Chapter 72 - Jealousy In The Air (1/2)

Halia held onto the coffee that Max brought her and sipped at it nervously as she tried to maintain her composure. She couldn't believe that Sean was down there in the lab with them.

”Are you OK?” Jackson asked as he approached, noticing that Halia was in a bit of a daze.

He gently patted her on the head and smiled at her lovingly.

Sean watched this interaction from the closet with suspicion. Why did these two seem so close?

Halia jumped a little and looked up at the man awkwardly. She knew that Sean was watching. What would he think if he knew that she was officially dating her target? That was completely against the rules of being an undercover officer.

At that moment, Jackson grabbed her chin and began to lean over. Halia looked into his eyes and knew what he was thinking: he wanted to kiss her.

”I love it when you smell like coffee,” he whispered seductively.

The man's voice sent tingles down her spine. But, she had to resist.

Sean clenched his fists from inside the closet. He couldn't hear what Jackson said, but there was something ambiguous about the atmosphere. Jackson was a man and Halia was a woman, and the two of them had already spent one night down here alone together. Did something happen between them? For some reason, he felt a complex mix of emotions. He wasn't just merely concerned; he was also a little jealous. While he was running around worried about Halia all day, while he was preparing gifts for her birthday, was she down here doing something indecent with her target. If this continued, would she become emotionally invested and possibly even cover for him? Could he still trust her?

At that moment, he noticed the little black dress on Halia's body. Had she been walking around Jackson in revealing clothes like that, this whole entire time?

While Sean's anger grew inside the closet, Jackson had leaned in so close to Halia that she could feel his warm breaths on her lips. She wanted so much to kiss him, but she knew Sean was watching. So, in a panic, she dropped her coffee on the table and it rolled onto the ground.

Halia screamed, pretending to be surprised.

”Stay still, I'll go get the mop,” Jackson quickly said as he looked down at the mess. He then turned and headed for the closet.

Halia's eyes quickly opened wide as her heart raced. ”No!” she yelled. That was where Sean was hiding! Had her plan backfired?

Jackson looked at Halia curiously.

”Errrm...get a tea towel first. I want to wipe the table,” she instructed.

Jackson nodded confusedly and walked over to the little kitchenette in the opposite direction to find a tea towel.

”I'll get the mop,” she volunteered as she stood up and started hopping over to the closet.

Jackson looked at her worriedly, ”Be careful of your foot.”

”OK,” she replied.

Just as she reached the closet, she checked to see if Jackson was looking before she opened the door. But, while she was glancing back, she felt a tug on her hand. Sean had pulled her into the closet with him.

It was a fairly big closet, enough to fit two people and shelves on three sides.

Sean pinned Halia against one of the shelves and looked down at her. He was so close that she could feel his body against hers, but it was so dark that she couldn't make out his expression.