Page 35 of Under His Command
Silence. Only the ticking clock in my hallway and my blood whooshing in my ears fill the space.
“Zain!” I shout, my voice now shaky and rough. “Zain!”
I swallow a sob and decide to make a run for the door. Just then, Zain’s body bumps into mine, and he shoves me behind him as I tremble like a leaf. Fuck, I really should go to those self-defense classes I’ve been meaning to try.
“Stay here,” he says, pulling out his gun and disappearing behind the walls of my home. Behind me, two more of his men are approaching, all carrying guns and pointing them over my shoulder. I don’t move a muscle as they walk by me.
After a few moments, Zain gets back with his gun tucked in.
“What happened?” he asks. “There’s no one inside.”
That’s impossible. Unless… unless my memory is failing me, and I did eat that orange. But…
“I’m… I’m sorry. Are you sure… have you checked everywhere?”
“Yes. Everywhere someone might be able to hide. We’re trained for this exact type of situation. So trust me, Miss Finnegan, there is no one in your home other than my team right now.”
What the hell?
“Thank you. I’m so sorry, I thought—”
“What happened?” he presses on, pinning me with his gaze. His men come around him, their guns also tucked back into place.
“I think I’m just tired and… on edge, with everything going on. I’m not used to being followed by the paparazzi or people trying to take selfies with me. I’m so sorry.”
“You do not have to apologize. This is what we’re here to do. I should call the commander.”
“No! Please, don’t! This is so embarrassing… I don’t want him to worry for nothing. Please?”
Zain studies me for a few moments as I put on the biggest puppy eyes I can. Finally, he sighs, and my entire body relaxes with it.
“Very well, then, Miss Finnegan. But you have to promise you’ll call out for us if anything else looks suspicious, even if it turns out being nothing. Do we have a deal?”
“Dove,” I say, extending my hand forward. “Please, call me Dove. And sure, that should be okay. Though I promise to get some rest so my mind doesn’t play tricks on me next time.”
Zain nods softly and exits my apartment together with his men on his trail. I let loose a temporary sigh of relief, the whole situation still having me on edge. I didn’t eat that orange. And unless Zain’s men were inside my apartment when I wasn’t there… I have no fucking clue who did. Fuck, maybe I really am tired. Maybe this whole thing is taking a toll on me. I’ll deal with this when I get back.
The phone rings again just when Zain’s teammate opens the door to the SUV for me, in front of my apartment.
“Hey. I’m in the car right now.” I try to keep my tone positive, despite the unease still roiling in my gut. “What are we doing?”
Unfortunately though, Rowan sees right through me, like he always does.
“What happened?” he asks, his tone like gravel softened by thunderous rain. The sound of his voice settles low in my bones, gnawing at me with concern.
I sigh, closing the car’s door behind me. “I’m just a bit tired. Who thought taking so many selfies with strangers over the past few days would wear me out like this?” I chuckle.
A deadly pause, and then, “You’re lying to me. Why?”
I stutter, shame washing over me at the disappointment in his words. I am lying to him.
“I’m…” I sigh, looking out the tinted window. “I really didn’t want to worry you for nothing. I thought I saw something or… someone in my apartment. But Zain—”
“Zain didn’t call back to report this.”
“I kind of asked him not to. You have a lot on your mind right now, and I didn’t want to—”
“Oh, angel…” He scoffs a laugh that drags a whimper through the length of my throat. “We really do need to work on your training, don’t we?”
