Claimed by The Rogue Alpha
Claimed By The Rogue Alpha Chapter 24

A guard pushed the door open, ushering Lyons into the fancy bar. Lyons headed straight for his favourite spot. A secluded region with just the right amount of privacy one could get. When he took his seat, a waiter showed up. "Good day, sir. What can I get you?"

"I'll call you later," Lyons said with a thin smile. The waiter nodded with and walked off. Lyons sighed. His nerves were tight. He hadn't been able to sleep the previous night as he stayed awake, trying to come up with ways to convince her. Man, that lady was a pain. A f*****g pain in the a*s. He could still recall how monstrous she looked as she threatened him.

"I'll tell the cops. You kidnapped her! she had said. Lyons hadn't been able to replace the words utter at that point. He was shocked. Truly shocked to learn that Olivia Haynes was missing. He had told her little friend that he knew nothing about it. Of course, she didn't believe him. But he was determined to clear his name. And so that was why he had arranged for them to meet.

Olivia Haynes. His heart wasn't at peace. He had been thinking. Also with the fact that her father was...dead. Found in the most bizarre locations. Anyone in his shoes would be stricken with guilt. Some might spiral into depression, and ultimately end their miserable lives. But not him. Nah, Lyons had outgrown that joke called 'guilt. However, he did feel sad in some way, mostly for Olivia's sake. The girl was quite nice and shouldn't-oughtn't to deal with this.

Lyons couldn't tell if Leah knew about Pete's death. It was possible she didn't. If not, she would have done something much more than issuing out threats.

He sighed again and checked his watch. Leah was supposed to be here now. What was keeping her? In a way though, it was a good thing that she wasn't here yet. He could use this time to collect his thoughts and gather his facts correctly. He could also use some wine.

He called on a waiter.

"A bottle of Jordan Carbernet, please," he said. The waiter returned with his order. Lyons nodded at him and began pouring the drink in the glass. He brought the it to his nose, inhaling it gently before taking a sip. There...

Moments later, and still with no sign of Leah, Lyons became impatient. What was up with her? He picked up his phone and made to send a message, but halted. He didn't think that was a good idea. Instead he chose to call her. Surprisingly, it went through on the first trial.

"Hello," she sounded agitated. Lyons frowned, wondering if everything was alright.

"Leah, it's Lyons."

"I know."

He raised his brows but brought them down quickly. "Uhm, we were supposed to have a meeting by three. Westview Bar." "What?" she said. She sounded surprise, but then caught herself. "Yeah, that. I don't know, Lyons. I had a bit of a problem."

Lyons could tell from the tone of her voice that something was up. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Oh, thank you so much. Could I have that too?"

"Wha-" Lyons cut himself short. It was obvious she was talking to someone else.

"Sorry about that. I'm a scatterbrain today."

He smiled a bit. "No problem. So, should we reschedule?"

She sighed. "I don't know about that. I've got classes lined up throughout the week."

Lyons nodded, also bearing it in mind that she sounded quite calm today. Nothing like the fierce tigress she had been two days ago.

"I can pick you up instead. I mean, now? If that's okay?"

There was silence at the other end of the line.

"Uhm. Okay. But I can only spare 5 minutes."

"Sure. Text me your location," he said.

The line went dead, and Lyons returned to his wine.

***

==Olivia==

It was official: I was crazy. I couldn't stop thinking about yesterday. The kiss. His touch. They had such force that kept me transfixed. I bit my lip.

Gosh, what was wrong with me? As much as I tried, I couldn't get the thought away. Matteo. I sighed. To be honest, the last time I had a kiss that good was zillions of years ago, when the earth was a void. And yesterday, yesterday, it felt like I was introduced to a whole new world. With the way he touched me, I wanted to do it. To finally get to know what s*x was like, but... Somehow, I didn't give in. Well, my period was there to pose a blockade, but still. I'd wished we'd had s*x.

I groaned. Am I crazy? Because technically, I was fantasising about a guy who kept me hostage. Wasn't tat madness? I'd had the will to push him away, but I didn't. Instead, I moaned like the s*x depraved prude I was.

I sighed again, and walked to the mirror. I saw the smile that I didn't know had been o my face. It rattled me just how much impact the kiss had. My eyes traced my form on the mirror, thinking back to how hard his lips were pressed on mine. Matteo, he'd showed his usual dominance when we kissed. It felt like he was scared if letting go. The way he held my cheeks as his lips groped mine weakened me. He was intoxicating. His breath, his touch, his kisses.

Oh, crap, Olivia. I was definitely shitting myself. I had to get a grip. This wasn't right. I shouldn't be doing this with him.

I got to the bed, drawing the duvet close to me. Why do I have to deal with this? My eyes began to sting. I let the tears drop.

This wasn't me. No, it couldn't be. I was the rational person. Someone that knew about actions and their effects. And something told me that the thing I did with Matteo was...a terrible idea. It could land me in trouble.