Chapter 26 Treacherous
“So...I can go and come back whenever I want to?” Kate heaved in disbelief as her eyes sparkled with happiness.
“Yes. But remember...if anything happens to you...only you will be responsible. Understood?” he was trying to make it sound scary but her enthusiasm dimmed it.
Kate nodded her head in excitement, tears of joy coming to life in her doe little eyes. She raced back to her room and quickly changed into her favorite shirt and jeans. It was a bit sunny outside, so she grabbed her shades before having one last look at the mirror and headed out.
She walked with a façade of fake confidence because on the inside she had a myriad of emotions crushing her ability to draw a proper breath. Kate was nervous because she had witnessed many attacks that were aimed at her and that too when she was surrounded by bodyguards. But now she is about to step into the open, without even a single string of protection. She was scared but at the same time excited for the newfound freedom.
“It’s gonna be okay...” she breathed as she stepped out of the large gates of the mansion and soaked into the frenzy of the world outside, while Quisito watched her from the comfort of his room.
Her first task was crossing the road, but she wasn’t afraid to do it as she had watched people do it a million times, through her window. Kate followed the footsteps of other people who crossed the road and once she was on the other side, she congratulated herself inwardly and walked in search for the store.
On reaching he exact location, she craned up her neck to spot the name plate. It was called ‘Gems & Diamonds’.
The huge shop was located next to a restaurant and had a glittering billboard made out of fake diamonds. She took off her sunglasses and hooked it on the front of her shirt before walking into the shop.
The moment Kate stepped inside the place, her eyeballs nearly jumped out of the sockets because she was mesmerized by the elegant way the diamonds were displayed. Every rare piece of gem was displayed with a concentration of appropriate color lights, giving them a whimsical look.
Her eyes searched for the display she came for and she found it at the left corner of the store. With a smile, she walked over to the sapphire rose that was kept on a rotating stand, its beauty enhanced a thousand folds by the surrounding white lights. Her heart thumped with happiness as she eyed the display that was under ‘Not for Sale’ board.
“Ma’am can I help you find something?” a female voice spoke next to her Kate, who was too engrossed in enjoying the gem to even hear that.
“Ma’am can I help you find something?” the staff asked a bit louder and this time she got Kate’s attention.
“No...I..just came to see this..” Kate said, pointing at the display.
“Okay ma’am...but if you need anything then I’ll be right over the counter” the staff informed and retreated, giving her a pleasant nod.
After enjoying the piece to its fullest, she decided to take a troll around the other jewelry the shop had to offer.
‘For your Special Someone’ she read the plank put on top of a set of diamond rings and only one face came to her mind – Chris. Kate grazed every diamond ring with her eyes with a sad smile on her face because she didn’t even know if she would ever find her soulmate.
She took a deep sigh and looked over to the large glass widow of the store because she felt like someone was watching her, but there was no one.
May be, it was just the feeling of insecurity.
Another display at the center of the room caught her attention and she made her way to it through the crowd and marveled at its elegance. But she still had that paranoid feeling of being watched so she whipped her head around to look at the glass window and her heart stopped at the sight.
Two men, dressed in identical black attire stood outside the store, their gaze murderously fixated on her. She made out the outline of the gun under one of their coats and to make matters worse, their faces were covered and only their piercing eyes were visible. She slightly trembled in fear but didn’t let it show on her face.
Turning her head to the side, she quickly spotted another exit door and began moving towards it so that she can escape. The men had clearly come for her and she didn’t want to put the lives of other people also in danger. Through her peripheral vision, she saw the men covering the same distance as her, from outside the shop.
She was doomed!
With a heavy knot twisting in the pit of her belly, she yanked the door open.
As soon as her foot touched the pavement outside, Kate took off running, not even bothering to turn back or ask for help. She was scared for her life and didn’t even know if these men had backup.