âMiss ⦠Ms. Alyssa has gone to bed, Mr.Jonah,âSean muttered.
âYour balls must be growing bigger whileyouâre away from my side, Sean. Are you seriously lying to me on her behalf now?âJonah rarely got angry, but when he did, he was a menacing force.
Jonah then said, âIâll repeat myself. Pass the phone to Alyssa. Or else youâll be removed from your station right away!â
Alyssa chewed on her lip, her heart beating fast in her chest as she took the phone and put it up to her ear.
âJo-Jonah.â
Jonah took a deep breath, as if suppressing some intense emotion.âCome outside. We need to talk.â
â¦
Alyss a walked out of her house, her heart in her throat as she went up to Jonahâs Aston Martin by the road.
The man remained stoic and still against the car, his gray suit making him seem like some sullen god.
All Alyssa could think of right now was how terrified she was.
âJonah,âshe murmured.
âGet in. Itâs cold.âJonah took off his coat,put it over Alyssaâs shoulders, then led her into his car.
Finally, when they were inside, he asked worriedly, âWhere did he hurt you?â
âMy arm â¦â Alyssa looked down, feelinglike a child who had made a mistake.
Jonahâs expression hardened as he grasped her arm and slowly pulled up her sleeve. His eyes filled with anger when he saw the white gauze wrapped around her limb.
âItâs okay, Jonah. It was just a skin wound.It doesnât hurt much anymore, either.âAlyssa reassured him.
She didnât want her brother to worry.
Jonah set her arm down and took her hand. The careful touch made her feel guilty.
âIâm sorry, Jonah. I shouldnât have keptthis from you. I just think this is something I can handle on my own. Thatâs why⦠I didnât want you to worry.â
After a depressive silence, Jonah looked up at her, growling, âIâll kill him for hurting you.â
Alyssaâs breathing hitched. Her brotherâs old fe rocity had returned in a split second, even after heâd embraced a more spiritual way of life for so long.
In that moment, Alyssa could see a shadow of his old self againâthe man who had led thousands of men in the underground, the one feared and revered by all, known as âJudas.â
âYou promised, Jonah.â Alyssa huggedhim tightly, nuzzling into his rapidly rising chest. You promised not to return to that path now that youâre home.
âThat man was just a pawn in a biggergame. So what if you kill him? His employer would still be on the loose.
âWe canât waste this opportunity to catchthe bigger target, Jonah. Thatâd only make us look like idiots.â
The killing intent in Jonahâs gaze slowly faded away. He sighed, leaned against Alyssa, and then handed her a brown envelope from the front passengerâs seat. âHere.â
Alyssa curiously opened the envelope and pulled out the documents within.âWhat â¦?â
âSean told me about your attacker firstthing. Heâs even more worried than you are. Hereâs some information I found based on what he reported.âJonah narrowed his eyes.âHe told me everything save that you were hurt.â
Upon hearing that, Alyssa couldnât help but curse inwardly at Sean.
âDonât be upset at him. I told him not totell you.âSean was working for her now, so she still had to speak up for him.
âIf he keeps things from me again, Iâmsending him back home. Youâre not stopping me,â Jonah asserted.
Alyssa shivered at her brotherâs chilly gaze, then pouted. She wasnât scared of her father. But her big brother was truly terrifying.
She read through the manâs information, making sure not to miss a single detail.
âOh!âAlyss a suddenly cried out.âItâs him!