch this son of a bitch,” I say, my voice low and steady. I can feel her trembling in my arms, her fear a palpable thing. The thought of someone doing this to her makes my blood boil.
She looks up at me, her eyes wide and filled with unshed tears. ”I know you will, Axel,” she whispers. ”I trust you.”
And there it is. That word. Trust. It”s a heavy thing, a burden and a gift all at once. I can”t help but feel a sense of pride, knowing that she trusts me. But at the same time, it”s a reminder of what”s at stake. I can”t afford to mess this up. I can”t afford to let her down.
I give her a small smile, trying to reassure her. ”I won”t let you down, Sasha,” I tell her. ”You have my word.”
She gives me a shaky smile in return, and for a moment, everything feels... right. It”s like we”re in our own little bubble, just the two of us. The rest of the world fades away, and all that matters is her.
But then, something catches my eye. A shadow, moving outside the window. I tense, my instincts kicking into high gear.
”Axel?” Sasha says, her voice filled with confusion. ”What”s wrong?”
I don”t answer her. Instead, I move towards the window, my eyes scanning the darkness. But there”s nothing there. No movement, no sound. Just the quiet hum of the night.
I let out a slow breath, trying to calm myself. I”m being paranoid, I tell myself. There”s nothing there.
But even as I think about it, I can”t shake the feeling that we”re being watched. That someone is out there, just beyond the reach of the light.
And then, my phone buzzes. I pull it out, my heart sinking as I read the message.
unknown
I’m closer than you think.
The words steal the breath from me. It”s him. The stalker. And he”s been watching us the whole time.
I turn to look at Sasha, my heart racing. She”s still sitting on the couch, her eyes wide with fear. I can”t let her down. I won”t.