I reach my hand out for Oliver, my eyes still blurry from sleep. My hand is met with cold, empty sheets and my heart immediately constricts.

I should have known he wouldn't say goodbye.

He knew that waking me up and saying goodbye would only lead to me demanding to go with him. Of course I know I shouldn't. I've proven that I'm nothing more than a hinderance and I should leave it to the professionals, but I hate feeling like there's nothing I can do to help.

I want to prove that I'm more than that first, botched hit job. That I'm capable of being part of the team.

I shower quickly and get dressed in comfortable clothes, sticking to a pair of simple black leggings and one of Oliver's old sweaters. After days of the constant stream of people in and out, the heated arguments in his office, the house sounds far too quiet.

My hope is that they all grouped up at the office and haven't left yet. Maybe if I can sneak in quietly, he'll be too distracted giving directions to notice me. I practically run to the front door and rip it open, only to run into a hard body.

The man turns around and smirks at me.

"You didn't really think Oliver would be stupid enough to leave you unsupervised, eh?" He asks.

"No, but I was hoping," I groan, my shoulders slouching in defeat.

He walks inside and closes the door, locking it behind him. I narrow my eyes at him as I take him in fully. I've only seen him around a handful of times, but he's never introduced himself to me. He was the guy that wouldn't stop glaring at me the first time I visited the office.

Something about him put me on edge and I wonder why Oliver assigned him to me.

"Where's Freya? She's my usual bodyguard," I question, feigning nonchalance.

He shrugs and walks over to the couch, plopping down on it and spreading out like he was paying fucking rent. The smirk on his face grew when he noticed the grimace on mine.

"Oliver banned her from guarding you after your little drunken phone call last time. I've taken over the assignment."

"Must be a pretty boring assignment, especially when they're all out there killing a bunch of bad guys and taking all their shit."

His smirk grows into a sneer that sends a chill down my spine.

"Are you implying that we're the good guys? I hate to break it to you, but we're all bad. Jasper. Oliver. We've all done some fucked up shit to survive in this world of ours. There is no good. You'd be wise to remember that."

I start to back up towards the stairs. His eyes stay focused on me, watching my every little move.

"What's your name again? It must have slipped my mind."

I curse myself internally when my voice cracks.

"I didn't tell you," He shakes his head casually.

"Right... Well, uhhh, I guess I'll just go upstairs and read if I can't join in on all the fun," I respond nervously.

I turn on my heels and force myself not to run up the stairs to our bedroom. I'm not sure what this guy's deal is. Maybe I just got too comfortable with Freya's easy going nature. If I'm going to be Oliver's girl, I have to assume that I'll go through several bodyguards over the years, and I can't always expect them to be my friend.

Still, I should have some say in who I get. I pull my phone out of my hoodie pocket and dial Oliver's number. I don't expect him to answer but he'll have one hell of a voicemail to listen to when he's done.

It doesn't even have a chance to ring a second time before the phone is snatched from my hand.

My body freezes.

"What do you think you're doing?"

His voice is low and dangerous behind me. I turn slowly to face him. The look in his eyes reminds me too much of Jasper for my liking.

"Am I not allowed to call my boyfriend?"

I try to keep my voice as even as possible, trying to hide the panic I feel.

"You have no need to. I can assure you, Oliver made sure you had everything you needed before you left."

He throws my phone against the wall full force. It shatters on impact and leaves a sizable hole in the wall. Without thinking, I bolt for the door. He wraps his arms around me as I grip the doorknob and throws me to the ground.

I struggle against him but his hold is too strong.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I cry.

"You're both fucking idiots. Time and time again, Oliver puts you in these situations, thinking he's keeping you safe. He's weak and you're blind."

"And you're a fucking monster."

"At least I don't claim to be anything else," He shrugs. "You guys want to pretend like you're better than Jasper because you don't sell what he sells, but you're no different. You serve the same clients, buddy up with the same sleezy, fucked up people. The only thing that's different is the product you offer."

There's no one here to save me this time. Oliver can't help me and there's no way both of us are making it out of this room alive. I smash my head against his nose, causing him to cry out in pain.

I'm a little dizzy, but I can't waste this distraction. He holds his hands over his nose to stop the bleeding, giving me the chance to push him off me.

I run out the door and down the hallway. I can hear his footsteps thudding against the carpet behind me and he trips me right before I reach the stairs.

"You're really, really going to regret that, bitch."