Chapter 4
682 Words
The gala had finally emptied, leaving only the sound of distant engines and the echo of Selena’s heels against the concrete floor. The parking lot lights flickered, half of them dim from age, throwing the cars into long, uneasy shadows.
She clutched her wrap tighter, still replaying the night — the confrontation, the tension, Jason’s warning look before he disappeared. Her heart hadn’t settled since.
She pressed the unlock button on her key fob, and the car lights blinked — a small, comforting glow in the darkness. She sighed. “Finally.”
Then, a voice — rough, male — came from behind. “Going somewhere, princess?”
She froze.
Two men stepped out from behind a pillar — both dressed in black, faces half-covered. One of them held a small object that glinted under the light. Not a gun, but threatening enough.
“I don’t have cash,” she stammered, taking a step back.
They didn’t answer. One moved closer. “We’re not here for your money.”
Before she could scream, one grabbed her wrist, twisting it hard. Her clutch fell to the ground, scattering her phone and lipstick across the pavement.
“Let go!” she cried, struggling, panic rising in her throat.
Then — a blur.
Someone moved fast from the shadows. A sharp grunt, a swing, the sound of bone hitting metal. One of the attackers stumbled back, gasping. The other turned, and in a heartbeat, Jason was there.
He grabbed the man’s collar and slammed him against a car door. The impact echoed through the lot. “You picked the wrong woman,” Jason growled — low and lethal.
The man tried to punch back, but Jason caught his arm, twisted — hard. The weapon clattered to the ground.
The second man scrambled to his feet, dragging his partner with him. “We— we didn’t know it was her!” he shouted, fear cracking his voice. “We were just told—”
“By who?” Jason snapped, his hand still gripping the other man’s shirt.
The thug hesitated, eyes darting toward Selena, then back at Jason. “You know who. He said she’s leverage.”
Jason’s jaw tightened. For a moment, his expression darkened into something unreadable. Then he let go. “Get lost,” he said coldly.
They didn’t wait twice. Tires screeched as their car tore out of the lot, leaving only the smell of burnt rubber and fear.
Selena stood there, trembling. “Jason — what just—”
He turned to her, voice low but urgent. “You’re not safe here.”
“—I don’t understand.”
He stepped closer, scanning the shadows. “You weren’t a random target. They knew your name.”
She swallowed hard, trying to steady her voice. “Who were they?”
Jason’s eyes flicked toward the exit before meeting hers again. “People who should’ve stopped existing five years ago.”
Her breath caught. “You mean… the scandal?”
He hesitated, then nodded once. “Someone’s reopening old wounds. And they’re not after me anymore.”
“Jason…” she whispered, the weight of his words sinking in.
He brushed a loose strand of hair from her face — gentle, almost protective. “You shouldn’t go home tonight. Stay somewhere else. I’ll handle this.”
“Handle it? You just fought two men, Jason. You can’t keep—”
His gaze locked on hers — steady, unflinching. “I can. Because I know who sent them.”
Her heart skipped. “Who?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, his expression softened, filled with something that looked like guilt. “You need to trust me, Selena. Just this once.”
And before she could question him, he turned, walking toward his car — his figure swallowed again by the shadows.
Selena leaned against her car, shaking. The night had gone cold, but her mind burned with questions — none more haunting than the one she couldn’t stop asking herself.
Why did Jason Knight look like a man protecting her brother’s enemy… and not himself?
- Writer
