Page 80 of Reverence

“We’re tethered now, whether you like it or not.” He added, my lips parting slightly in disbelief. “This is your own doing and you’ll have to learn to live with the outcome.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Can I at least have my bracelet back?”

“Nah,” He shook his head, looking at me with a smug expression. “You and the bracelet belong to me now.”

Twenty Five

Ares

Icouldn’t get her out of my head. The sound of her whimpers.

The feeling of her soft body. How tightly she squeezed me. Those tattoos and the scent of her perfume and body lotion.

Jesus Christ of Nazareth I was down bad.

Hooked to her as though she were narcotics. If this is how I felt after one moment of intimacy that didn’t even last long, then God only knew how I’d feel after fucking her thoroughly.

The bullpen buzzed with agents all working on different tasks. Different sounds all mixed into one which was enough to overstimulate anybody who felt sensitive to chaos.

Keyboards clicked, multiple conversations took place, somewhere in the distance we could hear police sirens, phones rang and it wasn’t even 9 a.m. yet.

I nearly reached my desk when I heard Asher’s voice. “Valiente.” He called out from his office, gesturing for me to enter.

He never summoned us this early unless there was an emergency and my first thought immediately went to Amala. I glanced around the room and didn’t see her which left a bad taste in my mouth.

“Yes, sir?” I asked, stepping into the large office—a drastic change compared to the bullpen behind me.

“Come in, close the door.” I didn’t question him or display my concern outright but for some reason my hands felt clammy and I instinctively tucked them into the pockets of my jeans after the door closed with a soft click. “Have a seat, Ares.”

“Is everything okay, Asher?” Now that we were alone, I could refer to him by his first name. After years of working together, we formed a friendship outside of the office. I relied on him whenever I needed support and vice versa.

Our line of work often became overwhelming to deal with, hence why you constantly needed someone in your corner who could understand your experiences.

“About an hour ago,” He paused, resting his forearms on his desk. He seemed hesitant. “Kayden found crucial information on Dominion and we discovered his real identity.”

“That’s the breakthrough we wanted right?” I didn’t understand why he looked somewhat upset while relaying this information. “Why do you look disappointed, Asher?”

“When I tell you who he is, you’ll understand my feelings towards this.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This remains between us, it’s confidential. You’re not allowed to share this information with anyone. Not even your partner.”

That’s when the wheels in my head started turning and I narrowed my eyes, leaning back in my seat.

“Wait, wait.” I held my hands up. “What do you mean by that, Braun? We’re partners. The relationship is built on trust. She’s your agent.”

Asher clenched his jaw, blinking slowly. “I understand that, Ares but when you’re in the position I am you need to make difficult decisions.”

“And that decision ends with you not being honest with one of your agents?” I sat upright now. “One who’s actively working on this case.”

“Calm down, Ares.” He said to me in that firm tone that made everyone else in the building fall over their own two feet. “This isn’t a negotiation. I’m telling you this so that you know what the plans are moving forward.”

“Asher, this is ridiculous and you know it.” I snapped. “If she finds out about this, it’s not going to end well.”

“She won’t.” He said with that finality in his tone. “You’re going to make sure of that.”

At this point, I was utterly fucked. Stuck between a rock and a hard place. “Who is it?”

Amala wasn’t at the field office today due to personal reasons but the information Asher shared with me, weighed me down.

I ran a hand down my face before drinking the entire glass of whiskey in one gulp.