Bodyguard: Ace Cain

|40| Phase Three

|Phase Three|

Ace's POV

"Now, we can go over the terms again, but as far as Hunter Helix is concerned, I get to choose how to end his miserable life."

I walked out of there with my head held high, despite secretly shitting myself. Nobody ever stood up to Noel Blackman. He was the epitome of fear, which no sane man would ever dare to face. I am not sure what it is about Reign that makes me confident, but hearing her words gave me a sense of determination. I was an idiot for breaking up with her, and I had to get her back.

Once I was back in my corridors, the breath that seemed to be trapped in my throat finally released. My pace quickened as adrenaline surged through my veins. The consequences of my words would be too severe. However, I could not allow my confidence to dwindle in front of Noel. Maintaining this facade will be the only way to get what I want.

As I calmed down, the door suddenly opened and Hailey entered. She gave me this knowing glare as if she knew everything about me. None of this was supposed to happen, but I could not say she was not supportive. She was willing to adapt to any situation that required it. Even though she was not a fan of Reign at first, I am sure she had warmed up to her, if only slightly.

Sighing, she crossed her arms and sat the medical bag down. "OK, what kind of shit was that?" She asked me. "Did you hear everything you said to Noel? Of all people."

I frantically ran my fingers through my black strands. "Yes! I-I don't know what came over me," I admitted. "The situation was a mess."

She scoffed. "That was more than a mess, Ace," she said, raising her eyebrow. "What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," I replied. "All my eyes saw was Reign and I..." my voice faltered.

Seeing her chained the way she was irritated me in more ways than ever. The idea of killing Hunter Helix nearly slipped my mind looking at her like that. It did not help that Noel kept threatening to shoot her. I desperately wanted to point the gun at him, but that would not ensure her safety. Or anyone's safety, for that matter. Noel was very skilled with a revolver. One wrong move would have meant the end for all of us.

The only other option I could think of was to bluff. Inform him that we need to renegotiate the terms of our agreement. If there was one thing Noel despised, it was losing control of those under him. As long as I keep this up, he will not do anything rash. I did not see him using Reign as a weakness, however.

Hailey smiled. "You really like this girl, huh?" She sounded surprised as she asked that.

I scoffed. "Like...I love her and feel like a piece of shit for using her in this way." I sat down in my chair, feeling depressed.

"To be fair, you should not have been getting close to her anyway," she told me. "You practically ruined the entire plan."

I chuckled. "In my defense, I didn't expect to have to spend so much time with her," I explained. "Hunter's absence certainly contributed to our closeness. Also, when I returned after phase one, I could tell she missed me. Someone like her missed me."

It was not much, but seeing her face the day we kissed validated everything I was feeling. Reign is special in more ways than she realized. Even so, Noel picking up on our relationship was the worst possible outcome. The moment he saw us in the cafe, that was cause for him to use her to get to me. He was that type of asshole.