The drives will arrive later today, and Eleanor can get them in tomorrow. I hated it.
The idea that she was putting herself in danger. If she gets caught, if they catch wind of the Trojans, I doubted they’d give her a chance to escape. There would be no selling her into the ring with a chance of me getting her out. They’ll just kill her.
Ace and Micha disappear to the gym, Isobel with them, leaving just the two of us in the kitchen.
She sips at her coffee, dressed already for the office. Everything had changed this weekend. Nothing would be the same again. The thought terrified and exhilarated me all the same.
“There are others who can do this,” I tell her, sitting opposite her, “It doesn’t have to be you.”
“And how do you suppose you’ll get them in?” She counters, “It’ll look a bit odd if you or anyone else on your team starts sniffing around laptops. I’m trusted. It’ll be easy for me.”
“I’d find a way,” I shrug, I always found a way.
“I promised, King, as soon as I’ve done this, I’ll do what you want and quit. Just let me do it.”
My teeth grind together.
“I want your phone on you at all times, you call me if you even get a sniff of something going wrong.”
She smiles and then laughs, “And what, you’ll storm the building and kill them all?” It’s a joke but I’m not laughing.
“Yes.”
The smile falls from her face.
“You’re mine now, Eleanor. If anyone even thinks about touching you, about hurting you, I’ll destroy them.”
“Kingston,” she whispers. “I’ll be fine. Promise.”
She climbs up from her seat and walks around to me, positioning herself in my lap. I give her the space to do so, my hand falling onto her thigh. Her pencil skirt is tight, formed to her shape like a second skin.
“I have to go to work now, I’ll use today to figure out who’s on the second server, so I know what to do tomorrow.”
“Be careful, love,” I whisper against her lips.
“Always,” she kisses me and gets up, gathering her things, “I’ll come back later for my bags.”
“Or you’ll grab some new clothes and stay here again,” I counter.
She quirks a brow, “fine.”
She starts for the door, before I stop her again, “Do you have a dress?”
Eleanor pauses at the door, Micha popping out from the gym to drive her to work. I would do it but if someone spots me, it’s questions we don’t need to answer right now.
“For what?”
“The gala.”
“You’re actually going?” She frowns.
“Got to keep up appearances, for now, so, do you?”
“I wasn’t going to go.”
“You are now, answer the question.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Okay, see you later.”
I don’t let her question me, I get up and head to the gym, finding Ace in front of the boxing bag, his fists thumping into the leather in steady, rhythmic thuds. When he spots me, he captures the bag to stop the swing and waits for me to talk.
“You alright?”
“Will she actually be able to protect herself?”
“She’ll be able to get away, that’s enough.”
“I don’t fucking like this, Ace.”
Ace stares at me, but I don’t give a fuck if it makes me fucking weak. I slump down onto a bench and cradle my head in my hands, fingers tugging at my hair. Ace slaps me on the back but says nothing. There isn’t anything he can say, he knows as well as I do how much trouble this could bring. What could happen to her if they found out the connection to me.
It made me even more selfish that I was not willing to let her go.
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