Suddenly, the term ‘Bradfort City’ felt so distant. Heather looked at Zayne while he stood next to her, but she didn’t know what to say. It seemed as though he had seen through her helplessness, so he turned to the other side as things were getting rather awkward and there was nothing that could be said to alleviate it.
When she was leaving, she turned around and took a last look at the grove. To her, everything that had happened felt so much like a dream as she would soon have to face the reality back in Bradfort City. As she pondered on that, she recollected her thoughts and emotions. Unlike how she typically welcomed disputes before, she now feared that what was coming her way might be too enormous for her, and she grew afraid that she couldn’t overcome it like she always did.
“It seems like you haven’t been resting well. If you’re tired, you can grab a quick nap in the car,” Zayne chivalrously advised when he saw the dark circles under her eyes. Perhaps even the hut was a challenge for her!
Somehow, Jason’s ears got very sensitive and when he heard Zayne saying those words, and he couldn’t help but sense some kind of affection the latter held toward Heather.
Since it was rare for Zayne to fall for anyone, Jason didn’t know whether to be happy or sad for him. After all, he saw how Heather didn’t share the same feelings toward his mate.
While intimacy filled the air, he suddenly cringed at himself for being so petty and worrying about Zayne’s private affairs.
Soon, Heather fell asleep in the car. With her eyes shut, she looked so much more beguiling when she stayed silent compared to when she spoke.
As he stared at her charming slumber look, Zayne revealed a serene smile when he strangely noticed how youthful her face was.
Just as he was about to caress her face, he was worried that she might not like it. Hence, he ultimately withdrew his arm while thinking that he was such a beta.
Whenever he was with Heather, he couldn’t bring himself to take any advantage of her; he also questioned himself what it was that he had been sticking his neck out for. When the thought of Heather being in danger popped up in his mind, he would risk himself even more.
Zayne felt rather conscious that his life was being grasped in the woman’s hand, and he felt unjust for not knowing what it was about her that bewitched him.
Upon thinking about this, he smirked bitterly and wondered what the unpredictable future held. Despite his feelings, since he was never one to participate in such extravagant clan feuds, and he hoped that he would be able to pull himself out of the drama. After all, given the complexities within the feud, involving himself would be just trouble.
Now that he had made an exception for Heather, he would have to live his future days on the tip of an iceberg. Plus, with the bounties going on, he wouldn’t be able to guarantee his own safety.
As such, he could only take it one step at a time. Zayne looked out of the windshield in a depressed manner, and he suddenly felt that Bradfort City was so far away for some reason. Even after traveling for so long, it was still nowhere in sight.
On the other hand, Heather was sound asleep, and Zayne couldn’t bear to interrupt her. Visibly, it hadn’t been long since she last had a good rest. He furrowed his brows, and he was at a loss for words. He was only here to toy around in the beginning, but now he realized that he shouldn’t have treated her in such a way.
What a persistent woman! He thought to himself helplessly. Since the first day, Heather probably didn’t even touch the bed. Little did she know that the bed was brand new, and it was only designed to appear used.
She might not have even looked at the bed carefully, for the sheets were newly acquired as well. When he thought of this, Zayne was utterly speechless.
Considering how she always nitpicked things, he wondered if she had learned her lesson after the last three days. Nonetheless, given how she was still behaving so overbearingly, perhaps she was still the old her.
Thanks to Jason, the heater in the car was rather warm, though Zayne was the only one that felt hot. While Jason was focused on driving, it seemed as though he was merely an innocent driver. In fact, no one in the world would suspect that he was a killer.
They were blessed by today’s weather, and Zayne revealed a contented beam as he looked out the window. Since he was a scenery enthusiast, he was satisfied by the beautiful day.
On the way back to Bradfort City, he felt a sense of comfort that he hadn’t felt since long ago as he admired the passing scenery. Although there was no telling what the future held, he figured he should at least cherish what he had now.
All of a sudden, Jason spoke from the front of the vehicle. “We’ll be reaching town in another 30 minutes.”
In response, Zayne simply replied, “Okay.”
Soon, 30 minutes passed by quickly as they approached Bradfort City. Zayne turned to the side and looked at Heather, and the latter was still in her dreams without any idea that they were closing in on their destination.
In truth, Zayne was a little reluctant to return to Bradfort City. If he were able to live on, he would never return to that place. Unlike before when he needed only to solve cases, he now had so much more to do. After all, for him to throw everything he had learned his entire life on the table was indeed exhausting.
As they traveled through the busy town, it was nothing like the peaceful suburbs. Just then, Zayne hesitated if he should wake Heather up. If he didn’t do so, she would have to rush her departure as they were nearing his temporary shelter.
Given everything that’s happened, I wonder who she would want to meet once we arrive. I think it might be Matthias, Zayne thought to himself.
As he assumed that, he predicted that she would return to the Langston Residence at once because she was deeply concerned with her grandfather’s health.
Eventually, he couldn’t bring himself to wake her up. Even when the car had stopped, Heather was still fast asleep—it was Zayne’s first time seeing her look so inelegant.
The man thought about how he should wake her up, and he furrowed his brow since he didn’t really have the heart to do so. Hey, why don’t I…
Since he couldn’t find a better way, he simply lifted her up. As he carried her in her arms, he had an adrenaline rush after smelling her thick fragrance emitting from her body. Since when did she put on such a heavy perfume?
With that, he vaguely remembered how he had sensed the aroma back in the cabin. After being reminded of that, he presumed that she must have hated the scent in the cabin and dipped herself in cologne, taking the perfume as an air freshener.
When he thought about this, Zayne let out a suppressed laugh, for he was intrigued by how adorable she was. After lifting her up horizontally, he resembled a kidnapper when he carried her from the vehicle to his unit.
Along the way, he entirely disregarded the weird faces and gazes from the bystanders as he remained a stern face that intimidated them from voicing any judgments.
Moreover, with Jason beside him, the others could only quietly stare as none dared to say a word. In fact, it was Zayne’s first time performing such high-profile movements, exposing himself to the risk of his whereabouts being tracked.
“Your actions are rather… special with her, Zayne,” Jason blurted upon entering the door.
When he heard that, Zayne immediately felt awkward. Although it was obvious even to ordinary people that he had some sort of adoration for Heather, he would lose his ego if he were to openly admit it.
“Customers are gods, and I’m only fulfilling my responsibilities,” he tactfully defended. To be fair, it wasn’t much of a defense.
Meanwhile, Jason chuckled at once. He seldom laughed and always maintained a thug-like poker face, but he appeared significantly amiable when he chuckled, emitting the aura of a gentleman.
“Excuses, excuses!” he replied straightforwardly.
“No, no, no! That’s not an excuse. I’m merely demonstrating the right way to treat a customer. You, on the other hand, should learn a thing or two.” Zayne successfully deflected his mockery.
Instead of arguing any further, Jason pursed his lips and said nothing more as he got on the couch. Meanwhile, Zayne carried his sleeping beauty into the room and placed her on the soft bed, allowing her a restful slumber.
After gently shutting the door, he disrupted Jason when he joined him on the couch. While they stupidly peered at each other, none of them had any intention to speak.
Ever since they were kids, they rarely had any interactions nor did they share any blood relations with each other, but there had always been an unspoken connection between the two of them. In Zayne’s heart, Jason stood a place no lower than Heather. After all, she was but an incomplete dream while Jason was as real as the stars.
Although there’s no solid future with Heather, he intended to bring one for Jason and himself as they both needed a chance at redemption.
As the clock ticked, both of them fell asleep while snuggled against each other. Perhaps it was because the other two had fallen asleep, a contagious, lethargy-invoking atmosphere surged throughout the unit. Naturally, Zayne grew lethargic and gradually drowsed off as well.
When he finally woke up later on, he found Jason gazing into space with his eyes open as big as the moon, and it looked as though something bad had happened. Since he had been awakened by Jason’s movements, he looked at the latter sternly and was clueless to what had happened.
“Go check on Heather,” Jason ordered Zayne as it wasn’t appropriate for him to do so.
Upon hearing his words, the latter grew wide awake. Since he was very much concerned about the woman in his room, he hastily rushed over.
He then pushed the door open and was relieved to find Heather sleeping calmly on his bed. Given how Jason’s tone was somewhat frightening, he thought that the man outside must have been anxious.
Well, as long as she’s okay, he thought to himself before closing the door. Perhaps it was because of the loud door-opening noise, when Zayne shut the door, Heather’s eyes immediately opened as she gawked at the ceiling, feeling as though she had been kidnapped.
“Where is this place?” She pulled open the door and quizzed drowsily. Since she had just woken up, her hoarse voice sounded rather endearing.
When she saw both Zayne and Jason in sight, she rubbed her eyes and was assured of her safety. She then pointed at Jason while still half-asleep and interrogated, “You haven’t told me about his identity, Zayne.”
Jason was surprised when he heard his name being mentioned, so he blinked his eyes innocently while Zayne introduced him as he shrugged his shoulders. “This is Jason. He’s my brother and currently my bodyguard. He’s really good at fighting,” he mischievously said.
“I’m great at killing too,” said Jason blandly.
Heather was immediately shocked and awake, for she realized that Jason was not one to be messed with. Judging by his tone, he mustn’t have been joking about it.
Upon that, Zayne nervously chortled. Why is Jason being so upfront? Is he sick of living right now? Since he was forced to expel the killer’s self-consciousness, he gave Jason a piercing leer and was visibly annoyed.
“Just kidding,” Jason expressionlessly stated, though there was no power of persuasion in his words.
“Haha. Very funny,” she responded with a forced grin.
Awkwardness filled the room instantly, the three of them peered at one another. It seemed like there was nothing else they could talk about.
Since she hadn’t gotten sufficient sleep, she waved at the brothers squashed on the couch and uttered, “I should head back to sleep.”
“Sleep tight,” Zayne answered.
