Red

chapter 1

“Sir.”

I stared through the windscreen of my rental car, expensive enough to feed a family of five for almost a year.

“Sir?”

The wind was howling outside. I always thought that term howling was just used for the sake of…I don’t know, to be poetic or something. Right now I don’t think so. I know wind howls because the damned sound wind is making outside can’t be described otherwise.

“My car isn’t starting,” I said to my earpiece. “My car isn’t starting, my cell doesn’t have enough charge for this conversation to last five minutes, the wind is howling outside, not to mention it’s freezing in the car and I have no warm clothes except the stupid flimsy jacket I brought for my meeting.”

Dorian muttered some expletives over his side I have never even thought he might know.

“And to add insult to all that, I have literally no idea where I am right now. I mean couldn’t my luck store losing my way in the middle of nowhere for another day.”

“I am afraid luck does not work that way sir,” Dorian said in that matter of fact tone of his, except now it sounded grave. This time I muttered expletives I didn’t think I knew.

“When was the last time you saw a habitation, sir.” The words were rushed out, most probably to fit into the time limit I had due to almost dead battery of my cell. “Probably a quarter mile back. Why?” “Because, right now, that might be your only option if you don’t want to die from hypothermia inside your car, sir.” “You…want me to travel a quarter of a mile in this f*****g storm on what? My feet?” Dorian didn’t bother answering my question. “What time is it?” I imitated his grave matter of fact tone out of spite. “Seven in the evening, sir.” “Feels like 12 at night.” “I’ll make arrangements to get to you as soon as the storm recedes, sir. But right now, apart from finding out the coordinates of your car’s location, it will be hours before anyone can reach you in this weather sir. You need to find a shelter to at least spend the nigh-,” my cell went off before he could finish his words.

Dorian is my chauffeur s***h bodyguard s***h right hand man, has been for almost nine years now. And before that he was under my father’s employment. The only difference is then he just a bodyguard, an excellent one. As a perfect employee Dorian has never interfered in my life nor has ever tried to dictate my ways. If he had ever been displeased with my choices he never let it show, except for a very few times. Each and every time even if it irritated me to hell, I tried to understand his views. This is probably the first time in my life, I had no idea what to do, and he practically mapped out everything I have to. Dorian is extremely wise has always been. So even if his plan sounded ridiculous he was right. I couldn’t stay in the car for much longer it was already freezing. I just hope I would have enough energy and warmth left in my body to actually find a shelter before I collapse.

I jerked out of my sleep. What the-? Thunder struck outside like a bomb shell, startling me for a second time in a minute. Is that why I woke up? Didn’t really seem like, considering I slept through a lot of it from the look of the storm. I stared around my bedroom, trying to think past the fogginess of brain induced by sleep. That’s when I heard a bell ringing. Bell ringing? I leapt out the swing style large comfy chair I have been napping on, rushed down my stairs and looked through the peephole. Sure enough there was a man standing outside features hidden in the dark and quite possibly wet all over since it was raining, no pouring outside and heavily at that. What kind of i***t gets out at this weather? I switched on my intercom. “Who is it?” “Please,” the man said, “I got stranded in the storm. I had to walk almost quarter of a mile in this freezing rain,” his voice sounded weak and breathy, “and I was hoping to find a shelter for the nigh-” the voice stopped abruptly. I waited a beat, “Hello?” No answer. “Hello, mister?” When nobody responded I peaked through the peephole again. Nobody out there. I got startled. Indecisive, I opened the front door a little bit without removing the chain and Oh no. The man who was talking through the intercom a moment ago now lay sprawled along my porch.  I removed the chain in hurry, almost fumbling in my haste and nervousness and threw open my door, turning on the overhead light at the same time. The man was soaked to his bones from the looks of it, his lips turning blue, face ghostly pale and skin cold as ice.

I grabbed his upper arms near his shoulder, and dragged him inside the foyer of my house, closing the front door on my way. Lord, he’s heavy. It was understandable, considering the man was almost as tall as me which was saying something since I was six feet three. I dragged him some more, trying to decide where to place him as it was absolutely impossible for me to carry him all over to one of my guest rooms upstairs, and he needed warmth as much as possible. Thinking the best I’d be able to do for him right now was to make a bed on the floor or something I dragged him over to my living room in front of the fireplace. The fire was dimmed as I stayed upstairs most of the time, just enough not to let the room get cold. I fired the gas up, and started to work on his sad excuse of a jacket. Or rather I had to cut through his jacket, and the linen shirt he was wearing.  beneath my finger tips, tracing the defined pectoral muscles. He has a nice chest, I thought, a really nice one, like those from the books I read with tall dark and dangerous male leads, the ones who come in the female leads’ life like a fairy tale , whisking them away…What the f**k are you thinking i***t? I snatched away my hand from his chest, shaking myself inwardly. I ran upstairs to fetch blankets, creating a makeshift bed in front of the fireplace dragging him on top of it. Tucking the blankets all around him layering a few quilts and hot water bags on top of the blankets, I went to the kitchen to make him something warm to eat.