Chapter 20 I Still Want You Chloe immediately stepped out of the restroom stall but only caught a glimpse of a figure leaving . As she rushed into the mall , scanning the crowds , she couldn't tell who'd just made the call . She'd overheard them mention an explosion scheduled to go off at a specific time . She wondered if a time bomb had really been planted in the mall . If Brian was the target , the bomb had to be somewhere close to him . She needed to get back to him immediately and evacuate the mall at the same time . Chloe quickly dialed a number she hadn't called in a long time . " Chloe ? " A familiar voice came through on the other end . " It's me . I'm at Pinecrest Mall , " Chloe said , quickly relaying what she'd overheard in the restroom . " Whether the call is real or not , you need to evacuate the mall immediately to prevent casualties . " " Evacuate an entire mall based on a single call ? One wrong move could cause mass panic , " Ethan Hughes replied . " I know you can handle this . Please ! " Chloe urged . " If nothing like this had happened today , would you have never contacted me again ? " Ethan asked . " ... Sorry , " Chloe whispered . " There's nothing to apologize for . I told you before , if it's your order , I'll do it . No questions asked . " The call ended , and Chloe finally breathed a sigh of relief . It was good that Ethan was willing to help . Since he'd agreed , evacuating the mall would be no problem . Now , the remaining task was to get to the top floor and find Brian . Chloe sprinted to the elevator , but it seemed to be out of order and showed no sign of working at all . She cursed under her breath . " Damn it ! Could these people have sabotaged the elevators too ? " She headed for the emergency stairwell instead . She was on the sixth floor , and the top floor was on the tenth , with floors seven , eight , and nine occupied by mall offices . That meant she had to climb four floors as quickly as possible . By the time she reached the eighth floor , she heard the mall's announcement reminding customers to evacuate , saying it was a temporary earthquake and fire safety drill . She realized Ethan had already started evacuating the mall . The biggest problem now was that she didn't know where the bomb was or when it might go off . Chapter 201 Still Want You 2/3 Soon , she reached the top floor . But it was pitch dark - all the lights were out . She heard the sounds of fighting and groans . She shivered as she moved quickly toward the sounds . " Brian , I'm going to kill you ! " a furious shout rang out . Another muffled grunt followed . Chloe's steps quickened . " Brian ... " Then what she saw made her stop in her tracks , and the rest of her words died on her lips . People were sprawled across the floor , scattered in every direction , motionless and unresponsive . In the center stood a tall , imposing figure , his body covered in splatters of blood . Blood dripped from his long fingers , but it didn't seem to be his . As if sensing her gaze , Brian lifted his head to look at Chloe . His dark eyes locked on hers , cold and lifeless , but a faint , chilling smile tugged at the corners of his lips . " You're late . Otherwise , you would have seen an even more interesting scene . " Even though the scene was gruesome , Brian seemed completely unfazed , as if the chaos around him were just a thrilling scene from a movie , and she'd arrived too late to witness it . Chloe stepped forward quickly . " Are you hurt ? " Brian raised an eyebrow . " I thought you would be more concerned about the weaklings lying on the floor , Ms. Quall . " " I'm not that much of a saint , " Chloe said , though the fact that he could still talk to her like this meant he was likely unharmed . " It's not safe here . We need to leave ! " With that , she grabbed Brian's hand , trying to lead him toward the emergency stairwell . But just as they neared it , Chloe suddenly heard a ticking sound . Earlier , she hadn't heard the sound because the sounds from the fight had drowned it out . Now , without the commotion , it rang out unnervingly clear . Could it be a bomb ? Chloe's heart skipped a beat . At that moment , the ticking turned into a crackling electrical sound . Instinctively , Chloe spun around and threw herself over Brian . " Danger ! " she shouted . But the explosion never came . Instead , Brian's calm voice rang out beneath her . " It's not going to explode the way you think . " " What ? " Chloe froze . She looked down and met his deep , unreadable eyes again . Chapter 201 Still Want You " The bomb has been tampered with . Even when the timer hits zero , it won't go off , " Brian said . " You knew about the bomb all along ? " Chloe gasped . " Yes , I knew , " Brian admitted honestly . " But this is the second time . " " The second time ? " she frowned . " The second time you risked your life to save me , " he said , staring at her intently. " Why ? Because you used to serve in the military , and even if it had been someone else in this danger , you would have still tried to save them ? " " Isn't that reason enough ? " she said as she stood . Since the bomb wouldn't explode , she could finally exhale in relief . Soon , Brian's men rushed into the restaurant , quickly removing the bomb and dealing with the fallen assassins . " Mr. Steele , " one of them said , handing him a clean , damp towel and fresh clothes . Brian took the towel and wiped the blood from his hands . Then he pulled off his blood - soaked shirt in front of Chloe , revealing his lean , muscular chest . Chloe spun around in surprise at the sight and quickly turned her back to him . " Since you're fine , Mr. Steele , I'll be going now . " " Ms. Quall , you might want to change your clothes before leaving . Otherwise , it would draw too much attention . " Brian's voice came from behind her . Only then did she notice that her clothes were stained with blood from when she'd fallen on top of him . Soon , one of Brian's men brought her a fresh set of clothes . Chloe didn't refuse and went to the restaurant's staff changing room to get dressed . After all , her blood- stained clothes were far too conspicuous . As they took the elevator down , Brian suddenly said , " I still want you . " Chloe was taken aback . " Have you really never considered being my bodyguard ? " Brian asked . Chloe let out a quiet sigh of relief . So that was what he meant . She replied , " I already said before that I don't plan to be a bodyguard right now , Mr. Steele . Besides , you already have so many bodyguards - they're more than enough to keep you safe . " " But if it were you , no matter what danger we faced , you wouldn't leave me behind , would you ? " he said , staring at her intently .