L A Y L A   A B R A H A M 

His eyes were blue, but not the deep, concentrated ocean blue that haunted her the past couple of nights. They were paler and much less troubled in comparison. They didn't strike the fear in her that only those deep, striking blue eyes did.

While he still sported a few bruises on his face and she had noticed him visibly wince when Alejandro threw him up against the wall – either due to the pain now or from the beating he had taken at the bank a couple days ago – there was no denying who he was.

"Stop!" She called out to her bodyguard but he just pressed the butt of his gun harder into his victim's head.

"Alejandro, let him go!" She scrambled around the counter and ran up behind him, pulling on his arm in hopes that he would ease up. She had hoped wrong.

Even when she tugged with all of her strength, she couldn't get him to budge. "I know him."

He clenched his jaw and turned his head to look at her over his shoulder, his pale grey eyes dizzy with rage and adrenaline. Despite the intensity of the situation, he watched her carefully. "Who is he?"

Layla's throat was dry as she fumbled around for the right words. If she said something wrong, she was sure that it would result in a bullet through that poor man's head and a dead body in the middle of her cafe. That was something she was hoping to avoid. "I don't know."

Before he could turn his head back to face forward again, she grabbed his arm in attempt to keep his attention on her. "I mean, I don't know his name! But he was with me at the bank."

That paused at that, not expecting for such a confession.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, she continued. "They were punching him and throwing him around. I think he's an employee there."

His scowl deepened and he turned back to face the pale blue-eyed man who was, understandably, absolutely scared for his life. The second time in the past couple of days.

"Is that true?"

His eyes were closed but he nodded his head frantically. "Yes. Yes, I work at the bank." He rushed to get his words out, his eyes wide.

"I'm going to need more than just your word." He growled. "Tell me why I shouldn't put a bullet through your head right now?" To emphasise, he pressed harder.

"Call detective Hardy. Tell him my name is Byron Jamieson."

His scowl deepened but when Layla ran back to the booth and grabbed his phone, he accepted it and quickly called the detective.

"Hardy. I've got a man in front of me claiming to be Byron Jamieson." He paused, presumably listening to what the detective was saying. "They're not supposed to meet. What is he doing here?"

He turned to Byron. "What are you doing here?"

Sweat dripped down the side of his face. "I know Layla worked here so I wanted to swing by."

"How do you know my name?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. This was the first time they had spoken to each other and they certainly hadn't had enough time to exchange names and life stories.

"Answer her!"

"My bodyguard mentioned it."

Alejandro payed attention to Hardy on the phone. "Where is your bodyguard?"

Byron hesitated, but when Alejandro loomed over him, he was quick to blurt out everything out. "His girlfriend works in one of the offices nearby. He told me to hang nearby while he went up to see her."

"He won't be your bodyguard for long." Alejandro snarled and reluctantly pulled back the gun, muttering angry profanities in his mother tongue under his breath.

Upon the sound of it, Layla clenched her thighs in attempt of easing the tingling sensations of her core, and she hadn't even understood what he had said. It was the absolute worst situation to get turned on.

Grabbing the man by the elbow, he dragged him behind him and all but pushed him into his booth.

Byron scrambled to sit upright and moved further into the booth when Alejandro sat next to him, not bothering with manners or any pleasantries.

"You're going to stick around until Hardy gets here." Alejandro spat at him, the distaste clear.

"What about my bodyguard?"

"I told you, he's off the case."

"Just like that?"

Alejandro didn't bother signifying that with a response as he leaned back against the booth with his eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

He had thought Byron to be a genuine threat to Layla's safety and had acted accordingly. That kind of anger and adrenaline took a few moments to come down from.

"I don't want to be the reason he gets fired."

"Too late for that."

Layla watched the whole ordeal and when she heard a throat clearing nearby, she glanced up. Hailey had watched the whole situation with eyes as wide as saucers and her jaw unhinged, dropping when Layla's supposed bodyguard had whipped out the gun.

Just by looking at him she knew the man was packing – and had swore that Layla was lucky to be spending so much time around him – but she hadn't expected him to whip out a gun. That just added a whole new edge to him.

The man had just taken the term 'bodyguard' to a whole new level. The scene she had just witnessed was like something out of a movie.

"What just happened?" She found herself asking once both men were sat back in the booth.

Layla blinked once, and then twice. "I don't know." She replied honestly. "But I'm going to find out."

Hailey nodded her head slowly, still stunned at what had just transpired. "I need to clock out in a bit to pick up Max from kindergarten."

Layla nodded. "James will be here soon anyway. He should be finished with class by now."

Turning around, she had every intention of heading into the booth to join the men and get to the bottom of it all. Luckily, there had only been 2 customers in the bakery at the time of the incident, and both of them had been rushed into the kitchen by Jax before things got out of hand. Well, further out of hand.

She watched as they scrambled out of the building, watching Alejandro with fearful gazes, before sliding into the booth and sitting opposite him.

"What's going to happen to me?" Byron asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a napkin. "Why is Detective Hardy coming to get me?"

"You're going to have to be reassigned." He stated simply, not bothering to spare the man a glance.

"There's no need for that."

"Just shut up." He glared at the wimpish excuse of a man next to him. "You've caused enough trouble already."

"I just wanted to see Layla."

"How do you know my name?" She leaned her elbows on the table.

"I got that information from my bodyguard."

Alejandro clenched his jaw, his hand still resting on the glock by his hip. "You're not supposed to ask a question like that and he's not supposed to be given that kind of information away."

"Why is it such a big deal?"

He slammed his hand down on the table in anger, ferocity simmering in his eyes, promising to manifest itself and burn him alive if provoked further. "Do you not understand the gravity of the situation?" He barked. "Were you not paying attention when Hardy was going over everything with you?"

Layla crossed and uncrossed her legs, failing to get rid of the tingle in her core. Again, the worst possible timing.

"I just wanted someone to talk to."

"That's what friends and family are for. Even a therapist, but not another hostage!"

"Alejandro," she sighed. "He made a mistake."

He turned to glare at her, his anger directed at Byron more so than her. But stepping in to save the guilty wasn't doing her any favours. "He's made more than a mistake. He's ignored everything he was told and put both his life and your life in danger!"

She struggled to swallow the lump in her throat. She couldn't deny the fact that he was speaking nothing but the truth.

Not coming into contact with any of the other hostages had been the first rule the detective had mentioned, emphasising upon it numerous times to instil in her the absolute importance of it. She had no doubt he had done the same with every other hostage and clearly, Byron hadn't been paying attention. Either that, or he didn't care.

"Have you come into contact with any other hostages?"

"No." His attempt at lying was poor. Neither of them believed him.

"Right, I'm assuming you got that information from your bodyguard as well."

When he didn't respond, Alejandro had his answer.

Byron opened his mouth to say something, but Alejandro was quick to cut him off. "Just sit here and don't talk! You've already made things more difficult than they already are. And now I've got to baby sit you until Hardy gets here."

When detective Hardy turned up, he left with a cup of coffee, a large box of jam donuts for his squad and an ashamed Byron who followed him obediently with his head down.

When James walked into the bakery for his shift, he had to do a double take. When he approached Layla at the counter, he couldn't help but stare at the broody man sat in one of the booths, vexed and exasperated as he spouted colourful profanities on the phone, switching back and forth between English and Spanish.

"Did I miss something?"

Layla had no idea where to begin.

-

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L A Y L A K N I G H T

13.05.2020