I could here myself breathing heavily, trying to keep up with Terrence. He was still holding on to my wrist, which was now numb due to his tight grip. We only ran through an ally, but it seemed like we had been running for ages. I made a mental note to work on my cardio. We halted near a worn out building. I freed my wrist from Terrence's grip and rubbed it as I tried to catch my breath.
'Why.. gasp.. did we.. gasp..' I started. I took a deep breath and continued. 'Why did we run?'
'Why are you so breathless?' Terrence asked, completely ignoring my question. 'We barely covered any distance.'
'You're unbelievable.' I sighed.
'We need to get back to the office. This place is not safe for you.'
'Wait, what do you mean? Are they after me?'
Terrence didn't answer. He just took my hand and led me to his car. He chivalrously held the door open for me and and started putting my seatbelt on for me.
'I can do it myself you know.' I said, rolling my eyes. 'I'm not a baby.'
He ignored my snarky comment and tucked me in like a little kid. We drove past the donut place Mel and I used to go to as kids.
'Oh my god! Mel!' I shouted, distracting Terrence and almost causing an accident. It took a moment for him to take control of the car again.
'I can survive an accident, Olivia, you can't.' Terrence reproached.
'Sorry. But I need to talk to Mel. She must be worried.'
'She has been informed of your heavy work load. We sent her an email last night as well as your grandparents.'
'What? How did you even know who Mel is? And how do you know my grandparents?'
'It's a long story, Olivia, just know that everyone is well informed about the fact that you will be staying at the company quarters for a few days.'
'I will?'
'Yes, you will.'
***
The others were at the lobby, waiting for us to return. Everyone was tidy and in their suits. I looked at them one by one until my eyes spotted Ian. His hair was disheveled, and he had a scar under his left eye. He was looking at me intently while the others listened to Terrence. His gaze made my heartbeat faster and louder. I couldn't help but stare back at him. His silver eyes were filled with exhaustion and lack of sleep. He was leaning on a wall as if he couldn't stand straight up. My thoughts were interrupted by David's sudden outburst of my name.
'Olivia, I suggest you stay here for a little while longer.' he said.
'I can't!' I protested. 'I have a life to get back to. Besides, I'm sure you don't want a burden on your hands.'
'You are not a burden.' Jade patronized. 'We think it's best if you stay where we can look out for you until the whole problem is eliminated.'
'You see,' Markus continued, 'a few of the newbies have escaped and it is hard to track them in the city. It would do us no good if you were left alone.'
'I could stay with Mel.' I said, looking at David for some support. He thought about it for a while but then shook his head.
'We cannot afford another human to get involved' he said. 'Besides, she can't protect you if you're attacked.'
I found the concern reasonable. I did want to stay safe, but I didn't want to stay at the quarters where I felt trapped. I began to put up a fight when Ian interrupted the conversation.
'I can stay with her.' he said, surprisingly calmly.
Everyone stared at him as if he had just said something unbelievable. Ian looked around the room and then fixed his eyes on me.
'That way you could stay at your place without having to worry about anything.' He added.
I began to say something, but no words left my mouth. I could feel every bone in my body tingling from the idea of being in close quarters with him. My brain told me it was a bad idea, but my mouth resisted it. It was almost like I wanted him to move in. David acknowledged that thought for a while and then turned towards me.
'If you are okay with it, Olivia, I don't see why not.' He said.
'I will have to think about it' I replied.
***
I wore my original clothes and put on my heels. Terrence and David were waiting for me outside the room to drop me off at my place. After a lengthy discussion, we had come to an agreement that I could go back to my place and Ian would rent the apartment next door. It wasn't a big deal except I was very nervous about this whole living situation. Ian was off renting the place which was supposedly a piece of cake considering he was a vampire.
'Don't worry about Ian.' Terrence said, noticing the concern in my eyes. 'He won't harm you.'
I looked at him with confusion.
'He won't harm you.' Terrence said again. 'He may seem like a jerk, but he won't hurt you.'
'I'm not worried about that.' I replied. We walked outside the building and stood there waiting for our cab to arrive. David had insisted on escorting me in his Porsche, but I knew better than to attract attention by now. He got a phone call and walked away to take it when I saw my chance to satisfy my curiosity.
'Why are you doing this?' I asked Terrence. 'Why are you wasting your time trying to protect me? You barely know anything about me.'
He studied his shoes for a while, thinking of something to say. Then he glanced toward David as if he was afraid of answering my question before finally deciding to.
'Olivia...', he began, 'We know you...' His words were cut short when our cab arrived and honked at us, startling both him and I.
'Tell me!' I exclaimed. 'Terrence! please tell me.'
He just shook his head and walked towards the cab holding the door open for me.
'We need to get you home safely.' he said. 'Get in.'