His Little Diamond

4~ Explosion of Emotion

༻𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨༺

I looked at the necklace in my palm, running my thumb over the golden wings. Why on earth would she have this?

"Please give it back," she whispered shakily, interrupting my swarming thoughts. I could feel the air around her tensing as her pacing breath quickened.

When my eyes found hers, however, she immediately hushed. That was my specialty after all. The quieter of man.

"Do you know who this belongs to?" I asked her, but dare I say that another glare from me shushed her lips once more. I loved the peace that came without noise. But I didn't crave her silence in this instant. I needed words. I needed her fear.

"Go on...guess."

Her brown eyes sparkled up at me with tears that I forgot humans had. "I-it was my grandmother's. She gave it to me. Please-"

A subtle whistle sounded right then, causing us both to freeze in place. I knew all too well what it was, and I was furious. This wasn't supposed to be happening right now!

But I looked at this girl in front of me who had no obvious clue about the disaster I was wrongly about to bring.

All that innocence in her eyes...

She didn't know who she truly was, did she?

Damnit.

I backed away to create some space between us, fiddling around my pockets for my phone. They were going to blow this place without my command.

As the sound grew larger and drew nearer, the helpless woman worried, "What's that sound?"

There wasn't much time to evacuate or explain.

I'd have to protect who I was programmed to kill.

"What's your name?" I asked her, grabbing her by her wrist fastly as I hacked an alert into everyone's phones.

As people all around began to scream and run in every which way, I remained calm and took her down to the basement where it was safe.

She followed me so easily. Did she not care?

"Liara..."

I released her wrist and shrugged off my long dark coat, revealing the straps of weapons around my torso. "Well, Liara..." I said and turned to look at her, only to see she was sitting on the floor, holding a stuffed version of that baby green guy from Star Wars. What was his name again?

I pulled a pistol from my harness, "We're all about to die."

I almost chuckled at the sudden look in her eyes. I could almost read her mind. Why am I being so casual about this?

Well...this is just my life.

"My friends," she panicked suddenly, "I-"

"I will go retrieve them, you hear me?"

She shook her head, rejecting my statement. "This is your fault, isn't it?"

I didn't have time to argue with her as if she were my wife. I had to make a move. "You stay," I told her before leaving her without another word.

• • •

I ran as fast as I could with the people behind me, helping them into the outside-underground safe.

My sister, Rose, gave me a look as she kept still. She was angry. More than angry.

"Uncle, what's going on?" My niece, Rylie, asked me as I moved her to the ladder in the hole.

I kissed her hair, moving the curly dark strands from her red face. Her blue eyes were crystal clear and full of excitement I wish I knew. "Don't worry about that right now. I have some business to take care of, alright?"

She nodded hesitantly, and when she was out of sight, my face was met by a heavy palm. I winced and looked at Rose.

"You shut up," she spat at me before I could speak. "All these years and you're still giving in to that bullshit dad talked about years ago?"

I looked at the necklace in my palm and she slapped me again. "Our family is gone, Ramerio. Fulfilling all his wishes won't change that!"

"Rose..." I attempted to say, but failed.

This was usually the part where I'd laugh until my heart was content. I couldn't do so though, because her lips began to quiver, and I've never seen her so soft.

"You ruined her birthday, Ramerio," she managed to get out painfully.

"You ruined it," she repeated and pried her cold finger into the mid of my chest, which began to ache, "all for your sick wars."

And it sure wasn't the first.

I bit down on the bottom of my back teeth, causing my jaws to clench in frustration.

She couldn't look me in the eyes anymore, and left me with a question I had no answer to.

"What are you fighting for?"

• • •

"What are you fighting for Ramerio?"

That's all I kept hearing as I ran back inside to find the girl. She wasn't in the basement as I had ordered her to stay in earlier.

Why am I panicking? This isn't like me at all!

I'm killing all my men if they got their hands on her.

Before I could start punching dents into the wall, I saw Liara in the kitchen, huddled underneath the table while eating cake.

"What are you doing?" I growled.

She jumped up a bit, looking out from underneath the table. "Eating..." she frowned.

I hurried to grab her out from under, brushing the back of her dress down, "You do realize a bomb is headed for us?"

"That's why I'm eating. I'd rather die with a happy tummy," she retorted.

I was taken aback. She truthfully didn't care!

"Want some?" she asked.

A shadow filled the house and I barely had time to act.

"Maybe later," I responded and kneeled down with her in my arms as the roof began to fall. My heart instantly swelled with a feeling I had never known before as I propped my body over hers. I didn't know what it was.

But even as neither of our futures were certain in this moment, she continued to surprise me with her remarks. This would, within myself, only cause more unwanted war.

"You never told me your name," she giggled happily as if I wasn't the end of her little world.