Calloused

10

I was taken back by his words. After all of this time, I thought he hated me. I guess a part of me just assumed he did to make it easier for me to stay away from everything.

Easier to stay away from him.

"If you think that then you are wrong." H shook his head.
"It would have made it so much easier if I did." He laughed.

I looked up at him, my face twisted in confusion.

He frowned at me as we wiped away a stray tear from my cheek with his thumb.

"You've always assumed but never asked." He sighed. I pulled my face away from his hands.

"Doesn't change anything." I frowned in return.
"If I could go back and change everything, I would. But this is our reality, it's always going to be our reality."

I got up from my bed and brushed his shoulder as I walked past him.

"Don't say that." H sighed. He ran his hands through his hair. I just stared at him.

I hadn't noticed how short his hair was until that moment. Matter of fact, I hadn't really noticed how different he looked.

He looked a bit older and more mature. His jawline was sharper and his cheek bones as well. He still had the same emerald eyes and curly hair. I was pretty sure he could still take my breath away with just a smile.

"You're staring." He smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't wearing his normal suit jacket or black tie. There was just his black button up with the top four buttons undone.

His tattoos peaked out from behind his shirt, making my stomach flutter. All of the memories of his half naked body on top of mine invaded my mind. I shook my head instantly trying to erase them.

"Shut up." I hissed as I felt my face heat up out of embarrassment. I turned away from him and crossed my arms.

"Does this mean we've settled our issues? Can we just go back to being somewhat normal partners in crime?" I grumbled.

"I guess so." He agreed.

"Then we'll start tracking Vincent, I'm tired of living like this." I huffed, turning back around and heading towards my desk that sat next to my vanity.

I felt a little lighter now that I knew H didn't hate me or that he didn't secretly want to kill me. Although I knew in the back of my mind we would always have unresolved feelings towards me.

"I need you to talk to Liam to see if he's found anything on Vincent's phone records, Google searches or anything else that might give away his location." I instructed, feeling a little more like myself.

I swear I had bipolar from my mother because of how fast my mood could changed.

"I'll call him." H responded, pulling his phone out. I opened my laptop and started researching warehouses that had been recently sold or abandoned. Knowing Vincent's past helped narrow it down. We had studied his patterns from several years prior and we were well aware of all the activities he was involved in.

We knew who he had associated with and who was helping him. I opened the files my father had sent to me in my email. I read over them, getting names and addresses of the people Vincent was in contact with.

"Liam is still working on tracing him. In the meantime I think it would be beneficial for you to practice for when you get back in the field." H encouraged.

"I'm not that out of practice." I frowned and continued to scroll through my files.

"Then you shouldn't have a problem showing me what you're still capable of." He pushed. I stopped looking at my screen and turned my attention to him.

"Fine. Stand outside so I can get ready." I said, rolling my eyes.

"You got ten minutes." He responded, leaving my room and shutting the door behind him.

I supposed it wouldn't have done me any harm if I trained with H. If anything it helped keep my mind busy. The worst part about getting information was sitting around and waiting. I was an action taker, not a thinker.

I got dressed in something that was more comfortable. A black sports bra, black tank top, black yoga pants and my black sneakers. I was ready for anything.

By the time I opened my door, H stood there in a whole new outfit. Black basket ball shorts, and a black tee-shirt.

"Took you long enough." He complained, heading towards the stairs.

I ignored his comments and followed him down the stairs. He pulled out his car keys from his pocket.

"Your father already knows where we are going." H explained as we exited my house.

I continued to stay silent and observe my surroundings. H unlocked his SUV and got into the drivers side.

There was still a large amount of awkward tension between us, but I did my best to hide my discomfort. He seemed completely unbothered by our current situation.

He was always so hard to read. I never knew what was going on in his mind.

"You're staring again." H called me out as he drove down the road.

"Am not." I said as I coughed to hide my embarrassment.

H didn't respond as he continued to focus on driving. I leaned forwards to turn the radio on, witch was a mistake.

"Cut my life into pieces! This is my last resort!" Screamed through his speakers, making my ears ring slightly. I immediately turned it off.

"You're going to make yourself deaf." I said in annoyance.

"Maybe you shouldn't touch things without asking." He fired back. I scowled out my window as I bit my tongue. I didn't need to piss him off again with my snide comments.
We were actually being civilized adults for the first time since I had returned and I didn't want to ruin it.

The rest of the ride was filled with silence. I didn't bother looking at H. In order to move on I would have to distance myself the propper way.

"We're here." He announced, putting the truck in park and getting out. Once I closed my door I looked up at the old sign that hung on the building.

I felt a wave of comfort wash over me. This place had always been my home away from home. It's where I had spent majority of my time when I was first brought into the "family business".

It was where I first learned how to shoot a gun and practice my self defense. It was where I discovered my strengths and my weaknesses.

It was the family gym. Also known as the place where we turned our men into killer guard dogs.

It sounded stupid but, it was my favorite place.