Chapter 3: One Escape.

The sound of his Italian shoes and her stiletto heels echoed in the air as they kept running under the amber glow shining through few lamps on the cobalt stone streets to alleys hiding behind the broken walls when they felt the gangsters were close. Rania couldn’t believe the sudden twist fate had taken when everything was perfectly falling into its place. The thoughts of worst scenarios rushed in her mind bringing her to a halt. She pulled her hand from his grip trying to calm her mind because all of a sudden, she felt suffocated;

"Please stop!" 

Rania said as she took a step back.

Both of them were running for a while without a break. She was panting for air compared to the English man who appeared like he’s been merely walking - he looks at her with raised brows. Before he could grab her hand, Rania shook her head to clear her mind with taking deep breaths as she took another step back because she felt anytime her feet would give away besides she couldn’t understand they have been running from alleys to alleys only to be lost further and now they were in a place surrounded by abandoned and broken buildings. Rania was breathless but now she was exhausted;

"I can't run anymore; my feet are killing me now"

She requested while her voice came out breathless;

"You have to run because if they got you then you are dead, so, run until I don't find a safe place"

Daniel explains while he holds her arm again and drags her to continue the run but Rania pulls back;

"I still can’t believe you because you were the one who handed me to those gangsters and then came back proving yourself innocent"

She said irritably while stepping away from Daniel;

"I'm sorry but it was an escape plan to take you out from there, trust me, lady; I had no intentions of hurting you or leaving you behind with those guys"

Daniel tries to assures her while trying to hide the guilt of letting her go the first chance he got and walks towards her. He tries to hold her hand but she steps back looking him with doubts meanwhile someone behind her shouts;

"Guys, I found them!"

A man shouts from behind them and rushes towards them. Daniel pulls Rania to run but the man was too fast and grasps her arm and pulls her back from Daniel's hold;

"Leave me"

Rania cries out while trying to get out from the bad guy's grip;

"Leave her…"

Daniel said sternly as he steps towards Rania meantime the man takes out the gun from his jacket and points it towards Daniel;

 "Step back or I'll shoot you"

Rania was horrified because she understood by the action of the man; she looked at Daniel who stood grounded fearlessly and took a step towards her;

"Shoot me if you can"

He says firmly and calls the man from his hand to go ahead.

Rania was petrified because she understood what the English man was indicating for the gangster to do but what shocked her was that the English man had no ounce of fear as he approached her and the armed man. The gangster steps back while dragging Rania from her arm; he gulps down the dry lump in his throat as he tightens his hold around the grip of the pistol and with the help of his thumb, he pulls the hammer back and keeps his index finger on the trigger;

"You asked for it and now you will get it"

The gangster says nervously meantime Daniel pulls out the gun from his jacket and the sound of a gunshot cracks in the cold air of dark night, the sound echoes louder in that empty Cobblestone Street. Rania screams as she saw the blood poured out from the chest of the guy while memories of past flash back in front her eyes. He falls back on the street with a painful cry, he raises his hand for help but with a sigh he closes his eyes. Rania steps back unable to breath in terror while her gaze was fixed on the dead body lying in front of her on the ground with blood all over the place;  

"Please don't kill my family"

Rania gasped as the memories of past ran in front of her eyes while tears rush through her eyes; she gasps again for air but the world around her goes blur. Before her back could hit the ground, something grasps her and holds her strongly.

*

Daniel saw the way the lady gasped in horror when he shot the gangster.

It appeared she had stop breathing as she saw the lifeless body. Before Daniel could calm her, she gasped for oxygen while her face turned pale and she crumpled like a puppet being released from its strings. Daniel rushed towards her and holds her;

I must say young ladies these days have no tolerance,

He thought as he shrugs her by her shoulder;

"Wake up lady, open your eyes,

I would love to hold you all night in my arms but believe me now we have to run and for that you should open your eyes and be active, okay!"

He says while gently taps her cheek but she was motionless;

Please don't say me I scared you to death…

He thought to himself worriedly and checks her pulse; it was low.

He glanced at her whitewashed face meanwhile a tear slipped from her left eye. Unknowingly his heart clenched on her tears;

Dear heart it's not the right place to feel something!

Daniel was lost in his thoughts but soon he was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard voices. He looks around and finds an old abandoned building at a distance with other broken buildings;

"I guess we found a place to bring you back to senses"

Daniel mumbles under his breath and takes Rania to the building. He scoops her in his arms;

I hope to find water here; so, I could splash on her face to bring her back to senses,

He thought to himself as he carefully keeps the lady on the couch and looks around the room which appeared like an old bar because it had huge glass windows and a long bar with broken bottles and a stage. It had long couches with tables. Daniel searches for water and finds a bottle with liquor;

"If I splashed this on her face then she might not come to senses soon, so, it's better not to try this!",

He muttered mean time the girl says something in low voice. Daniel rushes towards her;

"Please don't go and stay with me"

She whimpered in pain with her eyes closed.

He sits next to her and looks at her anxiously. She was speaking Spanish, mumbling in low voice;

"Please come back"

Daniel cups her face and clears the tears with the back of his thumb;

"I promise I won't go anywhere until you are safe,

trust me lady!"

Daniel promised.

Rania slightly opens her eyes, she had fear in those eyes;

"You are safe here"

He assured her with sincerity.

"They said the same thing but then left and never came back”

Rania complains and holds his hand strongly;

"They left but I won't leave"

He said firmly looking in her eyes.

Daniel was taken aback when the lady hugs him and mumbles in low voice; 

"I don't want to be left alone”

He didn't know how to respond because in all these years he was never a guy who left his decisions to be taken by his heart but tonight he was shaken. 

Specially his heart!

Daniel slowly wraps his arms around her;

"You won't be left alone, not by me"

 Daniel ensured her and holds her close because he wanted her to feel safe and fearless with him. He wanted to know who "they" who left this girl alone were. 

Oh, how badly he wanted to know the reason behind the tears she has in her eyes,

He wanted to know everything about her,

Rania cries out her heart with covering her face in his chest,

"Rania my child always remember that your mom and dad loved you, stay here and you will stay safe"

All these years she tried hard to get over the worst moment of her life. That one memory which changed her life and it is still haunting her.

"I wish I could get over this one memory!"

*