The next day Evelyn worked till late at night. Susan had to leave because she had a blind date so she requested Evelyn to take her shift and Evelyn agreed.
Joshua has already called her earlier and informed her that he would work late hours as he has to prepare a presentation for tomorrow's meeting so she must have her dinner as he'll have dinner outside.
There was no customer at that time as she played a game on her phone. Mrs. Smith has already left and tonight it was Evelyn's duty to close the shop.
As soon as the clock struck ten. She walked to the door and locked it, shifting the banner to closed.
She grabbed the stuff and started cleaning the place and put the chairs upside down on the table. She noticed the clouds rumbling outside, it was late. She hoped that it wouldn't start raining. And also she didn't tell Joshua that she would work till late hours because then he would've left his work and come to drop her home before getting back to his work. She would've contemplated telling him but his office was at a pretty good distance from their place so she decided not to bother him.
Once she was done with her work she changed her uniform and tied her hair up in a bun before grabbing her stuff. She hurried to the door and a scowl settled on her brows.
It was pouring. She loves the rain, there was doubt about that but she didn't like an untimely downpour.
It was already so late and now this incessant downpour. She thought about waiting for a while so the rain would stop but the way those ghastly grey clouds were grumbling. It seemed like it won't stop pouring any time soon.
She grabbed an umbrella and turned off all the lights before unlocking the door as she stepped out.
A cold breeze swept past her causing a few rogue strands to come out of her hair bun. She shuddered as she hurriedly locked the door and pushed the keys into her jeans pocket.
Grabbing her coat she wrapped it around her frame before opening the umbrella. She was standing under the shade as she gazed at the bus stop which was invisible because of the wild downpour.
No soul was seen and for a second she thought it was a bad idea to leave in such bad weather but she had no other choice. It was already so late.
With a deep breath, she held the umbrella covering herself under it as she stepped out of the shade and started walking towards the bus stop.
Her steps slowed down when she heard cursing followed by low snickers. A group of guys dressed in leather jackets came into her sight and she noticed two of them were holding bottles of alcohol in their hands.
Her eyes bounced around the place hoping to see people but there was no soul in sight. She gulped and fastened her pace. If she could just walk past them fastly.
Just when she walked past them and nothing happened she let out a sigh but a yelp left her lips when someone grabbed her coat and she was pulled back.
She stiffened, finding herself standing between those guys as they stood around her in a circle. Their eyes scanned her up and down.
"Hi, sweetie." One of them slurred as she yanked the back of her coat out of his grasp and built up the courage to glare at him.
Without a word, she tried to walk away from the space between the two guys but one of them noticed and instantly stepped toward her causing her to step back.
She was scared. She shouldn't have left the coffee shop at this time knowing that this area wasn't safe at this time.
"Move aside," She said but the guy in front of her only smirked.
"You want me to get closer?" He asked stepping closer as she flinched back only for her back to hit another guy as she stumbled away from between them.
There were five of them and one of them snatched her umbrella and threw it away.
She shivered as the cold rain slapped against her skin and within seconds she was fully drenched.
She was terrified as she wildly looked around. "I'll call the cops, move aside." She tried to threaten them but they all started laughing while looking at each other.
Taking advantage, she pushed one of the guys and made a blind dash towards the bus stop but unfortunately, no one was there.
She noticed them running after her and her heart fell into the pit of her stomach as she started running even faster. She didn't know where she was because she lost her way but they were still after her. The only reason they couldn't catch her yet was that they were drunk.
Evelyn noticed a car approaching and she jumped in front of it waving her arms. The car came to a screeching halt as she slammed her palms on the bonnet of the car while gaping wildly at the windscreen.
She couldn't see who was inside but before she could ask for help. One of those thugs grabbed her arm and started dragging her away from there.
"NO! Stop!" She screamed when all of a sudden that guy's hold was gone and he was thrown away.
A man stepped in front of her as he blocked the other guys. He was tall as she was completely hidden behind his back.
"Get in the car," The man said in his deep voice. Her heart stuttered, she had heard that voice somewhere and when she looked up her eyes met with the dark silver pools as he glanced at her over his shoulder.
It was the intimidating customer from yesterday.
"Who the f*ck are you?" One of the thugs hissed charging at him and Axel instantly grabbed his throat in a tight grip before he picked up the f*cker in air and then slammed his back down on the floor as he cried out in pain, his back arching painfully.
The other guys looked at him horrified. He was able to get a hold of another thug and he punched him while the others ran away.
Axel watched menacingly at the f*ckers whimpering on the ground as he raked his fingers through his hair before he turned around and she wasn't in sight and nor in the car.
His eyes widened as he walked to the other side of the car only to find her crouching on the floor against the car as she hugged her knees to her chest.
His heart thumped a little wildly seeing her big brown eyes looking up at him with fear and despair swarming in them and all he wanted to do was comfort her.
As soon as she barged in front of his car, waving at him to stop. He recognized her as the girl from that coffee shop. She was all soaked and then he noticed the f*cking thugs grabbing her and he felt rage consuming him.
"Are you alright?" He asked gently as her wide eyes looked around and he felt the need to assure her.
"You're safe. They will not come after you," He said as she tried to stand but her footing slipped. He grabbed her arm to balance her and she flinched badly, stepping away from him.
"It's okay, I won't hurt you." His deep voice was soothing and Evelyn blinked at him and then at the two beaten guys on the road. She gulped. "T...thank you," She whispered.
The cloud grumbled and she jostled while biting her lower plump lip.
"The rain won't stop anytime soon, come I'll drop you." He said opening the door of the passenger seat.
She stared at it skeptically because she was scared. What if he tries to do the same thing as those thugs?
"I...I'll manage," She whispered, looking around and trying to understand where she was.
Axel looked at her drenched state. If she went alone, it wouldn't be safe for her.
"You can trust me. I won't hurt you. Please, I insist. Let me drop you," He said, combing his wet hair back with his fingers.
She gulped. It seemed like she had no choice but to trust him.
"Okay," She said in such a small voice but he heard it. She got into the car and he got into the driver's seat.
She sat as stiff as a statue. Her gaze followed his right hand as he roared the engine to life and put the car to drive.
"Where do you live?" He asked and she gave him her address.
She kept looking down at the leather seat. Her wide brown eyes gazed at the interior of the car and she continued to shift.
"I...I'm sorry. I...I don't want to dirty your car," She whispered and his thick brows shot up. "No, please. Relax. It's alright," He tried to ease her up but she was still tense.
He snuck a glance at her and noticed a tear escape her eye as she instantly wiped it. He couldn't help but recall her smiling face from yesterday and the urge to hit those f*ckers intensified. But if it was any other person at her place he would've done the same for them.
She was shivering.
His hand shot to the console, changing the temperature setting and switching on the heating on her seat, he noticed that she immediately felt the pleasant hot air brushing her ankles and arms as her legs went gradually warmer and the bounce of her knee slowly subsided.
He opened his mouth to say something but then shut up not knowing what to say exactly. He stopped the car in front of the lobby and they both looked at each other at the same time.
Grey pools peering into warm brown hues.
"T...thank you," She whispered and he noticed the quivering of her lips in the cold.
"No problem," He said.
"I apologize as I don't have an umbrella," He said slowly.
"It's okay, thanks again, sir." She said, hugging her coat to her body as she passed him a small smile and his heart thumped in his chest, a little louder.
She got out of the car and dashed inside the building. He waited for five minutes hoping that she got home safely before he drove away.
Axel inhaled deeply and sighed relaxing in his seat. His car smells like her. He won't be getting his car clean from the inside until her intoxicating scent lasts in there.
He couldn't help but recall her scared face. She looked so terrified and innocent that he felt like protecting her from the whole damn world.
F*ck! He should not think about a stranger so much.
Evelyn walked out into the alley and breathed some fresh air. She was tired. Luckily there were fewer customers at this time in the cafe.She leaned against the door and sipped some water from the bottle. She heard a cat and her eyes lit up snapping in the direction of the little kitty. She walked after the kitty out of the alley onto the street.It was evening and the street was buzzing with people. Evelyn crouched down as she patted the kitty while smiling. The kitten meowed and Evelyn was in awe as she played with the kitten when she noticed a shadow looming over her and sleek black boots came into her line of vision.She craned her neck up and the person was tall. When her gaze collided with those grey spheres, she gasped and fell back on her butt on the floor with wide eyes.The kitten seemed scared of the huge man as the kitty scurried away leaving Evelyn behind. Her cheeks tinted red in embarrassment as the man extended his veiny hand forward for her to take.She hesitated but
"Why isn't he picking up?" She mumbled, getting worried.Joshua always gets back home on time. This was the second time he was taking so long.Last night he came so late. But he texted her not to cook his dinner because he’ll be late and when he arrived home, he was a little drunk and disheveled. There were nail marks on his neck which made Evelyn worried. He has never drunk before so it was weird for her to see him in this state for the first time.This morning she asked him why he was drunk and late last night, he said he went on a date but he didn’t remember what happened after that or when he drank so much. She didn’t question him further, she was happy that he went on a date and the nail marks on his neck made her smirk. She was happy that her brother was living his life. She was even excited to meet the girl.Three hours passed and still, there was no sign of Josh. She started to get worried as she rang Joshua's colleague. He answered on the second call."Who's this?" Samuel sai
Evelyn was terrified as she sat like a stiff statue beside the guy whose name she didn't know. Rick was driving the car and Maxwell was in the passenger's seat.Evelyn kept looking out of the window to keep track of where they were taking her but she was never good with the routes."Rory, do it," Maxwell muttered.She let out a loud gasp when abruptly something covered her eyes rather roughly and then she felt the tight knot at the back of her head.She raised her hands to remove the blindfold when Rory grabbed her hand in a rough grip and tugged it down."Stay still, if you don't want me to tie you up," He said coldly and tears leaked out of her closed eyes. One of her eyes was not even properly closed and the blindfold was too tight, almost digging into her eyes.She clutched her hands in a fist and sat there silently. She didn't know for how long they kept on driving but it was too far away from wherever they were taking her and she couldn't even hear any noise from the other cars.
His ominous laugh echoed in the dark empty place. If not for the light bulb hanging above their heads the place would drown in pitch-black darkness.It was him! Why? “A…Axel, what’s going on?” Her voice was so small and full of absolute terror.She looked to her side where Maxwell, Rick, and Rory stood as stiff as a statue and then she gazed at the front door of the rotten and old-looking warehouse. She glanced at the limp and battered body of Josh and her heart constricted in pain.How could she save her brother? They were four bulky giant men against her. She was in a compromised condition.They could kill both of them without even putting much effort into it.In her panic-stricken state, she pushed the question of why they were there to the back of her head. For now, she just wanted to save her brother.Her eyes collided with those grey hues and she flinched, involuntarily stepping back.This was the same gentleman who saved her that night and he even smiled at her just two days
"Josh w...would never do anything wrong," She mumbled but he tightened his hold on her neck and pulled her closer to such an extent that she could feel his hot breath on her face and it had her insides twisting in fear."Shut up!" He hissed and pushed her away making her stumble a step back as he turned around.Axel tried his very best to control his rage but he couldn't."Why did you hurt my brother? What did he do?" She tried to ask him calmly but pivoted to only glare at her. His gaze pierced through her soul and forced her to lower her eyes."Be grateful that he's still alive," Axel sneered and she flinched at the coldness in his voice which sounded like a growl."L....leave... E..Eve..." Josh couldn't even form a full word as tears dripped down his temple. "You Bastard!" Axel growled and charged forward, kicking Joshua's already limp body as he winced in pain."NO!" Evelyn screamed as she sprang forward and covered Joshua's body with hers. Axel's kick was about to hit her face a
Evelyn was silently crying sitting in the corridor as Josh was being treated in the emergency ward.Axel's men had dropped them at the front of the hospital and left. The people and the staff helped Joshua inside. The doctor won't start the treatment before the deposit. She didn't even have money to take a cab so she ran all the way to their apartment. Her legs had no energy and she felt dizzy but her brother's life was at stake.She grabbed all the savings and shoved them in her bag pack along with her phone. She got a cab and hurried to the hospital. After the payment and a few signatures on the important document, they started Joshua's treatment.She also heard the doctors discussing that the matter needed police involvement. They were about to approach her regarding this matter but then another doctor came dashing toward them and said something to them. They looked at Evelyn with scared eyes before heading into the room to treat Joshua.She was moving back and forth lightly while
"You're up. I brought porridge for you," Evelyn smiled at her brother who tried to sit up but couldn't and she was instantly on his side as she helped him to sit and set the pillow behind his back.He winced and tried to control the hiss of pain. She knew his whole body was in pain and he could barely move without her help.Joshua was unconscious for the whole night due to sedatives and painkillers. She was right beside him throughout the night and she woke up to him patting her head with two of his fingers.She couldn't stop her tears as she cried kissing the back of his hand. He had asked her if she was alright in that cracking voice. He could barely talk much but he still asked about those men in his groggy state.She told him that he should sleep for a while and that she would tell him everything once he woke up. He hesitantly obliged as she hurried home and prepared food for him according to the diet planner. They were supposed to do grocery shopping before all this but now there
The officers left without taking any statements. They even warned Joshua not to mess with Mr. Knight."Josh," She whispered in a small voice, placing her hand on his shoulder, he rubbed his face looking up at her with that stressed look on his face."Where did you go on that Saturday night?" She asked."The Black Palace restaurant," He answered."Who was your date?" "Sasha. Why are you asking this?""Nothing. Here, take your medicines and go to sleep," She said, handing him his medicines. He gulped them down but grabbed her wrist getting her attention."Where are you going?" He asked."I'm going to work. I'll be doing a full-time job at Smith's for a few days or else I'll look for another job," She said and he shook his head."No. You need to leave Evelyn. I won't be able to protect you in this condition. That bastard has links in the police department. I don't understand why he's after me and I can't let you be at risk for the time being," He was saying when his eyes widened slightl