He nods to me, and I take another step back, watching the brothers closely.
It’s not until I’m halfway down the stairs that I allow my mask of indifference to drop, and by the time I make it to Chloe’s car, I have a new one in place. The life I live requires me to be a master of disguise in so many ways, and that includes my personality and demeanor.
I pull the spare key to Chloe’s car from my pocket and unlock the door, hoping she doesn’t have any follow-up questions about why or how I have it.
Opening the door as quietly as I can manage so I don’t startle her, I crouch beside her, carefully running a hand down her arm.
“Chloe?” I murmur, but she doesn’t respond. She’s lost in her own mind, her breathing coming in choppy and broken as tears stream down her cheeks.
Maybe I should have asked Kaos to pull the trigger upstairs, because this reaction isn’t that of a broken heart.
This is pure fear.
An emotion I normally get off on, but on her, it makes my chest ache in a way it never has before.
Fuck.
I really need to request another assignment. Even if it’s just for a week or two to get my head on straight, to refocus my attention off the woman who has become the center of my universe.
Maybe it’s just been too long since I’ve killed someone.
Yeah. That’s probably it.
I’ll ask the boss to assign someone else to Chloe’s detail for a few days so I can hunt down someone who deserves to hurt, and by the time I make it back to her, my mind will be clear of this little crush I’m developing.
I glance around at the quiet street. I need to get her out of here before one of those assholes makes it past Kaos.
Reaching into the car, I carefully pry her fingers from the steering wheel, giving me a better view of her face. The red splotches on her cheeks and chest are all the evidence of how distraught she is, but I can’t do anything about that here.
Once we’re back at the estate, we can deal with her emotions. Until then, her safety needs to be my primary focus.
“Siren.” The nickname slips out for the second time today, but not even that pulls her from her own mind.
She’s shutting down, and I don’t know how to help her.
This shit is outside my wheelhouse.
I sigh and weave my fingers through her soft auburn hair the way I’ve dreamt of. Dragging my fingertips along her scalp,I carefully tug, guiding her until her bloodshot eyes settle on my face.
The dejection in her gaze, the pure heartbreak staring back at me, stirs the protective instincts that seem to be reserved for her and her alone.
Objectively I care about my parents and my siblings, but this is different.
Primal even.
I shake off the thought and brush the tears from Chloe’s cheek. “I know you’re hurting, but we need to get out of here, okay?”
She stares back at me for so long I wonder if she heard me at all, but eventually she nods as much as my grip on her hair will allow.
“Good girl,” I murmur. “Can you climb into the passenger seat for me?”
Her mouth opens like she might argue, might insist on driving herself, but her lips fall closed without a word.
Either she realizes there’s no point in arguing, or she doesn’t have the energy. Either way, a win is a win.
Chloe pries her other hand from the steering wheel and glances over at the passenger seat, mentally preparing herself to relocate, but when she doesn’t make a move, I take matters into my own hands.
With a quick glance around the street to make sure asshole one and two haven’t appeared, I slide one hand behind her knees and relocate the one I had threaded through her hair to around her shoulders, carefully lifting her from the driver’s seat.
