Chapter 32 Mysterious Man
Daisy’s heart slammed violently against her ribs, and she felt all the blood in her body rushing to her head!
The person behind her had a burning hot body and rapid breathing, making her so nervous that she broke out in a sweat too.
"Don't make a sound!"
Just as she was about to scream, his voice cut in—low and hoarse, as though dragged painfully from his throat. Each word was laced with suppressed gasps. "Help me... help..."
"Okay, okay, I won't make a sound. Don't get worked up. Let go first."
Her voice came out strained, squeezed through the tight grip covering her mouth. But instead of releasing her, the man’s arm tightened around her throat. He dragged her deeper into the shadows of the parking lot.
His steps faltered as he moved—unsteady, uneven. His breathing grew heavier with every second. With each step, warm liquid splashed faintly near Daisy’s feet.
After staggering forward for several dozen meters, the man finally seemed to reach his limit. He stopped abruptly, collapsing against a concrete pillar as he struggled for air.
The arm around Daisy's neck loosened a bit, but he pulled out a dagger from his pocket and pointed it at Daisy.
"Car," he gasped. "Where's your car?"
Daisy cursed Vincent a thousand times in her mind, her voice trembling. "I... I didn't drive. I'm waiting for someone here."
"Who are you kidding?" The man's tone was already impatient, and the knife in his hand pushed forward. "You think I'm stupid?"
“I’m telling the truth!” Daisy’s eyes stung with tears. “My car broke down and is being repaired. My friend is coming to pick me up any minute now, right here in this parking lot!"
The man stared at her for a few seconds, and his hand gripping the dagger suddenly tightened. Just then, the sound of a car engine came from the distance.
A white sedan slowly drove into the parking lot, headlights slicing through the dimness.
Daisy recognized it at a glance—this was Shawn's car.
For a moment, relief surged through her chest—but just as quickly, it turned into dread.
What if this man took Shawn hostage!
No way, she absolutely couldn't drag Shawn into this!
The man seemed to sense the approaching danger as well, and his body instantly tensed up.
Before Daisy could react, he yanked her deeper into the shadows, pressing the dagger harder against her.
"Don't move," he warned in a low voice. "Make her drive past."
Daisy held her breath, watching the car slowly approach, drive past the car they were hiding behind, and then disappear around the corner at the other end of the parking lot.
Only then did the man finally breathe a sigh of relief, his body swayed, and he nearly collapsed.
His body was trembling, and the bloody, sticky smell was getting stronger.
"You..." Daisy hesitated, her voice softening slightly. "Your injury looks pretty serious. Do you want to go to the hospital first?"
"Cut the crap." The man gritted his teeth, pulled out car keys from his pocket and tossed them to her. "Take me to the estuary."
"The estuary?" Daisy was stunned. "That's really far from here. In your condition, you might pass out from blood loss halfway there."
"Cut the crap! I said take me to the estuary," the man's voice grew colder, the blade pressed against her skin. "Don’t make me repeat myself."
Daisy shut her mouth, not daring to speak again.
Just then, her phone rang.
Even just the vibration sound seemed deafening in the empty parking lot.
The man's eyes suddenly turned vicious.
He snatched Daisy's phone. "Don't answer it."
"This is my friend calling,” Daisy said quickly, her voice tight with urgency. “She just couldn't find me. If I don't answer, she'll get suspicious. I can make her leave, just say I had something come up and left already. Really!"
The man stared at her, hesitated for a moment, and said. "Put it on speaker,” he ordered. “Tell her to go back. If you try anything funny, I'll kill you right here!"
Daisy took a deep breath, answered the call, and pressed speaker.
"Hello? Dais?" Shawn's voice came through the receiver. "I'm at the parking lot. How come I don't see you? Are you in Section B or Section C?"
"Shawn,"Daisy swallowed, forcing her voice to stay calm. "Um... something came up. I already left. You should go back, don't wait for me."
There was two seconds of silence on the other end.
"What happened? Why does your voice sound weird?" Shawn asked suspiciously.
"No... nothing, just..." Daisy felt the knife at her waist push forward again. She took a deep breath. "Just something urgent came up at the lab. I need to go there. You go back first. I'll tell you about it later."
Another silence.
"Alright then," Shawn said. "Be safe, and call me if anything comes up."
"Okay."
Daisy hung up and let out a slow, shaky breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
The man withdrew the knife, leaned against the pillar, closed his eyes, and didn't react for quite a while.
In the light from the phone, Daisy finally got a clear look—the man's face was terribly pale, but his eyes were sharp as knives, like a leopard ready to pounce.
Even though his forehead was covered in cold sweat and the hand covering his abdomen was soaked through with blood, the quality of a desperate man about him still made Daisy's heart race instinctively, her legs going weak.
Her brain was racing.
This person was so badly injured, he probably couldn't hold on much longer. She didn't know what his identity was.
If he really died, would she be considered an accomplice?
If he didn't die, once they reached the estuary, would he let her go?
While thinking, she noticed a small USB drive hanging on the keys he had thrown to her.
She instinctively picked up the USB drive and looked at it.
"What are you looking at?" The man's eyes snapped open and even in his weakened state, they were terrifying.
Daisy quickly let go. "No... nothing."
Before she finished speaking, she saw the man's body sway, the dagger slipping from his hand, clattering loudly against the concrete.
Daisy was startled. She saw the man's body go limp, his back sliding down the pillar. His head tilted to one side, and the hand covering his wound also loosened.
Had he fainted or died?
She waited a few seconds. Seeing no reaction, she tentatively moved forward a small step, then slowly crouched down and reached out to check under his nose.
A faint warmth brushed against her skin.
Good, he fainted as he was still breathing.
Daisy let out a long breath, patting her chest with lingering fear. Only now did she realize her back was soaked with cold sweat.
Without wasting another second, she dialed Shawn's number. "Hey, it's me. You haven't left the parking lot yet, have you?" On the other end, Shawn’s voice burst out in panic. "Thank god! If you'd called one minute later, I was going to call the police. What on earth happened? I could tell something was wrong from your voice just now."
"Drive your car over first. I'll explain slowly."
Ten minutes later, the two of them struggled to haul the unconscious man into the back seat of the car.
"I'm telling you, you're just too kind-hearted. This man is obviously trouble, and you're really going to take him to the hospital?"
Shawn was driving, eyes on the rearview mirror, where the mysterious man lay unconscious in the back seat, his face deathly pale.
"You know what, this guy is actually pretty good-looking. Not any worse than Vincent. Take his picture and send it to Vincent—tell him this is your male model. That'll piss him off for sure!"