Chapter 4

Suddenly, a flash of green appeared in front of Natalie. She realized it was that stoic man. She didn't have time to think. Only one thing echoed in her mind—she couldn't let herself fall into the hands of these traffickers. She mustered all her strength and shouted toward Jasper, "Honey! Honey, help me! They're trying to abduct me!" As a special operations pilot, Jasper had senses sharper than most. Almost the moment she called out, he cut through the crowd with long strides and appeared at her side. "Let go!" The icy command in his voice left no room for argument. Seeing the military uniform on Jasper, Kevin and his accomplices immediately let Natalie go, then bolted from the train. Natalie's legs buckled, and she fell right into Jasper's arms. As she started to fall, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing herself against him. She buried her face in his chest as she murmured, "H-Help... I've been drugged…" Her cheeks were flushed, and her voice was weak and breathy. She was seconds away from completely losing control. With a soft figure pressed against him, Jasper's every muscle went rigid. "Zachary! Go after them!" Jasper shouted to Zachary, then guided Natalie into the nearby restroom before locking the door behind them. As soon as the door clicked shut, Natalie couldn't hold back any longer. A soft moan escaped her lips. The drug's effect was hitting her in full force. Disoriented, she fumbled her hands aimlessly over him, searching for relief. Jasper had never had a woman touch him like this before. Almost instantly, he stiffened and quickly pushed her away. "Don't move!" The warning was icy, but a closer listen would reveal his unsteady breathing. Reaching into his pocket, he felt around for something. As a special operations pilot, he was trained for all kinds of situations and always carried emergency antidotes. After pulling out a tiny container, he opened it and tipped a red pill into his hand. He then gripped her chin firmly and forced her to open her mouth to press the pill onto her tongue. The antidote's icy, sharp taste spread through Natalie's mouth, clearing her head a little. When she looked up, her gaze met his. Their faces were so close they could feel each other's breath. Jasper took in her smooth skin and delicate features. A strange, unexplainable feeling stirred in his chest, yet his expression remained as cold as ever. Suppressing any hint of distraction, he turned to leave. The antidote was doing its job. He still had to deal with those traffickers. But Natalie's moment of clarity lasted only a second before the heat overwhelmed her. When she saw that Jasper was about to leave, she quickly lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck. She pulled his head down and, standing on tiptoe, pressed her lips to his. Her dewy eyes blinked up at him helplessly. Jasper was stunned by her boldness. But an iceberg wouldn't melt so easily. A few seconds later, he pulled her arms from around his neck and scolded, "Stand still! Do you even know what you're doing?" Natalie nodded, then shook her head. She looked up at him with those wide, innocent eyes. Jasper's tone went colder. "Are you going to do this to anyone who can save you? Take a good look. Do you know who I am?" Before she could respond, a knock sounded on the door. "Captain Locke, are you in there?" Jasper held Natalie's shoulder firmly to keep her from clinging to him again, then opened the door. Natalie, however, didn't stop. She latched onto his arm and practically burrowed against him. The door swung open, and Zachary's eyes went wide at the sight before him. The words he wanted to say instantly froze on his lips. What on earth was going on? Jasper, the same man who usually treated them like dirt during training and never so much as glanced at any woman, was actually holding one. Moreover, that uniform, which no one was allowed to touch, was now all wrinkled. It was quite a sight to behold. Meanwhile, Natalie was still tugging at Jasper's clothes. Zachary's mind spun as images he definitely shouldn't be thinking about flitted through his head. "Stand properly," Jasper told Natalie. He then raised his hand to pull her grip from his chest before turning to Zachary with a serious expression. "Did you catch them?" Only then did Zachary remember why he'd come. "Yes, but they're denying everything. The railway police would like you to go over and assist with the interrogation." Jasper glanced at Natalie. Thanks to the antidote, most of her flush had faded, and she was looking much calmer. Just then, a female train attendant with a cap arrived. Jasper nodded to her. "Ma'am, please keep an eye on her." The attendant had rushed over as soon as she learned that something had happened on the train. She quickly stepped forward to help Natalie. With that, Jasper and Zachary jumped off the train to meet with the railway police.