First meeting after seven years

First meeting after seven years


Chapter 177

Ethan's POV

There was a slight buzz in my ear, and I immediately straightened up from where i was leaning against the wall and pressed firmly on the earpiece.

“Caleb, what is it?” I asked, moving away from my post near the crowded casino floor. My mind had been busy with thoughts about the information Caleb was trying to uncover regarding my past.

“Mr. Black, there’s suspicious movement near the wine vault on floor R-seven. Could you check it out? And about your earlier request, I’m still working on it,” Caleb’s voice came through the earpiece.

“Copy that,” I replied. I lowered the earpiece and tightened my grip on the gun at my side, then pushed through the crowd toward the opposite end of the casino where the wine vault was located.

The music blasted loudly all around, mixing with the chatter and the clinking of glasses. The heavy smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke filled the air as I moved toward the elevator. I pressed the button for floor seven, and the doors slid shut behind me.

R-seven was the last floor. There was only wine being stored there and I wondered what was really going on down there if it wasn’t just storing wine.

When the elevator stopped and the doors slowly opened, my eyes caught a flash of red hair that was pulled tightly into a neat bun, turning the corner ahead.

“I don’t remember her working here. Such striking red hair it’s hard to forget,” I murmured as I stepped out and quietly followed the woman who was dressed up in the staff uniform. The walls of the vault were painted to look like wood, giving the space a warm but mysterious feel.

I turned the corner cautiously, but there was no sign of her.

“Where did she go?” I whispered into the earpiece.

“She’s at six o’clock,” Caleb answered quickly followed by the sound of his fingers clicking hard on keys.

I let my hand drop from the earpiece and moved forward, carefully descending a short flight of stairs. This place was a vault for very old, expensive wines. Who would risk their life just to steal wine? I wondered to myself as my eyes scanned the empty space.

“There you are…” I muttered under my breath. I was about to step forward and stop her when I hesitated. Idecided to wait a bit and watch what she was up to.

She dropped to her knees in front of a blank wall and pulled a small device from beneath her uniform.

Her hands shook badly, and she almost dropped the device several times. But finally, she steadied herself and pressed the small pad-like machine against what seemed to be the lock of the vault.

I watched curiously as she tapped rapidly on the device, and a loud beeping sound startled her. The heavy door slowly began to slide open.

My eyes scanned her face from the side, she it looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place where I had seen her before.

Without hesitation, she disappeared into the vault, and I followed, carefully putting my gun on safe as I trailed behind her.

She didn’t seem to notice me at first, so I stayed still, watching as she began tampering with the lock on a special vault instead of simply opening it by inputing the lock on the padding on the wall.

“All done!” she said softly to herself, clapping her hands together, clearly happy with what she had accomplished.

“What are you doing, Black? You need to get her apprehended before the staffs come down here and find you. You need to hurry Black remember, that lock isn’t known,” Caleb’s voice came sharply through my earpiece.

Just as Caleb finished speaking, loud laughter echoed from just above the stairs. Someone was coming. The pretty woman seemed to hear it too because she suddenly turned around to run and then came to a stop as she came face to face to me.

She wasnt quick in stopping herself and my breath seemed to get knocked out of me as I collided with her. I got a better look at her face and damn heavens. She was simply breathtaking. Her wide green eyes locked onto mine, frozen like a deer caught in headlights.

‘’What are you doing here?’’ She whispered harshly at me as she pushed away from me, her eyes looking guarded.

I began stalking closer, watching her every move. She glanced over her shoulder, trying to find a way out as the footsteps got closer and she tried to rush off, but it was easy to catch her small, delicate arms. I grabbed hold and pulled her back into the vault. Rushing out wasnt the wisest thing to do.

She didn’t make a sound but only struggled against my grip, but I held on firmly.

I pressed the red button, closing the vault door behind us, then dragged her around a slanted corner and out of sight from the workers who were just coming down the stairs.

“They sure know how to enjoy themselves. That wine is at least twenty years old!” one worker laughed loudly, making small talk with his friends.

“What the hell are you doing, Black?” Caleb’s voice sounded again in my earpiece, filled with urgency.

“Keep quiet for now, Caleb, just cover me,” I ordered before pulling the earpiece out.

Suddenly, I became very aware of the small body pressed tightly against my hard frame. I looked down and caught her staring straight at me, her green eyes wide and unblinking.

My heartbeat sped up as I found myself lost in the depths of her gaze, a strange pull tightening inside me. Everything seemed to slow down as I watched her, feeling her warmth seeping into my skin and even through my clothes.

She was breathtaking, and i felt my throat go dry as my eyes fell low to her plump lips that was now in a straight line. ‘’Are you okay?’’ i whispered huskily to her