Juliette nervously bit her lower lip as she watched Leo prepare for their departure. She could see the confusion and panic filling the man’s scarred face. How could it not be? All his assumptions were wrong, and at any moment, Robbin’s men could come crashing through the door and drag Juliette back before Robbin.
Once again, Juliette glanced toward the window covered with thick curtains. Darkness still enveloped them, and she could guess that the moon was still high in the sky, indicating that not much time had passed and the night was far from over. With her heart racing, Juliette walked back to the window and peered through the curtain slits cautiously. She held her breath, afraid of seeing something terrible, but to her surprise, she saw the two parked SUVs moving away from the location.
Confusion began to overwhelm her. She called out to Leo, who was still searching for weapons for self-defense.
“Leo! Come here!” Juliette gestured for Leo to come closer.
“What’s up?”
Whether it was luck or something else, Juliette felt a little relieved. “They’re gone. The two cars left.”
Leo immediately ran over to Juliette and looked at what she saw. Empty. No suspicious cars parked near their hiding place, as if they had never been there. Leo let out a sigh of relief and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the first thing that greeted him was Juliette’s worried expression.
“No. It’s okay. I was just afraid of the worst, but it seems all my fears were unfounded.” Leo straightened up and took Juliette’s hand, gently squeezing it. “We should leave here right now.”
Juliette nodded in agreement. “You’re right. We should go. But we need to hurry, and we don’t have a vehicle.”
Leo chuckled softly and replied, “About that, you don’t need to worry. There’s a car rental place nearby.”
“But it’s still very late.” Leo grinned and pulled Juliette toward the front door.
“Don’t worry. I know the owner of that place. He’ll open the door for me anytime.”
After saying that, Leo unlocked the door, slowly turned the doorknob, and carefully opened it. He created a small gap to stick his head out, checking the surroundings before opening the door, which was more expansive, and together, they ran out of the house.
They ran hand in hand. Juliette and Leo chose not to say a word as they focused their energy on running as fast as possible. In the stillness of the night, accompanied by the sound of crickets and the whisper of the evening breeze, they ran to save themselves from the cruelty of a psychopathic man.
Their legs kept swinging quickly, and fatigue and sweat were the last things on their minds. Juliette occasionally turned her head back, watching if they were being followed. Still, all she saw was the brightness of streetlights and the darkness of the night. Half an hour later, they finally arrived at a place that looked like a showroom, which seemed deserted, and only then did they stop running.
Breathing heavily, Juliette wearily looked at Leo, who was busy opening the gate while repeatedly shouting the name ‘Steve.’ Juliette waited with anxious hope. At that moment, for some reason, she suddenly felt a chill and sensed that someone was watching. Juliette always trusted her instincts, and they had always been right, but when she turned to check behind her, no one was there, making her heart race. Her unease grew more robust, and it left her feeling extremely restless.
“Leo? Are you here? Where have you been? And why are you causing a stir in front of my house at this hour?” Juliette suddenly turned to the man who was speaking. She observed him; even in the darkness with the scant light, she estimated that he was in his mid-seventies, with hair starting to gray-a keen gaze indicating that he was no ordinary man in his youth.
With a displeased expression, the man unlocked the gate Leo had been trying to open and then opened the large gate between Leo and Steve, inviting them to enter. “So?”
Leo nervously bit his lower lip and decided to get straight to the point. “I’m running from someone. Steve, may I borrow one of your cars? My wife and I really need it.”
‘Wife?’ Juliette’s eyes widened in surprise when Leo spoke like that. Of course, Juliette felt touched. It had been her dream for a long time; being Leo’s wife was what she wanted most, but that was before all this happened. Now? Who knows. Juliette didn’t want anything wrong to happen to Leo just because Robbin was obsessed with her.
“I won’t ask or interfere, but shouldn’t you both rest first? Hide at my place and leave when the sun rises.”
Leo quickly shook his head. “No. I don’t want to put your life in danger, Steve. He… that man…” Leo glanced briefly at Juliette before refocusing on Steve. “He’s very dangerous. He’s after my wife and won’t hesitate to do anything to get her.”
Only then did Steve’s gaze shift to Juliette. For a moment, the man studied her, weighing whether Juliette was Leo’s wife, before nodding his head. “Alright. Come with me.”
Leo nodded happily. He walked over to Juliette and squeezed her shoulders tightly.
“Wait here, I’ll be right back.” After that, Leo followed Steve, who had already walked toward the showroom.
Juliette waited with anxious hope. She kept glancing over her shoulder. The nagging feeling that she was being watched hadn’t gone away; it grew stronger. Her legs tapped nervously, and Juliette began to think something was wrong with Leo because he had been gone for quite a while. But all her worries faded when a car pulled out, and she saw Leo sitting behind the wheel.
When he was beside Juliette, Leo rolled down the window and shouted, “Come on, get in, Julie! We have to go now!”
Juliette nodded and hurriedly opened the front passenger door, taking her seat. Before she could even close the door, Leo stepped on the gas and left the location. Luckily, Juliette quickly reflexively pulled the door, or else she would have fallen out of the car, which would have been a hassle.
What they didn’t need right now was an accident.
…