Blayne

I stopped by the side of the road and took off my heels one by one, and threw them aside so I could run. The pavement was still a little muddy and wet from all that rain, and even now it looked like it might start pouring any second. I was still trying to catch my breath when I heard footsteps again, and without even looking back, I started sprinting. My feet hurt and my lungs were having trouble keeping up with my pace but I kept going. If they were behind me, stopping would be dangerous. They couldn’t keep chasing me forever, could they? I couldn’t keep running forever either.

A sharp pain under the sole of my right foot, made me scream. I stopped and instinctively started nursing my foot. It was bleeding. I couldn’t keep running anymore. There was something stuck that was hurting me.

I saw two men approach and I recognized their faces. They were one of Nick’s bodyguards. I placed my foot gingerly on the ground, without putting any weight on it. I used my other leg to support my body.

“You have to come with us,” James said. The other guy walked up to me and I saw the weapon holster under his jacket.

“Are you going to force me?” I couldn’t believe what they were implying.

“Not if you come quietly,” James quipped.

I stood there waiting for them to do something because there was no way I was going back. They wouldn’t try to force me, that was kidnapping.

The sound of an approaching vehicle tore through the air, and the heavy screech of an Audi landed on the pavement right next to us. For a moment, the driver stayed in the car but then the engine died.

A man stepped out of the car, wearing a black motorcycle jacket and Aviators. His walk alone was enough to make me swoon. Despite the danger I felt from Nick’s guards, the sight of that face was a relief. And then, he took off his shades and those eyes… looked even lighter in the sun. He was looking at me with the same intensity he had before. He turned to the men and smiled. “Is there a problem, gentlemen?”

That voice again. I thought I might never hear it again.

James was quick to respond. “This doesn’t concern you.”

Chase blatantly walked up to me and crouched next to my leg. He gently placed a hand under my foot and I placed a hand on his shoulder for support, so I wouldn’t fall. He ran a hand under my foot and it tickled, but thankfully he stopped when he found a large piece of glass stuck to my skin. He gently removed it but it still stung, and then he slowly got up and held my hands to give me support. “Your foot is still bleeding,” he said. “Don’t put it on the ground, you might infect it with something.”

I was nodding away like an idiot, and I didn’t even know what was happening until Chase placed a hand on my back and I felt it everywhere in my bones, chilling me even though the weather was just pleasant and not cold. His face was so close to mine it was uncomfortable. For some reason, I wanted to just close my eyes, but instead I kept staring at him until he placed a hand underneath my legs and lifted me up. “Can’t risk getting that infection now, can we?” he said. “You’re too precious for me to be sick and lose a foot.” He looked smugly at the men when I put my arms around him to support myself. He said nothing but it was an open invitation. “Well, as you can see gentlemen, this does in fact concern me.”

I know I should have said something but words were stuck in my head. I could barely breathe, let alone think of a retort. Chase carried me to the Audi and placed me in the passenger seat, gently and helped make sure I was safely in before he took that time to stare at me some more and I should tell you I couldn’t stop. He reached into the glove compartment for a Band-Aid and pulled it open, lifted my foot and stuck it gently where the glass had wounded me.

 That act of kindness and generosity, the fear of having to go back, and I started to cry. He smiled at me and wiped my tears away with his fingers. “Stop crying,” he said. “I promise I won’t hurt you. You’re safe with me.”

I wish I could have told him then how much his words had brought a sudden change to my life. That those words would remain etched inside the deepest corners of my heart, always reminding me that kindness exists, that people find love after heartbreak. That there was life after Nick and my parents and everything else that I’d been stuck with so far. His words would give me the kind of strength that I could always use to bring me hope.

“Okay?” he said, and I realized he wasn’t going to leave until he was certain. So, I gave him a nod of my head and shook vigorously until he smiled and stood. I didn’t even try to see if those men Nick sent were still there. It didn’t matter anymore. I knew they couldn’t hurt me. I wasn’t afraid of them anymore.

Chase got into the driver’s side and placed his hand on mine. “I’m taking you to a hotel, is that okay?” he asked. “You can change into something more appropriate and we can get you some clothes and shoes. Then we can talk about a more permanent solution, sounds fair?”

I agreed to it without an argument. “Okay.”

He sounded relieved. “Good. But first, let’s get you a phone.”

“You don’t need to do all that, Chase!”

“Blayne, this money is nothing to me! Stop being so difficult. You need a phone, for fuck sake, for an emergency!”

“Fine, stop yelling.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“You’re the one who just picked me up in front of a bunch of Nick’s men,” I laughed. “Oh God, I can’t believe you just did that!”

He looked strangely at me. “Nick?”

“My fiancé.”

“Right.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I mean… you’re saying I just fended off your fiancés men?”

“Yeah, so?”

“So, isn’t he going to murder me?”

“Well, you should have thought of that before you went all Tarzan mode on me.”

He grinned. “I was kidding! I don’t care if your fiancé is a magical yakuza leader. I’d still kick his ass.”

I made up a ridiculous Tarzan accent. “Me…Tarzan save Jane!”

“You really are annoying. I don’t know why I put up with you!”

“Because you like me!”

“Yes, and I don’t know why.”

“Me neither.”

We both smiled at each other as the car drove on.