“Because you’re both acting weird! I’d also be a little scared to come back when I know two lunatics are huddled behind the counter waiting for me.” I shrug off their hands and stand up. “Quit being ridiculous. And this isn’t a very good hiding spot. I’m pretty sure everyone can see you from the outside.” I look over my shoulder and stare at the figure inside the black sedan. I can see him hunched over the steering wheel looking directly at us.
His demeanor seems a little less friendly, unlike earlier when he was all smiles. “He’s giving me the creeps. Like, he’s waiting for someone. Or something,” Rie infers.
“Or for someone to give him back his wallet?” I offer while gathering my raven hair into a ponytail.
I pat down my back pocket to make sure I have my valuables with me. “No, Isabela. I’m serious. Something seems… off. Don’t go yet. Just wait for us to close up the café and we’ll walk you to your car.” Rie grabs my hand. “Please.” I smile at the sweet gesture. “What if he turns out to be one of your stalkers? I feel bad just letting you go out there on your own.”
I exhale sharply, vaguely recalling the details of a story I once told my friends. I mentioned that I had stalkers during one shift, and that at any moment they might attack me because of my family’s status. It’s entirely plausible and simple enough to remember, and it doubles as a good excuse if I ever need to miss a day of work.
“She’s right.” Nina looks at me imploringly. “You know, we’re ready to protect you anytime, right? Don’t go home tonight. Stay with me!” she suggests.
“I appreciate it, seriously. But you know what my family is capable of.”Well, not all of it, I mentally add. “And you know I’m not some helpless little girl. I’m going to be fine,” I reassure them. Concern still laced their features, but it seems like I’ve appeased them.
“Fine,” Rie sighs at me, “but we’ll go outside and give this back to him. And we’ll make sure you’ll get to your car.” She waves the wallet in front of my face.
“Okay, that seems fair. Let’s go.” I fall a few steps behind and let my friends continue toward the black sedan.
The man inside lowers his window and flashes them a smile.It’s a good thing we’re in public.I narrow my eyes at the exchange.There are multiple CCTVs hidden all around the café, and numerous cars are passing by the minute since we’re beside a busy road.Whatever happens, I know he won’t make a scene,I think to myself.
The sound of faint footsteps coming toward us breaks me out of my thoughts.They’re coming closer to us. I feel my entire body bristle with fear.Two, no, three people? There are more hiding somewhere, I bet. I utter a silent apology to my friends and slip away furtively to find my car behind the café.
I can see my silver Audi a couple of yards away, nestled in between a minivan and a sports car.Huh? Where’d those come from? This parking space was closed earlier. I quicken my pace, hoping to get in my car and drive away without confronting who or what is following me. As I do, I hear my pursuers break into a jog and I feel my heart start to race.
“Fuck,” I curse under my breath.I don’t think I’m going to make it. Scrambling for a quick solution, my eyes settle on the lush trees and overgrown shrubbery in front of me. I realize that there’s only one thing left to do.
Run.
Chapter Three
“After her! Now!” I hear a gruff voice yell from behind me. I break out in a sprint toward the woods, desperate to lose my pursuers.
“Do these wackos have nothing better to do?” I half-whisper to myself. I weave in between the low-hanging branches and thick roots that cover the forest floor, careful not to trip over anything. With every step I take, I hear four more footsteps following me.They’re closing in on me,I think to myself as I leap across a fallen log with ease.
“Give it up, princess! We’ve got you surrounded,” a voice sneers. I look back just in time to see a blonde-haired man reach for my face. I grab his wrist, and pull him hard toward me. Using his own weight against him, he stumbles forward and I take this chance to knee him in the face.
“Go back to hell,” I whisper as he falls flat on his face.
“Jean!” someone shouts after him, and I take this as a sign to run even faster.
I turn to my left only to come face to face with a burly man. “Ooh, she’s a feisty one!” He snickers. “Come here, girly. We won’t hurt you,” he leers, “I promise.” He lunges at me with both hands and I take a quick side step to my right. In his split second of confusion, I push all my weight to my left leg and use the momentum to roundhouse kick him.
I feel my foot connect to the side of his head, and he falls to his knees. “Fuck off,” I spit and hit him on the back of his head, knocking him out. I take off my face mask while running and throw it in the opposite direction of where I am going.Go follow my scent that way, you dogs. I smirk to myself.But that can only buy me a few minutes of time. I need to act fast. I slide in between a couple of tall bushes, taking a handful of dirt and rubbing it all over me.
“When someone is pursuing you, make sure to hide your scent well,”I recall my father saying to me while playfully smearing clay on my face.“This is your first line of defense. Do you understand, Isabela?”he said to little eight-year-old me. That was one of his last reminders before he disappeared. I’ve always hated that memory.
“Thanks for the advice, Dad,” I mutter as I gather more dirt and leaves and rub them all over my backpack.
I try to steady my breathing and focus on the environment. “Over there!” I hear someone bark, and I automatically crouch down to hide. A woman and another man run past my hiding spot. I stay still for a few minutes until the smell of sandalwood has become faint.
I get back up and sprint again. I frantically scan the ground, looking for something to defend myself with. There’s nothing but leaves, tiny rocks, and small branches, nothing I can use. “Nothing deadly, at least,” I tell myself. After a few minutes of running, I slow down a little.
Just then, I feel myself getting pulled by my backpack. “Hi.” A tall, muscular blonde-haired man holds me by the arms. “Aren’t you a pretty, young thing?” he muses as he grabs my chin and tilts my head upward. I struggle against his grip, but he’s much stronger than I am. “Are you lost? This is no place for royalty like you, you know?” He brings his face closer to mine, inhaling deeply. “You smell nice. Very…pure,” he emphasizes the last word. “Just my type.” He grins. I feel my eye twitch at that. I raise my right foot just a little bit and stomp hard on his toes. He yelps in pain, and I jump and push myself backward in an attempt to make him fall on the forest floor. It works and I land on top of him.
I turn quickly, clasp my hands together, and sucker punch him in the gut. “Ew.” I sneer and kick him in the crotch for good measure. He groans in agony, and I take off running.
I can’t keep fighting them. What if they suddenly turn?I shake my head as I go deeper into the woods.I’ll be dead before I know it. The sound of footsteps is still hot on my trail, but I keep moving forward.
“Isabela!” a foreign voice calls out to me. “You won’t be able to escape us you know!” he mocks, with a slight chuckle. “So why don’t you just give up, come here and let’s talk, yeah?” I feel a slight cramp on my left leg but I don’t let myself slow down.