I excuse myself just as Ace gets up and leaves to make a call.

"Guys, I am gonna call Chris as well. Give him the updates and all."

I make my way to my room, stopping momentarily at the sight of Abby's locked door. I felt guilt and sadness settling in my gut. Sighing, I step into my room, locking the door behind me as I go and sit on the edge of my bed. I get my phone out of my pocket, calling him as I put the phone on speaker and keep it on the bed beside me.

It rings as I take my hair out of the fishtail braid I had made this morning and observe how the brown strands have turned lighter, almost caramel brown now. It won't be long when the others notice it. Watching me daily has made them not realise as my hair was turning lighter each day.

"Please don't tell me what I have heard is wrong and you have not turned into a price target overnight and I have the wrong information."

Christopher's voice literally pleads over the phone, the man coming right to point instead of beating around the bush. I chuckle, the sound colder than I thought it would be, as I pick up the cell phone and put it off the speaker and start the conversation.

"No Chris. Apparently I am a price target."

"It was not him who declared you, was it?"

"No. He... He actually saved me last night. Man I have so much to tell you..." And I proceed to tell him everything.

How I was kidnapped then released when Michael met me, how he informed Jayden about me being here and Kane's murderer, how he came to meet me in the gym, how I saw someone suspicious once or twice, how Jayden has bought the whole building. The attack yesterday, Jayden saving me, we interrogating the man, Jayden deciding to declare me under protection as well as the hug he gave me, the ice cream he remembered.

How I told Abby the truth... well, the part of it she heard anyway. How she reacted, how she has gone to Camille's place, how I feel about all this...I told Christopher each and everything.

And he listened. Patiently.

"Damn Ash. This is a lot. This is a bigger mess than what I expected. And it has a lot of feelings involved."

"Hmm..."

"Ashlyn... don't lie, and honestly tell me... do you really think he is safe? Or do you still believe he did that?"

I fall silent, unable to respond.

Do I believe he is safe? Yes I do. Despite everything that happened those months ago, my gut tells me to trust him. I felt safe last night, knowing he was there, just as I always felt safe with him all those years we spent together.

Do I still believe he did that? I... I don't know anymore. I had proofs that he did, yet they seem insignificant when it comes to how he has reacted to seeing me alive, or how he is still treating me as he did years ago.

"I don't know anymore. For months I believed he did it, set me up to my own doom but now... I just don't get it. I have spent all those months hatting him but I cannot deny that I didn't feel a single thread of hatred for him when he came in front of me. I-I had to convince myself and remind myself of the night for me to not talk to him normally."

"Ash... I have said this before, and I will say it again. I don't think he did that. I have seen him before that incident, with you, and after the incident, without you... trust me when I say this, believing that you died had affected him worse than the nightmares you had."

"Christopher Ryland..."

"No, listen to me. Stop being stubborn. Don't believe everything you see. There are things happening in the back, they always are and you cannot just keep on believing what you think is right just because you have seen one side of the story."

Chris yells, before falling silent. His frustration visible in is voice as his calm and collected persona changes slips.

"Chris... this was not for me was it?" I ask understandingly as I walk to my balcony with the phone in hand.

"I-I am so sorry. I shouldn't have burst out on yo-"

I cut him off, pity for my friend making me put my troubles on hold for some time. "How is she?"

"Ash... She has topped her training and is going to join S.I.A. with her father."

"She still has no idea about what happened?"

"No. And it hurts me that I cannot help her, or save her from his clutches. It feels... it feels has if I am failing my best friend Ash. What am I supposed to do?"

Christopher has his own set of demons, as well as his own light that shines through his darkness. Yet his light is not anywhere near him, nor does she want to, because the last time they saw each other has left a bad mark on her memory.

"You can't exactly go and kidnap her now, can you? It doesn't work like that. Plus she is good, I mean she has graduated early, had a special training and literally skipped through the training academy and is probably the youngest one to be joining S.I.A. Give her some credit, she will figure it out."

"Hmm... But she is still working with him, so she can't exactly know about what he does, can she?"

"Stop it Chris-"

I am cut off by a knock on my door, I turn around right as it open and Mason pokes his head in. "Come out front, we need to talk."

I nod, "Chris, I will call you back soon. Don't lose hope. She is good and she will see everything soon enough. Give it time, but keep watch. Take care till then, bye."

I cut off the call after hearing his bye and throw my phone on my bed before joining Mason outside my door.

"The twins are back. They dropped her off and stayed till a couple of level 6 members replaced them." Mason updated me while we walked back to the living room that for some reason acts as our head office for some reason. A knock at the front door stops me from going there and I go and open the door.

"You've got to be kidding me."

I groan in frustration at the sight of him in front of me.

"That's no way to greet your friend, princess." He smirks at me before slipping into his cold façade and stepping in.

I curse under my breath, running my hand through my hair before putting it in a bun as I follow Jayden to the living room where all the boys were sitting.

All of them stood up, giving Jayden a greeting and shuffling to give him the entire love seat to sit on.

I roll my eyes.

"He is your plan Ace?" I put my hands on my waist as my voice carries the hatred I felt at the situation.

Ace shrugs, "You said he was a friend. And if, by some chance, they find you here, he will be able to make sure you are still breathing."

"Ace, I said he WAS a friend, meaning we are not friends now."

Turning to the man of our talks, who seemed very amused for some reason, not like the others will know about his amusement due to his expressionless face. "Mr. Carter, I am so sorry that you had to come here for nothin-"

He cut me off, waving his hand as he says, "What are you talking about Lynnie? I would never be troubled when it comes to saving you. Though I would love to know why Ace called me?"

"Lynnie?" Mason whispers in disbelieve, making me close my eyes in exasperation, knowing that he caught.

"Ouch...fine."

Ace clears his throat, trying to mask the conversation between Mason and Kevin, "Sir, we were hoping if you could help Ashlyn a bit. We are not comfortable in leaving her here alone and she is not ready to come with us, which we are not forcing because we are acting as double agents to get more information... so..."

"So, she can stay with me."

My eyes snap to his blue ones to see him not even giving me a glance. I scoff, crossing my hands across my chest. Like hell I am going to live with him.

"You can't just come in my life and just decide for me Jay."

He turns to face me, smirking slightly, "Oh but I will have to my love, after all this is about your life we are talking about."

I narrow my eyes at him, quite aware of what he is playing at.

"Ash, you should go and pack your stuff for going with him." Ace brings a hand to rest on my back to push me out of the room as the others stay with him.

*************************************

A/N: Hello readers,

Man, the pandemic is scary. i mean it was scary before as well but now with one of my friend in quarantine and my own colony barricaded because of one of our neighbors getting positive... it has turned into another level of scary. So, everyone, stay safe please.

Anyway, vote, comment and share.

Love, Rupanshi.