"There is no indication of a corporation - government controlled or private - that has you anywhere on their radar. You're completely off the grid," the female automated voice stated through the phones loud speaker.

Four days had passed since an unknown threat targeted Dana's apartment; days Chris had stayed hidden inside the hotel whilst gathering intel from outside sources. Venturing outside meant putting Dana at risk, so he made the decision to stay put for now, ignoring the constant itch in the back of his mind. He needed to get to the bottom of whoever was coordinating this operation. If he trusted anyone else with her protection, Chris would've handed Dana over by now, only so he could go after whoever was behind all of this himself. Four days was too long for this to go unsolved. All he needed was a single day without Dana by his side. But he didn't trust anyone to be able to keep her safe - not like he can.

Keeping his tone pitched low, knowing Dana was well asleep but not wanting to risk her overhearing, he said, "Check every alias dating back to the Singapore Extraction."

"Done. You're not listed anywhere, Dream Boat."

"Then who's after Dana?" Chris cocked the rifle he was holding, having spent the past three hours cleaning and reloading all the firearms in the penthouse. It was seven in the morning, and Dana was still sound asleep in her room. "Find out if her name is listed on anyone's radar."

"This could have been avoided if you had stayed away from her," the voice responded.

"I know."

"Heavy sigh." The line went dead.

Movement behind his door casted a faint shadow onto the carpet as it blocked out the morning sun streaming through the penthouses windows. Chris picked up the nearest pistol and went to stand against the wall next to the door. There was no sound from the other side. He gently opened the door a fraction, waiting to see if whoever was out there would make a sound. Footsteps and then a light thud, followed by a soft string of profanities, alerted him to who was wondering around.

Relaxing, he walked from the room to see Dana standing near the long mahogany dining table, bent over and rubbing her foot. The pajamas she borrowed from the hotel were a little snug, barely covering her legs and cut low enough to expose her collar bones. The way she was bent over exposed a lot more of her chest as her shirt dipped down, and Chris adverted his gaze the moment he realised too much of her was on display. He began counting the grains that flecked the wooden surface of the dining room table until she had straightened back up.

"Uh... Christian?" Dana cautiously said his name - a fake name that he only allowed her to use because he couldn't reveal the truth - whilst pointing at the gun he still held in his grip.

He placed the gun on the table, purposefully turning the barrel away from her. "Good morning. Did you sleep alright?"

"Yes. I woke up because I thought I heard you speaking to someone..." She raised an eye brow in question.

"No."

Dana frowned. "Oh."

Studying her expression for a fraction of a moment before looking away again, he decided that she looked upset. Dejected. He was keeping all information from her so as not to frighten her. Perhaps it was not the correct move. Chris didn't want to admit that he had no idea who was after her, too afraid that she won't believe he can protect her. Until he had reassurance that Dana was safe, he would keep her in the dark for her own peace of mind.

"Well," she started, "guess I'll order room service for breakfast. Again."

"Okay," was all he replied before turning to leave, pistol in hand.

"Christian this is ridiculous," exclaimed Dana. She was scowling at him when he turned back to face her, uneasy about her sudden outburst since he thought she was going to go order breakfast. It was not easy for him to keep up with her sudden changes in mood. "You're keeping me trapped here and won't even tell me why."

"Because your life is in danger," he told her simply.

She sighed. "I get that. Can you at least tell me what we're going to do about it? I feel like a prisoner."

Before he could answer, the phone in his pocket chimed, an alert from one of the intelligence sources working for him. It was a location confirmation of all the weapons stores within the city that stocked the type of gun that shot him. Christian could narrow it down based on the time and date the weapon was bought, as well as the proximity of the store to Dana's apartment. From there he would at least have some leads to follow.

"Hey," Dana said, breaking through Christian's ongoing thoughts, his hyper fixation on the task momentarily blocking out everything else around him. Once he placed the phone back in his pocket without so much as an explanation, she threw her hands up, stating, "I give up."

Christian stepped aside as she wondered into the kitchen. "I currently have someone working on tracking down who might be searching for you. There's also an opportunity to find out who those men were who attacked us. I need you to stay here while I-."

"Yeah. Not a chance." Moving past the kitchen, she ducked into her room for a few minutes before remerging in jeans and a black jacket, a bag slung over her shoulder. "I'm leaving."

"Why?" He asked, confused as to the reasoning behind Dana wanting to abandon the safety he provided.

"Because in the four days I've been trapped here, you've given me nothing! Now all I get it 'I don't know whose trying to kill you, but I'm working on it'? I have a job, Christian. A life. I can't just sit here idly while you risk your life for me."

Her emotions were making her unreasonable. He knew in that moment the correct thing would be to sit her down, tell her every bit of information he had, make it easy for her to trust him. However, there was no information to give. Christian might have a lead now, but he wasn't even sure if it would result in a dead end. All he knew is that he needed to leave now before the lead ran cold. There were two options - one of which he knew Dana would automatically agree too.

They left the penthouse a short while later, stopping by the concierge desk to instruct them not to let anyone into their suite. Once Christian gave Dana the decision to tag along, with the exception of following every single rule he laid out for her, she was more than happy to ditch the backpack, swapping out her attire for something more appealing. Their pretense was a breakfast date on the off chance that someone asked around after them once they left the hotel. It was highly possible that they had eyes on them the moment they stepped onto the sidewalk out front of the hotel, this knowledge making Cristian more vigilant than usual.

Before they even got two steps in, a male figure across the road, standing under the awning of a small cafe, drew Christian's attention. The man was sipping his latte, though something was off about his posture. He was poised as if ready to leap out of his chair at a moments notice, his hand resting on his upper thigh, close to where a hidden pistol would be strapped on the underside of the table. Christian couldn't risk an altercation in broad daylight, and certainly not when Dana was with him.

"Where are we going?" Dana asked quietly as they began down the sidewalk.

Christian's eyes darted down the street, searching for an opportunity or a distraction. The gun in the holster under his thick coat wouldn't be enough to protect them both if they became surrounded. "Somewhere out of sight."

A dump truck drove down the street, momentarily blocking them from the view of the man at the cafe, which Christian used to dash into a nearby ally. He gently pushed Dana against the wall, pressing his body close enough to hers that he felt the rise and fall of her chest with each breath. The man would search for them, and Christian hoped he wasn't smart enough to figure out they had slipped into the alleyway. Their close proximity to one another caused a slight distraction, though he refused to back away on the off chance that the movement might draw unwanted attention.

"Um, hey, Christian?"

Dana's soft voice drew his attention away from the mouth of the alleyway. He glanced down at her in question, noticing for the first time her arms pinned behind her back. He had moved her quickly out of sight, but forgot to be careful with handling her. The position of her arms would no doubt be uncomfortable, and he was surprised she hadn't spoken up sooner. He shift his weight so she could lean forward a fraction and free her arms.

Dana took a deep breath when he close the distance between them again, using his larger body to block anyone from seeing her. "Who's following us?"

"I don't know," he murmured. "They know we're staying in the hotel, though, and they have people on surveillance. We can't risk tracking down any leads if they're going to follow us."

"If they know where we are staying, why haven't they attacked?" She asked, a tinge of fear touching the edge of her words.

"Too many watchful eyes, cameras, and it's too defensible from the inside. No, they won't attack the penthouse." Calculating, he added, "But they would if I were seen leaving the hotel without you."

"If I were alone," she said softly, reading between the lines of what he had said.

A strategic move was playing out in Christian mind - one that just might work. He quickly explained to Dana what was going to happen, ignoring her wide-eyed stare as he continued, instead eyeing the mouth of the alleyway, not wanting to step out until he was certain the man from the cafe was gone. It was a decent plan that would need Dana's full cooperation, though she was too emotionally caught up in the idea of being bait to think rationally.

Dipping his head low, Christian muttered, "You won't get hurt, Dana."

"Says the guy that was shot only four days ago!" He shot her a stern look at her raised voice, and she was quick to lower it to a whisper. "These people are clearly trained and dangerous."

"So am I," he replied, turning back to watch the people wondering around on the street. The last thing he wanted was Dana to see him as a trained killer, but that's what he was. She's already known this. Saying it, however, was a lot different than using his skills to save her life.

They darted back up to the penthouse once the coast was clear, avoiding all the hotel staff and their watchful gazes. All the blinds were put up, the giant windows open to the morning sunshine and blue skies, giving anyone a clear view of Dana, who would be alone. Christian laid a gun on the counter beside her; it was a small pistol with an eight round magazine. He briefly showed her how to switch the safety off, pretending not to notice the slight shake in her hands. Once she confirmed that she was ready, moving to sit in the lounge room in open view of the windows, Christian armed himself with a few more weapons before leaving the penthouse once more.

The plan was simple. If someone was keeping tabs on the building, then there was no doubt eyes on the other sky scrapers surrounding the hotel, meaning they'd have a clear sight of Dana - alone. Christian would exit the hotel before circling back after he was positive someone had watched him leave, where he would then slip in through the workers corridor at the side of the hotel. By that point whoever was after Dana would've taken their chances in abducting her from the hotel suite. He needed to be back in time to ensure that doesn't happen, though. If he was going to figure out who was behind all of this, then he needed to interrogate someone close enough to have the answers. This plan had the highest chance of success.

Everything was going according to plan an hour later when he made it back into the hotel after circling a few city blocks, loosing the two men who had been tracing his footsteps from the second he left the hotel. Christian dodged all the main thoroughfares inside the hotel, opting to use the service goods elevator with a key card he had pick pocketed from a worker walking past. The hallway outside their penthouse suite was quiet, and there was also no sound coming from behind the thick door as he reached it.

Gun in hand, he swiped his room key and gently pushed the door open, thankful the hinges didn't squeak. He stepped through the foyer and into the large kitchen, keeping to the wall, eyes constantly darting behind him on the off chance someone snuck up. So far there were no signs of a forced entry. Christian rounded the last bend into the lounge room where he had left Dana, coming to a complete stop once he did.

Dana stood on the edge of the carpet, gun barely held in her shaking hands, droplets of blood sprinkled across her clothes - her face. A body lay on the floor, face up so Christian could easily see the features of his brother, Braxton, as his eyes flickered towards him. He was clutching his shoulder as he glared at Christian, a pool of blood staining the cream coloured carpet.

"You gave her a gun?" He groaned, breathing heavy as he pressed down on the bullet wound to stop the blood flow.

"Why are you here?"

Braxton gave a sarcastic smile. "Nice to see you too, Bro."

Christian helped his brother to his feet before steering him into the bathroom where the first aid kit was. The bullet wound was shallow enough that it was easy to feel where the bullet was and dig it out of his muscle. Braxton relayed what had happened as Christian disinfected the wound, stitched it, and bandaged it.

He'd heard that his brother was back in town, so he wanted to say hello. Braxton realised something went wrong when Christian disappeared with Dana, so he searched through the entire city before discovering them. Something didn't sit right with him about the situation, so he had spent the last few days hiding close by, watching as unknown men stalked around the building, tracing Christian's every movement. That's when Braxton realised that they were hiding from a potential threat. When he saw Christian leave the building without Dana, he snuck in to offer her protection incase one of the men stalking them made a move while she was alone.

"I still can't believe you gave her a gun," he said in astonishment.

Christian began packing up the first aid kit. "She has to protect herself."

"That's what you're here for, isn't it?" A few seconds ticked by while Christian perfectly organized the space under the sink. "Why are you protecting her?"

"You know why," he replied.

Braxton sighed. "Yeah, I guess I do. Doe she know how you feel?"

"Yes."

"Of course you told her," he sighed with a shake of his head. "It's just an emotion to you, right? No need to hide it or be embarrassed by it. Does she feel the same way?"

He glanced over at his brother, saying, "I don't know."

"Well, to be fair, there are more pressing matters to deal with. Your love life will just have to wait." Braxton took the shirt Christian handed over to him, giving a small nod towards the closed bathroom door. "Go. Make sure she's okay."

It was quiet as Christian made his way back into the lounge room. Dana sat on the edge of one of the lounges, gun resting in her lap, eyes locked on the now drying patch of blood from Braxton's wound. Her face was pale and her eyes wide as she sat motionless, chest rising and falling slowly. Upon Christian's return, Dana wiped her forehead with the back of her arm in an attempt to clean away the blood there. All it did was smear it against her skin.

Dana spoke before Christian could think of what to say, her voice shaking slightly. "Who... who is he? The guy I..." It was too difficult to finish the sentence.

"Braxton. My brother." He circled the room, closing all the blinds that they had left open, switching on the lights so it wasn't too dark. Dana didn't glance up from staring at the blood on the floor, even when Christian came to a stop beside her. "I had no idea he even knew I was in the city. I'm sorry he frightened you."

"I shot him," she whispered in a single breath.

Christian gave a curt nod. "You did the right thing."

Her head snapped up so their eyes could meet, the latter quickly flicking his gaze elsewhere. "Shooting your brother was the right thing to do?"

"No. Shooting a stranger was the right thing to do," he corrected. Christian bent down and gently unwrapped her fingers from the weapon sitting on her lap, trying to pretend he couldn't feel her trembling. "Can you stand?"

Dana's only answer was to slowly get up from the couch, though as soon as she stood - she fell. Christian caught her before she hit the floor, placing all her weight on one arm as he quickly threw the gun onto the coffee table. He knew she was unconscious in a heartbeat, her breathing steady and the shaking gone. Shooting someone had been too much for her to handle. She wasn't a trained assassin, and she wasn't at all used to his world. Her mind had shut down in order to protect itself against everything she had learnt and seen over the past few days.

Braxton reappeared from the bathroom, saying, "I should be the one unconscious right now. Is she going to be okay?"

'Yes. She just needs to rest," he replied softly.

She was light in his arms as Christian carried her into the room he'd been staying in, tucking her into the king bed. Dana was still covered in blood, and he contemplated changing her clothing, stopping himself from doing so when he realised how that would look to her when she awoke. So he settled for a bowel of warm water and a cloth, wiping the dried blood from her alabaster skin before leaving her to rest.

I am re-uploading this chapter due to a comment on AO3 stating that Braxton was the younger brother, not the older brother. My mistake! I have corrected the error. Yay. xoxo