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Alette's POV

I knocked at Dr. Esa's office door, and she smiled, looking up at me and putting her pen down.

"Hi Faye!"

I walked in, hugging some papers to my chest. I placed them on her desk and smiled.

"These are the documents you asked for, the copier got stuck so it took some time," I told her.

She waved it off, "No worries at all! Thanks!"

I nodded and she put her pen down, shuffling through the papers, "Everything seems to be in order here! You're the best, thank you," she smiled kindly.

I smiled shyly, "No problem!"

"Some good news for you," she said, folding her hands on the desk, "A few clients agreed to let you sit in on their sessions so you can shadow me while I work! I'll send you the necessary releases and privacy notices for you to sign, and we can get that started as soon as possible."

I beamed with excitement, "That's so wonderful, thanks so much again for this opportunity Dr. Esa, I really and truly appreciate it."

She beamed and we said our goodbyes as I grabbed my bag to go home.

I checked my phone as I waited for the elevator, knowing that Tai was meant to pick me up today. I opened my messages, seeing that the topmost one was from him.

I took a breath and began texting him back, pressing the button for the elevator again.

I walked into the elevator and stared at my reflection in the metal as I practiced my breathing exercises.

I wasn't nervous around Jakob; he was kind and he was protective. He understood my boundaries, always making sure that he, and others respected them. More than that, Reece trusted him, and that was enough for me.

I smoothed down my brown plaid pants and faded indigo, cropped knitted cardigan and shirt. My dark hair was braided on the top of my head, and then tied into a loose bun at the nape of my neck.

I had sent a picture of my outfit to Grams this morning, and she had said that I looked like a librarian.

Reece had also watched me get ready for work this morning, which wasn't out of the ordinary. We usually cooked breakfast and cleaned the kitchen together. Then he rushed to get ready while I took my time prepping for the day and catching up on emails and readings before classes or work.

He checked his emails and messages while I got ready, usually just staring at me rather than actually getting anything done.

He had watched me as I did my hair, his eyes intently staring at the movements of my fingers. He watched as I did my makeup: a light layer of concealer and mascara. He watched as I moisturized my arms before slipping on my cardigan.

When I finished and turned towards him, he had walked over and touched the tendrils of the hair that framed my face.

He had kissed me slowly, and I savoured every moment.

He drew away and softly touched the fabric of my cardigan and my bare collarbone, mumbling under his breath about how soft it was. He kissed me again and as I walked away, he smacked my butt, making my cheeks heat up and my eyes widen

I narrowed my eyes at him but deep down...I had liked it.

I blushed, patting my cheeks to rid myself of my crazy thoughts, stretching slightly.

I felt the material of my shirt brush against the place where I knew my tattoo was; it had basically healed, having been a few weeks since I had gotten it.

I was obsessed with it.

It was beyond beautiful, and it made me feel so pretty.

I stepped out of the elevator and checked my notifications, seeing a message from Jakob.

I checked my watch; I had finished work a few minutes early today, and Reece made it a habit to call as soon as I was done.

The moment that the clock hit 4:00 PM, my phone rang.

I smiled walking through the lobby, and picked up the call.

"Hi Reecie," I said softly.

"Baby," his voice was as gruff as usual, and he sounded as though he was on the road, "How was work?"

"It was great! I'm going to start seeing clients soon hopefully!" I beamed and he hummed in acknowledgment.

"How are you?" I asked after a pause.

I heard him sigh, "Busy. It's been hell today."

I bit my lip in concern, knowing how hectic his work schedule was.

"I'm sorry my love, I hope you can wrap everything up soon. I love you and I'm proud of you," I told him, hearing him exhale.

"I love you, my perfect girl," he said, his tone sounding less exhausted.

"I'm going home with Jakob today, Tai had something come up," I told him as I walked outside.

"Yeah Tai told me, Jakob had something to do in the area, so it's not a bother yeah?"

I smiled warmly. He knew me too well. He knew exactly where my thoughts would take me.

"I love you Reecie. Come home safe to me, okay?"

"Always."

I had wanted to do something special for Ares, knowing how busy we both had been recently. I wanted to take his mind off of things, and I had the perfect idea; tonight would be the perfect night to do it as well.

I just hoped everything went well.

We said our goodbyes and I hung up the call, walking to where I saw Jakob parked.

I slowed my steps as I approached the car. Jakob leaned against the car, his arms crossed against his chest. He wore a tight dark grey full-sleeved shirt, and black cargo pants with black combat boots. His brown skin glistened in the afternoon sun as his eyes surveyed the surroundings. If I wasn't mistaken, I saw the outline of bulletproof vest under his shirt. He looked devastatingly intimidating.

I had gotten good at distinguishing when Ares was wearing a bulletproof vest or not, because it helped me figure out whether he was out doing field work, or if he was just going to be doing office work for the day.

It made me feel slightly better that he was protected at least somewhat, but I would have preferred if he didn't need it at all.

I knew he was working towards not having to do any more fieldwork, but all of that depended on his last major case.

Dr. Kan.

Ares had told me he was done with working more dangerous cases after he had found Kan.

I didn't need him to tell me the reason that he was looking for Kan so dilligently.

I knew it was because of me. For me.

Uncle Syl had been doing it since the day Kan escaped from that office, and I knew the two wouldn't rest until they found him.

Reece didn't tell me the finer details of all of his cases, and honestly, I preferred it that way.

I didn't want to hear in depth about missing persons' cases, or child trafficking or drug and weapon cartels.

But he didn't hide anything from me, and I was thankful that he didn't see me as too fragile to hear the more sinister things at his work.

He was always so affected by each and every single piece of work that came his way.

He told me that the day he found me stuck in the fence, he had been on his way to the graveyard as well. He said he tended to go to all victims' graves after they had been buried and the case was closed. On that particular day, it was the victim of child abduction; their abductor had killed them just a few hours before Reece could get to them. Even as he told me the story, I could feel the guilt rolling off of him in waves.

I wished I could help take his pain away, my heart constricted as I walked.

Jakob looked up as I neared and he nodded his head in greeting.

I smiled softly, and my eyes drifted towards the car. Upon a closer glance, I saw that Jakob wasn't alone; Zion sat in the front seat on his phone and Jerryl sat in the back, waving at me excitedly.

I waved back slowly, and Jakob opened the back door for me to sit inside.

"Miss Faye! How are you, my fair lady," Jerryl asked, trying to bow whilst sitting.

Zion extended his hand towards the back seat and smacked Jerryl, "Stop being so loud," and then he smiled at me, "Hi Faye."

I smiled at the two of them, "Hi guys, I'm good thank you. How are you all?" I asked them as Jakob put on his seat belt and started driving. I pulled out my phone to send Reece and Tai messages, letting then know I was with Jakob.

"Too much work," Zion groaned, rubbing his face.

"Agreed," Jerryl said through a yawn, "Tell your husband to stop making us work so hard, he would do anything you asked him," he grumbled.

My cheeks tinged pink at his words.

Husband.

"Faye's blushing," Jerryl sang, making Zion burst into loud laughter.

I turned even redder, and placed my hands on my face.

"Cut that shit out Jerryl," Jakob scowled.

Jerryl held his hands up in surrender and sent me a wink.

I just shook my head, letting out a smile.

A ringing sound blared through the car, and I peeked to the front to see Jakob's phone connected to the car Bluetooth.

"Speak of the devil," Zion grinned, and I squinted to see my Reece's name on the car display.

Jakob picked up the call, "Adler."

"Jakob, I need you to go on field assignment with the special agent that I was supposed to go on today. Jerryl can look at the court transcripts with the DA and Zion can handle the warehouse on his own," his voice was low and effortlessly commanding.

Zion leaned forwards in his seat, and even Jerryl looked slightly concerned

"Everything okay Boss?" Jerryl asked, his joking manner masked with a more serious face.

"Shit, you got the wrong papers! I'll deal with it myself, go," Ares cursed on the other line, seemingly speaking to someone else. He sighed and his voice got closer to the phone, "It's fine. The sergeant asked me to go into a hostage situation; I'm taking Karter with me. I've had to push back everything else for the rest of the day for this. One of our guys got shot on watch, and the politician wants a new group of guards from us for his family but we don't have that kind of man power at this time."

I bit my lip, feeling horrible at how drained he sounded.

"I've got it handled on this end," Jakob said solemnly.

"Thanks," he inhaled, "I'll pay you all triple, I'm sorry for all the extra work."

My heart.

"As much as I love you being my sugar daddy, you're our brother, we got your back always man," Jerryl said, and his words might have been teasing, his tone was coated in sincerity.

"Good luck," Ares said, and I hid my smile, knowing how he probably felt all timid at Jerryl's sentimental words.

The guys all replied with similar statements and Ares said his goodbyes.

Then he paused.

"Tell Zion to keep his damn eyes off of my woman."

The dial tone rung through the car, and I felt my cheeks redden again.

"Ooga booga me caveman," Jerryl mocked him after Ares had hung up.

I giggled and shook my head, sending a sheepish look to Zion, who just brushed it off with a smile.

"He doesn't have to worry, I don't have a death wish," Zion said, teasingly.

My phone buzzed and I opened my messages to see that Reece had messaged.

I smiled shyly, and texted him back.

The rest of the drive passed in a flurry, with Jerryl and Zion bickering like two year olds.

I giggled at their petty fighting, as Jakob pulled up to the house. He parked as I said goodbye to the other two. I grabbed my bag and Jakob opened the door for me.

Giving the boys one last wave, I walked up to the door, Jakob walking diligently behind me.

I unlocked the door and opened it, smiling thankfully at Jakob.

"Thank you," I told him softly, and he nodded once, his face unmoving.

"Good luck with...work," I told him, taking a step inside. He waited until I was fully inside before clearing his throat.

"Make sure the security system is on and ring one of us if something is wrong. I know you would like to call Adler first, but he's a few hours away. One of us will be closer in the event of an emergency. "

His tone, as always, was quiet and professional sounding.

I nodded, "Thank you Jakob, take care."

I closed the door, locking it and pressing the sensor system at the front door to ensure that the security was on.

I kicked my shoes off, and skipped over to Grasso, picking him up in my arms, and holding him close.

A hug from King Grasso a day, made all my worries fly away.

I put him down, refilling his water dish, and pulled my phone out to text Ares and Tai to let them know that I was home.

I grabbed a brownie from the cake stand on the counter, and a glass of water, walking to the living room to sit down with my healthy snack.

Well...the water was healthy.

Getting comfortable on the sofa, I checked my emails and replied to my messages. I called Grams and spoke with her for a few minutes.

"So when is the wedding?" Grams asked over the phone, her voice full of laughter.

I turned red, "Grams, please," I whispered, my mouth full of brownie.

"Well just give me a date, we have a lot of planning to do you know," Grams sighed happily.

"I d-don't know how near a wedding is in our future Grams," I bit my lip.

"What do you mean precious girl?" Grams asked hesitantly.

"I mean, we're just figuring things out you know, taking things one step at a time," I told her, playing with a loose thread on my pants, "Besides, we don't need to be married to know how much we care for each other."

"Yeah that makes sense, you two kids go at your own pace. It's your world and we're just living in it," Grams said knowingly.

I giggled and we spoke for a bit longer before we said our goodbyes.

I hung up and texted Uncle Syl that I'd come and see him as soon as his flight landed in a few days. Then I leaned back on the couch, lost in thought.

Grasso took the opputunity to jump in my lap, and I scratched behind his ears as I thought of what Grams had said.

I truly didn't care when or even if we got married. I knew how I felt about him, and I knew how he felt about me, and that was enough for me.

I had stopped believing in soulmates for a long while after my parents had passed.

After being with Ares though, I knew every fairytale that my parents talked about was real.

I loved him and that's all that mattered.

I sighed happily, kissing the top of Grasso's head, "I love you pretty kitty."

I had never had a pet before. Papa was allergic to both cats and dogs, and despite how much Mama wanted one, she would never make Papa suffer like that.

Grasso soaked up all my attention, purring softly.

He was so cute.

I wanted ten of him.

I laughed out loud, imagining the look on Reece's face if he had to come home to ten cats every night.

"Your dad would probably kick me out if I got another kitty," I cooed at Grasso.

The doorbell shook me out of my thoughts and my brows furrowed.

We weren't expecting anybody.

I hesitantly walked towards the front door, my heart pounding heavily, and I looked at the small security camera screen that was by the door. I saw a tall figure, and I racked my brain trying to remember his name.

Adrik?

He looked frightening, wearing all black, a cigarette between his lips.

My phone rang suddenly and I yelped, clamping a hand over my mouth.

My shoulders sagged in relief when I looked at the Caller ID and I hurriedly picked up the call.

"Reecie," my voice was a breathless whisper, "A-Adrik is at the d-door."

I heard him curse and then sigh, "I know angel, I got a notification from the security cameras. I was supposed to be back by now, he's here to pick up something. I'm calling him now to tell him to leave, I just wanted to make sure you were okay fir-"

"What does he need?" I asked Reece hesitantly, hating how frustrated he sounded.

He let out a breath, "It's okay Alette, I'll send him away, don't worry."

"N-No it's okay, if he just needs something, I can give it to him?" I asked, willing my voice to sound more confident.

I had only met Adrik once, but Reece had been there with me. I knew he trusted him, and while that was enough for me, I was still apprehensive about being around men I didn't know that well.

Especially someone like Adrik; he looked scary.

"You're sure? You don't have to, he can come back," Ares said, his voice low.

"It's fine my love, I can do it," I said, my tone more certain to help reassure him, "If I do it..."

"Hm?" he asked.

"If I do it, will that make me a secret agent?" I asked him, trying to stifle my smile.

"Of course baby, I'll get you a badge and everything," his tone seemed less anxious now, and I mentally patted myself on the back for easing his worries.

"A badge!" I cheered in a whisper and he chuckled lowly.

"All right then my little agent, open the door for me," he instructed, and I took a breath, bracing myself.

I opened the door and was met with Adrik's back. It looked as though he had been turning away to leave.

He spun around once I opened the door, and paused when he saw me.

"Hand him the phone, baby," Reece told me over the phone.

I looked up at Adrik, and swallowed slowly, trying to keep calm under his concentrated gaze.

"H-Hi, h-here you go," I whispered, my voice too quiet.

I handed him the phone and he raised an eyebrow, taking the phone from my outstretched hand.

He held it up to his ear and said a low, "Yes?"

I stared down, playing with my fingers as they spoke.

Not that there was much dialogue; Adrik mainly just grunted and I could hear Ares say one or two words over the phone.

Adrik nodded once after a few moments and then held the phone out to me.

I took it back and put it up to my ear, "H-Hi."

"Hi darling, let him in for a few moments, or you can make him stay outside, he won't mind, whatever you're comfortable with. In my office, the second drawer on the right side, there's a compartment underneath the red book. Grab the paper and the clear plastic bag and give it to him. Then kick him out," Ares said on the phone.

"O-Okay, I'll do that," I mumbled softly.

"I love you, I'm coming home soon Alette," he said.

"I love you Reecie, be safe," I told him and hung up the call.

I put the phone in my back pocket and opened the door slightly more.

"Y-You can come in," I moved aside so that he could step in.

"That's not necessary if you are not comfortable," he had a slight accent as he spoke.

I shook my head, lifting the corners of my lips up slightly to look less frightened so that he would be more open to the idea of coming inside.

"Come in, I just have to go get the uh...stuff," I told him.

He nodded once and stepped inside, closing the door firmly behind him.