NOWHERE
1169 Words
Nathaniel was sure he saw stars.
He didn’t expect such a beautiful woman to have such a firm hand.
The slap burned across his cheek, sharp and unrelenting. Silence fell over the restaurant, tension stretching thick in the air. Heads turned. Customers whispered. The entire floor had frozen, watching them.
Scarlett, however, didn’t waver. Her eyes fierce, dark, and unreadable stayed locked onto his, daring him to react.
Nathaniel let out a low chuckle, rubbing his jaw. “Damn,” he muttered. “I think you cracked something.”
Scarlett’s hands curled into fists. “Maybe next time, I’ll break something.”
Nathaniel smirked. “Is that a promise?”
Before Scarlett could snap back, a deep, authoritative voice cut through the air like a blade.
“Helena. My office. Now.”
Scarlett stiffened. It was her manager, Mr Kendrick. He stood at the entrance of the kitchen, his expression a mixture of anger and disappointment.
Nathaniel’s smirk widened. “Uh-oh.”
Scarlett shot him a look that could have killed a lesser man before storming toward the back.
Her manager turned to Nathaniel, sighing heavily. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Nathaniel exhaled through his nose, glancing toward where Scarlett had disappeared. “I was just about to, actually.”
He gestured toward the exit. “Then I suggest you do so quickly.”
Nathaniel took a step forward, then paused and shouted just loud enough for her to hear him," My name's Nathaniel Weston."
Scarlett’s footsteps stuttered just as she was about to enter the office.
She didn’t turn and she didn’t respond as well. But Nathaniel saw the way her shoulders tensed and with a knowing smirk, he walked away.
Scarlett sat in her manager's office, her hands clasped in her lap as he stared at her from across the desk.
“I should fire you,” he said, leaning back in his chair.
Scarlett didn’t flinch. “Then do it.”
Mr Kendrick pinched the bridge of his nose. “Helena—”
“Scarlett.”
The name slipped before she could stop it.
His brows furrowed. “What?”
Scarlett inhaled sharply. “Nothing. Just—” She shook her head. “I lost my temper.”
“That much was obvious.” He studied her for a long moment. “Who was he?”
Scarlett’s jaw tensed. “No one.”
Mr Kendrick didn’t believe that for a second. “Well, whoever he is, I don’t want any trouble in my restaurant. This place isn’t for personal vendettas or lovers’ quarrels.”
Scarlett resisted the urge to scoff. Lover? If only he knew how wrong he was.
“I’ll be more professional,” she finally said, though the words tasted bitter in her mouth.
He nodded. “Good.” Then, after a pause, he added, “Go home, Helena. Get some rest.”
Scarlett didn’t argue.She just needed to get out of here.
Scarlett’s apartment was dimly lit, the air thick with the scent of cheap whiskey and cigarette smoke from the neighbors. But something was wrong.
Her instincts kicked in before she even reached her door.
The scent of blood clung to the air, and her breath hitched.
Then she saw it.
A dead cat lay at her doorstep, its small body still, throat slit open.
Scarlett’s stomach turned but her eyes were drawn to something even worse.
"SCARLETT ANDRE"
The words were smeared in blood across her door, the crimson letters dripping slowly, mocking her. Scarlett’s blood ran cold. She turned sharply looking around hoping she could find the person who wrote it.
Someone had found her. Her breath came in short, sharp bursts as she took a step back.
No.No, no, no.
She had covered her tracks. She had vanished. No one was supposed to know she was here.
But someone did and someone was watching.
She turned and ran.
She barely registered her surroundings as she darted into the street, her heart pounding like war drums. She had to disappear. She had to—
Bright headlights blinded her and the sharp screech of tires filled the air.
Scarlett’s body collided with a sleek black car, rolling onto the hood before hitting the pavement hard. Pain shot through her body.
She gasped, trying to move, but her limbs felt like lead.
A car door slammed open with boots pounded against the pavement.
"Helena?"
Her breath caught. That voice sounded so familiar. It sounded like something she had heard earlier today.
She barely managed to lift her head, vision swimming as Nathaniel Weston loomed over her.His brows were furrowed, concern flickering across his features as he crouched beside her.
" Oh my God! You again?"
“Jesus,” he muttered. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Scarlett clenched her teeth, trying to push herself up, but she tilted dangerously. Nathaniel’s hands were on her before she could resist, steadying her.
Scarlett hated the way her body reacted to his touch, how her pulse skipped for a fraction of a second.
“I’m fine,” she rasped.
Nathaniel’s gaze darkened. “Like hell you are.” His eyes flickered toward her apartment complex. “You were running from something.”
Scarlett’s muscles locked. She didn't want his help neither did she want anything to do with him anymore.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, her voice flat.
Nathaniel wasn’t buying it. His grip on her arm tightened slightly , not painfully, but firmly. “Helena,” he said lowly. “What the hell is going on?”
Scarlett exhaled, shaking off his grip. “It’s none of your damn business.”
Nathaniel studied her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he did something she didn’t expect. He opened the passenger door of his car.
“Get in,” he said.
Scarlett blinked. “What?”
“You’re not going back there because I don't know what you were running from and you won't tell me either," His tone left no room for argument. “And I’m not letting you run blindly into the night. So either you get in, or I carry you in.”
Scarlett stared at him. She barely knew him and she obviously didn’t trust him.
But she couldn’t go back to that apartment not with that warning waiting for her and not when she had no idea who was coming for her.
Scarlett swallowed hard. Then, without another word, She got in the car.
Nathaniel shut the door behind her, slid into the driver’s seat, and pressed his foot to the gas.
She turned to him, her eyes sharp, calculating. This man, this stranger she barely knew, had just saved her life. And yet, deep in her gut, she knew something else.
She knew this guy wasn’t leaving her alone. Scarlett swallowed hard, staring out into the night. For the first time in years, she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to.
- Writer
