Chapter 1. Confronting Him

The deserted streets only had a few people returning home, or a drunkard staggering around the corner, or a few cars rushing past. There was no one, nothing unusual. So Brooklyn rushed ahead, eager to reach home as fast as she could. However, after a few steps again, she had the uncanny feeling of being stalked.

Brooklyn’s heart thumped faster in apprehension. Turning to look behind her shoulders, she found no one. Sighing, she was about to continue walking when she froze. Was that the same black Porsche that was there when she left the restaurant?

Alert and panicking at the thought, her eyes widened seeing the black Porsche stopping at a distance. She wasted no more time and ran down the road as fast as her legs could carry her. Why was the black Porsche following her?

However, as bad luck never left her side, she collided with a wall in her haste. Looking properly, she froze with horror as the wall was none other than a sinister looking, bald man with a golden tooth. He grinned at her maliciously and Brooklyn came to her senses. She struggled against his hold, but he gripped her arms tightly.

“Where are you going, bitch? I’m here just for you,” he grinned at her, flashing his yellow teeth at her. Brooklyn could smell the alcohol on his breath and she felt like throwing up.

“Let me go,” she yelled, panicking instantly. This was the worst night of her life. The man laughed at her; a loud, sinister laugh that made her blood curdle with fear. Tears fell from her eyes as she tried to break free. “Please let me go,” she pleaded, but the man laughed, dragging her along with him. “No, leave me. Please,” Brooklyn wailed, her voice echoing in the night.

“Trust me, bitch, it’ll be fun,” laughed the man. Brooklyn tried to kick him, but he got furious and picked her up on his shoulders. Brooklyn started beating him, but it didn’t affect him one bit and he strode forward as if she didn’t weigh a thing.

“Help, please help me,” cried Brooklyn, her voice echoing in the darkness. The man laughed more at her helplessness, knowing that no one was around to help her.

“Leave the girl!” said a deep, ice-cold voice that was enough to send a chill down anyone’s body. The bald man turned around and placed Brooklyn down. Brooklyn looked at her saviour. Even from a distance, her eyes connected with the most beautiful pair of hazel eyes she’d ever seen. They gazed back at her, his eyes sparkling like hazel hued amethysts. She had never seen the man before, but his piercing eyes sent a shiver down her spine. She could make out the black Porsche parked beside him as he strode closer to them, his eyes fixed upon her. Brooklyn realized who he was. Her stalker in the black Porsche!

Panicking, she yanked her hand away from the bald man’s hold and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She had no wish to witness a fight between her stalker and her abductor!

Brooklyn entered her shabby building and looked over her shoulder, relieved she had somehow escaped them. Clutching at her rapidly heaving chest, Brooklyn climbed the dimly lit stairs to her apartment on the second floor.

If Brandon had been at home, she would have asked him to pick her up from work, but he hadn’t returned home for two days. She knew that he never missed his evening classes, despite everything. If she needed to see him, she knew where to go, but that was the last option: an emergency. She was used to him being absent for days, with his phone switched off. It wasn’t a big deal at all.

She unlocked the door to her apartment and walked inside. Switching on the night lights, she quickly locked the door back. Not hungry at all, she changed and took a quick shower to get rid of the bald man’s touch. It nauseated her to even think about it. Brooklyn shuddered to even think of what would have happened if her hot stalker hadn’t rescued her!

She changed into her pajamas and lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling where the plaster was peeling off. The landlord was a stingy old man who refused to get it repaired, and now Brooklyn had grown used to it. What else could she do? She didn’t have enough money to rent a better apartment. Out of her meager salary, she had to repay the medical loan that she had to take for her mom’s treatment. So, for her, this was home.

She closed her eyes, but sleep was elusive tonight as a pair of hazel eyes haunted her. What did he want? Why was he stalking her? Was he an evil man? Did he want to kill her?

“Why me, God? What have I ever done to him?” whispered Brooklyn in a broken and scared voice. She wondered what the men did after she left? Did they look for her? A shudder went down her spine, and she placed a cushion over her head and curled up to sleep.

“Please save me, God,” she mumbled before sleep overcame her.

The next morning, Brooklyn woke up to the sound of the doorbell. She sat up and rubbed the sleep off her eyes, trying to focus hard. Who could it be so early in the morning? It couldn’t be Brandon, since he had a duplicate set of keys with him.

She tiptoed towards the door and looked through the keyhole since there was no eyehole in the door. She could make out a man’s body wearing a black suit. Fear gripped her whole body, crippling her completely as her stalker also wore a black suit last night. Was it him?

She looked again. No, it couldn’t be him, since the man outside was a little stout. Relieved, she opened the door to a crack and peered through the small gap.

A pair of jet-black eyes with bleached blonde hair looked back at her curiously. “Miss Brooklyn?” he asked with interest. Brooklyn nodded with dread, as she had never seen the man before, yet he knew her name and address. Who could it be?