Chapter 6

I slowly turn the wheels backward from the parking spot and speed up after making sure that the road is clear.

"You're not human?" Catherine asks weighing my words.

"Yes."

"..."

"That's true and I am more dangerous than Zubah so don't you dare unveil my secret to anyone or you'll be as good as dead." I twitch my lips gracefully.

"Of course!" 

She lifts her hands in the air and swears like a child. I chuckle and glance at her. Why do I have a light feeling for this woman? I glance at her once more and our eyes met. Her eyes. Why are those pair of amber eyes familiar to me? My eyes are hook into hers and the surrounding seems black and white. I only see those pair of amber eyes. 

"Watch out!" 

She yells and quickly grabs the steering wheel to the side of the road. I managed to hit the brake before my car possibly hit the tree on the side of the road. Our bodies lean violently forward. Thankfully we have our seatbelts on.

"Shit!" I curse loudly. 

"What's wrong with you? I was telling you that we will crash into another car but you were just spacing out!" She yells angrily at me.

"Are you alright?" I ask her.

"I am. How about you? What were you thinking? We could be dead by now if I hadn't grabbed the steering wheel on time." 

"Thanks to you!" I grin sarcastically.

She gives me a stern face. I bet she's okay so I start the engine and steer the car back to the road. I drive cautiously this time and the next thing I know, the woman beside me has already fallen asleep. Her head is resting on the headrest, tilted towards the direction of the door. Her brows are furrowed and her lips are slightly open. 

"Catherine. What could be her surname?" 

I subconsciously ask myself. There's something in her that stirs my interest. I can't imagine how she lives her life knowing that there are men out there who are chasing after her. She hides the way a mouse does, not wanting to be caught by the cat. Catherine and cat. I don't know why these two words are playfully popping in my brain. Her parents should have named her 'Ratherine' instead of Catherine. I laugh at my silly joke. As I watch her sleeping, I can't help myself asking a serious question. How did this woman end up in this situation? Being in a syndicate is no big joke, how much more is stealing their dirty money? I bet, whoever that Zubah is, he might be having a real headache by now. After thirty minutes, I pull over in front of a tiny house.

"Catherine, I think we're here."

"Mmm." 

She mutters, her eyes are still close. 

"Catherine." 

I pat her shoulder slightly. Still no response. 

"Zubah took your son." 

I know my words hit her like a thunderbolt. Her eyes open as fast as a flash of lightning. My tactic works. It's easy to wake her up.

"Where is Andrew! Zubah might harm him! I need to help my son!"

She screams dreadfully, struggling to undo her seatbelt button. I'm facing her with folded arm, elbow on the steering wheel, palm cupping my left cheek, and watching her amusingly. 

"Why is it difficult to undo this button!?" 

She throws me a panic stare and stops struggling when she notice that I was stupidly grinning at her. She narrows her eyes at me after realizing what is happening. Her cheeks turn red in anger.

"That's not a good joke." 

"That is the easy way to wake you up. Is that your house?" 

She turns her head to the side and nods. I undid her seatbelt button and we get out of the car simultaneously.

"Would you like to come in?" 

"Sure, if you welcome me in."

I follow her as she walks towards the house. She gives three quick succeeding knocks on the door and stops a second then repeats the same way with the same time interval. The door opens on the third time she did the pattern. Was it a code? Probably yes. A woman is behind the slightly open door. She frowns at me and gives Catherine a questioning look. Catherine seems to read her thoughts and smile at the woman. 

"She's a friend." 

Catherine steps inside the house and I follow without hesitation. Her hand motions to offer me a seat. I sit on the old sofa. My eyes roam around the house. It's uncomfortably small. If my calculations would be right, I guess it is only about thirty square meters.

"Cat who is she?" 

The woman who opened the door asks her. She's eying me doubtfully. Suspicion is evident in her eyes.

"Don't worry Isabel, she's the one I'm telling you who helped me. I would be dead by now if she didn't help me again just today."

After explaining to her friend what happened in the town, Catherine goes to check her son in the bedroom. Isabel looks at me shyly. Her cheeks turn red in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry for acting indifferently."

"That's fine. I understand that given your friend's situation, you should not trust people easily."

I feel stupid after saying it. It's as if I should be the one telling it to myself. I let Catherine see one real side of me, and that is risky. Isabel gives me an apologetic smile.

"Let me offer you something to drink as my apology for my harsh judgment. Do you want juice..." 

"Anything will do," I say cutting her words. I'm back to my usual aura.

"..."

Isabel's brows furrow as she watches me wander my eyes around the house. I catch a glimpse of a picture frame on top of an old cabinet. I don't know why but something is pushing me to go closer to it. I get magnetize to whoever is in that picture. My feet seem to have their minds as they swiftly draw closer to the cabinet. I lift the frame with one hand and watch closely, trying to remember the face of the little girl in the picture.

"That's Catherine when she was young."

Isabel gets near me and stands beside me with her elbows on the cabinet. Her head is turning in my direction. She's frowning at me again.

"Anything wrong?" She asks.

I just look at her with a blank expression and return my gaze at the girl in the picture. Why do I have this feeling that I've already seen this young Catherine?