37. Cliff diving in.

[Ace]

There wasn't much that happened in the city that didn't pass through the underground and that meant not much news passed over my head.

I was very saddened to hear about Emily's mother's accident and I was also annoyed by it as well.

I was annoyed because it meant that I was slipping and that Emily had been lying to me. It also meant that the boss was right. Emily had just been manipulating me.

And to think that I was starting to care for her. The keyword there being starting—not anymore.

If she wanted to play the game then I'd be more than willing to play along with her.

It was still very shocking though that those large hazel eyes could deceive me so easily. It would mean the emotions I saw in them were fake as well.

Her mother's accident was gang related. From my investigation I also had a lot of pictures of her mother meeting with gang members and a bunch of them stalking her or looking out for her. I wasn't sure.

Whatever it was, she had to know something. Her parents' involvement with the underground Mafia was deeply rooted and I didn't know what they'd done to upset the mafia but whatever it was if they didn't sort it out quickly it could escalate.

As it stood a lot of the other minor gangs were looking to cause trouble and right now the chesterfields were a magnet for trouble.

Despite my obvious anger for her, I still wanted to see her and a part of me hoped she might show up after school.

I began to feel really anxious when it reached the school's closing hour. I checked my phone from time to time to see if I'd received any messages from her.

When it was obvious to me that she wasn't coming I stormed out of the house. Wearing my signature black leather jacket, I twisted the key in my bike's ignition and the engine roared to life.

Taking my foot off the ground I sped off. I kept telling myself that I was doing this for work, that she was just a job and nothing more.

Her house seemed really quiet as I pulled up in front of a house opposite hers. I walked up to it and wanted to ring the bell but then I reconsidered. I wanted to catch her off guard and see if those large hazel eyes would have time to conjure up their lies or if I would finally see the truth in them.

I walked around the house and after making sure no nosy neighbor was around I jumped in through a window.

It didn't look like anyone was home. I was about to turn back when I caught site of a school bag tossed aside with books spilling out of them.

I tiptoed to the bag and started going through the books.

"The geometry of neoclassical architecture…ugh!" I read aloud and recoiled. Classic nerd stuff.

I didn't find anything even remotely interesting in her bag. She was a total nerd and somehow that made me feel warm inside.

I heard some water splashing upstairs and I slowly climbed up the stairs. I walked inside her room but it was dead quiet. I didn't hear any water sounds and I grew curious.

"Em?" I called out softly. "Are you in there?" When I didn't hear any response I twisted the knob of the bathroom door and I pulled it open.

Sure enough Emily was in there and she screamed so loudly she nearly blew my eardrums off.

"Don't be scared Em, it's just me."

"Wha-what are you doing here?" She stuttered as she tried to keep her heart from beating so loudly. I had really startled her I could tell.

I knew I should turn around and leave but I couldn't bring myself to. Emily was soaking in the tub full of bubbles and the sight was very ethereal.

Her wet hair hung loosely around her shoulders while the rest of her body was immersed in the tub. It was a shame she was having a bubble bath, there would have been plenty to see otherwise.

"I wanted to see you." I said the only thing on my mind without taking my eyes off her.

She seemed to have realized our position because she began to blush furiously and hide herself in the bath.

"I'm. In. The. Bath." She spoke slowly saying one word at a time.

"Yes, I can see that." I said and moved closer to her.

"I don't have any clothes on."

"I know." I dropped down to her level and looked her in the eyes. I wanted to see if these hazel eyes of hers had been decieving me or they were telling the truth.

"It's not proper." Her voice was but a whisper.

I could almost hear her heart beating wildly in her chest. I could see the sharp rising and falling of her chest. She couldn't hold my stare and so she was staring at her hands and trying to make herself smaller inside the tub.

She was nervous, I knew but I still wanted to push my luck.

"You have beautiful eyes." I told her and lifted her chin so that she was looking me in the eyes again. "Yeah… beautiful." I said and caressed her jaw.

There was no way these eyes were deceiving me right now. Her eyes had begun to water and I felt a pang of remorse in my heart.

I shouldn't have pushed her.

"I'm sorry." I snatched my hands from her face and turned my back to her. "I'll wait outside." I told her and I heard her mumble a reply.

A few moments later, she came out of the bathroom with a large towel wrapped around her tiny frame and another wrapped around her head. Her face and shoulders were splotched with color, it seemed like she could not stop herself from blushing hard.

I wondered what she was thinking about that made her blush continuously.

"Um… I just need to get dressed." She said and I nodded.

"Call me when you're done." I told her and walked out of her room.

I could hear her fumbling with some clothes and after a few minutes she asked me to come in.

"I'm sorry Em, I shouldn't have invaded your privacy like that." I apologized.

I'd been so blinded by my anger I didn't realize that those eyes couldn't lie to me and now I felt like a jerk for acting so forward with her.

"It's… Can we not talk about it anymore?"

"I'm sorry about your mom." I cleared my throat and turned serious. "Do you know what happened?"

"Thank you." She sighed. "I guess it was a drunk driver. The police came to the hospital and they settled everything with my father."

"A drunk driver?" I frowned and turned away from her. "Has anyone been arrested?"

"I don't know, Ace." She plopped on the bed. "I'm just glad that she's okay. I was so scared."

I turned back to see her staring at her fingers and I felt the pang of remorse hit me again. I didn't know why I was trying to drill her for answers when it was obvious she knew nothing.

I suspected her mother knew what truly happened but it wasn't like I could go and interrogate her besides if Em truly wasn't involved in their shenanigans I didn't want to risk drawing her into it.

She was already in enough danger as it stood.

"I'm sorry." I apologized and sat beside her on her bed. I took her hands in mine and squeezed them softly.

"Does it still hurt?" She asked and I looked down to see her pointing at a cut on my arm.

"Nah." I shook my head and she frowned.

"You should stop getting into so much trouble." She ordered and I smiled.

"I should."

"Em?"

"Ace?"

We called each other at the same time and then we chuckled.

"Yes." I answered her.

"No, you go ahead." She stared at me and then looked away almost immediately.

"What did I say about eye contact?" I asked her and she looked back at me blushing furiously.

"Why are you blushing so much?" I asked her and she bolted off the bed, she was so embarrassed. "Tell me?" I probed her.

"I've never had a guy in my room before." She whispered and I smiled.

"I'm glad I'm the first." I told her. She probably didn't remember but it wasn't my first time in her room.

It was things like this that made me think Emily was more trouble than she looked. She made me say things that I normally wouldn't and even feel—

"Ace, there's something I think I should tell you."

"Okay, what is it?"

"I think I like you." She dropped it on me like a bombshell and she covered her face with her palms.