CHAPTER 86: TRAPPED III

Charis

Hundreds of them were grinding and swaying under the electric haze. Their bodies wirthed under the pulse of the beat, each of them held drinks in their hands, swaying as if they were being controlled.

I felt both relieved and anxious at the same time.

I weaved through the dancers, elbowing my way through threes and weaving between couples while my eyes searched every dark corner for an exit sign. The flashing lights and loud music were disorienting, making it hard to maintain my sense of direction.

Suddenly, a burly hand clamped down on my shoulder. I spun around to see a huge man looming behind me—one of the security guards from the VIP room. My blood turned cold as I spotted three more men of similar build pushing through the crowd toward me.

"Shit!" I breathed.

The first man lunged for me, but I dodged left, my heart thudding wildly as I ducked beneath his arm and shoved myself into the dancing crowd. This time I didn’t wait to be told I had to run.

I bumped into dancers, knocked over drinks; people cursed, but I didn’t stop running, not even caring if I’d trampled on anyone.

I burst out of the disco hall and ran to the end of the hall, taking my left as I barreled down the hallway, running past startled patrons and still colliding with people in my desperate flight.

The corridor seemed endless, lined with doors leading to who knows what kinds of activities.

I darted into a room bathed in red light. I didn’t stay long enough to observe what the place was, only that it was filled with glass booths, laughing men, and a naked woman bent backwards on a pole.

I ran back out, almost colliding with my pursuers.

They were gaining on me. I could hear their heavy footsteps getting closer, and my lungs were burning from the exertion and panic. Just as I thought they would catch me, a strong hand shot out from one of the doorways and dragged me into a darkened room.

I screamed.

Before I could struggle, the hand yanked me deeper into a side room and slammed me against a wall. It was a man.

I froze completely when I caught his scent. It was Kael.

Aside from his scent, I knew it was him immediately because my wolf, which had barely moved inside me, was now going berserk like she always did whenever Kael was around us.

His mouth was covered by a black handkerchief, likely to hide his identity. His eyes flickered behind us to the hallway before resting on me again. I lowered my gaze, wondering how he knew I’d be here. How had he found me?

The men entered into our hiding place. One of them even paused outside the room where I and Kael was. Kael pressed his body more tightly against mine, shielding me with his frame. After several tense minutes, the men gave up their search and moved elsewhere.

As soon as they left, Kael slowly stepped back and shrugged out of his jacket offering it to me. Then he grabbed my hands and said.

"Follow me."

He led me through an almost empty hallway that seemed to be the service floor. We moved fast, but quietly, with Kael checking the corners, constantly pausing to listen like he knew this place better than I did.

We were almost at the exit when three men blocked our path.

It was the same goons from before.

We tried to go back the same way we came, but another three burly men also blocked us from behind.

One of the men stepped forward. "Let the girl go," he said gruffly. "This doesn’t concern you."

Kael turned to me immediately. "Go to that corner and stay there," he instructed, pointing to a shadowed corner. "Close your eyes and block your ears."

Without hesitation, I hurried to the corner he’d indicated, my heart still pounding violently. I was incredibly grateful that Kael was there, but I had no idea what to tell him about this entire situation.

I didn’t close my eyes.

From my position in the corner, I watched as the first man rushed forward. Kael didn’t move from position; he just ducked low and sent the man flying with a bone-crunching elbow to his jaw.

The second man came in with a swing, and Kael ducked, swept his legs and punched him. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and the man hit the ground with a loud thud.

The third man tried to tackle him, but Kael blocked his punches gracefully. Then slammed the man against the wall with enough force that made the plaster crack. The two men from earlier had recovered and were trying to attack again.

But Kael was already on the move. He spun, twisted, struck and kicked at each of the attackers.

I watched with awe as six men fought against Kael, who made it look like he was playing with his peers.

One man tried to blindside him. Kael caught him mid-air and flipped him onto the ground, knocking him out cold. Another slashed at him with a pocket knife. Kael dodged and kicked the knife away from his hand.

At last, he was the only one standing while all six men were groaning on the floor. The entire fight lasted less than three minutes. Kael straightened his clothes and came to where I was crouched.

"C’mon," he said, extending his hand towards me.

I took it.

He didn’t let go as we moved down the corridor and pushed through a side door that led into an underground parking garage.

We stopped beside a black car, and Kael turned to face me fully now. I turned to him, ready to attempt some explanation, but before I could speak, he asked me quietly.

"Can you tell me how you got here? What happened in that VIP room? Why were those men chasing after you and..." he paused for a minute. "Are you one of the girls from the lab?"

I was startled by his question and the formal way he asked me, as if this were an interview.

That was when it hit me.

Kael didn’t recognise me.

He had no idea that this was Eamon.

To him, I was just some girl in distress who needed rescuing, not his roommate, not his friend and not the person he’d been growing closer to over the past few days.

He was looking at me with curiosity, waiting for an explanation from a complete stranger.