Chapter 5: Curiosity Almost Got Me Killed
1855 Words
Ria's POV
If there was one thing I hated more than forgetting my wallet...
It was forgetting something that actually mattered.
I had just finished taking a shower when I reached for my purse.
Something felt... wrong.
I frowned and looked at it again.
My smile disappeared.
"My potato..."
I immediately opened my bag and started digging through everything inside.
Lip balm.
Hair tie.
Receipts.
Three pieces of candy.
A tiny notebook.
An empty packet of tissues.
But no potato keychain.
I emptied my entire purse onto the bed.
Nothing.
"Oh, no..."
I sat there for a moment, trying to remember where I had last seen it.
Then it hit me.
The clubhouse.
I had taken my keys out while talking to Cassian earlier.
After that...
Everything became a blur.
"Please don't tell me I left it there."
I groaned and buried my face in my pillow.
It wasn't just any keychain.
My younger cousin had won it at a school fair and insisted on giving it to me because, according to her, "It looks happy like Ate Ria."
I couldn't lose it.
Not that one.
I looked at the clock.
9:42 p.m.
Too late.
A normal person would've waited until tomorrow.
Unfortunately...
I had never been a normal person.
"I'll be in and out," I told myself while grabbing my hoodie.
"Five minutes."
I pointed at my reflection.
"No talking."
"No touching expensive motorcycles."
"And absolutely no causing trouble."
I nodded proudly.
"I can do this."
Fifteen minutes later...
I was standing outside the Nocturne Ravens clubhouse.
The place looked completely different at night.
The loud music was gone.
The laughter had disappeared.
Only a few motorcycles were parked outside, their polished bodies reflecting the dim streetlights.
I swallowed.
"Why is this place so creepy at night?"
I quietly pushed the gate open.
It squeaked.
I froze.
Nobody came out.
"...Good."
I tiptoed inside like a thief.
Except...
I wasn't stealing anything.
I was retrieving my own property.
That made it legal.
Probably.
The garage was almost empty.
I checked the bench where I had been sitting yesterday.
Nothing.
Then I checked near the toolbox.
Nothing.
I even looked under a motorcycle.
Still nothing.
I sighed.
"Come on, little potato..."
"You can't abandon me now."
Just then, I heard voices coming from a room down the hallway.
Deep voices.
Serious voices.
I recognized one of them immediately.
Zephyr.
My curiosity instantly woke up.
"No."
I shook my head.
"Don't do it."
I took one step toward the hallway.
Then another.
"...Just one tiny peek."
Curiosity wasn't a crime.
Right?
I carefully leaned against the wall outside the room.
The door wasn't fully closed.
A small gap allowed me to hear everything.
"We have a problem," Zephyr said.
His voice was colder than usual.
"The shipment is moving tonight."
Cassian answered.
"We're certain there's a traitor inside."
My eyes widened.
A traitor?
This suddenly sounded like one of those action movies Lyra loved watching.
Another biker spoke.
"If he escapes tonight, we'll lose him forever."
I covered my mouth.
Oh.
This sounded... serious.
Maybe I really shouldn't be listening.
I slowly stepped backward.
"I heard nothing."
"I know nothing."
"I am leaving."
My heel bumped into a metal shelf.
I froze.
Please don't—
CLANG!
A wrench fell.
Then another.
A heavy toolbox crashed onto the floor with a deafening bang.
The entire clubhouse fell silent.
I stared at the mess.
"...Oops."
Inside the room, chairs scraped loudly against the floor.
"Someone's outside."
"Check it."
Footsteps.
Fast footsteps.
"Oh, no."
My survival instincts finally kicked in.
I grabbed the nearest doorknob and rushed inside the first room I saw.
It was completely dark.
I quietly shut the door behind me and pressed both hands over my mouth.
My heart pounded so loudly I was convinced everyone outside could hear it.
Footsteps stopped outside.
The doorknob turned.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Please don't open..."
The knob stopped moving.
Someone spoke outside.
"Nobody's here."
The footsteps moved away.
I slowly exhaled.
"I almost died because of a wrench."
Then...
I heard another sound.
Not from the hallway.
From behind me.
A quiet click.
My blood ran cold.
I turned around very slowly.
A pair of boots stepped out of the darkness.
Then another.
Someone else was inside the storage room with me.
The man smiled.
"Well..."
His voice was soft.
"It looks like we caught ourselves a little mouse."
My heart nearly stopped.
For a few seconds, I completely forgot how to breathe.
The man stepped farther into the faint light coming through the small window. He was tall, dressed in black from head to toe, with a leather jacket that didn't have the Nocturne Ravens emblem.
Instead, another patch was stitched onto the back.
I didn't recognize it.
Which was enough to tell me one thing.
He wasn't supposed to be here.
"...Hi?" I said weakly.
The man tilted his head.
"You're not one of Zephyr's people."
"No."
He smiled.
"Good."
I smiled back out of pure panic.
"Actually... I'm not really anyone's people."
He chuckled.
"I like you."
"Thank you?"
"But now I have a problem."
I blinked.
"What problem?"
"You've seen me."
My smile slowly disappeared.
"...Oh."
That sounded very bad.
Very, very bad.
He took one step toward me.
Instinctively, I took one step back.
"I can keep secrets," I blurted out.
He laughed.
"I'm sure you can."
"I really can."
"I don't believe you."
"That's fair."
He continued walking toward me.
My back hit the wall.
There was nowhere else to go.
My brain desperately searched for an escape plan.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Then my eyes landed on a dusty broom leaning against the wall.
Perfect.
Or maybe not.
I grabbed it anyway and pointed it at him like it was a sword.
"Stay back."
The man looked down at the broom.
"...Are you threatening me with cleaning equipment?"
"It has a long handle."
He laughed louder.
"I've met fearless people before."
"I'm not fearless."
"No?"
"I'm terrified."
"Then why are you pointing that broom at me?"
"Because I don't have anything cooler."
For a second, he simply stared at me.
Then he shook his head.
"You're strange."
"I've been told."
Another step.
I squeaked and swung the broom.
I completely missed.
Instead, I accidentally hit a stack of empty paint cans beside me.
CRASH!
The noise echoed through the entire clubhouse.
"Oh, come on!"
Footsteps thundered outside.
The stranger's expression changed instantly.
He grabbed my wrist.
Before I could scream—
The storage room door burst open.
"Ria!"
Zephyr.
Relief flooded through me so quickly that my knees almost gave out.
The stranger immediately shoved me aside and rushed toward the back window.
Cassian and two other bikers chased after him without hesitation.
Within seconds, they disappeared into the night.
Silence returned.
Well...
Almost.
Because Zephyr was staring at me.
And somehow...
That felt scarier than the stranger.
I smiled awkwardly.
"So..."
He didn't answer.
I cleared my throat.
"Funny story?"
Still nothing.
He stepped closer.
"What."
Were.
You.
Doing.
Here?"
Each word came out slow and controlled.
Uh-oh.
He was using the calm voice.
The calm voice was dangerous.
"I came back for my potato keychain."
He blinked once.
"What?"
"My potato keychain."
I carefully pulled it out of my hoodie pocket.
"I found it."
Cassian returned just in time to hear me.
He looked at the tiny smiling potato.
Then at me.
Then at Zephyr.
"You almost got kidnapped..."
He pointed at the keychain.
"...because of that?"
I looked at the potato.
Then at him.
"When you say it like that..."
"It sounds ridiculous."
"Exactly."
"It is ridiculous."
I sighed.
"I know."
Zephyr rubbed his forehead.
"I told you not to come here alone."
"I thought I'd only be here for five minutes."
"You've been here for almost thirty."
"...Time flies?"
"No."
I smiled sheepishly.
"That wasn't the right answer, was it?"
"No."
He let out a long breath before looking directly into my eyes.
"Do you have any idea what could've happened if we hadn't heard that noise?"
"I..."
For the first time...
I didn't have a joke.
I looked down at my shoes.
"No."
His voice softened ever so slightly.
"That man wasn't here to scare you."
"I know."
"He would've taken you."
A chill ran down my spine.
The image of his hand grabbing my wrist flashed through my mind again.
I swallowed hard.
"I'm sorry."
It was the first sincere apology I'd given him.
No jokes.
No excuses.
Just two simple words.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then...
Something warm landed on top of my head.
I looked up.
Zephyr was...
Patting my head?
Very awkwardly.
Like he had never done it before.
"There."
He immediately pulled his hand away.
"...Don't do that again."
I stared at him.
"Did..."
He looked away.
"What?"
"Did you just pat my head?"
"No."
"You absolutely did."
"I didn't."
"You did!"
Cassian burst into laughter.
"I saw it too!"
Zephyr shot him a glare.
Cassian quickly looked away.
"I didn't see anything."
I smiled so widely my cheeks hurt.
"So the scary biker knows how to comfort people."
"I was making sure you weren't injured."
"Mhm."
"That's all."
"Mhm."
"Stop smiling."
"I can't."
He sighed.
"I noticed."
One of the club members approached Zephyr.
"Boss."
"We searched the area."
"No sign of them."
Zephyr nodded once.
"Double the security."
"Yes, Boss."
The biker walked away.
I looked at Zephyr.
"So..."
"So?"
"I'm officially banned from coming here alone, aren't I?"
"Yes."
"And if I ignore that?"
"I'll personally bring you home."
I tilted my head.
"Every time?"
"Every time."
I grinned.
"...That's actually convenient."
He stared at me.
"I said it as a warning."
"I know."
"It wasn't an offer."
"I know."
"But free rides are free rides."
Cassian laughed so hard he nearly dropped his helmet.
Zephyr closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"I don't know what to do with you."
I smiled innocently.
"You could start by buying me fruit tarts."
He looked at me in disbelief.
"You forgot your own tarts."
"I did."
"And now you want me to buy you some?"
"Sharing heals emotional trauma."
Cassian laughed again.
Even a couple of bikers nearby were trying not to smile.
Zephyr simply shook his head.
Then...
For the first time since we'd met...
I heard it.
A quiet laugh.
It lasted less than a second.
But it was real.
My eyes grew wide.
"You laughed."
"I didn't."
"You did!"
"I exhaled."
"That was a laugh."
"It wasn't."
"It absolutely was."
He started walking toward his motorcycle.
"Come on."
I hurried after him with the biggest smile on my face.
Mission accomplished.
Well...
Almost kidnapped.
Almost cried.
But...
I finally heard Zephyr Draven laugh.
I'd call that a successful night.
Little did I know...
Across the street, inside a parked black SUV, someone lowered a camera after taking several photos of us.
The man smirked as he sent them to one contact.
Ryder Vale.
Target confirmed.
The girl is important to Zephyr.
A reply arrived only seconds later.
Bring her to me.
- Writer
