Ford
Fuck. The image of my Adelaide naked in my arms won’t go away.
The way her slender arms wrap around my neck and those delicious red lips of hers kiss my face and neck. Not to mention the way—Stop it! I nearly scream at myself.
Yes, I know she’s not mine, but I can’t help think of her in those terms. The second I laid eyes on her, my insides started to go up in flames.
Too many memories flooded my mind for me to make sense of them.
And then she unleashed this massive verbal attack on me. She probably didn’t realize it, but fuck, it made her look even hotter than hot.
The way her long, beautiful blonde hair tied back into a practical ponytail shone in the low light. Not to mention the way those khaki shorts hug her behind and show of those incredibly long legs. Practical hiking boots perfectly complimenting the sexiest outfit I’ve ever seen a woman wear.
Fuck.
I sigh.
What had happened to my Adelaide I left behind?
The young, innocent-looking schoolgirl? Not that she’s not beautiful anymore—quite the contrary. She looks even more beautiful than she did in high school.
No, now her beauty is highlighted by—what would you call it? Wisdom? Maturity?
Or maybe she’s always been this beautiful, and I’ve just not remembered her the right way.
Briefly, I’m transported back to the end of high school. The way I used to admire her from afar.
At recess and lunch, I would lean against the fence near where she hung out with all her cool friends. Being as pretty and smart as she is, she’s always been in with the cool people.
I, on the other hand, I’m from the wrong side of fucking town. Okay, so that sounds like some sort of cliché, but fuck, I’m able to face the facts.
She’s up there in the clouds, and I’m down here in the dirt with the ants. Gods and ants just don’t mix, do they?
When I used to stare at her from afar, my eyes were glued to the way she threw her hair over her shoulders, the way she laughed, and the way she moved.
She was the forbidden fruit.
I have always wanted to touch her dearly, bite a piece, and fucking devour her.
She, on the other hand was, what can I say, she’s always been fucking perfect.
Of course Sten had always been a friend, and at some point in time Adelaide would hang out with us too.
With a shake of my head, I try and get my feelings back under control and quash those pesky unwanted memories.
“If you’ll excuse me,” her voice reaches from a long way away. It seems to be having trouble getting though the thick fog of fucking memories.
“What?” I stare at her, but I’m not quite processing what she said. She’s pulled out of my hold and grabbed her bag from me.
“I’ve got work to do. You know, the reason I’m here? To help the sick and injured.”
Without waiting for a response, she walks away.
“Newsflash, “ she calls over right shoulder. “I live here, so no need to take me somewhere safer.” And just like that she’s walking away from me.
Since she doesn’t know, and there’s no harm in looking, I stare at her retreating figure. The way her hips sway from side to side and her cute butt wiggles is fucking playing havoc with my dick.
Her feet kick up tiny bits of dust as she moves away from me. If she’s tempted to look back, she resists it.
The last I see of her is when she enters a tiny mud hut. She has to duck to get in. Even there, she doesn’t so much as shoot another glance in my direction, even a loathing one.
How much I’d give for any last look of her, loathing or otherwise.
With a sigh, I shake my head. She’s not coming out of the building she entered.
Actually, building is highly overstated. I mean, as I stare at it, I realize what a rundown, dilapidated structure she just walked into. With narrowed eyes, I take it in.
From what I can tell, she’ll be lucky to come out of it alive. I mean, the damn thing might collapse any second.
The roof seems to be half-missing. From where I’m standing, it looks as if the entire house has leaned to the left and there’s no front door. I can’t tell if it never had one, or if it blew off.
Focus. Fucking focus, I remind myself and scan the lay of the land.
From the building, Adelaide disappeared to some of the other makeshift houses.
How do people live like this? And why the fuck was Adelaide here?
Of course, I don’t need to answer the latter question. Adelaide is the most caring person I know.
Around me, women are snickering, and I do my best to ignore them.
“Mzuri,” one of them whispers.
Others nod, and I shake my head. I’ve had tougher assignments than this one.
I’m former CIA. I’m the best of the best. I’ve learned not to let distractions worm into my mind when I’m on a job.
The words I’m on the job have their desired effect.
I’m on a job.
Focus. Concentrate.
I shift into work mode. Protection.
Working out how to protect her is not going to be as easy as I thought.
The mud huts are not arranged in any kind of order. Hers could be anywhere. I better make finding out where she lives a priority.
But, heck, no job is too difficult for me. If someone wants to mess with her, they’re going to have to get through my security measures and through me first.
I mean, I was the best of the best of the CIA.
But it wasn’t the greatest of times—secret missions, danger, loss.
Around me, people died. I lost some good people. And no matter how many times I’ve been told it wasn’t my fault, I have to take responsibility.
It separates us: those who understand the world they live in, and those who don’t.
In a way, leaving the agency had been a relatively easy decision after Mission X.
Mission X, in hindsight, had always been destined for failure. If I’d stopped and questioned the assignment, lives might not have been lost. But like anyone in my position, I just followed orders.
And following orders can sometimes be fatal.
What’s worse was I didn’t pay the high price, but some of my best people did.
In the deepest, darkest hour of the night, I can still see their faces and hear their screams as—no, I have to stop this now. I don’t need to relive it right here, right now.
When people around you die too many times, you know it’s time to move on.
I’ve fucking moved on.
There are only so many losses a person can endure.
I’ve got my own private security business now, and I call the shots. I decided who goes where, when, and how. And most importantly, I make sure no one I care about has to lose his or her life.
And, of course, that’s why I’m here in the middle of fucking nowhere in the stinking heat, looking after Adelaide.
But that’s all I’m doing, looking after her safety. She’s fucking off-limits.
I mean, it’s not as if I even have a chance. Did I mention I was from the wrong side of life?
Well, I still am.
Someone like Adelaide is not going to fall for someone like me.
She’s got style, class, and that something that makes her extra special. No doubt there’s some doctor, someone who’s got an eye on her, and she on him.
Even thinking of her with another man is more painful than being punched in the gut.
Come on, I tell myself. Time to focus on the job.
“Need help?” a small woman to my left asks.
I look at her. She’s got more wrinkles than a New York road map.
How old would she be? A hundred? The fact this old lady is asking if I need help is funny, and I suppress a laugh.
But maybe she could be of help somehow.
Never underestimate the power of the people on the ground, the ones who can be your eyes and ears in places you can’t be.
“Maybe,” I mutter. “Maybe.”
“You like lady doctor.”
It’s not a question but a statement.
My instinct wants to deny the allegation, but I decide not to.
Sometimes if you fuel a fire, it burns more brightly. And denying the allegation will do exactly that. And, of course, I can’t deny I like Adelaide.
Because I fucking do.
But she doesn’t like me. It’s obvious the way she reacted when I told her my reason for being here.
“Tell me,” I say instead. “Is there a special building the lady doctor uses to treat people?”
The old lady grins and points to her left. “Come, I show you.”
Without another word, I follow.
As I do so, I take close note of everything around me.
“Can you show me where lady doctor lives?”
The old lady grins, nods and points to her left.