Chapter 9: GraveyardEmber CorbinWe were lost.I should've paid attention to the street. It was all my fault."This is why you should talk less," Lance said, frustration visible in his voice.I bit my lower lip and looked at the deserted street after stealing a glance from Lance. He was clearly annoyed, and I was the one bothering him. I shouldn't have told him to give me a lift in the first place. Now, he would think I was definitely the most annoying person he ever met."You know what? You can drop me here," I offered."And let you get injured so that you can call the cops on me? No, thanks." Lance leaned his head back against the headrest, taking in a few deep breaths.We were currently inside the car, parked at the side of the street, surrounded by huge trees.Due to the air conditioner in the car and my revealing dress, I was starting to feel cold, but I was afraid to say anything to Lance now."It's okay, you can drop me here. I will find my way home, and I swear, I won't call
Chapter 10: A Threat Of Friendship?Ember Corbin"Why are we dropping you in a graveyard?" Lance questioned at last after I stepped out of his car. "Are you visiting someone for your mom?"I turned back to see him looking at me from the rolled-down windshield. Giving him a firm smile, I replied, "I am going to meet someone. Do you want to accompany me?" Before he could say something, I added, "Only if you have time."He looked at his wristwatch and heaved a sigh before getting out of the car. He was wearing a buttoned-up black shirt with black jeans, and I had to admit, the outfit looked really nice on him; especially for the occasion."Today is Sunday, so..." he trailed off.Chuckling, I put my hands in the pocket of my black hoodie. The weather wasn't that cold, yet I wore a hoodie with my shorts because it was comfortable and I had intended to go to the supermarket only. "I never knew Mafia leaders had a holiday too," I commented and started walking to the entrance of the graveyard
Chapter 11: Forced HangoutEmber CorbinI was on my way home from work, keeping an eye on my surroundings all the time.What if someone attacked me from behind?I had to stay cautious after that threat I received last night. I eyed the security guard of a shopping mall I just crossed. He seemed suspicious. What if he was going to assault me once the traffic police behind me disappeared?Fastening my pace, I decided to change my route home. Instead of using the regular street, I chose the new street which I hadn't noticed before.The threat letter meant someone was going to kill me, so the killer had to keep an eye on my daily activities, which meant he knew what streets I used on a regular basis. Naturally, those places would be the best places to catch me and finish me off.The worst part was, that I had no idea who was going to kill me or who was hired to kill me, but all I knew was, that it was connected to my past.I had been on a run for some time now. I changed two jobs and two
Chapter 12: Flower DonationLance StormI just got home after a long day. It was six in the morning now.While I was returning home from the office today, I had to go back to the base of my Mafia Thunder due to an emergency. I was supposed to check all the boxes properly before exporting them. Then, I had to make a strategic plan to make sure our boxes weren't stolen by our enemy.I freshened up and decided to lay on the bed for a while to take a nap before I had to go to the office again in a few hours. Maybe I would just skip it today. It wasn't like my attendance was mandatory.I felt more relaxed at the thought of not going to the office today. It had been so long that I had been able to relax.But as soon as I closed my eyes to sleep, Ember's beautiful smile appeared in my mind.My eyes jolted open at that instant, and I remembered the hangout with Ember. I was supposed to go to her favorite restaurant last night, and I didn't even text her once that I wouldn't be able to make it
Chapter 13: DisclosureEmber Corbin"Why are we in the graveyard at this time?" Lance asked me as I looked at the sky. The sun was going to set soon, and I loved watching the sunset."I am here to meet my mom, but I don't know about you," I responded.He shrugged his shoulders. We walked to my mom's tombstone."Ember, are you still angry at me?"I twitched my lips and answered, "I don't know. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not."Lance groaned, "I hate this feeling.""Feeling you get when you are with me?" I arched an eyebrow. He was taken aback by my question."I meant the feeling of not knowing whether I am forgiven or not," he corrected his words.I smiled and once we reached my mom's grave, we sat on the short trimmed grass nearby.We were silent for a while with me staring at the writings on my mom's headstone and Lance staring at my face, trying to gauge what I was thinking.After a few minutes, I started talking on my own, "You know, Lance, I saw my mother getting murdered in front of my
Chapter 14: A Different FeelingEmber CorbinWhile getting ready to go to Happy Kindergarten, Lance suddenly called me and asked me where I was. I told him that I was going to work, even though he was supposed to know it was my work hour, yet he told me to wait for him so that he could pick me up.These past few days, Lance has been acting weird—a good kinda weird. It wasn't like I was complaining, as it was actually good for me. I was getting free rides from Lance Storm.I immediately stood up and got out of the house when I saw his car approaching from my window. He rolled down his windshield, and I smiled brightly at him."Good morning, Lance! What a lovely morning, isn't it? I hope it stays this way. The clouds are so pretty too. Anyway, how are you feeling this morning? Did you have breakfast?" I chirped."Just get in quickly," he said disinterestedly to me. I shrugged since I wasn't even expecting him to reply and rushed into the car."Where is Sebastian?" I asked when I saw it
Chapter 15: Tempting Offer Ember Corbin I was now sitting at one of the chairs inside the restaurant while staring at the bullet that was supposed to pierce my skull. I sighed, realizing what had happened, and tried to touch it when a hand suddenly caught mine. "Let's talk," Lance said seriously while glancing sideways. I gave a curt nod and followed him into the corner of the restaurant. With every step, I felt his grip on my hand tightening. He was definitely getting worried about me. "Don't worry about me. I already told you that I don't fear death. But I must admit it was a bit scary knowing that I could have died a minute ago without me having a chance to say goodbye to anyone. Geez," I tried to lighten up the mood. But he stopped walking and glared at me this time before speaking out, "Let me talk, okay?" I nodded obediently. "I have been doing some thinking and decided to teach you how to fight. Even though you can't punch a bullet, I'm sure as hell you can punch the assho
Chapter 16: Confusing LessonsLance StormI stared at Ember in disbelief. She asked me if I was a virgin with an innocent look on her face, as if she just learned the virgin word, which I knew wasn't true.I had to act normal.I cleared my throat. "Why are you asking that question? Do I look like one to you?" I asked, folding my arms against my chest. I leaned against the wall behind me, blankly looking at her."I mean, your plain room gives that kind of vibe," she replied.I arched an eyebrow. "What kind of vibe?""A vibe which means you have no life. And no life means n