The billionaires addiction

Chasing Shadows

Chapter Three

“Ouch’’ I yelled the moment my knees connected to the ground and my weight fell on my painful wrist. My body rolled like a ball until it came to a forceful stop just beside a yellow bush. Pain gnawed at my body, traveling from my injured wrist to my shoulder. I pushed myself up, turning to look at the wall I had recklessly jumped from. Caspian stood there, his face a mask of emotions I couldn’t place. There was no time to contemplate what was going on in his mind. I flipped my middle finger at him before running in the first direction my brain could think of. Fear and pain pummeled my leg to run faster than I had ever done in my life. I remember that very night clearly. We were in our final year of university. Ella had convinced me that it was a good idea to act as an escort for some rich folks. As stupid as it sounds, I had hastily agreed. I needed money. My mother had her two lungs collapse. That night still felt so fresh in my mind. How could I forget?

This was not the time to think about what-ifs or regrets. I had to get as far away as possible from this place. I scanned my eyes around the dark compound. It was dark, but everywhere was lit with powerful flood lamps. The distant sound of dogs barking geared me to reality, and I ran in the first direction of a wall I saw. The compound was so huge that it felt like forever to get to the wall. The fence was taller than the average fence I saw around. It was definitely built to keep people out. Luckily for me, though, I had to escape so many dangerous situations that scaling a wall was a piece of cake. I hastened my steps, propelling my body faster, before jumping on the wall. I dug my nails painfully into the crevices of the wall, grappling for anything I could hold onto. I reached over it, the first thorn of the wall protection piercing my skin. I clenched my teeth as I felt my flesh give way. Carefully, I placed my foot on one edge of the wall, pushing my body over. I fell into complete darkness, as there was no source of light on this side of the wall.

Fear gnawed at my senses, knowing that I was at a disadvantage because my sight was greatly limited. I couldn’t waste any time; I had to get away from here. Putting my hands in front of me, I took tentative steps towards the unknown, my ears standing at attention to pick up any sound. Crickets chirped, serving as my only companion when branches didn’t try to take my head off. The sounds of dogs barking, and strong torchlight traveled through the night as they searched for me. I plastered my back on one of the trees as I heard the footsteps draw closer. There was no way I could outrun them in the dead of night, with no means of seeing them. I was also bleeding, and those damn dogs would easily pick up the smell of my blood. “Think Anna Mae.’’ I urged my brain.

Looking carefully around me, I ran my hands up the trees, and I could tell they were well above the ground. I pulled off the jacket I was wearing, wrapping it around my palm and wiping the blood away before dropping it on the floor. I then used sand to wipe my hands to try to get some of the smell away. I walked a distance more, taking turns here and there to lose as much scent off me as possible to distract them before using the small rays of light that traveled to where I was to climb up a very branchy-looking tree.

As quietly as I could, I climbed further into the tree, welcoming the darkness that its leaves provided. It was the perfect spot to hide until they all came back, provided I didn’t fall asleep on the tree and fall out. The early morning would serve as a better time to navigate. The tree gave me the advantage of seeing almost all the men searching for me at once. I noticed that the dog had found my jacket and the men paused before the dog pulled them in the direction of the tree I was hiding in. I held my breath tightly when the dog stopped under the tree I was on, barking a few times before running in another direction again.

I heaved a sigh of relief, my back resting on one of the branches as I strained my ear to pick up any sound. I had to wait for the first break of dawn to leave. This was not the first time I had to hide to save my life. Growing up the way I did, this was normal.

As the hours of the night passed, the silence of the night became more resonant, leaving the darkness behind as my only protection. With just the occasional distant yelling of the people looking for me, I started to slowly relax. I needed to plan my next move. Hell, I didn’t even know where I was. I wondered if Ella would have noticed that I had gone missing. A small smile graced my lips at how worried she would be. Despite her being unreliable and a flight risk, she was the only constant in my life.

Sighing, I looked around as the first sign of mist started to replace the darkness of the night. The cricket’s chirping had been reduced to a faint whisper. Pushing my body up, my muscles roared with protest after being in one position for a long time. My injured wrist felt stiff, almost as if I couldn’t feel any life in it. I needed to get it checked. The last thing I needed was to lose one of my hands. I looked around, craning my eyes to see through the mist as much as my vision could penetrate it. There was no sign of anyone, but I couldn’t be too sure. Seeing as they haven’t found me, they will most certainly circle back soon.

Coming down the tree proved to be more difficult than going up the tree. Adrenaline had dulled the pain in my wrist, but now it hurt like a b***h. I tried to put as much of my weight on my right hand as I slid down the tree. My injured wrist made it painful to hold on to the tree, and I bit painfully on my lip. There was no way I could make it down without crying out in pain. I looked at the distance I was from the tree to the ground. I wouldn’t die if I jumped, but I could break something else. Deciding it was worth the risk, I closed my eyes as I let myself go, falling to the ground.

I waited for the pain to hit me as I fell onto something, but it never came. I was certain I hit something; I couldn’t have died midair, could I? Slowly, I opened my eyes, looking at the hand that held me, and I let out an ear-piercing scream.