Page 8 of Impregnated By the Bratva

Moving down the hall to the parking area, I kept glancing back. The hair on my neck was on end. I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was behind me. I knew I was going to have nightmares about it. But I couldn’t decide if I should go to the cops or not.

If only I had left sooner or stayed hidden, maybe they wouldn’t have seen me. Why did I always have this urge to check out weird noises? Hell, I wasn’t even supposed to be there. Moving away from the crowd, I just wanted to get home. I looked back again. The area was empty.

There was a quietness that made me think of a horror movie just before the girl gets killed. Pushing the thought from my mind, I turned and started walking quicker. I jumped, letting out a scream as someone grabbed my shoulder.

The man flung me around, pulling me into his arms and closing my mouth with his hand. Looking up, I felt relieved and scared at the same time as I noticed it was Maraki. He let go and stepped back.

“Grace,” he huffed as if he was as surprised to see me as I was to see him. “Are you okay?

Breathing out heavily, I bent forward as I caught my breath. Looking up, I smiled weakly at him. “Yes,” I breathed out. “Sorry, I was just feeling a little on edge.” My heart was beating in my throat. Yet, it wasn’t only due to fear.

I stared at him for a moment as I tried to gather my thoughts. I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. When I finally spoke, there was a quivering in my tone.

“Makari, I saw something I shouldn’t have.” Stepping back, I was caught off guard as the words left my mouth.

I was excited to see him, and I felt a fluttering rising within me. “What are you doing here?” I questioned him suddenly, feeling a tad nervous. Was he looking for me because I left while he was sleeping? I was sure it was casual, but now I would have to ask him. I needed to know.

“Look,” I said. “I know I left early, but….”

Before I could continue, he interrupted. “No, Grace, it’s okay. I was actually trying to find someone and thought you might be able to assist. But I am curious to know what you saw?”

“Me,” I replied hesitantly. Why would he think I could assist in finding someone? Unless it is someone at the university, like a professor. “Why ask me? I don’t know a lot of people.”

He responded in a calm tone. “I admit, I was looking for you. But tell me more about what you saw?”

Looking around again, I stepped closer to him as I spoke again. “Not here. Can we go grab a coffee or something?”

“Yes, sure,” he said, placing an arm around my shoulders. I walked willingly with him to his truck. I just wanted to go somewhere with lots of people, somewhere bright. I felt like every shadow was about to pounce on me.

Makari drove down the street and stopped at the nearest diner. There were loads of bright lights flickering and I felt my fear calming a little. “Yes, this is nice,” I said as he opened my door. “I like all the lights. It’s so very bright.”

We were parked about half a block up, but there were plenty of lights all the way down the street. He placed his arm around me as we moved to the diner. His hold was comforting and just what I needed at the moment.

He smiled warmly at me as he opened the diner door. There weren’t many people around, but that was okay. There were enough lights. We took a table close to the door.

We had barely sat down when the waitress appeared. “What’ll ya have?” she inquired. Her voice was deeper than expected. She almost sounded like a man, making me jump. I wasn’t calmer after all.

Taking a deep, slow breath, I smiled up at her. Before I could speak, Makari answered her. “Just two strong cups of coffee, please.”

She nodded and left. “Grace,” Makari said as she was out of hearing range. “You look very worried. Please let me help you.”

Glancing around, I made sure no one would hear me before speaking. I witnessed a shooting.”

“Oh, my,” he replied, leaning forward and taking my hands. “I’m so sorry. Did you go to the cops?”

“No,” I replied softly. I could feel the tears building up again. “I’m too scared. Do you think I should?”

Makari shook his head. “No, I don’t think you need to. Did you see the people clearly or their faces? Maybe I could assist you?” he asked.

Swallowing back my tears, I tried to respond calmly. “I don’t know what you can do. But yes, I clearly saw the man as he ran past me.”

The waitress returned with our coffee. “Will there be anything else?” she asked, placing the cups before us.

Turning my head, I looked out the window, listening as Makari replied. “No, thanks.” He waited for her to leave before speaking again. “I can help you then. But for now, we need to make sure you are safe, do you agree?”

Nodding, I wiped at the tears rolling down my cheeks. “Okay,” I replied, sipping my coffee. The heaviness that had gripped my heart felt lighter. I hoped he was right. Watching him sit back and drink his coffee, I wondered why he was so keen on helping me. But with everything going on, I was grateful that he was there.

After paying the bill, we headed out. “If you don’t mind,” he said, holding open the diner door. “I would prefer if you stayed with me for a couple of days until we get this mess sorted.”

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