Chapter Six
1083 Words
Hazel knew something was wrong the moment she stepped out of the building.
The street was too quiet.
It was still early evening. Traffic should’ve been loud. People should’ve been everywhere. Instead, the air felt stretched thin, like the city was holding its breath.
She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and started walking.
Her phone buzzed.
ARES:
Stop.
Her heart jumped.
She slowed but didn’t stop completely.
HAZEL:
I’m just leaving.
Three dots appeared.
ARES:
Don’t turn around.
Her steps faltered.
A chill slid down her spine.
HAZEL:
Why?
This time, there was no immediate reply.
Hazel’s pulse roared in her ears. She forced herself to keep walking, eyes forward, every nerve screaming.
A hand brushed her elbow.
She gasped and stumbled back.
“Easy,” a man said quickly. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
He was tall. Hoodie pulled low. Smile too practiced.
“I—I’m fine,” Hazel said, her voice shaking. “I need to go.”
“Just a question,” he said, stepping into her path. “You work around here, right?”
Her phone buzzed again.
ARES:
Don’t answer him.
Hazel swallowed hard.
“I’m late,” she said, trying to step around the man.
He moved with her.
“That building,” he continued casually. “Top floors. Must be nice.”
Hazel’s chest tightened. “Please move.”
His smile thinned. “You’re Hazel Moore.”
Her blood ran cold.
“I don’t know you,” she said.
“But I know you,” he replied softly. “You’re important now.”
She took a step back.
The man’s eyes flicked briefly to the side.
Hazel followed his gaze.
Another man stood near a parked car. Watching.
Her phone vibrated violently in her hand.
ARES:
I said stop.
She stopped.
The first man sighed. “See? That wasn’t hard.”
“What do you want?” Hazel whispered.
“To pass along a message,” he said. “You’re being protected by the wrong person.”
Her breath hitched. “I don’t understand.”
“That’s okay,” he replied. “You don’t have to.”
A car door slammed.
Hazel barely had time to react before a hand wrapped around her wrist and yanked her backward.
She screamed.
The sound was cut off as someone pulled her toward the car.
Suddenly—
“Let. Her. Go.”
The voice was calm.
Deadly calm.
The grip on Hazel’s wrist loosened slightly.
Ares stood a few feet away, jacket gone, sleeves rolled up, eyes dark.
The second man swore under his breath.
“This doesn’t concern you,” the first man said.
Ares smiled.
That was worse.
“It concerns me,” he said. “Because you touched what’s mine.”
Hazel froze.
The man laughed nervously. “She’s not yours.”
Ares took one step forward.
“You were told to observe,” he said. “Not interfere.”
The first man’s expression changed. “You don’t own her.”
“No,” Ares agreed. “But I control the consequences.”
Silence stretched.
The man holding Hazel released her completely. She stumbled back, nearly falling. Ares caught her by the arm without looking away from them.
“Get in the car,” Ares said quietly.
Hazel didn’t argue.
The men backed away slowly.
“This isn’t over,” one of them said.
Ares nodded. “No. It isn’t.”
He opened the car door and guided Hazel inside.
The door shut.
Only then did Hazel realize her hands were shaking violently.
The car moved through traffic in silence.
Hazel stared out the window, her reflection pale and wide-eyed. Her chest hurt. Her throat burned like she’d swallowed fire.
Ares drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting calmly on his thigh. Like nothing had happened.
Finally, she broke.
“You knew,” she said.
“Yes,” he replied.
“You knew they were watching me.”
“Yes.”
Her voice cracked. “And you let me walk out there alone.”
Ares’s jaw tightened. “I was never far.”
“That doesn’t make it okay!”
He glanced at her. “You weren’t supposed to be approached.”
“But I was,” she snapped. “They grabbed me.”
The car stopped at a red light.
Ares turned fully toward her.
“Look at me,” he said.
Hazel hesitated, then did.
“They were testing,” he said. “They wanted to see if I’d react.”
“And?” she whispered.
His eyes were dark. “Now they know.”
Her stomach churned. “Who are they?”
“People who think I’ve grown careless,” Ares replied. “People who think using you will make me reckless.”
Hazel hugged herself. “I didn’t agree to be bait.”
“No,” he said quietly. “You didn’t.”
The light turned green. He drove on.
After a moment, Hazel asked, “What happens now?”
Ares exhaled slowly. “Now, you stop leaving alone.”
Fear crept up her spine. “I can’t live like that.”
“You won’t,” he said. “Not forever.”
“That’s not comforting.”
“I know,” he replied.
They pulled up in front of her building.
Ares turned the engine off but didn’t move.
“You’re not safe pretending this is ordinary anymore,” he said. “That lapse already happened.”
Hazel swallowed hard. “You said you were protecting me.”
“I am,” he said.
“Then why does it feel like I’m losing control of my life?”
Ares studied her for a long moment.
“Because control is the first illusion to break,” he said.
Her eyes burned. “I’m scared.”
His voice softened slightly. “Good.”
She stared at him. “How is that good?”
“Because fear makes you careful,” Ares replied. “And careful people survive.”
He opened the door for her.
Hazel stepped out, her legs unsteady.
Before she closed the door, she asked quietly, “What happens if I try to walk away from all this?”
Ares met her gaze.
“Then I’ll walk with you,” he said. “Because they won’t stop.”
She nodded slowly.
As she went inside, her phone buzzed one last time.
ARES:
Tonight changes everything.
Hazel leaned against the wall, heart racing.
She believed him
- Writer
