Forty-seven - A steamy date ahead!

It came again, sending chills down her spine.

It was without doubts the distant shrieks that kept her up on certain nights. But did that mean...?

She quickly shook her head and got rid of the question about to be brought up. As Chloe set to find a way to the scream, it came again, this time with painful pleas.

'Please... he-help me. D- d-don't-'

'Shut it!'

The sudden male voice startled Chloe.

'Don't talk at all or I'll bash this into your face!' The man's voice wasn't familiar, but the fact that she could really hear everything freaked her out.

Next came some scuffling, then muffled cries. Certainly the lady that screamed wasn't the only one there.

But where exactly was the noise coming from?

Chloe closed her eyes as she heard the metal scraping again. As she did, the question she had been avoiding dropped.

Were the brothers really running a trafficking ring? Right within their premises?

The audio evidence penetrating her ears made her shudder. Was it finally happening? Was she finally going to face the dreaded moment so soon? Despite whatever emotion she felt, she had an obligation to report them with evidence if found guilty.

That fact made an earlier eager Chloe to add reluctance to her footsteps. A force pulled her back and tugged at her chest so hard, it hurt.

'Eat!' The commanding, rough voice came again and as Chloe made to move to the next room to see if she would find something, her eyes met Nathaniel's.Her startled self found it suddenly hard to breathe.

"Chloe?" he called from the entrance he stood.

A cautionary finger up, her voice almost quivering she asked, "What is going on here?"

"Let me explain-"

"I am not imagining it right? The voices are real right?" she asked, a part of her wishing his response would put her aching heart to rest.

But then...

"Chloe..." He moved closer. "No one was supposed to know about this."

Her eyes bulged. It was true. It was all true. "Are you-" She swallowed as she ignored her sense of duty. "Are you guys trafficking women or what?"

"What?" He frowned. "No. Lord, no! I know it seems like it, but we are in no way involved with what is going on down there."

"Really?" Her heart pounded even more, her sort of enlarged eyes watching him with caution as he moved closer.

"Okay..." He heaved a deep sigh. "Let me start by saying-" The scraping noise came again, this time louder. Without warning, Nathaniel grabbed her arm and walked them out of the shed.

"Well?" she asked impatiently as he took a second to look ahead at the setting sun.

"Chloe, the same way you heard that noise today is the same way I did about six months ago." She frowned. "And since then, I have been trying to find the exact entry to whatever crazy thing it is that is happening below our house."

Chloe found herself relaxing a bit. But she didn't let her guard down totally. "Does Amir and Gabriel know?" He shook his head. "Why?"

"I don't want to bother them with it. So I only told Sebastian who has helped in so many ways. But in the end we eventually get nothing."

"And you can't involve the police," she more of stated than asked.

"The same way you instantly thought we were running some crime organization is the same way they would conclude we are the ones running whatever is going on in that underground den. And since open and shut cases is their fancy, we won't get a shot at freedom."

If what Nathaniel was saying was true, that meant someone was trying to frame them and have them jailed hence the trafficking and rape charges. Markings probably.

Chloe sighed and looked into Nathaniel's eyes. "I am-"

"Don't say it."

"Uh?" She blinked.

"Don't say you are sorry. You were not wrong to act in such a manner." She looked to the side and began to ponder again.

Maybe it was time she finally defied the Agency completely. They didn't want her investigating Amir's innocence. Well, they would have to deal with her digging into the truth around the trafficking charges.

And as for Markings and his deal-

"Let's go for a walk," Nathaniel said, grabbing her hand.

Chloe did not argue, she followed him, letting her body grow more and more used to his warmth. "I have a question though..." She leveled with his pace. "What will you tell others if something goes wrong and it seems like you are all involved in this underground thing?"

"I'd rather they don't know at all," came his response.

"Why?" He shrugged.

Then he stopped his steps and faced her, the evening sun shadowing him. "All I know is I want to always protect them." His gaze deepened. "The way I want to always protect you."

A nice breeze came after his heart fluttering statement and it ruffled her hair which she had decided to let down. Taking one more step forward, his hands went to her head and combed her hair down.

Chloe saw how serious he looked while doing that and she felt so moved. As he sat her hair down the way he saw fit, she asked, "I should really tell you guys who it is, right?"

His hand motion stopped and he looked down into her eyes. "Does a part of you want to?" She nodded.

If there was a way she could go about it and not risk being exposed, she would grab the idea instantly.

"A part of me also feels guilty and sorry towards you all."

"Why?"

She gave a sad smile. Maybe it was high time to take a risk. Dropping a hint sounded like a good start. "The person that-" She swallowed as it almost seemed like Markings was lurking around watching her.

"Chloe?" Nathaniel made her look into his eyes.

"He wants me to plant evidence that would implicate you."

Nathaniel's hands left her hair and he took a step back, small nods coming from him. "The person is a male then. Why does he want to implicate us?"

"I don't know."

"Hmm. Chloe?" She looked up from the grass beneath her feet and he pulled her into an embrace. "Don't worry whoever it is, he won't get to lay a finger on you. I promise."

Chloe found herself smiling. False charges and crazy discoveries aside, the mission was giving her something she wouldn't forget for a while no matter what happens.

"Hey," he called and quite childishly, she looked up at him. "Let's have our date here." Her eyes met the ball ahead whose beauty captivated her.

"We could have it around this time. So we can watch the sun set. It is just so beautiful." She sounded so happy.

"I think my eyes will be watching something more beautiful, " he said almost quietly and with her heart pounding a bit, she met his eyes. "And I can't wait to watch her all night long."

Chloe had no idea she had a wide smile on her lips. All she knew was her heart kept feeling so weird in an amazing way.

"I will show you something that day," he added, his hand holding her even tighter.

"What?" she whispered.

"You have to be patient Chloe," he teased then followed his sentence with a wink that made her grow immediately hot. Very hot.

Her head leaning to the back, she fanned herself with her hands, trying hard to not make crazy sounds.

"We should-"

"Yeah, I need to-" they said at the same time.

"Shall we go back then?" Nathaniel asked, a smile in his eyes. As Chloe nodded, he grabbed her hand. "Oh, before I forget..." he said as he had them walking already. "Brace yourself when coming for the date."

"Why? Brace myself how?"

"It is going to become very... very steamy." The darn look in his gorgeous blue eyes...

Chloe's cheek immediately burnt giving Nathaniel a reason to laugh.

And she found that a very beautiful sight.