Sparks and Flames (7 page)

“Are you even listening to me?” Dominica asked. She had been watching him walking around, but his face wasn’t even looking at her. Those green eyes of his were so distant, that she could tell he wasn’t all there right now.

“I am…” He trailed off and could feel his face growing hot. “I heard you.”

“You seem lost, like you’re in love.” Dominica realized what had happened. The truth was written all over his face and she could see him turning bright red at this. “Oh my God, you are in love! I don’t believe it! I cannot believe it! That’s what happened, isn’t it? You fell in love!”

“No!” He insisted. “What makes you think that?”

“Your face is bright red. You aren’t looking at me in the eye. You’re pacing around and there’s that look on your face. It’s the one look that everyone in the world recognizes. That’s a sign of a man who has lost his heart to another person. Come on, who is the lucky girl?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he muttered. “If I’m in love, what are you going to do about it?”

“I just want to know who it is,” she asked. “We’ve been friends for ages now and we’ve never kept anything from each other. Why would you keep this one from me?”

“It’s no one you’re familiar with. She doesn’t even live in the Velt,” he said, feeling himself blushing. Dominica was right. The red was all over his cheeks and nose. His entire body felt hot. “I met her a few days ago. She was very nice and I found myself attracted to her. That’s all.”

“Won’t you at least tell me her name?”

“No. I’ve told you too much. I’ve told you more than I have told her,” he murmured, trying to stop himself from blushing. “I’ll introduce you one day but not now. I haven’t forgotten who I truly am. I’m a Lieutenant in this division and I have duties to fulfill. I need to get ready.” He looked around the empty room. In a few minutes, it would be filled up.

“Maybe you should let me take over,” she suggested. “You have that glazed look of love and I don’t want Oda to get the wrong idea.”

“No, this is my job. This is something I promised myself. Well, he’s still out there and I need to finish the job,” he decided. “I was vulnerable last time. I won’t be so careless now. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one. Tell me, Dominica, when does everyone else come in?”

“They should be getting in within the next few minutes, sir,” she said. “You better stop blushing unless you want everyone to know about your love life.”

“Please. I can control myself,” he said. “You better stay concerned with your own business, Dominica. I’ll handle everyone else.”

“Okay, Kian, whatever you say,” she rolled her eyes. She normally didn’t call him by his name unless she wanted to annoy him. “You handle your business and I’ll keep my nose out. Does that sound fair?”

“Very fair. Now quiet, I can hear people. Just straighten up and pretend that we weren’t talking to each other,” he said, trying to calm himself down. “I am okay. I will be fine. No one will need to know what’s really going on with me.”

By now, the meeting room was starting to fill up. He decided it was time to start the meeting and faced the group. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, our last incident led to some unexpected turns. I wouldn’t mind this if the mission went well. As it is, it didn’t go as planned. We let the target get away. However, that’s not going to happen tonight. We are going to get our targets and wipe them off the streets.”

Normally, he would get a lot of agreement, but everyone was silent. He frowned, tapping his booted foot against the ground. He could feel that they were staring at him but he didn’t know why. “What’s the matter? Is there something on my face?”

“Actually, boss, you’re blushing,” someone spoke up. “Your face is bright red.”

“Is it?” He took a look in the mirror and saw they were right. His face and neck were red. No doubt he was thinking of Rukia deep down. “Well then, ignore that and put your focus back on the mission. We did terrible last time. I demand the best results and we didn’t get that.”

“We’ll do better.” He heard the whole group mutter.

“Yes, I should hope so,” Kian didn’t try to hide his disdain. “The last attempt was pathetic. I expect far better out of everyone. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Lieutenant.” The whole room echoed. “We won’t let you down.”

“Good. Now we may need a new strategy as he won’t be in the same place tonight. This other place has no private areas he can run to.”

The rest of the room looked frightened as they watched him walk up and down the aisles. He walked just like a high-ranked officer would walk. It was very rigid and didn’t have a bounce to it. He didn’t move his hips from side to side. His weighty utility belt stayed in place around his waist. It was made of metal with many compartments and buttons, but he walked around like it wasn’t weighing him down. In the belt, he kept various tools and weapons such as tracking devices, explosives, a flashlight, a gas mask, a grappling hook, wire, and other small gadgets of his creation. His favorite weapon, however, was the knife hidden in his right boot. That was his pride and joy right there. If Rukia and her sister hadn’t interrupted, he would have broken it out and stabbed Oda in the neck. He still cursed himself for not being fast enough that night.

There was nothing he could do about Rukia. The more he thought about her, the more his heart seemed to flutter. The smile slowly crept up on his face as he imagined lying on the beach with her next to him. There they would be, bronze body against pale body, watching as birds flew high in the sky and clouds rolled by. He let out a happy sigh as the room went quiet. He didn’t know what it was about her but she could set his soul flying. People were still staring at him as he moved around.

“What is it?” He wanted to know, growing irritated at all the eyes glued on him. “What’s so interesting about me today?”

“You’re still blushing, boss.” A person from the back pointed out. “I can see it from here. Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m just…” He took a deep breath. There was no point in keeping this a secret since everyone could see it. Dominica had told him that he had the look of love on him. “I think I’m in love. That’s all.”

That was what got everyone’s attention. “You’re in love?”

“That’s what I think. I didn’t say I was in love for sure. It’s not a big deal so don’t make it one,” he said. “She’s a special girl though.”

“A special girl, huh?” Dominica gave him a smirk. “Well, I have not heard much about this special girl. Where is she from?”

“Not here, that’s for sure. I’m not entirely certain where she’s from,” he lied. “I just know that she wasn’t born in the Velt like we were. She lives in the bigger cities.”

“So what was she doing down here?”

“Nothing. She was just a guest at that party,” he said. “I know it feels sudden and it’s wrong of me to get caught up with my emotions. Despite what I may be feeling for her, I’m still your leader and we still have a job to do. The last one was incredibly sloppy from all of you. He got away because no one came to back me up in time.”

The others looked ashamed so he softened up his gaze. He knew that the reason they weren’t able to back him up was because they were holding off Oda’s guards. “I know this wasn’t entirely your fault though. I know you’d never let me down so you’re going to finish what was started before. Am I right?”

“That’s right.” The whole room echoed. “We will succeed.”
 

“That’s what I thought,” he said. “Now we’re still divided in the same two groups. If you are in Group Alpha, you will continue to take down the underground passage. I heard that you started but you didn’t get much done. Now is the time for you to finish what you started. Group Beta, we are going to the next party. This time, we are not going to spend much time mingling with the guests. If someone asks about you, try to be as cool and collected as possible. I will be on the hunt for Oda. In fact, I’m not going to follow the rest of you inside of that mansion. I’ll be on the outside and looking for a way in. Judging from the house’s layout, the safest way to get in is through the pool room.”

“Yes, boss.”

Everyone seemed far more interested in his love life tonight than getting the mission. He was already annoyed with how they were whispering and giggling as he walked by. It just wasn’t polite as he was their leader.

“Will you all please pay attention?!” He snapped. “Since when did my love life become so interesting to all of you?”

“Since you fell in love, boss.” Someone said. “It’s okay to admit that you are in love, you know. It doesn’t mean you aren’t strong or tough. It’s just proof that you have a heart and you care about someone.”

Kian bit his lip. “I’ve always had a heart despite what people say about me. I’ve always been able to care for someone. This is nothing new. I want you all to stay focused on your mission. Is that clear? Forget about what I’m going through right. Forget about anything that I’ve said.”

He had told them to forget but it was the one thing that was on everyone’s mind. They knew that Kian had fallen for someone and he wasn’t going to hear the end of it. Even after the meeting was over, he was getting tips from people on how to treat a woman on a date.

“Make sure you pull her chair out and open doors for her. Show her that chivalry isn’t dead!”

“You should pull your wallet out to show that you can pay for the meal.”

“Take her somewhere that the two of you can talk. A movie is not a good idea because you can barely have any conversation there.”

“Yes, yes, I hear you all,” Kian waved at them. “Good night and I will see you at the next meeting. I hope you’ll be prepared to discuss battle strategies and not what’s going on in my life. As far as I’m concerned, it’s more important than who I plan to date.”

Several girls giggled as he glared at them. They scurried off, saying their goodbyes, while he watched them. He was not going to survive this. He should have kept his mouth shut and just lied about the blushing.

That would have been hard though.
He thought to himself.
They can all see how red I turned. I can’t hide the way I feel anymore. Even the people in the back could see that I was blushing. I had to tell them the truth.

Soon he was all alone in that room with his thoughts. He needed to tell Rukia the truth now. Some things were better if they were in the open.

He hoped she was ready for the bombshell he was about to drop on her.

Chapter 8

The moment to kill Oda came around and Kian was anxious to get his hands around the man’s neck. He had been having dreams about murdering him for nights now and he was always waking up disappointed. It made him sick to know that Oda was still around and walking while there were people who were dying. It just didn’t feel fair to him. Nothing about the people living on the hills was good. The only thing he liked was Rukia. She was one of those rare gems found in a mountain of dirt. He supposed that her family could also be good, but Rukia was crown jewel for him.

Group Alpha was already on their way while Group Beta was getting ready for the party. The only one who was ready to hunt was Kian himself. He was the only one who would be outside as the others provided a distraction. This time, he wanted to get Oda on his turf and take him down. He felt good about this mission. Tonight, he was not going to fail.

Kian took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes. He felt like a predator hiding in these bushes. He slowed his breathing down so that no one could hear him. Reaching into his boot, he pulled out his favorite knife. All his clothes and equipment weighed him down but he knew he could be fast. He knew that if time called for it, he would be able to run. Of course, he wasn’t the kind of man to run from a fight. He made himself a promise that he would throw every punch and kick that he had. As long as he could breathe, he could fight.

Now he fiddled around with the earpiece and tried to get it to work. “Can any of you hear me?”

“Yes, boss. Copy that.” Several voices replied.

He was waiting outside while the others checked out the party. Right now, he just needed the perfect opening. There were more guards in this house so he knew that Oda was prepared. He clearly didn’t want anything to interrupt this party like last time.

“How are things on your end, boss?” Someone asked him.

Kian looked around the area. “It’s quiet. A little too quiet for my tastes,” he saw the pool room in the corner and had an idea. “I’m going to enter through another way. It might be better if I get in the house too.”

“All the doors are blocked, boss.”

“All but one. There’s a door that leads to the pool room,” he explained. “Knowing the party guests, I doubt anyone will be there now. The pool is closed for the season.”

“Roger that. Be careful out there.”

“You worry about yourself. I’ll talk care of me,” he said, getting out of the conversation and looking down to where the pool room was. He saw no guards in the area so he could easily run down to it. However, he was a hunter. He needed to be swift but quiet. He couldn’t be seen by anyone. He had gotten lucky last time thanks to Rukia and Midori. It wouldn’t happen again.

Rukia. Her name was burning on his lips. He didn’t know if she was an angel or not, but it felt like she had come down to save him. She looked angelic as well with her blue-streaked hair, wide eyes, and soft skin. She appeared by his side and kept him safe the way a guardian angel did. From there, he got to know her. In a way, he began to love her.