Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 6

A drenched man walked out of the rough sea. It was as if a sea god had transformed into a human and appeared on earth. His long fingers brushed back his dripping hair, his deep purple eyes stared straight at the screen, and his lips held a faint sneer. Chase Miller could never be just another human.

At the same time, feeling his heart plummet, Josh realized. Sadly, unless his brain was completely pulverized, he would probably never forget that man until he died. This wildly pounding heart was the proof.

The commercial ended, and another screen followed. But Josh couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Soon, the time for a face-to-face encounter was approaching. But he desperately wanted to postpone that moment.

He closed his eyes, trying his best to ignore reality, but regardless of his feelings, the plane was flying rapidly towards California.

“Josh!”

Emma, who was waiting at the airport, brightened up and rushed towards her brother as soon as she saw him. Since Josh was holding Pete in one arm and pulling a suitcase with the other, he let his sister embrace him instead of hugging her back.

Emma, who had taken a deep breath as if suppressing surging emotions, lifted her head from his embrace. Their eyes met, and Josh smiled first. Emma smiled back. Josh greeted her warmly after years of reunion.

“You’re still ugly, you.”

The emotion ended there.

“Anyway, no one knows how nasty his personality is.”

Emma gritted her teeth, repeating the same words several times. Josh sat in the passenger seat, indifferently staring ahead, and said.

“Cut in.”

“Shut up, I’m driving.”

“Step on it, that guy’s coming.”

“I said shut up! Didn’t I say I’m driving?”

At the same time, Emma violently swerved the wheel. She cut in instantly, glaring ahead and cursing. She looked as if she’d rip the steering wheel off and hit Josh over the head if he said one more word.

He glanced back and saw Pete’s eyes darting around nervously. Josh smiled sweetly and made a bird with his hands, flapping its wings. Pete giggled and clapped his hands. All the while, Emma was muttering curses under her breath.

You’re really back.

Closing his eyes and savoring the bright sunlight pouring down, Josh truly felt it.

It was almost a week later when he rejoined the team. In the meantime, Josh spent time with his family, did some shopping for the child, and made various preparations to start his new job.

The house, which he hadn’t visited in a long time, was a complete mess. As if they had been waiting, requests to fix various parts of the house poured in all day, forcing him to hammer away tirelessly. On top of that, he mowed the overgrown lawn, pruned tree branches, had light squabbles with Emma, and occasionally chased away lurking coyotes a few times, and his vacation quickly ended.

Even though he spent the whole day with the child, his heart still ached when it was time to part. The child, who always whimpered and clung to him when he left for work, clung to his leg again this time, shedding tears.

“Daddy, Daddy.”

Josh picked up the child with a heavy heart. As he patted his back, Pete hiccuped. Other times, he could see him in the evening even if they parted in the morning, but this time was different. Since they took turns getting days off, he might not see him for over ten days at longest.

Thinking that he didn’t know when he would see him again, he found it hard to leave. Josh held and comforted the child, unable to leave for nearly 30 minutes.

“Josh, you’ll be late. Go on.”

His mother, who had been watching, reached out her hand. Josh reluctantly accepted the reality that he could no longer postpone. After hugging the child tightly one more time, he regretfully handed him over to his mother, and Pete immediately screamed and thrashed. Leaving the child’s cries behind, he hurriedly got into the car and drove away. His heart ached as if he was about to cry.

“Yeah, it’s the hardest thing in the world.”

As Josh finally joined the group who were having breakfast at the restaurant, Mark nodded as if he understood. He was already a father of three.

“It’s a relief that the eldest has grown a lot. When all three were babies, it was so hard to leave them. Janet went through a lot.”

Since their job often required them to be away for several months like this, it was a topic that parents naturally empathized with. Isaac and Henry, who were still single, mechanically chewed their pancakes without much reaction. Seth, who had been living with his long-term girlfriend, was also the same.

“Coffee, please. Thank you.”

Since he had already eaten, Josh simply ordered a drink. The waitress smiled sweetly and left, then returned a moment later, pulling out a bunch of cheap cream packets from her pocket and placing them on the table. After she left with a knowing wink, Henry blurted out.

“Put on a ring, you con artist.”

Josh just gave a bitter smile. Isaac, who had drenched his pancake in maple syrup, cut a large piece and put it in his mouth, saying.

“Now, let’s talk about the job.”

Everyone’s gaze simultaneously turned to Mark. He glanced around once. The restaurant was almost empty after mealtime. After confirming that the staff were gathered in a corner, immersed in chatter, Mark opened his mouth.

“About a month ago, we received a tip, a warning about C’s K.”

C was their own abbreviation for Chase, and K for Kidnapping. When a client was an excessively famous person or someone who required special security, they used a few abbreviations to prevent leaks.

There was no doubt that Chase C. Miller was a top-priority security target. The reason why the alphabet C was used for Chase was not only because it was the initial of his name but also because it had another meaning.

It was the C for Crazy.

“The FBI is investigating, but there are no clear leads yet. And the identity of the informant hasn’t been revealed either. There are a few suspects, but…”

“Is it a grudge?”

Isaac suddenly cut into Mark’s words and asked. Immediately, Henry next to him criticized him.

“You idiot, why do you carry your head around? If it’s a grudge, you can’t identify the suspect, everyone who knows that bastard would want to kill him.”

It was true. Chase Miller was so outstanding that his mere existence could provoke hostility, but a single word exchanged with him was enough to turn that animosity into murderous intent. And no one at this table, not even Josh, who simply drank his coffee in silence, refuted him.

Isaac also seemed to agree, closing his mouth, but his expression was not good. It was a natural reaction. Henry’s rough language never got easier to get used to, even after several years.

Mark cleared his throat and continued.

“For now, the speculation is that it might be the work of some fanatic cult, a very large criminal organization, or even obsessed fans. Or perhaps all of them.”

A religious group doing crazy things was plausible. Obsessed fans doing things was also common. But the other one was strange.

“Why a criminal organization?”

Mark answered Seth, who had asked the question Josh was about to ask, with a bewildered expression.

“Why else? For money, of course.”

As he thought of Chase’s enormous appearance fees and the vast assets owned by the Miller family, Mark said something unexpected.

“Do you know how much a True Alpha’s sperm sells for?”

“Sperm?”

He blurted it out unconsciously, and only then did Mark turn to Josh and nod.

“Yes, the child of a True Alpha that everyone wants.”

A chill ran down Josh’s spine, and Pete’s face naturally flashed through his mind. He hurriedly brought the coffee back to his lips to hide his pale face. Meanwhile, Mark continued speaking.

“They say if you get your hands on a True Alpha’s sperm, three generations can live off it. It’s definitely worth targeting. And Chase’s sperm? It would fetch an enormous premium.”

“But True Alphas control conception, don’t they? Even if you force them, you can’t make them have a child with that.”

“Normally, no. That’s why it’s so rare.”

Mark answered Seth’s point.

“Still, there are ways. Everyone knows what happens if a True Alpha can’t release pheromones for a certain period, right?”

“They go crazy.”

Mark nodded at Josh’s mechanical reply.

“All you have to do is confine him and leave him for a few days. A True Alpha who has lost his reason wouldn’t be able to control conception.”

Everyone was silent. A True Alpha’s pheromones were the fundamental power that allowed them to rise to the top and wield authority, but conversely, if they accumulated in the body, they could become a poison that attacked themselves. Because of this, they constantly released pheromones from their bodies as a daily routine. That was why the sweet, unique pheromone scent of True Alphas never disappeared from their surroundings.

However, that only temporarily delayed the accumulation of toxins in the body. The ultimate and simple solution was sex. That justified all of True Alpha’s debauchery. The sheer virility or promiscuity of dealing with several partners a day, all under the pretext of preventing pheromone buildup, was enough to sicken onlookers.

Recalling the frequent orgies they had witnessed while guarding True Alphas, everyone muttered low curses with distorted faces. Josh was no exception.

“Still, Chase doesn’t throw parties at his house.”

That was the only solace. But before Seth’s words could bring relief, Henry gritted his teeth.

“How many years ago was that? You only worked for three or four months back then, what do you know?”

Everyone became gloomy again. Chase Miller, like many stars, often had scandals with his co-stars or colleagues during filming, but when Josh was guarding him, it was quiet, perhaps because he was resting after finishing a project.

Rumors circulated that he had broken up with someone he was dating previously, and countless photos of her dating other men and all sorts of rumors spread, but Chase remained indifferent. And for over three months, he never dated anyone or went to a party to release pheromones.

That’s why he must have completely lost his mind as soon as his rut came, leading to that accident.

Josh thought coldly. If Chase had actively consumed pheromones, Pete would never have been born. Thinking that, his mind was momentarily unsettled by an inexplicable, strange feeling.