Angel on a Mission

Chapter 8

Gabrielle's POV

I watched quietly from the back as Martinez held Brooke protectively in her arms. It was evident that everyone around seemed to genuinely like her, but I couldn't shake off my own feelings.

I didn't share their sentiment.

There was something about her that felt suspicious. I couldn't quite trust her, no matter how soft-spoken or seemingly kind she appeared. But then again, that gentleness could easily be a facade.

To this day, I remain perplexed about how she managed to save Brooke on that fateful day.

We were at our familial rest house near the river—a place we frequented during summer, nestled on private property. It wasn’t the kind of environment where I should have felt unease, yet my instincts told me otherwise.

What was I supposed to think?

That day, Martinez had vanished just as mysteriously as she had arrived.

Of course, I searched the nearby area after that, as I instinctively viewed her as a potential threat.

I didn’t find her.

It was either she was exceptionally skilled at hiding or she had managed to disappear into thin air altogether.

But later that night, after the football match, I spotted her again.

I rushed out to find her, prepared to warn her to keep her distance from my family.

Instead, I witnessed her step in to prevent what could have been a horrific catastrophe, bravely stopping a man wielding a gun.

I ran towards them, intent on assisting her.

However, my heart sank when I saw her get shoved to the ground, the gun aimed directly at her, followed by a deafening bang that echoed in the night.

Time seemed to freeze.

My heart raced as I was consumed by a wave of fear for her safety.

In that split second, all I could think about was her.

Before I fully processed the moment, she was unconscious.

The man dropped his gun, and I lunged at him, tackling him to the ground.

But what transpired after that left me even more bewildered.

The assailant was crying and repeatedly apologizing as he stared at her, while I held him down until the police and medics arrived.

I rushed to Martinez’s side as they examined her.

Astonishingly, she bore no injuries.

Yet I knew what I had seen—a bullet had been fired at her.

And still, here she was, unscathed.

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when Martinez turned to me and said, "Alexander, can you please hold onto Brooke for me?" Her voice snapped me back to reality.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she placed Brooke in my arms and headed off somewhere.

I watched her walk away, a sense of curiosity washing over me.

"Where's Elle going?" Bella, my sister, noticed and was about to follow her until I stopped her.

Together, we observed as Martinez confronted a man holding a child.

We were too far away to hear their conversation, but something felt off.

"What is Elle doing?" one of Martinez’s friends asked.

I continued to focus on Martinez, my interest piqued.

It all happened in a flash.

To my surprise, the man attempted to flee with the child, bumping into Martinez. In an impressive display of agility, she swiftly yanked the man back and snatched the child from his grasp.

What on earth was she doing?

Almost immediately, security guards came running towards them.

The man tried to grab Martinez, but she deftly dodged him and executed a kick to his knee, making him collapse.

The guards apprehended him efficiently.

Then, a woman rushed toward Martinez and the little girl, gratefully receiving her child back.

"You btch!" we heard the man scream as he was led away.

"What just happened?" Bella asked, her eyes wide with shock.

I was just as baffled.

We watched as Martinez spoke with the child’s mother.

Eventually, she rejoined us, her demeanor seemingly unchanged.

"Elle, what happened?" Bella inquired, both curious and concerned.

"A k********g attempt," Martinez replied casually, holding Brooke’s hand.

"What?!" they exclaimed in unison.

I stared at Martinez, who appeared as though it was not a significant event.

This oddity only amplified my suspicions about her.

She seemed to handle everything with such calmness and poise as if she were unfazed by the chaos around her.

As the day progressed, we resumed our shopping, and although she never bought anything herself, she dedicated her time to looking after Brooke. Bella found clothes to purchase for Martinez, which she kindly declined, yet Bella insisted nonetheless.

Martinez appeared disinterested in shopping. Instead, it seemed her true desire was to support her friends.

And that, too, struck me as peculiar.

She didn’t act like someone who came from a less privileged background. Judging by her stylish attire and the luxury of her car, it was obvious that she was financially well-off.

Yet, she didn’t behave like it at all.

We settled in a café, where I observed as Brooke fell asleep on Martinez’s lap.

Martinez tenderly caressed her back and quietly sang lullabies to her, a sight that made me unable to look away.

From the first moment I laid eyes on her, I had to admit that she possessed an undeniable beauty.

In fact, she appeared almost angelic.

Still, despite my admiration, I couldn’t shake off my lingering distrust.

There was an elusive quality about her—something that I couldn’t quite articulate.

Suddenly, our eyes connected, and she offered me a small smile, prompting me to quickly look away in response.

I cleared my throat, feeling an unexpected rush of nervousness.

"You're so obvious, Alex," Bella whispered teasingly.

"What?" I replied, my brows furrowing in confusion.

"You’ve been staring at her for a while now. I thought you didn't like her," she teased further.

"I don’t," I insisted.

"Right. Then why are you blushing?" she queried, causing me to touch my face, questioning whether I actually was.

"You're lying," she shot back, eyes dancing with mischief.

“You like her, don’t you?” she accused.

Me? Like her? Never!

"You're delusional," I retorted sharply.

She rolled her eyes at me.

"You're such an ass. I’d prefer that Elle doesn’t get involved with you, even if you are my brother," she declared.

"I couldn’t care less. I’m not interested in her," I responded, and we both took a few steps back from one another.

Bella rolled her eyes again, clearly unimpressed with my reticence.

We wrapped up our time at the café, and Brooke stirred awake from her quick nap.

"How was your nap?" Martinez asked, carrying Brooke as we made our way outside.

"It was nice. Thank you," Brooke said, her face illuminated with a cheerful smile.

"It’s still quite early. Would you all like to visit a playground?" Martinez suggested with a beaming smile.

"Yes!" the girls chirped in unison.

Martinez turned to me, raising an eyebrow.

"He doesn’t need to be asked," Bella said, grabbing the girls' hands and pulling them along as they hurried off, leaving me momentarily behind.

That sister of mine can be an absolute brat.

We strolled over to a nearby playground adjacent to the mall, and Brooke dashed off eagerly to play, leaving me sitting on the sidelines, watching her from a distance.

"Ugh. Couples," Bella suddenly exclaimed as she surveyed the area.

Turning her attention to Martinez, she asked, "How many exes have you had, Elle?"

I looked up, intrigued.

"Ex-boyfriends?" Martinez responded, looking thoughtful.

Bella nodded, waiting eagerly for her answer.

"I don’t have any," she stated matter-of-factly.

I furrowed my brows slightly at this revelation.

I found that hard to believe.

My sister gasped dramatically, while their other friend, Mika, wore a stunned expression.

I felt taken aback as well, grappling with disbelief.

"You're joking. Please tell me you're lying right now," Bella said, insistent.

Martinez shook her head, looking completely earnest.

"I’m not. It’s the truth," she affirmed.

Bella gasped again.

"It’s unbelievable. You’ve never been in a relationship before? A goddess like you?" my sister exclaimed in awe.

"Not a goddess," Martinez replied quickly, brushing off the label.

"But, like, are you seriously SERIOUS?" Bella pressed again, incredulity coloring her tone.

Despite my skepticism, Martinez's expression suggested she wasn’t being untruthful.

"Yes, Bella, I am," she reiterated.

"But why?" Bella asked, genuinely perplexed.

It was a question that resonated with me, too.

I had observed countless guys going out of their way to approach her, talking to her and vying for her attention. There had to have been opportunities for her, so why hadn’t she pursued any of them?

"I just don’t want to," Martinez replied with a nonchalant shrug.

Martinez looked in my direction, and I met her gaze, curiosity swirling in my mind.

It was hard to process.

How could someone so beautiful not have any romantic history?

She didn’t have a bad personality, so what was the truth?

Did she have secrets she was keeping hidden?

"Why don’t you want to be in a relationship, Elle?" Mika asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I just have other priorities at the moment," Martinez responded without hesitation.

"It’s such a shock, right, Mika?" Bella chimed in as she turned to their friend, who nodded in agreement.

"I expected you to at least have one ex-boyfriend, Elle, because I’m sure everyone is dying to have you as their girlfriend," Bella insisted.

Martinez chuckled softly at that.

She was clearly not lying.

"You know what, I should probably set you up with someone—like a blind date or something. I know a few good guys," Bella suggested excitedly.

My brows furrowed again in concern.

Martinez shook her head dismissively.

"No, thank you. I’d like to stay as I am," she told my sister firmly.

"But I promise it’ll be fun. The three of us could even go on blind dates together!" Bella pressed on.

I raised an eyebrow, taken aback by the notion.

Excuse me, what?

Was she seriously proposing blind dates?

Their friends’ expressions mirrored my bewilderment.

"No, thank you for me as well. I really don’t think I like that idea," Mika said, flushing red with embarrassment.

"I’ll just go find Brooke now," she said, darting off as if escaping the awkwardness.

"But—" Bella began to protest, but I intervened.

"Bella," I called out firmly, subtly scolding her and hinting that she should stop.

Bella pouted at us, reluctantly conceding.

"I guess not," she sighed with disappointment.

"I’m going to go be with Brooke and Mika," she declared and walked away from us.

Martinez sighed, as if relieved by the sudden shift in dynamics.

She and I sat a good distance apart.

I glanced at her occasionally, and I was almost sure she hadn’t noticed my watchful gaze.

Or so I thought.

"Do you need to say something?" she asked suddenly, catching me off guard as she turned to look at me.

I met her gaze, feeling the nerves creep back.

I wanted to apologize for my sister’s disruptive behavior, yet somehow, it felt misplaced for me to be the one apologizing.

Or perhaps I wanted to apologize for my ongoing suspicions about her.

But how could I be sure she was truly innocent?

"Nothing," I replied, feeling the words come out in a whisper.

Eventually, Brooke returned, climbing into Martinez’s lap and facing her with a smile.

"I’m so happy and tired," my little sister admitted, resting her head against Martinez affectionately.

Martinez smiled warmly, gently caressing Brooke’s back.

In less than a minute, Brooke was fast asleep.

That was astonishingly quick.

"We should probably head out," Martinez suggested after a while, glancing at me.

I stood up, attempting to take Brooke from her so I could carry her myself.

"It’s fine. She’ll wake up if you take her from me," Martinez insisted, continuing to cradle Brooke.

I relented; I didn’t want Brooke to wake up.

She hadn’t been getting enough rest lately, and this peaceful moment was something she truly needed.

As we walked through the parking lot, Martinez held onto Brooke as we made our way to my car.

Finally, we arrived, and Martinez carefully placed Brooke into the child seat in the front passenger area.

"Bella, can you please keep an eye on Brooke tonight?" she asked unexpectedly.

"Why?" Bella replied, puzzled.

"She’s been having nightmares almost every night, hasn’t she?" Martinez responded.

How did she know that?

Brooke had indeed been tormented by nightmares, struggling to find rest for a while now.

"How did you know that?" Bella probed, still baffled by Martinez’s insight.

"A hunch," Martinez said, shrugging casually. Bella nodded, still somewhat confused.

A hunch?

How does someone just have a hunch like that?

Martinez leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on Brooke's forehead before saying goodbye to all of us and walking away.

I watched her retreating figure, feeling a sense of something ineffable.

There was something distinct about her.

Once settled in the car, I started the engine and drove off.

"How do you think Martinez knew?" I inquired, glancing sideways at Bella.

"Have you mentioned it to her before?" I asked, seeking clarity.

Bella shook her head.

"I don’t think I did, but maybe I have. Or perhaps she just noticed by seeing how Brooke was acting,” she mused.

That could be true, or it might not be.

"But this is the first time Brooke has slept this peacefully in a long time," Bella remarked, looking back at our little sister.

She was right.

Earlier, at the café, it was evident that Brooke seemed awfully content and serene as she napped on Martinez’s lap.

I kept wondering...

What was it about Martinez that soothed her so damn much?