Collateral Bride

CHAPTER ELEVEN -THE EYES THAT WATCHED HER

The commotion at the far side of Valemont erupted like a sudden storm. Shouts bounced off the marble floors, red lights flashing across multiple screens. Kimberly’s heart thudded in her chest as she tried to understand the frantic energy around her.

Jake moved instantly, his steps calm but sharp, a commander stepping into his battlefield. The crowd parted around him, employees lowering their voices, straightening spines, clearing his path like water bowing to rock.

Kimberly followed closely, her hands clammy, her pulse racing. She didn’t belong here—not in this world where every face carried steel, where even the women seemed carved from stone. Yet, as she walked behind Jake, she felt the weight of dozens of eyes on her. Some assessing. Some curious. But one pair in particular lingered too long.

He stood near the central table—tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a dark navy suit that fit like it was made for him. His hair was slicked back, his jaw shadowed with stubble. But it was his eyes—sharp, gleaming with something too dangerous to be curiosity—that held Kimberly captive for a second too long.

He didn’t look at her the way others did, as if testing her strength or questioning her worth. No. His gaze slid over her with a slow, burning interest. A predator’s interest.

Jake’s voice snapped through the air, sharp as glass. “Report.”

The man tore his eyes from her, his face hardening as he turned to Jake. “Shipment flagged at the border. Lagos port. Customs interference. Someone tipped them.”

The room grew taut, the silence suffocating. Kimberly’s stomach clenched. Shipment? Tipped? The words twisted in her mind like pieces of a puzzle she didn’t want to solve.

Jake’s expression didn’t falter. He leaned over the glowing table, scanning the screen with cold precision. “How compromised?”

“Not fully. They’re checking containers, but our men on ground say it’s more than routine.”

Jake’s jaw flexed. “Then it’s not coincidence. Find the leak.”

“Yes, sir.”

The man’s voice was steady, professional—but Kimberly didn’t miss the way his gaze flicked back to her, just for a fraction of a second, before he moved to give orders.

Kimberly shifted uncomfortably, a chill running down her spine. Who was he? Why did his eyes linger like that? She told herself she was imagining it, that she was simply overwhelmed by this place, this pressure. But the heat in his stare was real. She could feel it still burning on her skin.

Jake’s hand suddenly touched the small of her back, firm, grounding. He leaned slightly, his words meant for her alone. “Stay close to me.”

His voice was calm, but there was something underneath it—something protective, almost possessive. Kimberly swallowed hard and nodded, clinging to the illusion of composure.

They moved further into the chaos. Orders flew, screens shifted with rapid updates, employees scurried with military efficiency. Kimberly’s gaze wandered despite herself, catching glimpses of crates being rerouted, documents with coded numbers, names of places she recognized—ports, borders, nations. It was too much, too dangerous, and yet… she couldn’t look away.

Finally, Jake stopped at a corner office with glass walls overlooking the entire floor. He guided her inside, shutting the door behind them. The noise dimmed, though the tension remained.

“You weren’t supposed to see this on your first day,” he said, his eyes raking over her face, as if gauging how much she had absorbed.

Kimberly wrapped her arms around herself. “And yet here I am. Watching—what? Gunrunning? Smuggling? Or something worse?”

Jake didn’t flinch. His lips curled slightly, not quite a smile. “You’re quick.”

“I’m not stupid,” she shot back, though her voice trembled.

Something flickered in his gaze then—approval? Amusement? It was gone before she could place it.

“Don’t fear what you don’t yet understand, Kimberly,” he said smoothly. “Fear only betraying me. Because betrayal…” His voice dropped lower, darker, “…is the one thing I don’t forgive.”

Her breath caught. He stepped closer, the office suddenly too small, his presence too large. She could smell his cologne—rich, dark, intoxicating.

For a moment, she thought he might touch her, claim her in some fierce, undeniable way. But then he simply straightened and turned to the glass, watching his empire move below.

Kimberly exhaled shakily, her body tense as a bowstring.

And then her eyes slid—just for a second—to the man outside, the one with the predatory gaze. He was watching again. Standing by the table, issuing orders, but his head tilted just enough, his eyes meeting hers through the glass.

A spark shot through her nerves, hot and unwelcome. She tore her gaze away instantly, guilt mixing with fear in her chest.

But she knew.

He wasn’t done watching her.

And something told her… Jake wouldn’t take kindly to that.