THE DREAM CATCHER

45. NICCÒLO

I couldn't even force myself to turn around and look at her. I am acknowledged that everything she's doing is to get on my nerves. And destroy me. I know that. But I can't look into her eyes that scream with nothing but honesty. I can't let myself be fooled. So I lead her out of this God forsaken church, through the door we used and then through another. We find ourselves in some sort of dining room that me and couple of my men use. There's actually nothing more in the small space but a table in the very middle of grey-bricked room. One, broken lamp enlightens three faces looking at us from behind the table. We came in silence and found ourselves in silence. I run my eyes through Axel, my sociopathic, black friend, Evan, the palest man alive but somehow with black hair and Isaac, Arabic guy with long, black hair that break free from the bun he is so desperately trying to make. When I notice him staring at her from behind his glasses something stings my heart. But I don't have much time to contemplate this feeling as suddenly, Evan stands up, holding a gun aimed at her face. I immediately reach for mine that turns out not to be behind my belt anymore. It's in her hands, aimed at her opponent.
,,Tell him to put the gun down." She says harshly but calmly, still piercing Evan with her eyes.
,,Please Nic, this is ridiculous." He states bitterly, almost laughing her off that causes her to grip the hilt tighter.
,,If you shoot her, I'll rip your head off." I state quietly, deadly, feeling nothing but. I know what Evan is capable of doing and I have no intention in testing his limits that she so confidently crosses. He would most likely put the gun down if she didn't raise her, mine, own at him.
,,Put the gun down. We're going to talk." I encourage him that earns me an eye roll from him. But suddenly, the moment of tension is cut.
,,Eden Hart?" I gather Isaac's voice from behind Evan's back. He stands up from where he's been sitting and fixes his glasses with a theatrical gesture to see her better.
,,Isaac Osman?" She asks but the joy and relief in her voice tells me she's known him.
,,I knew your name sounded familiar!" He shouts cheerfully and approaches her trapping her in his arms.
His hands on her body. Her smile at the connection. It gives me shivers.
,,You two knew each other?" I ask, scanning every inch of their bodies so close to mine a snake crawls up my spine.
,,We've been neighbours before the Sun City. I could never forget this pretty face." He says rubbing his hand against her hair. She frowns her face amused and my soul is being licked by fire. ,,Me and her brother were in the same class."
,,I missed you." She says grabbing his body in another hug. She rests her cheek on his shoulder in order to show me her face. Her eyes collide with mine. She's trying to make me jealous. To envy my friend. Successfully.
,,Okey, so!" Isaac realises from her embrace and claps his hands encouragingly. ,,If we have a small talk checked why don't we sit down and have a civilised conversation, shall we?" Saying this he glances at both me and Evan who finally lowered his gun but still remains alarmed. So do I.
,,Perfect." She says as she follows Isaac to sit beside him at the other side of the table. Far away from me.
I make my way to sit next to Axel who doesn't say a word, as usual. I think that's what makes him my best friend. My only friend. He doesn't talk when he has nothing worthy wasting his air for. In contrast to Isaac. I pin my eyes to her, sitting just mare inches from him. But she doesn't look at me. She looks at everyone else, even Evan. But not me.
,,Hey prince?" Evan snaps his fingers in front of my face wrenching me out from my daydreaming. I glance at him, acknowledging him that I didn't pay any bit of attention to what he was saying.
,,What do we do now?" He asks impatiently.
,,We're waiting for a green light." I state and before I can gather any more words Valentina storms through the door.
,,She's left." She says out of breath, bending in half. She must have been running. But as soon as she notices Eden in the same room, she straightens like a string.
,,You must be kidding me." Eden laughs off, her snort coated with venom.
,,E..." Valentina says as her friend approaches her. But Eden doesn't spare her any mercy. She slaps her across the face making even Axel flinch.
,,I deserved that." Val says covering her cheek from another slap, gifting her with a sad smile.
,,You." Eden practically whispers. ,,Out of everyone. You." I don't have to be touching her to know that this betrayal hurts her the most of all she's endured.
,,Let me explain E." Valentina says glancing at her from above her hand.
,,You have no right to use that nickname on me." She hisses but lets her continue.
,,Understandable." Deep, trembling breath. ,,I was the one who led your father to Nico." I roll my eyes at the name she has no right to call me but Eden's reaction is fast and loud.
,,You spied on me? You knew about everything? You arranged everything?" Eden screams like a parent giving a reprimand to their child. She's fuming with anger. I can't see her face but I'm certain her skin is boiling hot in this very moment.
,,I did everything to save you..." Valentina whispers, straightening a bit but still looking deeply ashamed and contrite.
,,Behind my back." Eden's voice is quieter, lower. Reconciled with the fate. There's no point in arguing that without Valentina, I would never reach nor Eden nor her father. She was our scout. My only way to have her back.
,,I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do. Please forgive..."
,,I don't want to talk to you right now." Eden cuts her off with her strong statement. Now, she's more hurt than angry. I would rather watch her rip Valentina in half than shredding even one tear. But she doesn't do either of those things. She just calmly returns to her place next to Isaac and follows Valentina with her eyes as she sits next to me.
,,What do you mean she's left?" Evan asks. He is even more angry than Eden herself.
,,Business trip I guess. I don't know for sure. But we could use the time of her absence to gather some more informations about the laboratory and..." She stops, hesitating before her last word, gifting her friend with a look full of compassion. ,,tests."
,,There's nothing more to discover." Eden says coldly.
,,Do you know how to get inside the Heart?" Val asks curiously but politely.
,,I have an idea." My body freezes to the bone. ,,There's no doubt she's looking for me. I could voluntarily give myself into her hands. That would give you all the time to act."
,,I've got to admit, it's finally worthy listening to you." Evan states with a tiny amount of admiration. Tiny.
,,No." I state, still not taking my eyes of her face. Then she finally looks at me.
,,It's nothing I haven't gone through already." She says, shuddering. She reconciled with what was done to her. But her cracking bones underneath the table say otherwise.
,,No." I repeat once again, striking her with my eyes.
,,I wont let you decide about my life." She hisses, emphasising this particular word with much more bitterness. This exchange of words would probably last forever if someone I never thought would, finally speaks.
,,That's a good idea, indeed." I hear Axel's deep voice from the side and stab him with my eyes.
,,Well, thank you." Eden admits. I can see her shaking with the corner of my eye.
,,Eden, that's too risky..." Valentina's whisper rings from the other side.
,,The case is worth it, isn't it?" She says.
Im absolutely done with this conversation. I can't listen to any words escaping hers, or anyone else's mouth. So as Evan shoots me with his screams I stand up and leave the room. I can't even make it to the door that leads outside before I'm being caught by my arm and spun around.
,,What do you think you're doing?" She asks, her eyes filled with so much strength, terror and anger I feel my knees getting weak.
,,I couldn't bare listening to this." I say calmly, truly.
,,Why?" She says desperately craving for answer. She pushes me to the side making my back collide with the wall. ,,Why do you care about my well being so much? Why did you help my father? Why do you care?" Her voice is cracking, trembling. I can't gain my voice. I can't no anything but cup her cold face with my hands and push my own lips to hers. I am perfectly aware that what I'm doing is going to be the final nail in my coffin. But resisting her for so long caused me so much physical pain I couldn't sleep at night, couldn't eat, breath. But to my surprise, she doesn't back of. My mind is so shadowed by feelings I can't even read hers properly. She doesn't move, doesn't part her lips to let me in. She just stands there and lets our mouth be glued together, my hands cup her face and our bodies exchanging theirs temperatures. When I finally come to my senses and back my head off, still clutching her face in my palms I notice the look in her eyes. They were never so deeply green, the golden sparks never shone so brightly. But her words deny every bit of her looks.
,,Don't do this ever again." She says. But doesn't move. Doesn't do anything at all but stare at me, breathing heavily. Our hearts beat in the same, furious rhythm, our chests pound in the same way. I don't know what she is thinking. I'm too consumed by her being and by my hands touching her face I can't read any of her thoughts. I'm devouring the sight of her like it was the last time I see her. I drink every inch of her face, so close to mine, greedily. I feel like I was gifted an award that should never belong to me. That I did nothing to deserve. Her beauty is so angelic, sharp and scary with its intensity I can't breath properly. I can never breath properly when she's around me. Her very being clogs my vins, cuts the flood of oxygen and reasonable thoughts. She is in my very soul, owning it. When the door bursts open she jumps off me. In the doorway stands a guy, approximately my age, dressed in army suit, light, honey blonde hair drenched with rain and terribly blue eyes roaming over us. He's beaten, dehydrated, starving, covered in blood and dust, his eyes circled dark, his whole body shaking in convulsions. He can't stand properly for long so he falls down on his knees supporting his haggard body with his hands. Her next words are a bullet aimed at my heart.
,,Valerian?" Another man she knows.