Scoundrel With A Noble Heart (sequel of Disgraceful)

Chapter 9

Dear readers,
Sorry for the late update. Has been a bit busy recently but will try my best to deliver you good story. Thanks for following my story.

"What?" She turned her head to see.

"Don't look back! Keep going!"
Matthew pushed her, urging her to move faster. He sneaked a glance at the watcher and saw the man hurrying toward the crowd, eyes fixed on them. Pushing their way through the throng, he followed her when she headed into an alley. Wrong turn, because the passage led to a deserted factory complex. Now they were alone and exposed, trapped in a dead end.

"Let's hide in the building!" Rushing to the nearest door, Arabella turned the rusty knob, but the door didn't open.

"Oh, no!" Arabella cried in panic.
"What do we do now?"

Before Matthew could answer, they heard nearing footsteps coming their way.

"Come here!"
Quickly he pulled her and they hid behind an old barrel. The footsteps came closer, now they could hear it loud and clear. Carefully Matthew stole a peek and saw the man slowly coming near, his eyes observing the area. Unable to think of another way out, Matthew whispered to Arabella,
"I'll try to distract him, you run as fast as you can."

"What about you?"

"Just do what I say."

Arabella didn't have the chance to argue because the very next second, the man appeared in front of them and spotted them rightaway. Immediately Matthew hurled himself at the man, sending them both falling to the ground. Pulling away, swiftly Matthew swung his fist at the man's face, but his opponent was faster. He caught Matthew's hand and launched a counterattack. Matthew's head spun from the force of the blow, blood spurting out of his mouth. From behind him, he heard Arabella scream. With a grunt, the man shoved him off and pushed himself off the ground, turning and gazing threateningly at Arabella.

"Run!!!" Matthew shouted at her, scrambling to his feet. He lunged toward the man, trying to detain him as long as he could.

Arabella stood unmoving, her frantic gaze swept wildly around and accidentally she spotted a narrow gap in the mucky wall across her. The opening was just wide enough for them to pass through. She could just sneak through the exit and flee, but instead of slipping away, she swerved her attention back to Matthew, who appeared to be taken down by his opponent.

Growing up in the street, Matthew was no stranger to tavern brawls or brutal gang fights, but he proved no match for the trained combatant. He almost got knocked out when the man delivered a hard blow right in his solar plexus. A blinding pain seared through him, and he staggered back as air escaped his lungs. The man gave a snorting chuckle as he came over to him. Mercilessly, he pinned Matthew to the ground and pushed his knee into his neck.

At the sight, Arabella was spurred into action. Without a second thought, she grabbed a brick laid in her vicinity and launched herself forward. A heavy thud rang out when the hard block smashed into the back of the man's head. He collapsed to the ground with a harsh groan.

"Matthew, hurry!"
Arabella threw the brick away and took Matthew's hand, pulling him off the ground. He managed to get on his feet, only to fall back to the ground.

"Run!" He rasped,
"Go on! Save yourself!"

"No! I'm not leaving you behind."
She dragged him along, holding him up under the arms. A few feet away from them, their attacker struggled to get back on his feet. With a threatening scowl, he clambered toward them, but Arabella barely flinched, let alone wavering from her intention to save Matthew. Miraculously she managed to drag him to the hole before the man could reach them.