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As I drift off, I can't shake the feeling that everything is about to change.
???
I'm jolted awake by a firm hand on my shoulder, my heart racing as I blink away the remnants of sleep. Marcus looms over me, his expression tense in the dim light filtering through my curtains.
"Wha—" I start, but he cuts me off with a gesture.
"I got a call," he says, his voice low and urgent. "There's an emergency at the construction site. I need to go."
I sit up, suddenly very aware that I'm wearing only a thin tank top and shorts. Marcus's eyes flicker over me for a moment before snapping back to my face, his jaw clenching.
"Okay," I say, running a hand through my tangled hair. "So... go?"
He shakes his head. "I can't leave you alone. You'll have to come with me."
I blink at him, incredulous. "Are you serious? It's the middle of the night!"
"I know, but it's not safe for you to stay here unprotected," he insists, his tone brooking no argument.
I want to protest, to tell him I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself for a few hours. But the memory of that threatening note flashes through my mind, and I find myself nodding reluctantly.
"Fine," I sigh, throwing off my covers. "Give me five minutes to get dressed."
Marcus nods, retreating from my room. As I pull on jeans and a sweater, I can't help but feel annoyance and... something else. The way he looked at me when he woke me up, that brief moment of heat in his eyes before he masked it with his usual stoic expression – it's doing things to me that I really don't want to examine too closely.
We're in his truck within minutes, the pre-dawn streets empty and quiet. Marcus drives with intense focus, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. I stifle a yawn, still groggy from being woken up so abruptly.
"So," I say, breaking the silence, "what exactly is this emergency?"
Marcus glances at me briefly before turning his attention back to the road. "There's been a critical malfunction in the security system at the site. It's causing cascading failures across multiple systems. If we don't get it under control quickly, it could lead to significant delays and potential damage."
I nod, impressed despite myself. It sounds serious, and I can see why it couldn't wait until morning. "And they called you because...?"
"I'm the site supervisor," he explains.
We pull up to the construction site, and I'm surprised by how massive it is. Skeletal structures of half-finished buildings loom against the night sky, surrounded by a maze of equipment and materials.
As we approach the main office trailer, a harried-looking man hurries out to meet us. "Thank god you're here, Marcus," he says, relief evident in his voice. Then his eyes land on me, and his expression turns quizzical. "Who's this?"
Marcus's jaw tightens almost imperceptibly. "Did you try calling Liam?" he asks, his voice low and controlled.
The man nods, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Yeah, several times. He's not picking up."
I watch as Marcus's shoulders slump slightly. He takes a deep breath, and I can almost see him mentally shifting gears, pushing aside whatever feelings Liam's absence has stirred up.
"This is Zoe," Marcus answers his earlier question. "She's with me. What's the situation?"
As the man – Jim, I learn – explains the technical details of the malfunction, I find myself zoning out. It's all a bit over my head, to be honest. But watching Marcus take charge, his voice firm and authoritative as he starts issuing orders, is... well, it's kind of hot.
I shake my head, annoyed with myself. Now is not the time to be ogling my supposed protector. Especially when he’s been perfectly clear that nothing is going to happen between us.
"Zoe," Marcus's voice snaps me back to attention. "I hate to ask, but since you're here... would you mind helping out?"
I blink, surprised. "Uh, sure. What do you need?"
He gestures to a bank of computers. "We need to reset these systems manually. It's basically just turning them off and on again in a specific sequence. Think you can handle that?"
I nod, oddly pleased that he's including me rather than just leaving me to sit around. "Yeah, I can do that. Just show me what to do."
