"Fuck," Chris growled as his phone started ringing, interrupting his interesting read.
He had half a mind not to take the call, but looking at the screen, he found that it was his best friend, Mike.
"Hey Mikey, what's new?"
"Listen to me, Chris," Mike began breathlessly. "You need to get up and leave that house... right now. You hear me?"
"Hey hey Mikey. Slow down. What's going on?"
"People are coming for you. You gotta leave! Now!"
"What people?" "Santos' people."
"Sure this ain't one of your nightmares morphing into a daydream? What did you have for dinner yester..."
"I'm not kidding, Chris!", Mike shouted in a manner that jerked his friend out of unseriousness. "I just got a tip from Broco... Remember Broco with the white beard?"
"Yeah yeah.."
"Now Broco, he said Santos has ordered the hit on you couple of hours ago and the assassin may actually be in your building right now."
"Fuck!", Chris exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Hours ago? Why am I hearing about this now?"
"That's not important, man.
Just get up and leave!"
"Okay okay. Uhh.. leaving now. Where the fuck's my phone? Right, on my ear. Uh.. I'm leaving now, Mikey. Thanks for the tip."
Chris promptly disconnected the call and dropped the phone on the sofa. He ran to the door, then he suddenly remembered the phone. He ran back to pick it up, spent a couple seconds dancing around the room, trying to look for something he would need. He picked up his wallet and finally went out the door.
Chris had run all the way down to the street level. He took the stairs thinking he would have a better chance of survival if he met the assassin there than if boxed with him in an elevator. Even though he hadn't seen the man himself, he had heard of Santos' negative reputation and the deadly efficacy of his gang of criminals. Chris had recently witnessed the aggravated assault Santos and some of his men meted out to a lady who was unfortunate enough to cross paths with them which eventually led to her death. He had even taken a video of the incident, so he was approached to testify against Santos, but for obvious reasons, he was very reluctant. In fact, he had still not made up his mind. Right now, down on the street just in front of the building where he had an apartment, Chris was berating himself for not leaving the city immediately after witnessing the incident. The police had initially told him to take a brave stand against the forces of evil, but right now all Chris wanted to do was disappear into obscurity and wait till the whole issue blows over.
"Oh sorry," he apologized as he bumped into a young brunette on high-heel boots.
"Um... Its okay," she stuttered, her smile fluctuating a little as she looked constantly over her shoulder.
Chris, who was known and admired for his quick perceptiveness, noticed her panicky attitude. She had a scared look on her face and was more intent on looking behind her than concentrating on the fallen purse she wanted to pick up from the ground.
"Ma'am, is everything Okay?", Chris asked, temporarily forgetting his own predicament.
"Um... yeah," the woman answered, her voice shaky.
A young man in a suit walked past them and sighting him, she seemed to start and shrink away, but on seeing that he posed no immediate threat, she relaxed a little. Chris who had been watching her closely now saw his suspicion confirmed. The woman was running away from someone just like he was.
"Are you sure everything's fine, ma'am?", he asked again.
"Um.. actually no. There're some guys.. weird looking guys. They've been following me about. One of them had a gun.. I think. Please help me."
Her voice was shaky and uneven as she spoke. She was almost close to tears. Chris didn't need any more convincing to know that the woman was exactly like him: running for her life.
"Seems we're in the same boat. Follow me. Let's get out of here."
The woman simply nodded and plodded alongside him, occasionally looking over her shoulder as Chris scoured the area for taxis. The street was unusually crowdy which made movement not very easy. Chris was pushing his way through
with the brunette close behind him.
"Where are we going?", she whispered as they took an alley to avoid the crowded street.
"Somewhere safe," Chris replied, moving as fast as possible. "Not to the police, I assure you. Those bastards got me in this mess in the first place... and my phone camera too perhaps. You know, within the last two weeks, over five police officers have been killed in this district alone. Now if these guys can't protect themselves, how do you think they can protect me?"
He glanced at the woman, but she only stared blankly at him.
"Don't mind me," he shrugged. "I'm kind of a practical thinker. I never blindly believe in set ru... Hey taxi!"
The taxi stopped and they didn't waste any time jumping into it. They were hardly seated when Chris urged the cabman to drive off, promising him a generous tip if he would drive fast enough.
Now that they were in the taxi, the woman breathed easier and felt more relaxed. She smiled more and looked more beautiful in Chris' eyes. He wasn't married and had had no much luck in dating, but he was thinking, perhaps he had just found a potential girlfriend. He took every opportunity he had of stealing glances at her, admiring her lips, her eyes, her nose and even her light make-up.
"We're on 'xeter," the cabman called out, putting a stop to Chris' inspection of the brunette.
"Um.. right. Take the next left."
The cabman did as he was told while Chris looked behind them to check for cars that might be following them.
"Um.. keep going. Take the next right."
"Is everything okay?", the brunette asked, looking troubled.
"Yeah sure. Just making sure we're not being followed. Don't worry, you're safe with me. Just relax. Take the next right, cabbie."
After a few minutes of watching, Chris suddenly sat aright in his seat and sighed deeply.
"Wow. I think we're clear."
"I'm glad to hear that," the brunette acknowledged with a bright smile and a sigh of relief.
"Oh yeah? We beat them, girl! Imagine what Santos' man would look like when he finds my apartment empty. Haha! He'd be like a smashed plum.. and those guys tailing you, they'd be like 'Where the hell's she? Did she vanish into thin air?' Big ups to me! I have a genius for evading killers! Drive on cabbie, straight to Mariwold."
The brunette smiled and turned to look through the window. Chris thought it a good sign and silently congratulated himself on a good move.
The cabman dropped them off in front of a small inconspicuous-looking building and Chris tipped him generously. He waited a while and took a quick look at his surroundings before approaching the building.
"This is my safehouse," he proudly announced to the brunette while fumbling with the lock.
She gave no answer, so he glanced back at her, but she simply smiled encouragingly and he smiled back, interpreting her silence as a sign of shyness. A moment later, the door opened and Chris ushered her in before stepping inside and closing it behind him. She mouthed her thanks and he smiled appreciatively.
"Make yourself comfortable. Remember you are my guest, so get prepared to be treated with the utmost attention. I don't even know your name."
"Jayden," she replied, in a completely different voice, firm and harsh. "And I'm the one Santos sent to kill you."
Chris was shocked. He slowly turned around to find her pointing at him a gun with a silencer attached. His knees suddenly felt weak.
"Oh God," he groaned in a shaky voice.
"You certainly will need a much longer prayer, Chris."
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