Revenged Love

Tanya's POV “Run, Tanya”. That was his last order to me. He didn't bark it in that authoritative tune he always uses when he wants things done. He had sounded weak. pleading. Ruined even. He had actually begged me to run. So I didn't look back to see if they were following. I couldn't risk looking back to check. So I kept running,down the stairs into the guest wing of the house that hid the secret exit my father had shown me when I turned sixteen,in case anything goes wrong. He had said. I didn't believe I would be using it today. Never thought I did use it at all. I tore through dark corridors and burst into the rain soaked night. I could feel the wet mud and soil underneath my naked feet. I had lost my heels somewhere along the way. At this moment I didn't care if I got hurt. All that mattered was escaping the man that had just killed my father. The man who saw me as a price for finally doing what no one in the whole city could. I was his price possession. His soon to be wife. My father had been careful with his business around me. I knew the money wasn't clean nor was his hands. but he never made me feel dirty for it. No I was comfortable, I was the happiest I could ever be with him,he did give me anything, everything I wanted and hid me from everything. Until tonight Run faster, I told myself as I pushed my tired legs harder. There was no time to cry. As every shadow looked like him. Every sound felt like death catching up. By the time my legs gave out, I was shaking, breathless, and bleeding from a cut I didn’t remember getting. I stumbled into the side of the main road, it was empty. The road. Rain slicked the asphalt, turning the road into a ribbon of black glass. My lungs burned, every breath scraping my throat raw as I stumbled forward, legs trembling, vision blurring. Somewhere behind me, footsteps echoed. Shouts. The promise of a gunshot I wouldn’t outrun. Please, please. I kept chanting in my head. Praying. Hoping. But for what?I didn't know. That's when I heard it. The low growl of an engine. Not too far. My heart slammed against my ribs. If I stayed where I was, I’d be dragged back. If I ran, I’d be caught. So I chose the only thing left. I stepped into the road. No hesitation. No second thoughts. The cold bit through my clothes, my feet screamed from running through the woods. I was shivering. But I didn't care as I threw myself in front of the car, arms raised, palms shaking. The headlights blinded me, white and unforgiving, swallowing my fear and throwing it right back at me tenfold. The tires screamed. The car skidded, stopping so close I could feel the heat of the engine, smell the leather and oil through the rain. My knees buckled, and I barely caught myself from collapsing onto the hood. I couldn't give myself the luxury of collapsing. Not yet. I ran around the hood to the dark window and banged and begged at the same time. Until the window slid down. Warm air brushed my rain-soaked skin, carrying power, danger and control. I leaned forward, fingers gripping the edge of the car door and the rolled down window as if it were the only thing keeping me alive. I couldn’t see all of his face. Just the sharp line of his jaw, the dark shape of his eyes watching me calm, unreadable. “Please”. I choked out,my voice cracking under the weight of everything I have lost."Please, you have to help me”. Silence. My chest tightened, my eyes burned with unshed tears, I forced myself to keep talking, afraid that if I stopped, he’d drive away. “Please,my father is dead,” I whispered, the truth tasting like blood. Tears streaming down my face now.“He was killed tonight. The men who did it… they’re looking for me. They think I belong to them.” My voice shook, but I didn’t look away. Couldn't afford to. “I didn’t take anything. I didn’t see anything. I just ran.” A breath hitched in my throat. “I just want to live. Please help me”. My voice shook, but I still didn’t look away. The man in the car didn’t interrupt. Didn’t react. He stayed silent, his gaze stayed on me, sharp and calculating, like he was weighing my words against something only he could see. “I don’t need money,” I added desperately. Staring over my shoulder into the woods, expecting him and his men to step out any moment now and drag me back.“I don’t need favors. Just….just protection. Somewhere I can disappear and stay hidden afterwards. Please.” The rain soaked through my clothes, cold seeping into my bones, but the silence of the car was colder. For a long moment, he said nothing. He just stared. And somehow, that silence felt heavier than any threat,because it meant my life was balanced on his decision. I waited. Breathing. Begging. Praying. Hoping. As if reaching a conclusion that only he understands. He leaned forward and opened the door. Without thinking I stepped into the warm car. Breathing a sigh of relief. I whispered a broken thank you. Unaware that this man who had so quietly listened to my plea was already far more entangled in my fate than I could ever imagine.