Essence

"Bored are we?" a voice came from behind me, disrupting the solitude of the stifling apartment. Alone, surrounded by stoic men in black suits, none of whom seemed inclined to converse.

I reclined on the couch, observing an upside-down Easton with his arms folded, an amused glint in his eyes. I let out a sigh, inhaling deeply. "Aren't you supposed to be out with the rest of the Fantastic Five?"

He chuckled before taking a seat beside me. "Nah, auctions aren't my thing, and they're just setting up now. It starts in like an hour," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"So, you're not going?" I inquired.

"Prefer to stay with you, to be honest," he said, flashing me a smile. I arched an eyebrow in response and nodded.

"What's with these bodyguards or emotionless G.I. Joes?" I glanced at the one stationed by the door. Easton glanced at him before turning back to me.

"Regardo, you can take a break for now. I'll watch her," he instructed, and the imposing man nodded silently before exiting. Typical.

"I don't even need to be watched," I muttered. Easton raised his brows and looked at me intently.

"Mhm," he hummed. "Right, well..." He was interrupted by the door swinging open, revealing a harried Jacob rushing in, still wearing yesterday's clothes and with his hair disheveled.

"Long night, buddy?" Easton chuckled.

Jacob's eyes widened when he spotted us. "Shut up," he retorted, darting into the bathroom beside us to freshen up.

"Don't you have your own place to shower at?" Easton yelled after him.

"Obviously, but my parents think I'm staying at yours for the weekend," Jacob yelled back. "And since someone didn't want to help out at the auction, I have to do twice the work." The sound of running water accompanied his words as he shut the door.

"Someone had to watch over her," Easton explained, making his way to the fridge.

"I don't need to be watched!" I protested, getting up and moving to a stool by the counter.

He leaned on the counter, resting his chin on his palms. "Well, I'm not the one you have to convince, princess," he said, smiling.

"I will literally punch your face in," I said seriously, mirroring his stance.

"What? Killian gets to give you a nickname, but I can't?" he retorted, throwing his hands up dramatically.

"Okay, drama queen. I don't like either name. Just stick with my birth one, thank you very much," I replied, smiling.

"Whatever. Anyway, there's no food in this depressing place. Wanna order?" he asked, pulling out his phone from his pocket.

I shrugged. "Sure," and headed back to the couch.

Jacob emerged from the bathroom, buckling his belt. "Hey, Ess, sorry you couldn't come. There are a lot of shady people who would love to get their hands on you," he explained, fixing his hair.

"I didn't want to go in the first place," I admitted. Why would I? I'd be like a black sheep there.

"So, how's Harry?" I inquired, smiling, crossing my legs on the couch. Jacob's face turned red as he rolled his eyes.

"What? I saw him pick you up last night. You can't keep secrets from the alternate detective," I teased.

He narrowed his eyes. "Okay, Sherlock," he muttered.

"Do you like him?" Easton chimed in with his mouth full of chips.

"Hey, I thought you said there was no food, dumbass," I scolded him. He hid the bag and shrugged.

"It was just crumbs. Not enough for the both of us."

"Right. Well, I have to go before I get a bullet between my eyes," Jacob said with a fake smile before walking out the door.

"So, what did you order?" I asked.

"You'll wait and see, my dear friend," he replied, his words muffled by the food, causing me to roll my eyes.

---

"What's the point of this movie?" Easton asked, stuffing his face with Chinese food.

"It's about two lovers who can't be together! It's a forbidden romance," I explained, exasperated.

"So? That'll never actually happen," he shrugged. I gave him a disapproving look.

"Yes, it can. Watch it happen to you one day," I retorted.

"Yeah, well..." He was interrupted by his phone ringing. He glanced at it before furrowing his brows in confusion, picking it up, his eyes widening. "WHAT!?" he yelled, startling me.

He looked at me with concern before focusing back on the phone. "How?" he asked, his voice lowered but still loud. "Alright, alright, I'll be there." He stood up. "Get your shoes on," he instructed hurriedly.

"What? What do you mean?" I asked, standing up.

"Something happened, and there are no guards here. I'll die if I leave you alone, so hurry," he said, passing me my shoes. I quickly slid them on, following him out the door.

We rushed down the hallway, making our way through the booming club. "Where's the auction?" I asked, trying to keep up.

"You thought it would be held here? Hell no, it's at a casino a couple of minutes away," he informed me. A casino? What?

"Don't worry. It's not in front of everyone. It's in the way back, and it's attached to a hotel too," he reassured me.

Once we were outside the large building, he looked at me seriously. I don't think I've ever seen him this serious. "When we get there, don't say a word to anyone, don't look at anyone—" He looked at my outfit and took off his blue hoodie, slipping it onto me. "Don't take this off," he said, pointing.

I nodded as he pulled the hood over my head, tucking my hair inside it. "Head down," he instructed, taking my hand and leading me through.

It was loud, with people rushing and yelling. We entered a door where chaos unfolded. Two individuals were holding guns to each other. My eyes widened in shock, and I gripped Easton's hand harder, causing him to glance at me and pull me further into the crowd.

He led me to a group of people. "What is she doing here? Are you crazy?" Zail shielded me, rolling his eyes. "I would kill both of you if you weren't my friends," he grumbled.

"The Jules are mine!" one of the guys yelled from behind me.

"Here, keep her. I have to deal with it. Where's Killian?" Easton asked, releasing me into Zail's hold.

"Jacob and Neil are gone to find him. And why are you going to deal with it? What the heck?" Zail questioned.

"Seeing as I'm the one with the aiming skills, you watch the girl," Easton replied, walking away and pulling something out of the waistband of his jeans. Did he have that the whole time?

"I don't need to be watched—ugh," I muttered, shaking my head. Zail glanced at me, smiling softly, before refocusing on the commotion.

"Weapons down now!" Easton's voice boomed, holding two guns in both hands, his arms flexing, visible from his rolled-up sleeves. He scanned the room, his gaze unwavering, but none of the individuals budged.

The air is tense and for the first time I saw Easton as scary. Easton and scary didn't even seem to be in the same planet. Easton was the nicest boy I've ever met, he seemed innocent if anything but remembering he was literally apart of the mafia dismissed any shock from the situation unfolding in front of me.

"Now," he yells switching his gaze from one men to another.

"This is none of your business kid," one of them retorted emphasizing on the word kid.

"Well, since he works for me, and you're in my casino and my auction. It sort of makes it his business, no?" The voice that spoke up made my eyes go wide. I lift my hoodie even more in attempts to cover my face more.

I looked to see Killian standing there, completely calm, with Neil and Jacob behind him. "He overbid you fair and square, Blade. Now, put the gun down. You're making a fool of yourself," Killian commanded, his authoritative tone cutting through the tension.

Reluctantly, the man dropped his weapon, followed by the other. Easton retrieved one of the guns, tucking it into his waistband, and walked over to hand Zail his gun. I hadn't even realized he had taken his gun too until he held it up.

As he approached, Killian's gaze shifted to us, immediately meeting mine. His calm demeanor faltered, replaced by a look of shock, tinged with a hint of worry. I swore I could see smoke coming out of his nose and ears as his anger flared. He turned to look at the two boys beside me, and all I heard next was Easton mutter under his breath, "Fuck."