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- Chapter Four -

Bach

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Pacing through thebuilding, I glared at my phone once again. Violet's rapid messages stared back at me:

Still waiting at airport.

She's not here yet.

No word.

Won't answer her phone.

Something is wrong.

Yes, somethingwasfucking wrong; my world was falling apart, and the one flicker of hope had gone missing somewhere inside of LAX. I crossed my office, then back again.Fuck it.

Shoving my phone deep in my jacket pocket, I took pointed strides out into the hall.I can't take this sitting around.I'd go to the airport myself. It was the only thing I could think of. I was a man of action, often to a fault.

Too impatient to wait for the elevator, I jogged down the stairs. All of the swimming I did kept me in good shape. I reached the balcony that overlooked the lobby in record time. I put one heel onto the top step, then froze at what I saw below.Are you kidding me?

There was always foot traffic in my building. People loved taking tours here to view all the signed records on our walls, plus, there was the hope of running into someone famous. Even among all the bustling bodies, it was easy to spot her.

With the sunlight brightening the room through the floor to ceiling windows, her tan skin looked like gold. Black, glossy hair tickled past her curved ears that were free of any jewelry. She was wearing torn jeans and a zipped up yellow hoodie that was clearly too warm for the weather. Her basic sandals showed off her un-pedicured feet.

Amina looked more out of place than a cat at a dog show.

And yet...

She had an energy that said she didn't mind. Her poise, the casual tilt of her head and the way she bent one knee—all of it translated into making it feel like the world was revolving aroundher.

What an insane thought,I warned myself. She was a normal girl with an abnormal voice; as much as I wanted her to be special, once you stripped the gauze away, she was a nobody. It was my job to change that.

As I drew closer to her, passing the next to last step on the staircase, something in the air stirred. Then she looked at me.