Chapter 3
1107 Words
There were screeches of tires as Rose’s car came to a stop on the lonely road leading out of the townway. Her hands shook on the steering wheel of the car, she sat stiffly staring at the driver who was shot dead. Rose barely had time to process the fact that she'd made it this far, and then out of nowhere a grey SUV overtook her and blocked her car.
Rose's heart skipped.
Then, three masked huge men spilled from the vehicle, pulling their guns out. The muscular one banged his fist against the wheel screen while another pointed a pistol straight at Rose's face.
She shouted and froze. Her hands lifted quickly, though she doubted it would stop the bullets from penetrating her body.
Surprisingly there were gunshots from the other direction.
Shouting burst from the masked men as bullets shattered their windows and ricocheted off the metal of their car. Amidst the abyss, she watched the masked men hurry back into their vehicle, their tires whirling wildly as they raced away into the express.
Rose lowered her head, her eyes wide open and ears banging.
A few minutes later, the door to where she was sitting flew open and a strong arm reached for her pulling her out of the trance.
“My lady! Are you fine? Hope you were not shot?” the familiar voice inquired, unbuckling the seat belt.
Rose's head lifted slowly towards him and her eyes were locked with Richard’s. The face of Richard was drawn, so pale with fear written on it, and hands shaking as he cupped her cheeks to his. “Rose! Please Talk to me, I'm here now!”
“Richard, i… I’m fine. I think so.” Rose's voice shaking. “oh what did i ever do to anyone? that they wanted me dead Richard?...
“No…No Rose, not on my watch,” he growled loud, wrapping her in his arms like his little treasure.
Just then, Rose was strengthless and she became unconscious.
—
Rose woke up to a morning light streaming through unfamiliar white curtains. Her head was still shaking from the shock. A familiar scent of fresh linen and roses filled the beautiful bedroom. And slowly, she turned. She saw Richard sitting beside the bedside, watching her closely with a mix of relief, anger and something she couldn't explain.
“Rose, You scared me,” he said softly.
She maintained her gaze, confusion written on her face. “Where am I, Richard?”
“You’re at my place. Again,” he said, staring into her eyes. “You're safe now. But damn it, Lady—what were you thinking..? Why would you think of going to confront Kelly without telling me first?”
Rose closed her eyes tight, unexplainable guilt pooling in her ribs. “I didn’t want you to stop me, Richard. I want to fight for what's mine and I wanted to win back my inheritance.”
He sighed and leaned back on the bed, running a hand through his hair's full texture. “Immediately I tried calling you and your phone was unreadable, I became worried. Just then, I got an alert from your car’s tracker and it was pinged by an unknown signal tracer. I knew someone had hacked into your route, maybe the track on your car or by placing chips on your phone. I just knew something wasn’t right.”
“So you… followed me with the tracker recorder?”
“Yes I did!” he answered. “Rose, listen! You’re not just some woman I helped off the street, Lady. I care about you and I do care so much.”
Richard said calmly, and his fingers brushed her hand seductively. “I can’t afford to lose you, Rose. Please don't play such storm on me again.”
Her heart muffled painfully at those last statements. The sincerity in his eyes was undeniably real.
“Richard, I’m sorry I scared you,” she replied quietly. “I..I didn’t mean to put myself in a dangerous situation like that. I just—couldn’t bear letting Kelly and that b***h take over my inheritance without a fight.”
“I. I understand,” he said, his voice softening. “That's why I made arrangements already.”
Rose's brows frowned. “What kind of arrangements are you talking about?”
Kelly stood up, walking around the bedroom. “Rose! You and Lady Blue will be leaving the state tomorrow morning. I have already handled everything— you will have new identity papers, a house and protection. It's safer if you’re far away from Kelly’s reach until we strategies on how to retrieve all he collected from you.”
Rose's heart dropped. “Wait—leave? But my inheritance, my company everything—”
“My lady,” he interrupted quickly. “Kelly’s not playing fair games. He’s trying to waste you. Don't you understand that Rose?”
“Yes I do,” she said, voice breaking. “But running away feels like losing everything.”
He came closer, bending before her, and took her hands on his. “It’s not running my dear. It's about regrouping and doing it wisely. You need space, time, distance, safety and protection. So relax, once you’re stronger, once we have gathered solid evidence and proof—I promise you that we’ll come back together stronger.
She stared at him, searching his eyes closely. There was no doubt, no faltering. Richard wasn’t just offering safety for just being a good guy, he was offering partnership and maybe something more she couldn't explain.
“Richard, you keep saying ‘we,’” she muttered.
Richard smiled softly. “Rose, I'm not letting you fight this war alone when I'm here.”
For once, emotions swelled in her heart. She had spent so long depending only on herself. Even in marriage with Kelly, she’d been alone for long. With Richard? He was different from Kelly. Richard is a man with honor and action. She stared at him, wondering why he cared so much about her? but at that moment, she didn’t care to know, she needed to focus.
“Richard, she said, holding his hand tightly. I trust you.” But I have something to tell you… I'm pregnant….
Richard smiled…His hand rised to brush a strand of hair from her faceline. Yes, I know. I found out at the hospital yesterday when you fainted ....“Rose, it doesn't matter, just relax, let me take care of things my lady. At least just for this period.”
Just before she could respond, the door burst open.
- Writer
