Trouble

Evie found his bed surprisingly comfortable, yet she could not fall asleep right away. Cor nearly kissing her kept playing in her head. What would have happened if his phone had not gone off like it did. Would he have continued? Would she have kissed him back? Duh. She also could not help but wonder if he regretted almost kissing her. The room felt awfully awkward after the call. Maybe it was the alcohol that pushed him to try in the first place and the noise of the phone sobered him up. Surely the man can handle more than a small glass of Whiskey, though. Her thoughts went back and forth until she finally fell asleep, thinking about the feel of his lips barely touching hers.

Cor sighed as he laid on his couch. He wasn't sure what caused him to nearly lose control. Yes, he liked Evie. A lot. He also knew what he had done was inappropriate. She was leaning in, too, though. Did she want that kiss as much as he had? He shook the thought from his mind, deciding he would apologize for any inappropriate behavior the next day and focus on helping keep her safe from this Jason character.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Evie slept in the next morning. When she did wake up she could smell something familiar and delicious. Bacon. It was definitely bacon. She made herself decent and ventured out of his room to see what Cor was up to. He was standing at the stove making breakfast. He turned, sensing her presence, and his lips turned up to a slight smile.

"Good morning," he said, sounding sleepy.

"Morning," she replied, smiling shyly.

Evie sat at his small table as he brought over two plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. She marveled at the meal before her, surprised that he cooked much at all. He did offer to make her dinner tonight, too.

Cor sat down and stared at her with a look of shame painted across his face. She loved the small lines across his face, and his smirks and expressive brow never ceased to excite her in ways she should probably ignore. Shame, however, was a look she did not like on him. She hated to see him hurt in anyway.

"Cor? What's wrong?" She sat her fork down, not wanting to continue eating until she knew what he was thinking.

"I owe you an apology for last night, Evie," he explained, "My behavior towards you…I should not have tried to do that."

Evie knew he was talking about their near kiss. Her heart dropped. He did regret it then. She placed her hand on his arm, getting him to look up at her.

"Cor," she began, "it's okay. I am not bothered at all, I promise. I quite enjoyed my night, and I am so thankful to you for letting me stay here."

Cor looked down again, thinking hard about something before his phone rang.

Great. Now every time his phone rings, I am going to be thinking about kissing him.

"Yeah?" He answered it with a short sigh. Evie gazed at him as he listened to the man on the other line. She wondered what it would be like to spend every morning with him. He makes a damn good breakfast. She smiled at herself and turned away, not wanting to be caught staring.

"Wait…" she heard a change in his voice and looked back at him curiously, "Say that again." She noticed him turn to her with a confused look on his face. Obviously, the call had become more interesting. "Alright, I'll be down there in about thirty minutes," he announced before hanging up the phone.

"Did something happen?" She asked with anticipation.

"One of our own Kingsglaive has apparently been hacking into files and viewing and sharing certain confidential files."

"Oh," she replied, wondering why a Kingsglaive would go through the trouble and risk just to look at some files."

"They are still trying to figure out exactly who it was, but we know what files he looked at. One of them was your personal information."

"My information?" She chuckled, "Why would anyone want information about…" she didn't finish her sentence because her brain seemed to catch up with his words. "You think that is how Jason got my new number and address," she said softly.

"I do," he confirmed, "and if it is a Kingsglaive, then Jason likely got my number from him directly."

"But, why? Why would a Kingsglaive help Jason find me?" She asked, bewildered at the idea.

"I don't know, yet," he admitted, "but we should finish breakfast and meet with Titus to see everything they know so far."

Evie nodded and ate what she could. Her appetite was suddenly not great.

When they arrived at the Captain's office, a young Kingsglaive was already present with him. He was so busy with the laptop he was working on, he didn't look up when they came in. Titus greeted both of them, and invited them to sit.

"I suppose you've told her what I informed you about?" The Captain, asked Cor.

"I did," he confirmed, "Is there any update?"

"Not presently, though Nathan here is working on it," the other man gestured to the young man nearby.

"Evie and I have both been receiving somewhat threatening messages from someone she used to know," Cor explained. Evie felt embarrassed at being at the center of so much trouble. Titus sat back and sighed, rubbing his chin with one of his large, rough hands.

"Do you think he will cause trouble here? That seems awful bold, but I could heighten security measures if you think it's needed."

"I think that would be best for now," he replied, "at least until we know who the informant is."

Titus nodded.

"Wait a sec," they heard suddenly from the Kingsglaive nearby, "I think I have it narrowed down to two people."

Titus and Cor got up and walked to look over his shoulder.

"You should talk to the people behind these two usernames."

I know exactly who those two are," Titus sighed, "I have a feeling I know who it is out of the two, but I will bring them both to one of the old interrogation rooms."

"I appreciate it, Titus," Cor replied, moving to the door, "and you, too, Nathan."

Evie got up and followed Cor out of the training halls and toward the main Citadel.

"There are interrogation rooms?" She asked, speaking for the first time in an hour.

"Yes, beneath the main level of the Citadel," he explained, "they aren't used much anymore. Only for criminal matters that pertain to the Citadel and for the rare court martial."

Before she could respond, they heard a loud crash and yelling behind them. Cor turned quickly and sharply, ready to act as needed.

Evie looked behind her and her eyes widened as she watched a car speed toward them over the lawn. She needed to move but suddenly felt paralyzed where she stood. Time felt as though it had slowed down as she watched the approaching car in shock. She felt someone grab her arm and pull her out of the way at just the right time. There was a crash as the car hit the wall of the stone gate separating the training fields from the Citadel. Evie let out a shaky breath she had been holding for too long. Cor was hovering closely over her protectively with his large torso. His arm was tight around her waist and she could feel his racing heart against her back.

When he sensed it was safe, Cor got up and gently moved her behind him, watching and waiting for the driver to do something. He suddenly turned around and gripped her shoulders staring her in the eye to be sure he had her attention.

"Evie, run to my office and lock yourself in." He ordered.

"But…"

"Don't argue, just go," he said harshly, causing her to jump.

Evie ran around the corner towards the East entrance. She saw Kingsglaive and Crownsguard members running to the scene. At least he has help.

She made it to Cor's office and walked briskly inside. She stopped for a just a few seconds to catch her breath. She was about to shut the door and lock it when she felt someone grab her painfully tight from behind. She tried to pull away, but wasn't strong enough. She suddenly felt a sting at her neck and realized that he was holding a large knife against her skin.

"Hello, Vee," a familiar, sinister voice whispered into her ear. He sniffed her hair and sighed. "Mmmmm, I've missed you."

"Jason," she said nervously, "you're…you're hurting me."

"You already hurt me, sweetheart," he replied sharply, "now I want you to grab the keys out of your new boyfriend's drawer over there. You are going to drive us out of here in one of those fancy cars."

Evie knew not to argue with him. She only hoped someone would notice them on the way to the garage.