05

« Our safety in exchange for… » I trailed off. « What ? Danny, what did you agree to ? Danny ? »

Danny’s mouth opened and closed like a fish’s, and his eyes were filled to the brim with guilt.

« Danny, you’re scaring me, » I whispered, grasping the sides of the chair tightly.

Danny shook his head and stood up. « I failed Evie. I failed. I promised out parents that I would protect you and I failed. »

« What do you mean ? » I cried out, shaking as I stood up. « Danny you’re not making any sense ! »

« I’m sorry, I-I just, Evie I’m so sorry. » The sound of the door opening behind me made my body stiffen.

« Why don’t you go wait outside, Danny. » It wasn’t a question, but a command. Danny’s eyes widened and he looked from Sebastian to me, a horrified expression on his face.

« Now. » Danny stumbled past me, narrowly avoided my hands that reached out for him.

Once he left the room, I heard the door fully close, as a presence come up behind me.

« You really shouldn’t be so bitter, my sweet Evie, » he whispered, making me shiver and freeze over. « I mean, here I am being the good guy, offering your gang protection, yet you still treat me so horribly. » His hand grasped my side, pulling me back into reality.

Pushing myself away from him, I backed away so that there was at least three feet between us.

« But for what ? » I managed to ask, despite my shaken state.

Crossing his arms, he pouted his lips slightly. « What do you mean for what ? »

A sour laugh escaped my lips and I narrowed my eyes at him.

« There is no way that Sebastian King offered protection, or anything for that matter, without wanting something in return. » My voice was lethal, and I gave him a cold look.

That didn’t stop him from letting a small smile appear.

« You truly are something, huh ? » I didn’t respond, but only continued to give him the cold glare that seemed to just naturally shield my eyes.

« You’re smart, » he finally said, « Smarter than your brother was. » He let out a short laugh and shook his head. « You should have seen his face, when I told him how I would help. His eyes lit up and for a minute there, he didn’t look like a hopeless excuse of a gang leader. »

My hands were now tight fists, and my body trembled as my heart rate increased.

No one spoke about my brother like that.

« But then, when I told him what I wanted in return, » Sebastian continued, his eyes locked onto mine, « Danny didn’t know what to do. He nearly went on his knees begging me to pick anything else. It was really, really pathetic. »

That’s it.

I flung my body at Sebastian, swinging my fists left and right as I tried to attack that son of a bitch. He stepped to the left, avoiding my fist, but wasn’t prepared for the kick I sent his way. I managed to lay in a few more blows before he predicted my next move and caught my wrist in an iron like grip.

In one swift motion, he was able to pin my back to Danny’s desk, knocking over quite a few things in the process.

Being bent in an uncomfortable angle, where my feet barely touched the floor, Sebastian leaned his body over mine, holding down my wrists with his strong hands.

« I can’t tell if you’re extremely stupid, or incredibly brave. » He breathed out, his lips only inches away from mine.

It bothered me how calm he was, not even out of breath, while I panted underneath him, my back aching in pain and my head still hurting from earlier.

« You’re an asshole. » I spat out, my anger still fueling me.

Sebastian rolled his eyes and pushed my body further into the desk, making a loud whimper escape my lips. The pain in my back had reached an all time high and it took everything inside of me to keep me from screaming out in agony.

It’s funny really, how for a girl with my kind of reputation had such a low threshold for pain.

But then again, I normally was never in these situations, being overpowered by someone else.

« Extremely stupid, I see. » Sebastian spoke after what seemed like years of silence. Without warning, he pulled away from the desk, bringing me up with him. His arms wound tightly around me, but I noticed how he placed one of his large hands on my lower back- specifically over the area that had been pushed into the desk only moments before.

« You see, Evelyn, » his voice was soft, but demanding my attention. « Unlike your brother, I don’t allow disrespect. There’s a reason why my gang is number one in London, and will always remain that way until the day I die. »

My body shook as he spoke, « You see, I can promise to keep your gang safe, and make sure those petty little gangs do no harm, but yes, I will want something in return. »

He leaned away for a moment, taking in my full appearance.

« Mason is absolutely brilliant when it comes to tracking down people. You could have a ten hour head start on him, leave the country, and get a full makeover, but he still would find you in less than an hour. »

At this point, I had no idea where Sebastian was going with any of this, but, I stayed silent and allowed him to speak. As long as he wasn’t hurting me anymore, I would listen to whatever he had to ramble on about.

« Callum has friends on the police force-«

So the rumors are true…

« And can have a search warrant on anyone he was with a snap of his fingers. » Sebastian finished, leaning closer, so that our bodies were flush against each other.

« W-Why are you telling me this ? » I asked, mentally cursing myself for sounding so weak.

His eyes glinted evilly, « Sweet Evie, have you really not realized it yet ? »

My throat tightened and I fought to remain expressionless.

« You want to know what I wanted in exchange for the London’s Eyes safety ? » He asked.

« Yes. » My voice was hard and I knew I had surprised him with my sudden composure.

A smirk appeared and he dipped his head down, so that his lips were hovering by my ear, and I was tilted back slightly, like a rag doll in his arms.

It all came to me before he actually told me for a fact. The guilty looks from Danny, and how he wouldn’t be able to protect me now. The warnings about Mason and Callum, not to mention the secretive looks that had been going around ever since I met Sebastian King.

« N-No ! » I choked out, pushing away from him. It was pretty obvious that he allowed me to get away, for his strength greatly over powered mine.

« Yes, Evie, I knew you would put it all together. »

I shook my heard repeatedly and found myself gasping for air.

This isn’t happening. It’s all just part of some awful nightmare.

« No, no, please no. » I whimpered, leaning against the desk for support as my heart thundered within my chest.

« You. » My blue eyes met his nearly black ones.

A cry left my lips and I raised my hands to cover my ears, knowing that he was about to crush me with his next few words.

« I want you, Evelyn Claire Summers. »