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Love, K!
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"I knew I was in trouble the first time I saw you smile."
~ TheLoveBits
Carlton's POV
The two guys - Raymond and Ace - treated me like a criminal threatening to escape from custody. Ace walked meticulously by my side shooting frequent glances towards my left hand that was handcuffed to his right hand. Raymond followed us, holding my gun to the back of my head.
The corners of my mouth twitched into a smirk. These guys were tough and definitely a bit older than me, but not smart enough. Ace had made a mistake by latching my left hand in cuffs which left my dominant hand free; I could easily attack him with it.
Ray, on the other hand, was holding the gun to my head, if I was swift enough I could grab it before he realized and if I carefully twisted his arm, I would have the upper hand. He should've pressed the gun to my spine. It would've made it harder for me to reach it.
Nevertheless, I gave them the liberty as validation. Not only that, but they were taking me to Mackenzie who also happened to be Breanna - the girl my heart's been aching for - and I was not going to ruin my only chance by showing off my proficiencies in hand combat.
They had led me into the house now, but it looked more like a warehouse. It was dark in there but I could notice several vehicle parts strewn and stacked in the room. The metallic sheen of the car doors and mirrors glimmered in the dark, under the moonlight sneaking through the cracks on the roof and the cracks in the walls and windows that were bolted shut by wooden slabs. Enormous shelves covered the walls and held all kinds of tools that looked like they hadn't been moved in years.
I wondered why all of this was inside an old Victorian mansion that looked like a residence. It seemed like someone had tried to secretly run a car manufacturing business.
"Why are the windows covered?" I asked out of curiosity but none of them answered. I could feel the tension in the air that wasn't present before. It was as if they were thinking intently about something and their faces held an overwrought expression.
Soon, I was being led up a derelict metal staircase that rattled and shook from the rust it had accumulated over the years. I began to hope that at the end of these steps, would be an answer to the numerous questions I had right now.
On the next floor, there were several doors bolted shut. They walked me to one of the doors in the middle.
The place was cold and smelled of metal and grime. The dust particles danced under the light rays from the overhead white tube light, which barely made any difference in the dark surroundings.
Ace knocked on the door rhythmically, which was probably some kind of signal, and then he called out, "Mackenzie? We're coming in. You have a guest!"
"Come in!"
It was her. My palms were sweaty now and I felt an inhumane temptation to break free of my handcuffs and run to her.
It felt as if my heart had made it all the way to my throat. My lungs started to hurt as my breaths began to sound like gasps; pain rushing its way through my veins. Pain that revealed excitement.
Ray must've noticed this. He loaded my gun and pressed it on the side of my waist. I hissed when the muzzle of the gun pricked me, it was then that I realized that Ace had removed the handcuff from his hand and transferred it to my right hand.
I was so lost in the moment when I heard her voice that I now had both my hands cuffed behind my back with a gun sticking against my waist and I hadn't even realized it.
Raymond opened the door slowly and the creaking sound bounced off the warehouse walls, making it sound louder and more petrifying than it actually was. Or maybe that's just how I was imagining it.
Ace held my arm with one hand and gripped the back of my collar tightly with the other and pushed me inside.
He was holding my head down so I couldn't see anything in front of me but I felt the cool air-conditioned air hit my clammy skin sending a shiver all the way down to my toes.
Ace pushed me down so I was now kneeling on the spotless, white-tiled floor. I lifted my head up slowly, gulping a whimper down my throat. My hair strands were falling all over my eyes but I saw through them.
I saw a pair of dusty nike shoes, skin-tight, blue ripped jeans and a white tank top under a navy blue hoodie, a rush of white blonde hair filled my vision and then I was staring right into those blue eyes that I had been dreaming about, for the past five years. I remembered each and every freckle and every line of her iris.
I was frozen and couldn't speak a word; I was lost in an abyss that I went to when I daydreamed, but this time I was pulled inside it involuntarily.
She narrowed her eyes at me, folding her arms and leaning down to get a better look. All of a sudden, she moved a step back as if she just saw something she wasn't expecting, "Carlton Hargray?!"
I gulped again, a little painfully this time, "It's...It's 'Hargrave' actually."
"You know him?!" asked Raymond, full of dismay.
"Yes," she exclaimed, her lips twitching into a smirk, "I happen to know him really, really well, actually."
I looked back at Ace with a challenging smile as he let go of my collar and stepped behind, saying, "Well, then he's probably not a threat."
Breanna looked at Ace with a smile that screamed a certain accomplishment that I didn't comprehend, "Oh, he is a threat; just not to us."
"He has spectacular combat skills," said Raymond.
"I know." She looked into my eyes again and became the only person in my life ever to make me feel guilty of my mistakes, "You guys can leave us now."
"He could be dangerous, Kenzie."
"Oh he won't hurt me. He can't."
Breanna looked more like herself in her casual attire than she did in that flowing white gown and excessive makeup back at the party.
Raymond and Ace obediently strode out, with Ray sneering at me dreadfully one last time before shutting the door.
What was it with this guy being so defensive for her?
A few moments of silence later, she spoke first, "What're you doing here, Hargrave?" I could recognize her more clearly now. The melodious jingle of the ice cream truck and a sweet scent of vanilla filled the air. Did she notice it too?
I licked my lips and waited until I found my ability to speak again, "I thought you might've guessed already."
Her arms remained crossed, her face expressionless. "How did you find me?"
"Breanna, if you haven't guessed already, I'm the masked guy from the party." I jerked my head to the side to push the hair out of my eyes but it didn't help much; "I threw my iPhone at the back of your SUV to track you."
For a fraction of second, I thought I spotted a hint of surprise on her features but she was so quick to hide it and remain normal as if it never happened. Then she turned around and placed her hands on the desk behind her. I noticed that she had become slimmer over the years but the small of her back was just as perfectly curved as it used to be. She muttered, shaking her head and breaking me of my trance, "Of course, of course, it was you. How could I be so absentminded?"
She turned around and with her slender fingers, tucked her blonde locks behind her ear. "Your hair, your eyes, even your voice. I knew you sounded familiar."
Even after all these years, she had managed to get me shaking all over and stumbling over my own words, "Could you...atleast free me? It's embarrassing." I said, ushering towards my handcuffed arms.
She picked up a key from a jar full of keys on the desk and walked upto me. I stood up, watching her movements; the way she walked with grace and confidence.
I felt her hands brush mine as she worked on my cuffs and my heart began to beat violently. No one ever made me feel this way. It was senseless how she managed to do that.
Questions started to pour out involuntarily, "Breanna, what is this place? What happened at the party, who were those people? Were they trying to hurt you? Why's everyone calling you Mackenzie? Did you dye your hair?"
She merrily ignored them all and said in such a low whisper that I had to strain my ears to listen, "You are the last person who was supposed to know about this. And don't ever call me Breanna again."
The cuffs came off with ease and I rubbed my wrists for comfort, "Why not? Did you change your name? Why?"
She inhaled audibly and looked into my eyes. She walked closer to me until I could feel her breathing on my neck, "Yes, if you haven't already noticed, I'm trying to disguise myself. No one knows my true identity here so I would appreciate it if you shut the fuck up."
I was taken aback by her response. She was being so...defensive about the whole situation. I needed answers.
Almost like she read my mind, her stare buried deep into mine, "If you're here for answers, Carlton Hargrave then know that you're not getting any. Do you realize that if someone saw you breaking into this building, they would be suspicious that something's going on? Do you realize the kind of mistake you've made by following us here? You've put yourself and all of us in danger!"
"I made sure no one was following us. Now you tell me-"
"Carlton I am not telling you anything!" she almost screamed, "Why're you like this? Why can't you just fucking leave me alone?! Why do you have to keep showing up everywhere?!"
So, she was still hung up on what happened more than five years ago?
"Is this about what happened in highschool?"
"No! It's fucking not!" she really was screaming this time, "I don't want you to be a part of this Carlton! Leave me alone! This is a serious situation-"
"Well, I believe that I deserve to know who those guys were after I risked my life for you."
"You ruined my life, Carlton...you're the reason this is happening to me."
Inhaling sharply, I protested, "I also saved your life. I believe we're even."
"Yes we are and that's why you need to leave."
"I am not leaving until you tell me what's going on."
With visible frustration, she snaked her hands through her hair. It looked like she was pushing back tears, "Fine. We are in debt, my friends and I. The man who we owe is a fucking goon and he's after us."
And then she stopped talking and walked over to another door behind the desk and opened it, "I'll show you out."
"Breanna...if there's a money crisis, I can help you."
"We don't want your money."
"I think there's so much more you're not telling me or maybe you're not even telling me the truth." I glared at her ruefully, hoping she would stop being so stubborn.
Her eyes had welled up with tears now, threatening to fall. She was in pain, I could see it and I wished I could walk upto her and take her in my arms and tell her it was all going to be okay.
But I couldn't. She wouldn't let me.
"You need to leave, now."
She walked away quickly and I was left with no choice but to follow her. She led me to front door of the house which was situated in the living room. I had previously ignored breaking into this door.
The living room was huge and more sanitary than where I had been. There were couches and chairs, numerous bean bags were around, the walls of this room were decorated with paintings and artistic drawings. In the center of the room was a large bulletin board with several papers pinned on top of eachother and pictures of certain men and women I couldn't recognize from this distance. There was an OLED television with a stereo system and lots and lots of laptops and devices, lying around it, their wires intricately entangled into eachother. There was a shelf in another corner of the room filled with books that seemed like they had been read so many times that their covers were falling off.
This looked like a multipurpose room more than a living room and so many crumbled papers and sheets with information and charts were lying on the floor.
I couldn't wrap my head around anything. This was all so complicated; if Breanna only owed money to a dangerous man, what were she and her "friends" doing all this research for?
She thumbed toward the door, sounding harsher and more confident this time, "Doors right there. Feel free to walk out." And she sauntered away from me leaving me staring at her back in dismay.
She had always treated me like this, which was no surprise. And of course, I didn't leave but instead, I strode toward the bulletin board.
The first thing I saw was a picture in the center of the board of a man with dark hair and stubble. My eyes narrowed as I tried to figure out what was so familiar about him. It seemed like I had seen him somewhere but I couldn't remember. Besides him was a picture of another man, but this one had a scar starting from the top of the side of his forehead, all the way through his eyes and down until it disappeared under his cheekbones. He looked quite familiar too.
"Stay away from the board."
I looked behind me and saw a chubby guy with jet-black hair sitting on a bean bag with a laptop on his lap and a bunch of papers lay on the ground beside him. A pair of thin glasses sat on his nose as he vigorously typed without looking up at me.
"Who the hell are you?" I asked him, dubiously.
"Shouldn't I be asking you the same? Whatever you told Mackenzie that made her cry, you deserve to die for it." he casually pushed back his glasses, finally looking up from his screen. His blue eyes glared at me sharply through the lenses.
"You're fat, your opinion doesn't matter."
And just when he gasped loudly at what I said, Breanna walked back into the room.
"Mackenzie!" the guy in glasses whined, "Your guest seems to be fat-shaming me."
She looked at me with disgust, "I thought I asked you to leave, Carlton, and instead, you're bullying my friends? Mike is the smartest guy you'll ever meet; he has an engineering master degree from Harvard. What do you have?"
"Money," I exclaimed, with a sly grin.
"No! I meant to ask, what do you have? Not what your parents have."
My eyes widened in response while Mike dissolved into a laughing fit and started hitting the bean bag he laid on.
I smiled at her, endeavoring to contain myself. She looked at me with a challenging grin plastered on her face; her stare making me weak in my knees.
I wondered how long I've been waiting to see that smile again because when she did, it felt like it quenched an unperceivable thirst in my heart.
I bit my lip, giving her an equally challenging stare. "I'll tell you what Mackenzie. You want me to leave? Sure thing. But there's one catch."
She folded her arms and her head tilted to one side, her hair slipping to cover her eyes and then, once again, her hands tucked them behind her ear. I could watch her doing that all day.
I took steady steps toward her, maintaining eye contact until I was standing about half a feet away. Lifting my hand up, I brushed my fingertips gently on her cheeks, held the strand of her hair that she missed and tucked it behind her ear myself, all the while staring intently into her beautiful blue eyes. Her lips parted as she gulped from my touch when I stroked the skin behind her ear.
I leaned forward until I was whispering in her ear, "I will walk away from here without asking you any more details and I will leave you alone forever, but only if..."
"Only if...what?" her voice came in shaky whispers causing me to smile.
My fingers trailed down her neck and she shivered slightly, "Bamonte's, Brooklyn. Tomorrow, 8 pm."
She suddenly gasped and took a step away from me as if my words burned her, her lips parted with astonishment.
Mike hooted from the corner of the room, "Did you just ask her out, mate?!"
She began to stutter, "Carlton, I can't-"
"It's just one date, and then I leave you alone, remember?"
Mike's annoying voice was heard again, "Just say yes, Kenzie! We'll get rid of him once and for all!"
"See? I like this guy. He speaks the truth," I said, smirking at him.
"Just a minute ago, you hated me."
Ignoring him, I looked back at Breanna who was sneering at me like I was a sin. I gave her the most charming grin I could pull off.
Her eyes directed here and there and ultimately settled back on my face, "Fine. And then you'll leave me and my friends alone?"
"Deal."
It wasn't a deal; I would find another way out to get in touch with her again. She knew it but she still said yes, this just showed how keen she was to get rid of me.
I jogged upto my car and tucked my customized pistol, which Ray returned to me quite reluctantly, back inside my jacket. Opening the door of the car, I glanced back to see her walking towards me.
The early morning sun had begun to rise above the horizon, painting the sky in a deep hue of blue. Orange rays were peering through the clouds as chirps of birds filled the air.
She wrapped her arms around her as an impatient and chilly, daybreak gale swished her hair. She stopped a few feet away from me, squinting at me, "Carlton..." her voice was calm and soft this time, melodious as it always has been, "why do you like me?"
Her question didn't really shock me; it was something I'd been trying to figure out for a while too. I chuckled softly, closing my eyes and lifting my head up towards the heaven, "I don't really know, Breanna. But when I do, I will make sure you're the first person to know."
Comically, she raised her eyebrows, "Nothing you say makes sense to me."
I licked my lips, smiling bashfully at her. My hands gripped the door of my car tightly for support, the fatigue that I had been ignoring for a while now was starting to seep into my bones, the pain of the fight I had with Ray and Ace was starting to take effect too.
"Yeah," I said, "Me neither."
The air smelled of soil and was very slightly pungent from the smoke of cigarettes and yet so refreshing and cool; unlike the thick, main city pollution. I allowed the air to caress my face peacefully but I could feel a bizarre tension in it too.
Maybe, it was the calm before the storm.
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