Dangerous Illusion [18+]

20: Shadow

The loud horns of cars blazed through the traffic jolting me in my seat. Hazel eyes peeped at me from the rear-view mirror of the chauffeured car. I thought it was extravagant and unnecessary but compromised for the sake of Ares’ peace of mind. He was hardcore about ensuring my safety and had Jason drive me around wherever I desired.

But that wasn’t the end of it. The gang of guards he had patrolled around my apartment made it difficult for anyone not on the list to reach me. Everywhere I went I found his men. It was intimidating to say the least. In his absence, he also had Manuel follow me around like a shadow. It irked me to no end. It also hurt because the lack of trust put me in a place where I just wanted to scream into his face about what a jerk he was being. I wasn’t entirely comfortable with Manuel for other reasons as well. The man had previously stalked me on Ares’s instructions and knew things about me that I’d rather keep hidden. I felt exposed in front of him.

“Are you okay?” His voice called me from the front seat.

“Yes.” My reply was quick.

It was day five after Ares left. I was living a nightmare of my own, missing him and being mad at him at the same time. He didn’t contact me after leaving for Russia. But I knew he spoke to Manuel often and asked about me. It made me lose my mind. But I wasn’t taking him back unless he came back with a serious apology. To be accused of cheating was a slap to my face. I wasn’t going to let him manipulate me this time.

“Did he call you today?” Shit! The words flew out of my mouth before I even knew what I was doing. Every movement of mine was being reported to Ares and I didn’t want him to know how terribly I missed him.

Manuel looked straight ahead and answered with a sympathetic tone, “Yes, he asked if you were okay,” my fingers curled at my sides.

I felt angry. Would it have been so difficult to pick up the phone and ask me how I was doing? The longing to hear his voice was overwhelming, yet it seemed he was deliberately keeping his distance.
“How long are you going to babysit me?” I couldn’t keep the edge out of my voice. But Manuel was not bothered by it.

“I’m not babysitting you.” He replied calmly.

“Of course, he doesn’t trust me, so he sends his goons to accompany me everywhere and make sure I’m not hooking up with my secret lover.” It was a taunt for both, Manuel as well as Jason. The cold air-conditioned environment of the car was making me claustrophobic.

“You can’t possibly believe that, Luna. He wants you to be safe. Since he can’t be here, he’s entrusted that responsibility to me.”

“Safe? From what?”

Manuel thinned his lips and avoided the truth I demanded.

A while passed and then to my surprise, Jason answered. It was the first time he spoke to me since picking me up on the curb outside my apartment. “Mr. Rafaelli has made a lot of enemies over the years. That’s expected when you are rich and powerful. There are people who won’t hesitate to harm you to get to him. He’s making sure that never happens.”

“Why would someone come at me to get to him?”

Jason slowed for a red light and turned to face me. His face was warm and kind, his gaze softened for a bit. For the first time I saw him as someone other than an emotional robot who followed instructions. It was then I realized how loyal Ares’ men were.

“Because he loves you more than he loves himself.”

***

Manuel hovered close to the Velocity Tower. I couldn’t pretend he was not buzzing around me nor was he someone who could be ignored. I mostly tolerated him and was happy when the day ended.