DESIRE ME IF YOU CAN [EN] - Chapter 25

The punch landed squarely on Grayson's face, his tall frame reeling violently.

After a few seconds of silence, a flock of birds, startled by the sudden noise, took flight all at once. Just as the faint sound of their fluttering wings faded, Grayson, who had stumbled backward, slowly turned his head.

When his face returned to its original position, Dane faltered for the first time. Deep purple eyes burned with an eerie glow, flashing gold, then back to purple, the colors shifting wildly.

“Heh... Heheheh.”

An ominous laugh spilled from Grayson's lips. Simultaneously, an immense amount of pheromones erupted from his body. It was clearly an uncontrollable surge of excitement, overflowing regardless of his will. Goosebumps rising on his skin, Dane involuntarily took a step back. He looked truly insane.

“Ahahahahaha, hahaha, hahahaha!”

He was laughing as if the pleasure was killing him. Proving it, Grayson shuddered violently once, his fists clenching slowly but powerfully.

“It's self-defense now.”

Immediately after, he threw himself forward with surprising speed. Straight at Dane.

***

More time passed helplessly than expected. Wilkins anxiously alternated between checking his wristwatch and staring at the hill.

“Isn't this taking too long?”

When someone spoke up, another replied.

“Tell me about it. Even at a snail's pace, they should've been back by now.”

“And for Dane to be this late is weird. Did something happen?”

“No way. A firefighter rescuing another firefighter? And Dane at that?”

While they murmured their worries, DeAndre anxiously chewed his thumbnail. A considerable amount of time had passed since Dane and Grayson disappeared behind the mountain. DeAndre had figured that was plenty of time for the job to be done.

The problem was that it was taking too long.

The hell is going on? Don't tell me something happened to Dane...? Ridiculous. Dane is our ace. There's no way something happened to him because of someone like Miller.

But still, just in case...

Nervous, he kept glancing toward the direction where they had vanished. Please let nothing be wrong.

***

Thwack.

With a loud noise, Dane stumbled heavily. Shit! A startled groan escaped his lips. He had nearly tumbled down the slope. The steep incline led to a cliff that dropped so deep it was terrifying just to look down. If he fell and couldn't stop in time, best case scenario was broken bones; worst case, he's dead.

Maybe I shouldn't have chosen this spot.

For the first time, he questioned his choice, but there was no time for deep thought. Grayson kicked out immediately. Contrary to expectations, he was quite flexible and used his body well. Perhaps he had learned various martial arts from a renowned master. Of course, that wasn't true, but to Dane, who knew little about Grayson, he was formidable enough to make such a guess plausible.

I thought he was just a spoiled rich kid.

This is a mess.

He had to admit his miscalculation. Regret came belatedly. If he had known things would escalate this much, he should have charged at least 100 dollars. He had already done way more than 38 bucks and 25 cents' worth of work; now that he had to fight just to escape, irritation surged. The thing he hated most in the world was exactly this: wasting time and effort needlessly.

I shouldn't have agreed to this shit in the first place!

Regret washed over him, but there was no time for sentimentality. Dane quickly ducked to avoid Grayson's attack, simultaneously planting his hands on the ground and sweeping his leg wide to hook the man's ankle. Grayson, attacking on one foot, rolled easily on the ground, and Dane didn't miss the opening, mounting him.

For a while, the two tangled and rolled in the dirt. When Dane punched Grayson in the face, Grayson grabbed Dane's throat, throwing him down. Dane crossed his long legs over the choking Grayson, locking him in an armbar to escape. As he pressured Grayson with his legs, Grayson flailed his arm from below, trying to choke Dane again.

With his size and strength, his skills were decent for a civilian. But not even close. Even with a bloody nose, Dane smirked at him. He hadn't spent three years in the military for fun. No matter how exceptional, what could a mere civilian do against a former soldier with professional training?

The outcome was practically decided. Dane intended to knock Grayson out and head down first. He had already done far too much work. When he explained the situation, the others would either drag him down or the bastard would wake up and come down on his own.

Anyway, he had absolutely no luck with this guy. Not that he would want a good connection even if offered, but this was already the third time he had to knock him out.

Maybe leaving town really was the right move.

He didn't believe in fate or anything like that. But running into and getting entangled with him like this was definitely not a good sign. Besides, the guy was bad news. A crazy psychopath who laughed while crushing an Omega with pheromones—even while handcuffed in a burning mansion—and filthy rich to boot. Dane had now floored him three times with pheromones and fists. Of course, he had accepted the request for this current situation, so he couldn't complain...

Damn it.

Putting it into words just pissed him off more. Ever since this guy came to his quiet workplace, nothing had gone right. He might seriously have to talk to Darling about leaving town soon.

Just as he applied the final pressure with that thought, Grayson suddenly grabbed Dane's arm. Last-ditch effort? But what happened next was unexpected. Grayson pulled Dane with immense force, and in that moment of distraction, Dane tumbled down the slope with him.

***

The test started in broad daylight, but even as the sun began to set, it wasn't over. Everyone gathered looked only at the mountain, anxious. Finally unable to stand it, Ezra spoke urgently.

“Shouldn't we go check? What if there was an accident?”

Starting with his words, voices of concern erupted from everywhere.

“Taking way too long. Something definitely happened! There's no way Dane would be this late.”

“If they're hurt, the sooner we rescue them, the better. Even for Dane, luck runs out, right?”

“Forget Miller! We gotta save Dane!”

Wilkins was troubled by the pouring outcry. He was just as worried, but as the one who initiated this, it wasn't easy to make a move. However, telling the staff to wait a little longer had reached its limit. There was no time to delay. Once the sun set, searching would be difficult even on a small mountain. It was better to move sooner rather than later.

While contemplating the right timing, an unexpected voice cut in.

“What is everyone doing here? If you got time to chat, go do some PT!”

At the stern reprimand, they all turned around in unison. As expected, the Chief stood there, watching them with a furious face.

“Uh, well, Chief...”

Ezra tried to fabricate an excuse but failed. Seeing him flounder, Wilkins stepped forward to take responsibility.

“Sorry, sir. We were running a fitness test for Miller.”

“A fitness test? For Miller? Without telling me?”