Chapter 21

“Hello beautiful, how can I be of service to you?”

Amber stepped into a home security store and smiled nervously at the storekeeper. She glanced around the store. It wasn’t very big, and she couldn’t walk past the counter because it stretched across from one side of the wall to the other.

She was hoping to be able to buy her items discreetly. She looked at the storekeeper’s name tag, his name was Ben.

She cleared her throat, “Ben, do you sell stun guns here?”

Ben, who was barely a few years older than Amber raised an eyebrow on his freckled face. He propped an elbow on the counter and cupped his chin, “We do…we have a range actually. Are you looking for a mild one? Or a—”

Amber placed both hands on the counter, drumming her fingers nervously, “Give me something small, concealable and strong.”

Raven haired Ben frowned and scratched the back of his ear, “Sweetheart, are you in some kind of trouble?”

Yes, I’m about to meet a murderer.

“Oh, no,” she raised her hands, shaking them profusely in mock surprise. “I’m uh...I’m just buying one, you know. Just in case. Crimes have been on the rise lately.”

She fluttered her eyelids at him, trying to conjure an image of innocence and naivety.

Ben nodded, stroking his chin deep in thought, “Guess you’re right. My little sister almost got kidnapped the other night. Thank God she had a stun gun with her. Which gives me an idea…wait here.”

He went to the back of the store and came back with two stun guns.

“You see these two?” he asked, placing them on top of the counter. They looked like mini torch lights.

“One’s an original, the other’s a counterfeit from the black market.”

Amber blinked, they were both black and small and Amber couldn’t tell the difference between the two.

“Which one did your sister use?”

Ben pointed to the first before looking suspiciously to the left and right like a secret agent.

“I’ll let you in on something,” he whispered and motioned for Amber to lean closer towards him.

“The counterfeit works just as well, and we sell it for half the price of the original,” Ben the storekeeper tapped at the second stun gun with a look of utmost seriousness. He turned them both on and started demonstrating their usage. Bright blue streaks of light emitted from each stun gun with a buzzing sound and Amber had to momentarily shield her eyes from the glare.

“These babies pack quite a punch,” Ben said proudly, holding the stun guns up.

They sure do, Amber thought wryly.

Under normal circumstances, Amber would have laughed out loud at the storekeeper’s attempt in selling her counterfeits. She was a sucker for cheap stuff, but today, she could not afford to take the risk.

Better be safe than sorry.

Amber forced a smile and picked up the original, “I’ll take this one.”

Ben pouted, “But they’re equally good!” Amber had to wonder if he earned commissions from selling the counterfeit.

“I’ll still stick to the original, thank you.” It mattered not that she blew a hole in her pocket for this, she needed it desperately. Her life depended on it.

***

Amber had barely stepped out of the home security store when her phone rang. To her surprise, it was Fabian.

“Where are you?” he demanded the moment she answered the call.

“Why do you want to know?” she asked stiffly, scanning her surroundings for a sign of Fabian. He had a habit of showing up next to her when she least expected it. Quickly she walked briskly away from the home security store.

I can’t risk letting him know where I was.

“You should be resting in the hospital,” he scolded her.

Now that he mentioned it, she realized that her headache was still there. She needed to eat something soon. Her stomach was growling, and the scorching heat was not helping either.

“I’m all better.”

“The hell you are. I’ll go pick you up. Remember, I still own you for another month.”

She knew he meant well, but the way he said it made her feel like an object for him to play with. She closed her eyes, suddenly feeling weary. She didn’t feel like fighting with him.

“I returned you your money,” she whispered as she continued walking. She wasn’t sure where to though. Her mind had stopped working the moment she heard the sound of Fabian’s voice. The man’s deep sensual vocals had that effect on her.

“And I rejected the transfer.”

What?!

Amber stopped in her tracks and a car honked at her. She was standing in the middle of a busy street. Quickly, she crossed over to the other side of the street.

“Redd? Redd?”

She sighed. The searing pain cut across her heart again. Why was he doing this?

“I’m listening.”

“I’m coming to pick you up. You’re at Brentwood Street, aren’t you?”

There was no use arguing with this guy. He was used to getting what he wanted. She didn’t even bother to ask how he found out.

The guy’s a tech whiz, he has his ways, she reasoned.

She didn’t know why he even bothered calling her in the first place. She didn’t know anything anymore.

Amber continued trudging down the busy street when a car suddenly screeched to a halt beside her. She ignored it and continued walking. Behind her, she heard the car door open before it slammed shut.

“Redd!”

Shit!

She whirled around to see Fabian, ever dashing even in a plain polo tee standing next to his Aston Martin. He looked tired though and she knew it was because of her. She shook her head and started walking away.

“Redd! We need to talk!” he shouted from behind. A car behind him honked.

"Yo! Who the fuck do you think you are? You can't just leave your car here! You're creating a traffic jam!"

Fabian groaned and briskly walked over to pass the driver a wad of cash. The honking ceased immediately.

"Oh wow...uh…you can park here for as long as you want Sir! I'll hold off the traffic for you!"

Amber quickened her pace, but her stride was no match for Fabian’s. He was tall and athletic and caught up with her in no time.

“Stay away from me!” she yelled as loudly as she could. Nearby, a few curious passersby stopped to look, all curious to see a pair of lovebirds arguing.

Her heart beat wildly as she broke into a run, and she had almost reached another corner of the street when a car suddenly zipped by. It caught Amber by surprise, and she fell on the bricked sidewalk, landing on her butt.

Her ass hurt, but not as much as her heart did.

A pair of strong, warm hands lifted her by the shoulders and gently turned her around.

It was Fabian. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly in a warm embrace even as she struggled to be set free. Tears threatened to spew from her eyes as she beat against his broad chest.

“Let me go!”

“Shh…it’s alright Redd,” he cradled her, not loosening his grip.

Eventually, after what felt like forever, she gave in and stopped beating his chest.

“Redd,” he finally spoke again when she calmed down, staring into her eyes, and wiping off her tears. “We need to talk.”

A tremor snaked through her body. She was scared and shook her head, “No.”

He lifted her chin and right there and then, he planted the softest kiss on her lips, “Redd, I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”

What did he just say?

“So, I can’t let you go.”