Chapter 11
1308 Words
Aria
I entered the car rental agency and paid for a car. The majority of Nathan's property has been confiscated following his arrest; I had no access to his luxury collections of high-end cars. An Uber that late at night was a chore. It was better if I found Julius myself.
I got into the car and inputted the address into my phone's GPS.
It was an hour-long drive, and I ended up in an empty neighborhood with few to no streetlights. Scared, I slammed the door shut and tried to find the house with the address on the paper.
I spotted the house and quietly trudged to it. The door was thrown open before I had the chance to knock.
My eyes met with Julius, who appeared startled upon seeing me. “Aria Vale? What are you doing here? ”
“Nathaniel has been arrested!"
“I know.” He heaved a quiet sigh, and we descended the porch.
“I've gotten some evidence to grant him bail.”
“That's the reason he asked me to find you.”
“Let's go," he said, and I led him to the car.
He stretched out his hand for the key. “I'll drive.”
“Huh?! I can drive us; I'm not a bad one at all.”
“I don't need a good driver; we need to drive like a maniac to lose them.”
"Lose who?" I furrowed my brow. “We might end up dead if I do that.”
"Well, we might end up dead either way. You were being tailed. And by the looks of it, they appear desperate.”
My chest hitched up in fright. How could I be so oblivious to the fact Adrian would do everything in his power to keep Nathaniel in jail?
“This is all my fault; I apologize. I was too careless and might have put both of us at risk. "
“Don’t beat yourself up about it. Let's get in the car.”
I got in the passenger seat and buckled up. “Hold on to something! "
Once our headlights came on, I noticed the car behind us turned their ignition as well.
Julius pressed the pedals hard, and I jolted forward. I reached for the handle above my head.
They followed hotly, trying to catch up.
“They are still close.”
He peered through the rear mirror for a second and decided to switch lanes. We overtook cars that appeared pretty mad about the rough driving.
Honks blared behind us, but they still managed to catch up.
“Was this the best car you could find? "
“My purse, not me. I'm not exactly financially buoyant," I laughed awkwardly.
We reached a sparse road, and they appeared, pursuing us hotly. Two more cars appeared, and they started to close in an attempt to corner us towards the edge of the road. I had my heart in my throat, afraid the worst would happen.
Julius managed to escape from the trap they had set for us, and one of their cars hit a pole.
We were almost close to the city, just a few more miles, when we heard gunshots targeted at our vehicles.
I lowered myself instantly, my heart racing. “Are they allowed to do that?"
“They don't want me to get to Nathaniel.”
“They are willing to hurt us because of it.”
“Must be Adrian's orders.”
More gun shots followed from them, we were almost close.
I looked over desperately. “We need to lose them. I have an idea. Pass me your glasses and hat.”
“What are you doing? ” he asked me.
“You are more important to Nathaniel than I am to him right now. I'm sure once they find out it's just me, they'll give up. We would miss them under the bridge. Just enough time for you to get out and get an Uber to the central police station.”
“Ms. Vale…" He tried to protest, but I made up my mind.
More gunshots followed, and one broke through the window; the next second, I felt a sharp, searing pain across my arm.
My vision blurred for a minute before the stench of blood hit my nostrils. I had warm blood dripping down my arms.
“s**t! ”Julius cursed.
“I'm fine. Let's switch places.”
“You have been shot.”
“It's nothing.” I forced a smile through my pain. Once we reached the area underneath the bridge, I stopped the car.
“You should leave now, hurry, they're behind us."
“How can I leave you in this state? "
“I will be safe.”
“You are not a match for them."
“I know; that's why their focus will be less on me and more on finding out where you are. That's all the more reason you need to get out of here. Adrian won't let them hurt me."
He finally yielded, giving me one last concerned look before disappearing into the darkness. A second layer of Adrian's henchmen arrived; they rapped on the window. I opened the door and gave them a tight smile.
“Where is he?" One of them yanked me out; I held my arm in pain as I met the hard concrete.
“Who? I'm the one in the car? "
One of the much bulkier ones appeared enraged. “Do you think we're stupid? ”
“No, it's rude to think of anyone as stupid.”
Their leader stopped him. “She's only wasting our time.”
“Drive to the station; you might find the taxi he's in.”
“What are we going to do about her?"
He narrowed his eyes into slits for a moment. “Let her be.”
His subordinates appeared confused. “We can't be held responsible for her injury. It'll ruin things for Master. We exposed ourselves; we should head back. Fall back! ” he ordered.
I let out a sigh of relief and hoped Julius made it. He can't afford to be caught.
Nathaniel.
I pace anxiously in the cell, worried Aria might have met some hurdles on the way. Why else was it taking so long for Julius to get here? "
My private bodyguard Mason suddenly appeared and whispered to me, “Mr. Julius is here.”
I relaxed instantly, and a smile grew on my lips. “I knew I could trust her.”
Suddenly a cop appeared with keys in hand. The lock rattled, and I was let free. Behind him was Julius.
Our eyes met, and we shared a smile together. “How is your first jail experience? ”
“Not pleasant.” I pursed my lips in slight contempt at Adrian’s foolish attempt to arrest me. Thankfully, Julius and I prepared ahead.
“You held on in this terrible place, quite a novelty for arrogant Nathaniel Anfeld.”
I noticed the dried blood at the hem of his clothes. “Were you injured? "I rolled up his sleeves to check his arm, but he was spotless.
He lowered his glance. “The blood is not mine.’
I suddenly realized and my chest tightened. “Where's Aria Vale? ”
Chapter Epilogue.
A smile grew on my lips as Aria ran around agitated; my office was being emptied. I thought she hated this miserable, grumpy boss of hers. She was supposed to be happy. She walked heartbroken in the aisle, searching for me. I decided to make myself much more visible. Her hazel eyes brimming with tears found me, and I least expected her arms thrown around me.
A smile found my lips as I caressed her wet cheeks. I guess I'm a little less hated now.
- Writer
