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 feeling pretty good about myself, even though I was freaking out inside. Nobody ever stood up to Noel Blackman; he was like the ultimate source of fear, and no one in their right mind would challenge him. But there was something about Reign that boosted my confidence, and her words lit a fire in me. Breaking up with her was a mistake, and I had to make things right.

As I made my way through the hallways, I finally let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. My pace picked up as adrenaline kicked in. I knew the aftermath of what I'd just said could be serious. But I couldn't let my confidence slip in front of Noel. Keeping up this brave front was my only shot at getting what I wanted.

Just then, the door swung open, and Hailey walked in. She shot me a look like she knew all my secrets. This wasn't how things were supposed to go, but honestly, I couldn't say she wasn't supportive. She always adapted to whatever was going on, even though she wasn't really into Reign at first. I had a feeling she'd come around a bit, though.
Sighing, she crossed her arms and sat the medical bag down.

"OK, what kind of stunt 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." Her brow rose. "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 didn't help that Noel kept threatening to shoot her. I desperately wanted to point the gun at him, but that wouldn't 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. If there was one thing Noel despised, it was losing control of those under him. As long as I keep this up, he wouldn't do anything rash. I didn't 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 shouldn't 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 wasn't a huge deal, but seeing her face when we kissed made everything I was feeling feel real. Reign is special in ways she doesn't even realize. Still, Noel finding out about us was the worst possible scenario. The minute he spotted us at the cafe, I knew he'd use her to get to me. Typical asshole.