Justice started to count out because that was how they were supposed to be done. He made sure to do it loud enough where Donald could hear him, and he liked to get a bit louder when the man tried to talk over him. Justice was so loud and annoying that he was told that he had done enough, and he wasn’t even fifty down. Justice took that as a win, even if it didn’t feel like one in other ways. He wondered why Donald Gillespie was anyone high up. Couldn’t people see him for what he was? Justice knew that he could, and it was frustrating to no end that no one else seemed able to see it too.
***
“You are just asking for it, Justice, and you know it.”
Justice smiled at his friend that was coming up behind him, and he shrugged his shoulders. “You know that I can't help myself. I hate that guy so much.”
“Well, he got you and the rest of us shit crew for the next week and a half, so I hope it was worth it.”
Again, Justice shrugged and said that it was worth it to him. He knew that it likely wasn’t the same for his friend. Nobody liked Donald Gillespie, but most people just worked around it. Justice was the one that couldn't make it easier. Likely he didn't want to.
“Jeff, you know how he is. It isn't hard to get on his bad side, and I've been there since I met him in kindergarten. I just didn't think that he'd be my damn boss and commanding officer. That part of it I didn't see coming.”
“I just don't know why you want to keep fucking with him. Now we have to watch the Alpha’s sister. Nobody wants to do that. The last few people that did it failed and got shot. Punishment for failing is not good. We are going to have to keep our wits about us and do this right. She cannot run off and our punishment cannot happen. We're going to have to pay attention until we can get out of this.”
Justice acted like he didn't even hear him. Why was this happening? Was he being set up? There was no way that his luck would bring him to that sort of job or to her. Instead, he was very nervous now thinking that surely, he had been exposed. Allie must have given him away as the person that helped her. What if the Alpha found out that they had kissed? Justice knew the answer and it ran repeatedly in his head. His friend was looking at him like he was an idiot, and he finally asked him what was going on. Justice was afraid to say it out loud. He had already messed up so much, and if Jeff knew how much he had really messed up, it probably wouldn't end well.
“I didn't see that coming,” Justice said offhandedly. He was waiting for Jeff to make some kind of comment, and Jeff was sure that it was punishment because of Justice's mouth. “Well, that could very well be true.” Justice had a feeling it was about something else; he was just going to keep it to himself until he knew for sure. The last thing he wanted to do was tell anybody else about it, but that conversation with Jeff had him thinking and worrying.
***
At the end of the day, Justice ran into Ben. Since Ben was never around normal people, Justice once again was worried about why he was suddenly there. There was no way for him to fight back the fear that was overtaking him. He had just kissed Ben’s sister, maybe a little bit more than a kiss. What had Justice been thinking? He wasn't thinking, that was the answer. Allie was beautiful, and she had affected him in a way that he wasn't prepared to fight. Justice tried to think of it like it was worth it, but he only got the kiss. Maybe if more had happened, it would be worth the slow death that he was likely going to get because of it. At least then Justice would have died happy.
“How are you doing, soldier?” Ben asked.
Justice said that he was fine, again anticipating the jump. What was this all about? It surely wasn't about Ben just suddenly saying hello. He'd never spoken to him before. Didn't even know his name, that's why he called him soldier. Again, Justice got this weird feeling that he just couldn't let go of. Justice just wished he knew what the hell was going on.
“I am fine, sir. Did you need something?”
“No, I just wanted to say hello. You have been working underneath me for many years, haven't you?”
Justice agreed that he had and wondered where the conversation was going. Ben finally told him that he was the reason that he had been sent to take care of his sister.
“I wanted you to know that it wasn't a punishment, though I know sometimes it is seen that way. It is a great honor, and the only reason that I have made you part of the detail is because I trust you. My sister is delicate, vulnerable, and innocent. I have to protect her.
Justice agreed, nodding his head and thinking the whole time that Ben knew nothing about his sister. Delicate and vulnerable were the last two words that he would use to describe her. “Don't worry about it, sir, I'll make sure that nothing happens to her. Your sister means a lot to the clan. It is a great honor to have the opportunity.”
Justice wasn't sure if that was too much, but he was trying to cover up how nervous he was. The last thing the Alpha needed to know was that he was head over heels in love with his sister. Justice wasn't even sure how to deal with it and didn’t expect Ben to know either.
He was finally able to breathe when Ben walked away. That could have gone better, but it could have been a lot worse as well. Justice was starting to think that this was real, he was really put in the position to watch out for Allie because he was trusted. So all of a sudden he was the luckiest son of a bitch ever, and it was going to take a lot for Justice to get used to the idea of that. Luck had never played much of a role in his life.
The conversation that he had with the Alpha was short, but longer than he had probably ever talked to him before. Justice was doing his best not to let it all get to his head. He knew that he had to be careful. He was still playing with fire and the last thing he needed to do was get caught. Allie would get him killed if he wasn't careful. He was just going to have to keep his distance, and Justice already knew that it was going to be easier said than done. He would try his best to keep himself together. He knew that he had to never show the truth. He could never let anyone know how he truly felt about Allie, even Allie herself. It was better if he just kept it to himself. Nobody needed to know. Justice loved the wrong woman, but he would keep it all in check. He had to, to save his own life.
Chapter 5
Allie
“What happened to Gabriel, Ben?” Allie asked pointedly, not even pretending to show the respect she was supposed to.
Her brother just looked at her for a moment and then he shrugged. “I don't know what you're talking about. What I do with my own army doesn't matter to you. You've never cared before, why now?” Ben shot back suspiciously.
Allie could see that her brother did not want her to talk about it. He was just barely holding in the anger and if Allie was smart, she would have just walked away because she knew how ridiculous her brother was when he was in that sort of mood. But she wasn't smart. Unlike most other people, Allie wasn't afraid of Ben. She knew what he was capable of, sure, but it had never meant much to her before.
“Because I want to know what happened to Gabriel,” she insisted.
Her brother scoffed, “I didn't know that you cared so much.”
Allie knew that she had to be careful. He was basically begging to start a fight with her, and Allie did not want to fight him. She wasn’t happy though either, so if he got a little heated, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
