Chapter One
The sterile smell of antiseptic floated in the air as Evelyn Carter stormed out of the hospital with frustration boiling in her veins. That day had just been another feet sweeping whirlwind of disappointment. The dissertation she had worked so hard for, the sleepless night driving her to the verge of insanity was just gone in an instant. The hierarchical system in the hospital was not something that was new and being a powerless doctor with no connection and place in the society, she bore the brunt of it all.
She could remember her superior’s voice as he took away all her files and documents, “You should be thanking me Evelyn. This work would be better presented by one who had enough influence. Don’t worry, I’ll include your name in it too. If your name were to be in the front page, no one would even pay any interest.”
Sadly, for a second, she felt his words made sense. She studied so hard to become a doctor and relied on only her wits to survive in the job. Fighting now would be a terribly useless attempt.
As she stepped into the cool evening air, the weight of her responsibilities came crashing over her. Her father still lay in a vegetative state and every penny she earned went towards his life support. Her brother was lost in a world of his own and she did not even know his location. It all felt like a cruel joke – life.
Desperate for solace, she made her way to the abandoned park at the edge of town, a forgotten sanctuary which has become desolate yet bare the remnants of laughter and peace. It was this place, amid the rusting swings and cracked pavement, that she often come to vent her frustrations; a space here she could unleash the pent up feelings that threatened to overwhelm her.
But this evening, this park had an unexpected surprise. Infact, one can say, a life changing one.
A sudden noise shattered the stillness and a low groan followed, echoing from the shadows. Heart racing, she approached cautiously and found a man slumped against a bench, blood pooling beneath him. His white shirt was soaked crimson and his tired eyes were shut tight making his furrowed brows more visible. His pale shin did not fail to hide his masculine charm as he looked heavenly to behold.
Instinctively, her medical training kicked in and she rushed to his side, checking his pulse and tearing open his clothes to attend to his injuries. “Stay with me, okay? I’ll call for help!”
His eyes fluttered open, revealing an intense gaze that sent a chill down her spine. “Don’t call any hospital”, he rasped, his voice low and gravelly.
“Why not? “You’re bleeding! You need medical attention!”
“No hospital”, he murmured slipping back into unconsciousness, leaving Evelyn alone with her racing thoughts. Determined to save him, she ran to the nearest pharmacy and grabbed the medical supplies she needed before returning to his side. Despite the cold night biting on her skin, she refused to let him die here.
Hours passed as she bandaged his wounds, and the chill settled as the night deepened. Just as dawn began to break, the man stirred and fluttered open his eyes. The past events gathered in his head as quickly as each pain from the wounds he got the previous day came. He sat up with much difficulty and was taken aback by the presence of the stranger who dosed off while sitting on the floor close to his bench.
“Who are you?” he asked, his voice rough making Evelyn jolt awake immediately.
For a moment, she was speechless but then instinct kicked in and she stretched forward, placing her hands on his forehead. Then she smiled with relief evident on her face, “The fever finally went down.” Her voice was a soothing balm to the chaos swirling in his mind.
He glanced down at himself, finally noticing the bright yellow jacket covering only one of his arms, too small to protect his torso. His wounds were also tightly wrapped and the blood that soaked him, absent. Confusion turned into suspicion. “Who sent you?”
But instead of a reply, a sneeze escaped her, and the droplets splattered on his face. It was expected as she stayed throughout without her jacket in the cold night. Mortified, she clumsily tried to clean it off with embarrassment burning her cheeks but he merely grabbed her hands just before they reached his face and pulled her closer in one swift movement until their faces were only inches apart. The air crackled with tension, both aware of the sudden swift in emotions.
“I asked, who sent you?” he pressed, his voice dark and threatening and seriousness lacing his every word.
Nervously, Evelyn stammered, “I was just passing by”, her gaze dropped to the ground before returning to meet his intense stare. “I saw you wounded and couldn’t just leave you to die.”
In that moment, staring into her big siren blue eyes, Killian found himself captivated. He could feel it by just looking at her: she was an anomaly, a beacon of innocence in his world of shadows and just barely beneath that innocence, he sensed a fierce determination that intrigued him.
After a moment, she whimpered, “You’re hurting me”, as his grip unwittingly tightened around her arm. As if waking up from a trance, he released her and attempted to stand. When she tried to help, he shrugged her off.
But she was persistent. “Wait!” she called, her voice urgent as she reached into her bag. “Here, take this.” She handed him a plastic bag filled with the medications she had bought while he was unconscious, explaining the dosages with a clumsiness that only heightened her charm.
As she spoke, he found himself lost in her expressions. The way her eyes danced from concern to determination, the way her lips puckered and released while she explained making him feel an inexplicable pull towards this strange girl who dared to care.
When she finished talking, she looked back at him with a nervous expression as if hesitant to say something. “I know you’re involved in something dangerous. Can’t you stop? I wouldn’t wish for anyone to get hurt like this?”
“Don’t get curious, yellow. This wasn’t something I picked by choice and it’s not something I can drop by choice. Once you’re in, you can never get out. I just have to keep surviving”
Evelyn’s lips pursed, sympathy tugging at her heart. “Then I hope you remain well always and don’t get hurt”, she whispered, her big blue eyes widening like that of a child’s.
Something warm rushed through Killian at her words. He couldn’t exactly explain it. He turned away and started walking with his hands clutching at his stomach. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he would never forget this girl who had dared to save him. Staring at the plastic bag once more, he limped towards the lonely road.
He limped till he came across a phone booth and there he dialled a number which picked up almost immediately. “Ethan”, he grunted.
A relieved “Boss!” came up on the phone and there, Killian leaned on the booth. It was funny how he was just betrayed by one of his men which led to his present state. He couldn’t trust anyone and that was why he could not go to the hospital. But Ethan was a person who he trusted with his life and he had always been there.
Ethan was his secretary and his right hand man. He had also fallen into the hands of this mischief so hearing that he was well also brought relief to Killian.
His hand tightened once more on the plastic bag again after the call dropped. His mind drifted back to the woman earlier. She had saved his life but manage to implant herself into his mind.
This was a dangerous attraction.
***
Marco De Santos paced up and down as he was expecting the news he had longed to hear. He had succeeded in finally cornering the great Killian Blackwood and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. He had to finish him once and for all.
Then suddenly, his men rushed in at once and he was expecting to hear the outcome from them. “Killian Blackwood has returned to the Blackwood mansion”, one of them while trembling reported.
Marco felt everything around him falling and he struggled to catch his breath. There was nothing else now, Killian was going to kill him. In anger, he swept everything across the table, a crashing sound following. He took up his baseball bat and started hitting anything and everything his blurry eyes laid on; be it human or object. When he got tired, he staggered to his locker and pulled out a pistol and shot at the useless crows he ordered until he was the only one standing while he was covered in a blanket of crimson tide.
