When Ronin and Jasper reached the address that the detective had sent them two hours later, after their conversation at the club, they weren't prepared to find themselves in the middle of practically nowhere. The barren landscape stretched before them, a desolate expanse of cracked asphalt and faded yellow lines.
Ronin's uncertainty about this part of the city deepened. He glanced around, searching for any familiar landmarks, but found none. It was as though they had entered a forgotten corner of the metropolis, a place lost to time. The ghostly remnants of ambition lingered in the form of half-constructed buildings, their skeletal frames reaching for the sky like abandoned dreams.
Warehouses loomed like silent sentinels, their windows shattered and their doors hanging askew. A heavy silence enveloped the area, broken only by the distant whisper of the wind rustling through forgotten debris. The roads, long and cracked, stretched into the unknown, disappearing into a horizon shrouded in mystery. It was as if they had stepped into a forsaken realm, where the past had collided with the present, leaving behind a haunting, empty shell of what once was.
He didn't see many people lingering around on his way, except for a few men and women who looked as if they had been deprived of nourishment for days, their sunken eyes and frail frames contrasting starkly with the grim surroundings. Drawing in a deep breath, Ronin ran a hand through his hair and cast a glance over at Jasper. To his not-so-surprise, his best friend seemed to be having the same thought process in his head, his brow furrowing as he surveyed their eerie surroundings.
"Is it just me, or is this place creepy as fuck?"
Ronin couldn't have agreed more. He shrugged, the tension in the air making his skin crawl. "Maybe that's what makes it the safest place for holding a guy."
It had to be. Why else would the detective want them to be there? Although Ronin had to say, he hadn't expected that man to execute the whole kidnapping thing so swiftly. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of associates he must have, who were willing to assist him in such a dangerous endeavour.
Not that it was his problem at the moment. He had already transferred the money on his way to the location—all he could hope for now was for everything to unfold smoothly, like a well-scripted drama he was responsible for producing.
"Let's go," Ronin signalled Jasper with a nod, heading for the large metal gates ahead. He just wanted to get done with this, wanted nothing more than the names of the people behind the attacks on him and his sister.
The mere thought of her was enough to turn his veins into rivers of molten hate and anger.
Ronin clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes, his footsteps suddenly heavier and faster against the concrete.
Jasper followed right behind. "Hey, are you okay?"
He must have sensed something was off with Ronin. Hence, before Ronin could push the small door on the side open, Jasper blocked his path and stood in front of him.
"You need to calm down, man. I know you're mad, but we have to approach this with caution—your words, not mine."
For a moment, Ronin's eyes flashed with anger, his jaw clenching so tightly it felt like his teeth might shatter under the pressure. The weight of his emotions pressed down on him, like a dark storm cloud threatening to unleash its fury. He thought about Grandpa and Carmen. He thought hard.
Finally, a heavy sigh, like a gust of wind escaping a locked room, finally broke through his clenched lips, and he closed his eyes to regain control.
"You're right," he said after a series of deep, deliberate breaths, running another hand through his hair. "I must be mindful about this. We should stick to the plan."
"Exactly. We have to make sure he doesn't see or hear us. We're only here to observe, okay?"
Ronin nodded, though he couldn't help but want to land a few punches on that bastard's throat too. He knew those men inside were having fun. He had heard that scumbag scream during his last phone conversation with the detective.
With another determined sigh escaping his lips, he looked at Jasper and gave him a nod. "Alright. Let's get moving."
Jasper didn't hesitate to step aside.
* * *
Carmen glanced at the time on the screen of her phone, and sighed.
The Logans had asked her to be there by seven. But something about going back there flooded her stomach with knots, twisting and turning, keeping her restless and on edge. She couldn't quite explain what it was that she really was afraid of—or well, nervous about. Logans were good people. A bit dramatic and loud, sure, but good people for sure. In fact, Ronin had been the only one in the entire family who never treated her right. But now, after the truth was out, it was obvious that even he had good intentions towards her, and not mean or cruel, like she was made to believe.
The thought of Ronin was enough to shoot another wriggle down her spine, but not a nervous one this while. It made her heart flutter, as if longed to rest its sight on him. An odd longing indeed, but she couldn't deny that now, with all the misunderstandings cleared up, she felt like she understood him a little better than before. It was as if she could finally grasp how the gears in his mind turned and how he, even if only a little, perceived the world around him.
With another deep sigh escaping her lips, Carmen checked her phone and scrolled down to see if there were any texts from him. Usually, he made sure to confirm her safe arrival home, a behavior that was somewhat unusual coming from a man who had ignored her existence for as long as she could remember. However, it was not an entirely unwelcome change, that's for sure.
How many times during the nine months of their marriage had she hoped to witness this caring side of him? Too many times to count. Even though she knew their marriage was a sham and meant nothing to him, there was always a glimmer of hope. A hope that one day he would dismantle the tall, thick walls he had built around himself and allow her in. A hope that he would temporarily discard that tough facade to see that perhaps they weren't so bad for each other.
Carmen had no way of knowing if Ronin had ever been attracted to her when they were still married, but now... something had indeed changed in the way he looked at her. It sent shivers down her spine, and she found herself fidgeting under his gaze if he lingered on her longer than he should.
Before her mind could wander into even scarier and more shocking places, her phone burst into life, and she almost dropped it, startled by the sudden interruption. It was as if her thoughts had summoned the man she had been obsessively thinking about—Ronin's name blinked on the screen.
She answered right away, calming herself before finally speaking. "Hey!"
"Hey, yourself," his deep, baritone voice came, shooting a small lightening bolt down her arms. "Uh, so, I called to update you on something."
Carmen sat up straighter, biting her lip. "What is it? Is everything okay?"
The line went silent for a long minute before Ronin returned once again. By this time, Carmen was standing in the middle of her living room, pacing. "Change of plans. We might have to postpone the dinner."
"What?" She couldn't help but be surprised, although a small part of her was relieved beyond imagination. "But why? What happened?" Then, as if the reality of their situation finally settled in, her voice rose, just like the panic beneath her chest. "Ronin. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
He ignored her questions. "I'm sending you a location. Take Joy and come here as fast as possible. I'll tell you everything once you're here."
Carmen's anxiety deepened, and she clutched her phone tightly. "Ronin, you're scaring me. Please, just tell me if you're okay."
There was a pause on the line, and she could hear Ronin exhale slowly before responding, his voice more measured. "I'm fine, Carmen. I promise, I'm okay. But we don't have much time to talk right now. I'll explain everything once you're here. Trust me."
Carmen nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "Fine. Send me the location; I'm on my way."
Ronin quickly sent her the coordinates, and Carmen rushed to grab her keys and coat, calling for Joy—the grandfather's trusted driver for years. Thankfully, Joy didn't ask any questions and simply drove her to the address.
As the car sped through the city streets, Carmen couldn't shake the unease that had settled in her stomach. Ronin's mysterious call and the sudden change of plans left her with a gnawing sense of dread. She watched the passing buildings and people with a sense of detachment, her thoughts consumed by worry.
Finally, the car came to a halt in front of a grand mansion, and Carmen wasted no more time, hopping out and heading for the doors. She didn't even pay attention to the name of the mansion engraved on the gates outside when her car drove past it. She simply rushed through the doors and stopped only when a familiar face came into view.
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Jasper?"
For some reason, the punch of dread that hit her this time was harder than anything. "Where's Ronin?"
"I'm here." Ronin appeared from one of the rooms on the ground floor, and Carmen didn't know what she was doing until she crossed the huge hall in a matter of seconds and flung herself at him.
"Oh, my God, are you okay? Please tell me you're okay."
She didn't know, but she felt like crying; the pressure behind her eyes was too much—too overwhelming. She just wanted to know if he was okay, in his voice, from his lips. Then and only then would she be able to think of something else.
Ronin hesitated for only a fraction of a second before his strong arms came around her, resting on her small waist, and pulling her closer to his chest. "I'm okay, Carmen. I promise, I'm okay."
Carmen nodded, but her frightened heart still refused to fully believe him. She could feel his heartbeat racing just as fast as hers, and that only heightened her worry for him. "You called me like this. Like something bad happened. I thought... I thought they attacked you again. God, I was so terrified."
Ronin held her tightly, his voice soothing as he tried to ease her anxiety. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I didn't mean to, but I needed you to come here urgently."
Carmen pulled back slightly, her eyes searching his for any sign of trouble. "But why? What happened?"
He cupped her face, his touch warm and comforting. She could see the regret in his eyes, the regret of scaring her like that. But there was something else too, something akin to gratitude, as if he couldn't quite believe that she cared so deeply for him, even after everything he had done to break her heart, not just once or twice, but so many times.
Ronin's thumb gently brushed away a tear that had escaped Carmen's eye. His voice was tender as he spoke, his eyes locked onto hers. "Don't waste these tears on me, Carmen. I don't deserve them."
His words felt like a hard pinch, and more tears trailed down her eyes. She couldn't help it. "You don't understand. You never—"
A finger on her lips silenced her, urging her not to say another word. Carmen quieted down, swallowing but never taking her eyes off him.
"Come with me," Ronin told her instead and held her hand, leading her to a different room from where he had come from.
Carmen could only gasp as he pushed the door open with more force than was needed and shut the door with the back of his foot.
His hold on her arm brought her against the wall, and she sucked in a sharp breath when he cornered her with his arms on either side of her face.
Carmen was still a little disoriented from all those emotions running high inside her. It took her a little longer to realize that now they were alone and he was standing impossibly close.
Ronin's gaze bore into hers, intense and searching. His voice was barely a whisper as he spoke, his lips tantalizingly close to hers. "I have been meaning to do this for a very long time."
Carmen watched as he swallowed and then ran his tongue along his bottom lip, creating a path of moisture. She could feel her own throat tightening with anticipation.
"Do what?" She asked in a whisper, her voice small and shaky.
"This," he said and lowered his gaze to her lips. Before Carmen knew what was happening, his lips were crashing down on her, sending shockwaves through every neuron in her brain.
Finally? :P
Don't forget to vote and comment :)