Chapter 10

“Watch out for your surroundings,” as he said that he already ran first, dragging me along again.

I can’t even complain since protesting will only increase the danger, and I can’t do much in the situation. My survival this night is in his hands. Perhaps, I can trust him for now. He even protected me earlier, so he didn’t intend to harm me, or perhaps he still has use for me, like... with my husband.

As I am running and following him, passing by another gruesome scene after another, thoughts quickly flashed my head. Even with darkness, I can see a glimpse of my surroundings, the heightened senses helping me to keep up with them.

I thought of Zach, wondering what my reaction would be when I finally saw him later. I took a deep breath and panted, but I kept going. I don’t want to be a burden to them, while this man is the one that entices me to be here. I could leave earlier if I really wanted to. It is my choice to be here.

I stare at the man with a serious expression on his face. We are on alert, although we haven't actually encountered anyone yet. I don’t even know where we are going; this building is too big. We have been running since earlier, but we haven’t reached our destination yet.

I’m not even sure if this is the same bar as earlier or not. Everything inside has been destroyed and is nearly indistinguishable at this point for me to recognize; it is also dark.

Only a few moments later, when we finally slowed down, did silence fall over us. It’s becoming even darker as we are getting close to somwhere I’m not aware of, I knew just from the tension in the air.

We finally arrived.

“Where is it?” I can’t help but ask him. Our bodies touched as I unconsciously moved closer to him. It’s dark, with only a fire illuminating the center, and yet, as I roamed my eyes around, figures appeared in my vision. Their eyes shone as if some predator were hiding in the dark.

If I am even more easily frightened, I already scream in fear. This is a scene that really goes straight like an action movie, but it’s real and it’s happening in front of me. Rows upon rows of people stood beside each other, fully armed.

"It appears Gallaghers did indeed come prepared this time," a deep voice whispers, serious but mocking in tone. I can’t even look at him anymore, as my gaze is already fixed below us, at the man standing confidently in front.

Despite the darkness and only the light from the fire, I can easily recognize him. It’s Zach... my husband.

Various emotions surged within me, finally confirming my doubts and forming a slew of questions that sprouted in an instant within my mind. As I look at Zach now, it’s still him in my eyes and yet unfamiliar as well.

Something with how he stood and his entire demeanor I can’t put a finger into. Like how the man beside me gave a a familiar feeling the first time I saw him, Zach as well... brought some familiar sensations that awakened something within me.

The difference is that... I hate it.

Zach’s group downstairs and the men of this stranger that stood facing them while we were standing on the second floor. I bite my bottom lip and clutch the garment that conceals my identity.

Honestly, though, the darkness makes it easy to hide from Zach even without this. Despite this, I did this without even realizing it, possibly out of guilt.

Looking at them now, this stranger and my husband might be enemies. And now I'm standing next to an enemy. Addalyn, you really screwed up.

I bowed my head a little, feeling embarrassed because I finally realized that this action of mine could be a big problem later on if Zach recognized me.

"Rizzo..." rang a voice from downstairs, leading me to look down and look in its direction again. This is my husband's voice, and I recognize it.

Nobody dared to interrupt him as the room grew silent. At some point, the number of people gathering in the place increase. They stood in opposite directions, making Zach the focus of attention even more.

"Are you getting involved, Rizzo?" Zach went on, his tone calm yet a little aggressive.

And... is Rizzo his name? I frowned, having no recollection of somebody with that name.

Then, a chuckle reverberated, drawing everyone's attention. This laughter is even more audible because it is directly next to me. I then turn my head to look at him. Suddenly, I feel eyes on me, and the corner of my mouth twitches. Seriously, it's not a good idea to stand next to him. Now, because of him, I'm also getting a little attention.

"So what if I become involved? This domain is not yours yet, so I'm not breaking anything in our agreement." He responded, his tone becoming more intense.

Agreement? I stare at him, and because I'm right next to him, I can readily detect even minor changes in his expression. His face is serene, but the coldness is easily visible in his eyes. He's merely looking at Zach with an uninterested expression, which I hadn't noticed before.

This time, it was Zach's laugh that echoed. As he took a step forward, I moved my focus to him. Everyone on our side instantly became vigilant.

It just took a step from Zach for the tension to rise; the men on the stranger's side positioned themselves, as did those on Zach's back.

Everyone in the room became on high alert. I couldn’t help but swallow, my mouth running dry. I'm still a little scared, even though I've already prepared myself for what will happen when I arrive here.

I scoot closer to the man beside me, almost instinctively. This gesture of mine immediately elicited a reaction and curiosity from the crowd, which resulted in more eyes landing on me.

What the hell? I put myself in the spotlight even more as the stranger named Rizzo by Zach put his hand on my shoulders, wrapping me in his chest as if to protect me.

I almost cursed, especially as Zach and I almost made eye contact as he watched me with his inquisitive eyes. My body went stiff, almost weakening in his hold.

"Uhm, I know you're not," Zach said, oblivious to his actions and staring at us. "Are you serious about fighting me?" This time he squinted his eyes thoughtfully and his tone more provocatively.

Seriously, I almost exhaled in relief that he didn't recognize me or care about my identity. I don't know if I'll be able to breathe if he stares at me for much longer.

In this tone, he steps forward again. This time, the situation is becoming dangerous. Everyone's attention is drawn away from us and toward the situation; in an instant, they are pointing guns at each other. Everyone's guns are aimed at the opponent, and even those on the side are afraid to enter the fight between two behemoths.

As I watch everything unfold and worsen, my grip on the cloth in my head tightens. My attention is locked on Zach, who is standing below us, as well as the guns that are pointed in his direction.

"I do have an intention," the man beside me responds as I knit my brows and look at him. This man... will he be fighting my husband? And before I could think any further, he raised his gun and pointed at Zach.

Wait… is he serious? My heart was beating so hard that I thought it was in my throat. I want to intervene and push him beside me, but I can't. It was almost as if I had become frozen in place, like everyone else.

No one spoke, and the place was filled with silence. Just waiting for the signal. My heart is beating so fast and loudly that I wonder if anyone can hear it.

And as he slowly pulled the trigger, my mind went blank and was filled with conflicting thoughts. Even my ears started ringing, accompanied by the loud beating of my heart, and as I thought he would shoot Zach, the direction of his hand changed, and he shot at the side instead.

A scream followed his gunfire, and a commotion began.