Nobody Like You

Chapter 9 Aiden: Conflicting Feelings

I tried to avoid Gabriella's looks of betrayal as I stood next to Mike in the corner while Mr. and Mrs. Carter sat across from Gabriella and Alexis. I knew she was probably pissed at me for not telling her the truth about the threats but hopefully she'd understand that I was just following orders.

"So there's a bad guy that's after us?" Alexis asked in a scared voice.

Gabriella put an arm around her before looking back at her parents. "How could you not tell us about this? You made it seem like you were just hiring security for precautions, not because we're actually in danger."

"You two are perfectly safe," Mr. Carter tried to assure them. "We didn't tell you because we knew you would panic but Mike and Aiden are on top of everything and can handle anything thrown at us."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I was just shot at by some random person who knew exactly where we were. Clearly, we're not safe."

"Aiden was right there and protected you," Mrs. Carter interjected. "If we didn't think you were safe with him we wouldn't have hired him."

Mr. Carter nodded in agreement and took both girls by the hand. "Everything will be fine. We're going to figure out who this guy is and have him arrested so we won't have to worry about any of this again. Okay?"

Alexis nodded as Gabriella sent a disapproving glance to me before nodding as well. After sending the girls off with Miss Gloria, Mr. Carter had Mike and I follow him into his office to strategize how to find whoever is doing this. Once we agreed to split the list of suspects between me and Mike to investigate, I started to walk back to the guesthouse to get a head start.

As I walked up to it, I found Gabriella sitting outside waiting for me with an angry expression on her face.

"How could you not tell me something like this?" she demanded.

I looked around us. "Did anyone see you come down here? You know you have to be careful with this."

She folded her arms. "Careful with what? I'm just talking to my bodyguard like I would with Mike."

As I opened the door and we went inside, I scoffed. "Yeah except you didn't tell Mike you had feelings for him last night."

"Well as I recall, you told me you have feelings for me too so don't make it sound so one-sided." She paused and shook her head. "You admitted to having feelings for me while lying to me about the threats we've been getting even though I've been nothing but honest with you."

"Gabriella in case you forgot, I work for your parents. If they tell me not to tell you something, I have to listen to them no matter how much I disagree with it. I'm sorry you found out like this, and I know you're probably pissed at them but don't take that shit out on me. I'm not the enemy here."

She groaned and ran a hand through her hair. "You're right, I'm sorry. It's not your fault. I'm just freaking out about everything. I just keep thinking about what if my parents were with us when it happened and they got hurt or what if something like this happens to Alexis when none of us are around? They're my family, I can't lose them. I can't handle something like this."

When I realized she was spiraling into a panic attack, without thinking I rushed over to her. I placed my hands on each side of her face, forcing her to look at me. "Hey, everything is okay just breathe. Your family is safe, you're safe. I won't let anything happen to any of you, I promise. Just breathe."

As her breathing started to calm again, she looked at me. "You're getting too good at that."

"Like I said, I've had a lot of practice. But just in case I'm not around for the next time it happens, I want you to remember to keep your mind in the right place. Focus on your breathing and remember that whatever you're feeling will be over soon. If that fails, find an object to focus on."