Heartbeat [Alec Volturi]

Acquisition

Part One

We were waiting for our next train when Alec got the call. 

He answered in English, but whatever the person on the other line said sent his eyes directly to mine. So, he switched to a language I didn't recognize and turned to Prosper.

I tried to look at Prosper for answers, but his laugh had also disappeared. He was watching Alec intently, a soldier waiting for an order. The command came in the form of a black credit card and brief instructions before he hurried away from us.

I groaned, frustrated with Alec's deliberate attempt to keep me in the dark. His eyes returned to mine through the dark sunglasses and he knew I wasn't pleased. He offered neither an apology nor an excuse, simply shoving the phone back into his pocket and returning to me. "Get your bag," he told me before reaching down and throwing it over his own shoulder anyways.

"What's going on?"

"Your ticket," he requested. I reached into my pocket and handed over the bent, stamped slip of paper. He placed it over his and discarded them in the bin a few steps away.

My jaw dropped. "Why would you—"

Alec took my hand, and when I tried to pull it away, he held it tighter. "Stay close and keep your head down." He didn't wait for me to agree, just pulled me into the throng of people. The dominant language around us had changed from Italian to French. I'd missed being able to understand at least half of what people were saying, rather than none of it. In our haste, however, none of it registered.

We passed the front desk kiosks, heading against the crowd to a less occupied end of the station that was roped off. A single security guard stood in front of it, a woman scanning a couple's tickets. As we approached, I wanted to tell Alec what a shame it was he ripped up our tickets. Because there was no way this lady was letting us through.

That is, until she let us through with a giggle after only a sentence from him. Right. I'd forgotten who I was with.

Alec's hand had switched to my lower back as soon as we left the guard behind us. The platform behind the roped guard was identical to the other, only fewer people waited for their trains. Though I wasn't able to take much more in at the pace Alec was going. He glared around the platform as if they were all potential threats and finally stopped us off at a bench at the furthest end.

His hand left my body and he placed the bag on a bench behind me. Immediately, he pulled the phone back out and began dialling another number. As he placed the phone to his ear, I questioned him again.

"Alec, who are you calling? What's going on?"

He responded in Italian before I realized he was speaking to whoever he had just called, and ignoring me. I glared at him, growing increasingly miffed. I waved my hand to smack him lightly in the chest as a response. Without looking at me, he caught my hand and brought it to his lips before I managed to pull it away. My chest fluttered. Prat.

Prosper joined us a minute after. He passed Alec two newly purchased tickets, holding his own in his other hand as he returned a black platinum card to his inside jacket pocket. I frowned at the exchange. Prosper then said something in Italian, but Alec didn't respond to him either. I looked at Prosper, assuming he would offer me the answers Alec was too distracted to give. "Where are we going?"

Prosper's focus switched to me. "Croatia." I frowned in confusion. We'd only just arrived in France. Alec's phone call was obviously the game-changer, but I wanted to know why we were suddenly turning around to head in the opposite direction.