Chapter 28: 19| Touch-1

┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓ Touch ┗━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┛ Chapter 19: Touch (Tristan's POV) Throughout the night, I couldn't help my gaze from straying to Amara from time to time. It may have been a few nights since I last saw her but judging from her reactions tonight, she still had no idea about what happened to Nathan Roberts; she hadn't heard about it yet. I would have to make sure things stayed that way. The last thing I wanted was for Amara to misunderstand the bargain that we had and start assuming that I cared about her safety or livelihood. If she thought she was capable of becoming my weakness, I wouldn't put it past her to exploit that. I didn't save her in the past but I couldn't stand by and watch her put herself in harm's way repeatedly. If I ever saw anyone or anything that threatened her, nobody could stop me from tearing them to the ground. No one else could have the privilege of holding her life in their hands. No one else would get to kill her but me. It was obvious by her demeanor that she was on edge tonight. She was exhausted and frustrated beyond her limits and if it weren't for Ambrose's demands, she probably wouldn't have attended tonight. She refused to mingle with the crowd, as always, and only engaged in conversations with people she knew. I caught glimpses of her throughout the night, talking to Cal, Aurora, Anastasia, and of course, her father. If Dante were here tonight, she would probably even say hi to him. The longer I watched her, the more obvious it became. She was avoiding me. More than that, however, she was avoiding the host, Nicholas Ambrose. My guess was that his case was proving to be harder than she anticipated. I found her in the crowd as she chatted with Aurora and Anastasia, bringing her glass to her lips only to realize it was empty yet again. Excusing herself, she made her way to the bar and I couldn't help but notice as Ambrose finally spotted her for the first time tonight and headed straight over to her. The ice clinked in my empty glass as I pushed myself off the pillar I was leaning against and slowly crossed the room. A safe distance from her, I stood at the bar and gestured for the bartender to refill my glass. With her back to me, she didn't notice me, instead, she noticed Ambrose approaching her and her entire body grew rigid. I stayed within earshot, listening. "Mr. Ambrose," she greeted with a soft sigh. "You showed up," he replied, "I'm surprised." "Why is that? I told you I would be here." Setting his glass on the counter, he stepped closer to her. "I'm surprised you still have the audacity to show your face here, Amara dear," he said, his voice falling lower with a sharp warning in his tone. She took in a small breath and absentmindedly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Mr. Ambrose, you have to understand-" "No, my dear, I don't have to do anything at all," he snapped. "If you've now realized you're incapable of fighting this case then you better tell me tonight." She shook her head, "Mr. Ambrose, I was so close to tracking down Clark Walker. I'm certain he was tipped off or else he wouldn't have gone underground. I just need a little more time." "Time is of the essence, Amara but I'm afraid it's exactly what I don't have." Pausing, he took a strained breath to calm himself down as he glanced around the room. "I came to you because you're a reputable attorney in this city, Amara. You're one of the few women we all consider to be untouchable." He stepped forward which forced her to retreat. "And if you'd like things to remain that way," he threatened, "get to work. I want Clark Walker dead, Amara. If he doesn't negotiate, I want you to kill him and if you can't do that then be prepared to deal with the consequences." She scoffed, staring at him in disbelief. "Are you threatening me?" "I'm warning you," he replied. "Sounds like a threat to me, Mr. Ambrose. I wouldn't recommend that," she said quietly, "please keep in mind that I'm the only reason you're not in prison yet. I've done everything you've asked for despite you going against everything I've recommended. If you want to win this case, then I'm your best shot. Do as I say and you'll get to throw a few more parties. Otherwise, you can deal with Clark Walker on your own." He blinked, rather taken aback by her response. "Please," she added, "enjoy your party, don't let me dampen your mood." Gesturing toward the crowd, she huffed and turned her back on him, facing the bar. On cue, a guest called out for Ambrose, drawing him away. She huffed loudly and looked up at the bartender. "Does it really take that long to refill a martini?" Sheepishly, he slid her glass back and she took it by the stem, turning to leave but growing absolutely still when her gaze landed on me. She paused and then walked right over, setting her glass down harshly. "Were you seriously eavesdropping?" "You wouldn't say it's my fault you were within my earshot, would you?" "I would," she argued. "Then that's just too bad, Ms. Milano," I retorted, taking a sip of my drink. She inhaled deeply to calm herself and closed her eyes briefly before lifting her glass and gulping down the entire contents of it in one go. My gaze traveled down from her lips, down the slope of her neck, across her collarbones where the pearls held up the dress that flowed down to her ankles. With another sip of my drink, I set my glass down just as hers hit the table once again, now empty. "Tough night?" I asked. "You're so good at rubbing salt in the wound," she replied dryly, sliding her glass back to the bartender. "Again," she ordered him. "It's my specialty when it comes to you, Malyshka," I responded. Her eyes narrowed on me. "Need some help?" I offered, "with the Ambrose case." "I'm sure you're not offering out of the goodness of your heart and I'm certain that whatever you ask for in return will be something I cannot give you. The devil doesn't bargain now, does he?"