Chapter 17: Chapter 17

I never dreamed in a million years that someone like Calvin Black could kiss with such tenderness. He cups my cheeks like I'm fine china, lips barely hovering over mine. It completely takes my breath away and weakens every muscle in my body. When he pulls back, every facial feature is softened, his eyes large and innocent.

I've never seen them look like that before.

He rests his forehead against mine, spending the moment just staring into my eyes. I feel the guilt build up inside my stomach, gnawing away at me as I wonder if he can see my true intentions. . .

I don't want to hurt him.

I open my mouth to speak when suddenly he's brutally yanked away from me. His face contorts in surprise and my heart lurches inside my chest as I look at his opponent. Dark eyes that resemble two angry flaming coals, looking for revenge and to inflict pain.

"Micah, no!" I scream, lunging for him. Calvin desperately tries to break Micah's strong hold from his collar, his eyes flashing with unease. Micah barely flinches as he slams Calvin's body into the brick wall, hard. Calvin let out a loud groan in pain before composing himself. He kicks out with his legs, swiping at Micah's arms.

Micah drops the hold, his eyes flashing with surprise as he realises Calvin is able to fight back. I watch as his lips curl up into a smirk and that's when I know that he's planning to really hurt Calvin. I feel the anger bubble up inside me as I charge for him, my fists raised.

"Get away from him you psycho!" I threaten, striking a blow to Micah's chest. He grabs my hand, twisting forcefully but I fight against it, applying as much restraint as I can.

"Hunter!" Calvin calls out from behind me but I keep my eyes locked on Micah's, challenging him further. His eyes are glazed over and when I inch closer, I smell it on him.

Alcohol.

"You've been drinking?" I ask him, searching his face, my own twisted in confusion. Micah barely reacts and takes the chance of me letting my guard down to kick me hard, sending me flying backwards. I lowered my defence but wasn't expecting him to strike me with such force. My body slams against the passenger side of a car and I feel it light up with a burning flame, withering in pain.

Tears well up in my eyes and I force myself to stand back up, my legs shaking underneath me.

"Micah, go home!" I yell at him, running in front of Calvin to shield him from a raging Micah. Calvin places a hand on my shoulder from behind, leaning down so his mouth is aligned with my ear.

"Is this your brother?"

His question is an angry growl. I slowly nod my head, the tears still fresh and glistening. I never once break eye contact with Micah and watch as his chest rises and falls heavily. His eyes flicker to Calvin's hand that's placed on my shoulder and his face becomes emotionless.

"You kissed him Hunter." Micah finally speaks, his voice a low mumble. It's dripping with anger and I feel my chest tighten further, making it difficult to breathe. My body is still burning in pain but I try to ignore it.

"I like him." I respond, my throat dry. I'm aware that I can't say anything to jeopardise the mission but Micah's already thrown that out of the window.

"What kind of fucking brother hurts his sister like that?" Calvin questions, stepping around me and taking a step towards Micah. His shoulders are squared defensively, body language on guard. Micah tears his eyes off me and lands them on Calvin instead. His entire face twists up into hatred and I've never seen him look so evil.

"Calvin, don't fight him! Please." I plead him, running forward and grabbing hold of his arm. I can feel how tense his arms are when I wrap my fingers around them.

"No, let him fight me." Micah smirks, dark eyes glazed over from the alcohol in his system. I snap my head towards Micah —

"That's not fair Micah! Stop it!"

He ignores my words and takes another step forward, desperately looking for a confrontation.

"I understand you're angry and want to lash out but this isn't the way to do it! You have way too much to lose." I say firmly, hoping to snap him out of it. If the FBI gets a whiff of Micah's actions tonight, they'll pull him out of this mission faster than you can blink.

"Shut up Hunter." Micah snaps at me.

"Don't speak to her like that, you asshole." Calvin snaps, his eyes narrowed. I inhale sharply, keeping my eyes trained directly on Micah.

"What the hell are you going to do about it? You barely know her!" Micah roars, lunging forward. I turn around to push Calvin out of his firing line but he's already charging for Micah, his fist raised. I watch in awe as Calvin Black takes on my fighting instructor, both of them throwing punches.

Calvin is hit several time's but fights back confidently and I know he's had training for this. There's no way any civilian could take on a trained FBI fighter with no experience.

"Stop it! Stop fighting!" I scream at them but they completely ignore me, both of their bodies merged in a sea of violence. I let out an annoyed breath, climbing onto a dumpster beside them. Once I've hauled myself up, I position myself correctly before jumping off it, landing on Micah's back. It takes him completely by surprise and he falls to the floor, both of us rolling around. I stand to my feet, dusting myself off.

When I glance up, Calvin Black has a line of blood dripping from his lip and a shadow of a bruise forming on his other eye. Micah's clothes are almost torn completely and his head is grazed in several places. He doesn't attempt to lift himself off the floor and I know he's finally given in.

"Get yourself home Micah." I say quietly, stepping over his body. His hand shoots out, wrapping around my ankle to stop me in my place. When I look down at him, his eyes are large, pleading with me.

"Be careful," he mumbles, loud enough for only my ears. I don't respond and head towards Calvin, my heart rate increasing in my chest. Calvin is leaning against his car, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Your brother needs to be locked up." He hisses, his eyes flashing dark. I reach up, my fingers hovering over the cut on his lip. Before I get a chance to touch him, he grabs hold of my hand, holding it firmly in mid-air. His fingers dig into my bare flash, inflicting mild pain. I suck in a sharp breath, looking up into his green eyes that are full of a million questions.

"Who are you?" He whispers, his eyes flickering across my face. I feel my throat dry out and I begin to tremble under his hold.

"W-What do you mean?"

"You and your brother fight like I've never seen before. I've been watching you Hunter." He murmurs, his eyes flickering over to Micah who's propped up against the wall, slumped over. When he notices Micah glancing in our direction, he wraps an arm around my waist, yanking me towards his body. I let out a small groan, the pain flaring back up again from my previous hit.

"He's very over-protective, isn't it?" Calvin murmurs darkly, the gears working behind his eyes. I don't dare breathe as I pray silently he doesn't discover who we are. If he does, he'll kill us.

"My father, he taught us." I say quietly. Calvin snaps his head towards me, features twisted with confusion.

"What?"

"My father taught us how to fight in defence. He worked in the military." I explain, lying through my teeth. Calvin simply stares at me, taking his time to decide whether I'm telling the truth or not. Eventually, he nods slowly, releasing his hold on me. I stumble backwards, my eyes filling up with fresh tears as my body screams out in pain.

When Micah is satisfied that we haven't both been exposed, he slowly stands to his feet and walks away, his face expressionless. My heart sinks as I watch him leave but I can't help but also feel angry. Angry that he almost cost us our lives and this entire mission.

"You should stay at mine tonight." Calvin says quietly, his hand resting on my lower back. I shrug it off as I watch Micah leave, his entire body screaming defeat and despair.

"This is a mistake, I should go home." I mumble, the tears in my eyes threatening to spill. As soon as I take a step forward, my legs wobble unsteadily underneath me and I feel my head grow dizzy. My vision blurs and I swing my arms out to grab hold of something.

"I've got you." Calvin mumbles quietly down my ear, both of his hands snaking around my waist. I fall backwards into him, my body too exhausted to fend for itself. I let out a low mumble of distress and Calvin takes it as his cue to swing my legs off the floor, picking me up in one swift motion. He carries me effortlessly to the back seat of his car, placing me in. His car smells insanely clean with a mixture of his scent and I sink further into the seats.

"Don't you dare be sick in my car." Calvin warns me, a playful tone to his voice. I bend over, mimicking me puking all over his car seats and floor. He chuckles quietly before slamming the door shut. I let out a small groan, the pounding in my head beginning to intensify. A few moments pass and I hear the drivers door open and Calvin slide in.

The engine roars to life and he speeds down the road, glancing at me every now and then to make sure I'm conscious.