Chapter 3 The Connection We Share

Millie held her breath as the footsteps grew louder. Whoever they were didn't bother hiding their approach. Their heavy steps echoed off the metal walls of the warehouse like a warning.

Alex had already moved, silent and calculated. He melted into the shadows near the entrance, his gun raised and ready.

Millie wanted to disappear but her body froze in the chair, her hands clutched so tightly around the seat's edge that her knuckles turned white. She could barely hear her own thoughts over the pounding of her heart.

The door creaked open. The dim moonlight revealedthe figures of three large men. They stepped in without invitation, eyes sweeping the room with quick, practiced glances.

"The warehouse's off limits," Alex's voice rang out low and lethal from the dark.

The tallest of the three men snorted. "We're looking for a girl. Small, blonde. Someone said they saw her with you earlier."

"No one here fits that description."

The second man stepped forward. "Mind if we check for ourselves?"

Alex appeared like a shadow from the dark, the barrel of his gun already aimed and steady. "I do mind."

That was all it took.

The tallest man reached for his coat-too fast.

Alex fired.

The third man fired back and Millie was about to let out a scream when Alex covered her mouth tightly with his gun free hand and put his jacket over her head.

Alex fired two shots again into the dark room.

One of the men dropped, groaning. The second one lunged, and Alex met him halfway. Fists collided. Millie ducked instinctively as something-someone-crashed into a shelf of metal crates.

There was grunting. Swearing. Then the unmistakable sound of a second gun cocking. Alex kicked it away before the man could fire. One final blow, and the room fell still again.

Blood pooled beside the second man's body. The third man, seeing both of his partners dead, made to escape. He was swiftly caught at the collar fby Alex's partner.

Alex stood over both bodies, his chest heaving and his eyes burning with rage.

"You come back here again," he growled, "and you'll leave in a body bag."

His eyes glistened as he took a few steps away from the frightened gunman.

He turned around and put a bullet through the man's back as he ran away from the scene.

Alex grabbed Millie by the wrist-gently, but with urgency-and pulled her toward the back exit.

"I don't know who you are but trouble seems to follow you around" he said as he drove speedily away from the warehouse in a black truck.

Millie was still trembling in fear at the sound of gunshots. Her hands were shaking too much.

Alex pitied her too much to wonder about anything else about her. He put his hand around hers and faced the road.

Millie felt more at ease with his hand on hers.

***

They drove for miles in silence. The dark city blurred past the windows. Millie stared straight ahead, hugging herself, as Alex's jaw remained tight behind the wheel.

She had so many questions. But none of them felt safe enough to ask.

Finally, Alex pulled into the gravel lot of a rundown roadside motel. The neon sign above blinked erratically, casting shadows over the cracked pavement. Econ Inn: Vacancy.

He came back with a room key and a deep scowl. "Only one left."

Millie blinked. "One?"

"Don't get excited," he muttered, holding the door open for her.

***

The motel room was small, the air stale. One bed. A tiny table. A bathroom with flickering lights and peeling wallpaper. And worst of all-no couch.

Alex stood awkwardly at the door. "I'll sleep on the floor."

Millie looked at the bed. Then at him. "We can share," she said before she could stop herself. "Just... don't hog the blanket."

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He tossed his bag onto the corner of the bed and went to wash up in the bathroom.

Millie sat on the edge of the mattress, staring at her knees. They still stung, but the pain was dull now-replaced by something stranger. This man... this complete stranger... had fought for her. Killed for her. And now, he was sleeping beside her like it meant nothing.

When Alex emerged, shirtless and damp from a quick rinse, Millie's cheek was flushed. She tried hard not to stare. His chest was sculpted, marked with scars and a few tattoos she couldn't decipher. He didn't seem to notice her staring-or maybe he did and just didn't care.

"You should shower. You'll sleep better," he said.

Millie nodded numbly and went into the bathroom. The water was lukewarm, but it felt better than anything she'd felt in days. She scrubbed away the grime and blood, but no amount of soap could erase the memory of Dan's grip or the fear still lodged in her chest.

When she stepped out in an oversized motel towel and her torn tights, Alex had already taken the far side of the bed and turned his back.

Silence filled the space between them.

"I'll take you to a shelter in the next town," he began, his voice measured. "It's run by someone I trust. You'll be safe there."

Millie's gaze snapped to him, eyes wide with a mix of fear and disappointment. "I don't want to go to a shelter," she whispered.

Alex turned slightly, meeting her eyes. "Millie, it's the best option."

He spoke very few words as if speaking itself was such a chore.

She hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Can I stay with you?"

The question hung in the air, heavy and charged. Alex looked away, his jaw tightening. The silence stretched, each second amplifying Millie's vulnerability.

Interpreting his silence as rejection, Millie felt a sting of embarrassment. She turned her back to him again.

Tears were about to spill from her eyes when she felt a tender hand around her waist pulling her.

"Millie..."

She turned to face him, their proximity closing the distance both physically and emotionally. Without thinking, she leaned in, pressing her lips to his. The kiss was brief, hesitant, and when she pulled back, her eyes searched his face for a reaction.

Alex's expression was unreadable for a moment. Then, with a tenderness that contrasted his usual stoicism, he cupped her face and kissed her back. This time, the kiss deepened. Filled with passion and charged desires, they both took off each other's clothes.

Millie moaned when Alex joined himself to her. She held his muscular as she curled herself around his bent body. She wrapped her arm around his neck as Alex rocked the bed, making love to her more wildly. She loved this wild pleasure. It was just what she needed to forget the sheepish life she had lived under Dan's roof.

Her grip around him tightened as he continued to rock her body.

She felt free in his territory.