"But, I still feel safer with you by my side."
------------
Tears welled up magically in Julian's eyes. He buried his face in Maximillian's shoulder and circled his arms around the alpha's back, emitting a series of small, strategic sniffles. He could only hope that this dramatic display lived up to the chapter he had just devoured -- "Twenty-two Ways to Instantly Make An Alpha's Heart Throb".
Not one of his usual reading material, but a necessary one in his current circumstances.
"There, there."
Maximillian's tone softened.
Success!
A hidden smile tugged at the corners of Julian's mouth.
"Given what just happened, don't you think having a bodyguard around was a wise decision?"
"..."
Julian could hardly believe his ears.
What's with the alphas' massive egos and their constant need to be right? And how dense must Maximillian be to not know what Julian truly wanted?
"It was," Julian whispered, loosening his embrace and tilting his head up to meet Maximillian's gaze. "But, I still feel safer with you by my side."
There. He said it.
Maximillian's face remained an impassive mask. His unwavering stare held Julian captive, a silent challenge in its depths. Then, a flicker of something crossed his features before he spoke, his voice low and measured, "Is it really alright for me to be around you?"
"Yes," Julian confirmed.
Maximillian cradled the back of Julian's head in his palm, his thumb gently tracing the side of the omega's slender neck in slow, deliberate movements.
Julian's lips parted in a sensual motion, revealing the full and luscious lips, commanding Maximillian's attention in a flash. The pair of grayish-blue eyes beckoned him to come closer, to claim the omega's lips as his...
The knot at Maximillian's throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed the surge of desire threatening to engulf his sense of duty.
Abashed, he extricated himself from Julian's bewitching eyes and pulled the omega to his feet instead.
"Not now," he gruffly murmured, a hint of redness colored the tips of his ears.
"Agent Ziegler, take Julian back home."
Martin, who had been pretending to look at a strangely fascinating lamp high up in the ceiling, was visibly startled to hear Maximillian calling out for him.
"Y-yes, Agent Grant, of course," he stammered.
Meanwhile, the dancing flame across Julian's eyes dimmed into smoldering embers.
"Mmm." With a low hum, the omega squeezed Maximillian's upper arm in a silent exchange before following Martin obediently out of the building.
The two alpha girls huddled together in the corner, crying their eyes out pitifully. Maximillian sent them to the nearest hospital for examinations while instructing one of his subordinates to contact the girls' parents.
Bruno Cadwick was handed over to the local police department and brought into custody.
The team was in the middle of clearing debris from the shattered window as Julia Schindler hurried in.
"Apologies for the delay," she announced, shaking Maximillian's hand in greeting. "Thank you for handling things in my absence, Agent Grant."
Maximillian offered a curt nod. "The situation is currently under control, Agent Schindler."
He then gestured toward the sullen looking man, who was sitting inside a police car and shooting glares at everyone who looked in his direction.
"Bruno Cadwick, thirty-five years old, male alpha. He lost his young beta daughter, Diana Cadwick, two years ago to bullying at the hands of two alpha girls. They are already on their way to the hospital.
He held them hostage inside the bookstore, but according to the many witnesses, he did not plan to kill them. At least not right away.
When we arrived, he was in the middle of shaming them in public for their evil deed two years ago."
Julia nodded in apprehension.
"I read the report about his daughter's kidnapping and murder case on the way. Tough situation for a parent who lost a child. I heard that four agents were necessarily to hold him down?"
"That's not all," Maximillian remarked. "He broke through several of our shackles. We had to bring in our best ones, enough to subdue the force of an African elephant. Just to be safe, we additionally tied him up with a lot of steel wires."
Julia pursed her lips while nodding slowly.
"Oh, my. An alpha this powerful actually resided amongst the common folk."
"If you plan to recruit him, you better drive the notion of revenge away from him first," Maximillian suggested.
"Hahaha... Yeah, right."
Julia liked strong, reliable subordinates, but she was wary against double-edged blades.
"Alright, I will take my leave now. Good afternoon, Agent Schindler."
Maximillian stuck his hands in his pockets and took several steps away, but then Julia called out for him.
"Wait, Agent Grant. This is as good as any opportunity to inform you that I have found a very interesting lead regarding Atticus Bates' homicide case."
Maximillian arched his brow in interest.
"Oh? And those are?"
"I rechecked all the documentation and reports from fourteen years ago. Guess what, the seven-year-old corpse of the little boy they found at the shore at Eichwald was not Laurent Krausser at all."
Laurent Krausser was the only son of the late Dr. Heinrich Krausser. The one found dead alongside his mother on the night of his father's demise.
Maximillian easily arrived at the same conclusion Julia did. "Someone faked his death."
Julia nodded fervently.
"Correct. But the boy was only seven years old back then. Someone probably did him this favor, and sneaked him away, and raised him safely somewhere else."
"Right now, he has to be around twenty-one to twenty-two years old," Maximillian mused. "It is highly probable that the grown-up Laurent Krausser returned to Eichwald to avenge his late father."
"But how did he get the information that Atticus Bates would be there on 20th December? Unless..."
"He purposefully drew Atticus Bates to his late father's old office," Maximillian completed Julia's sentence.
Whatever excuse Laurent Krausser used, he successfully locked his prey to the site of his doom.
"He is our guy," Maximillian said, his lips curling up into a smile. "Augustin will be glad to hear the good news."