Isaiah
I trailed her every move.From the second we parted ways this morning, it felt like there was a gaping hole in my chest that just kept growing wider the longer we were apart. I wanted to follow her every move, walk her to each class as if danger was lurking behind the paintings on the walls, but the biggest danger of all was the man she had grown up with who hid behind his large, mahogany judge’s bench, sending criminals away because they broke the law.
But what about him? No one was above the law, even if men like my father thought so. Judge Stallard was an abomination, and he would never fucking touch Gemma again.
“Hi.” Gemma’s sweet voice lingered in the empty library, and just like that, I came down off the ledge. The second we locked eyes, her cheeks flushed, and her bottom lip was tucked in between her white teeth in an adorable attempt at hiding a smile.
We hadn’t talked much since last night when I stole her from her room and claimed every part of her skin, which was the only thing on my mind today. Even in the dining hall, with the chatter and clanking of the kitchen, the only thing that I could focus on was Gemma sitting at the end of the table with Sloane and Mercedes. We would catch each other's gazes, and something would pull in my chest, and I nearly pushed my chair out and sat with her.
But I didn’t.
It wasn’t because I didn’t want to. It was more because I felt the heavy presence of fear on my shoulders. I didn’t feel fear often, but it seemed the more I fell for Gemma, the more it surfaced, and it felt like my profound duty to make everything safe and rid the world of people like Judge fucking Stallard.
Everything felt off since seeing those photos of her and feeling between my fingers the iron links that were held tightly to the ceiling in the basement. Those chains had been cuffed around her delicate wrists at one point or another. Fucking hell. It was vital, now more than ever, that Gemma left and stayed away until his actions were brought to light and shoved down his throat.
“Hey,” I finally said, smiling down at her. Tonight, we wouldn’t be stuck in the library, thinking of all the things we wanted to say or do only to end up keeping silent and sharing stares. Tonight, we were going to forget about it all because I wanted normalcy with her. We didn’t have much more time, and it was something I needed in order to keep myself in check. I stared at her a little while longer, the air growing heavy with everything that swam around us, but the longer I gazed, the more her cheeks flushed. “I like seeing you like this,” I said, placing my hands down on the table that separated us. Her fingers were fiddling over the woven string of her journal like she was nervous.
“Like what?”
I hummed under my breath. “Flushed.” I fought back a grin when her cheeks grew even more red. “And…” My chest cracked slightly. “And happy. You look happy.” Maybe even a little refreshed, too. Like breathing in the air on a spring day. I liked it. I liked her like this.
Gemma’s gaze quickly fell to her lap, her fingers stilling on the string of her journal. “About last nig—”
“Nope.” I straightened and gripped the edge of the chair I was standing over.
Gemma’s head flew up, her bright-green eyes leery. “Isa—”
“No,” I said again, this time a little more urgent. “I meant every word I said last night, Gemma.” My chin dipped, and my tone grew serious. “You are addicting, and all fucking day, I’ve had to sit back and watch you from across the room, too afraid to touch you because—” Shit.
Gemma’s eyes held that same curiosity that I often saw when we were in these heated conversations. “Because what? The SMC? Bain?”
I scoffed. “Fuck the SMC. They’re the least of my concerns.”
“So you don’t care if you get in trouble anymore? You’re still on probation, Isaiah. What about Jack? And your father?”
I shook my head, agitated that we were discussing anything regarding them. “The SMC has set a meeting. My uncle tells me they’re taking me off probation. Not that it matters. I’m no longer following Bain when he leaves to go on his little business trips. I’m no longer feeding my father viable information.” He just didn’t know that yet.
Gemma’s mouth instantly parted. “What? Why?”
“Gemma.” My hands left the chair that I was gripping, and I rounded the side of the table. My feet creaked over the old floor, and it echoed throughout the library. “Let’s just forget about it all for the night, yeah?”
Her hand landed in mine, and it was warm to the touch. So warm it melted away the worry that started to creep up at the thought of my father and Bain. Not only was Richard on the forefront of my mind, but so was Bain and our upcoming talk that he had no idea was coming.