Chapter 27 Played
Her sneakers felt magical at that moment because she was running faster than wind. Even when the possibility of death was closing in, she was enthusiastic about her freedom. There was freedom in chaos and she was relishing it.
She ran like there was no tomorrow.
When she took a sharp turn into an alley for a shortcut to the mansion, she could see the men as two dark blurry figures, still running towards her. The alley was long, narrow and filled with dumpster cans but she didn’t even hesitate a step.
Kate jumped across all the obstacles like she was some character in a video game. Her young body was still energetic, even after jumping above all 13 huge obstructions one by one. The end of the alley lead to another one and she ran into it without thinking because the heavy footsteps of the men were crisp in the quiet space. They weren’t that far behind.
This alley was a bit wider but her hope dimmed for a second when she spotted something massive blocking her way. No, it wasn’t a dead end but a giant wall of metallic fence, in crisscross pattern. Most people would freeze and surrender at this point but not her. She had to prove to Quisito that she can stay alive, even without his protection. It was a matter of her pride.
Taking a deep breath, she began climbing the fence, moving two limbs at a time. In her bustle, she lost her sunglasses but she didn’t give a damn. She could buy a thousand of them if she can make it alive to her mansion. Her self-defense classes were really paying off and she mentally thanked her instructor.
When she reached the top of the fence, she carefully transferred herself to the other side and that’s when she got a clear view on the location of the men – They were really close. Her heart fluttered in fear but she was careful not to let it interrupt her actions. She didn’t have much parkour skills but she was not going to let that be the reason of her final breath. She believed in herself.
She climbed down as fast as her body would allow her but a thought stuck her like lightning and her concentration faltered – What if they were sharp shooters? If they were then on the fence, she looked like an easy shot. She took a decision out of instinct and let go off the metal, plunging down to the ground beneath. It was a miracle that she landed on her feet, but unfortunately using her right foot’s heel first. The moment she took another step she whimpered in pain because she did the opposite of what her instructor had taught her – ‘Always land on your toes not you heel.’
“Damn it...” she cursed in pain as she tried to gain momentum to sprint but her bruised angle slowed her down. Somehow, she made it to the end of the alley. From there she spotted her mansion and began half-running half-limping towards it, not ready to give up yet.
Outside the entrance of the mansion, she caught the sight of someone and the realization of who it was hit her with great relief. It was Quisito. She swallowed the pain and began running faster, her eyes marking him as the finishing line.
Hands hidden in pockets, Quisito was watching the whole thing like a Tom and Jerry cartoon, as if it was a normal thing to happen on a Sunday afternoon. The most suspicious thing was that he didn’t even do anything to help her.
Kate was out of breath when she reached him and without a moment of contemplation, she threw her arms around him and fell on his chest, because he was her savior at that point. Wrapping a protective arm around her, Quisito raised the other hand that clutched a gun, ready to shoot the men behind her. She squeezed herself into his embrace, expecting an ear-piercing gunshot, but it never came. Confused at this strange behavior, she glanced up at him, but it appeared as though he was smiling at someone.
Hissing silently in pain from the pressure on the ankle, she turned to look behind and her chest tightened because the two men who were tailing her mere seconds ago were walking towards them like normal people. When they were close enough, Quisito lowered the gun and gave them a signal with his eyes. With that, they took off their masks, revealing their identical faces – They were twins!
Her eyes narrowed when she looked between him and the twins with caution because she thought that he was going to give her away to them after making some twisted deal.
“Kudos gentlemen! That....was quite a chase” Quisito exclaimed and the twins gave each other a high-five. Kate’s confusion slowly turned into anger and she pushed herself off his chest, looking him in the eye.
“You...set this up?!” she yelled with an expression of disbelief and hurt, but he only smirked in return.
“Of course...I did. But honestly....I never thought you would escape them...” he shrugged. Kate scoffed, even though this was the closest he had ever come in complimenting her skills.
“THIS ISN’T FUNNY! I almost broke my ankle...” she spun around and scowled at the twins, who were still laughing about the chase. On hearing her bashings, immediately both of them fell quiet, but with barely controlled laughter.
Quisito wrapped an arm around her shoulder to give her support with the bruised calf and said “Meet my most loyal twins Dean and Shawn”
“Nice to meet you Katelyn...” Dean said and both bowed their heads in respect but she looked away, feeling angry and humiliated. She really wanted to pull that gun from his hand shoot both of them for putting her on the edge.
Quisito dismissed the twins after a quick chat and just when she began thinking of how to get to her room with the pain, he lifted her in his arms in bridal style and started towards the mansion, making her eyes go wide with surprise. But her shock didn’t last long.
“Put me down! I can walk you idiot...” Kate wiggled in his arms as he carried her like she didn’t weigh more than a bag of feathers. She was sure that she couldn’t walk with the throbbing pain but being in his arms was the last thing she wanted. Especially after being pranked like that!
“I ORDER YOU TO LET ME DOWN NOW!” she shouted at the top of her lungs when they were inside the mansion, but he downright ignored her and kept on walking. Eventually she gave up struggling and began sobbing silently because her ankle was killing her.
Quisito asked one of his men to open the door to her room and got inside. He gently placed her on the bed and pulled out the first aid kit from under her bed before occupying a space on her bed.
“Let me see the injury” he said softly, more like a request. But there was something else in his tone – Regret maybe?
She unenthusiastically pointed at her right leg, which was swollen a bit at the ankle. She expected him to be tough with her but he wasn’t. He carefully lifted her leg and placed it on his lap and rolled up the jeans a couple inches. When he applied the ointment on the affected area she winced kept on throwing accusatory glances at him.
“It’s just a sprain. With the help of the ointment, you will be free from pain in a few hours. Try not to put much pressure on your right foot.” He instructed while placing her leg back on the mattress. She gave a dry nod at his words and without saying anything else, he got up and left the room.
She was mad at him for putting her through such a situation, but she couldn’t deny the fact that she had tasted freedom in its most unadulterated form. No bodyguards, no weird looks from strangers, no loyal treatment.
Free as a bird against the cloud clad sky....
A ghost of a smile touched Kate’s lips when she texted Emily about the exhibit and as expected, Emily quickly replied back with a lot of heart emojis. For the rest of the day, she managed to stay in bed, taking care of her ankle and by dinner time she was able to walk without limping in pain.
Kate was standing near the window frame and looking at the night sky when he walked into her room that night. She understood that it was him from the familiar footsteps. After extinguishing the lights, he waked towards her, making her heartbeat soar.