Mr. Badass ✔

20 Manhattan Apartment

Gemma's POV.

Dmitri laughs. "Gemma, up until now, there hasn't been anything in my life that I wanted but couldn't get."

This man is truly crazy.

I shake my head and turn to run.

His legs are longer than mine, and he's stronger, but I have the advantage of knowing this area better, so I take off down the narrow, winding paths.

But Dmitri is still right behind me, and I can't shake him off.

I'm starting to feel tired; the air in my lungs is getting thinner.

Just this moment, my phone rings in my pocket.

In such a dangerous situation, I have no intention of answering, but the phone keeps ringing persistently. Frustrated, I press the answer button.

Luke's calm voice comes through immediately: "Throw something in his face and run to the junction ahead, then turn right."

Without thinking, I follow Luke's instructions, turn around, and throw the bag in my hand at Dmitri's face.

Dmitri reacts quickly, tilting his head slightly to avoid the hit.

He's about to continue chasing me, but when his eyes catch sight of the Durex on the ground, his movements freeze.

In that brief moment, I speed up, run to the junction, and make a right turn as Luke had said.

The next second, someone grabs my arm and pulls me with great force. With a thud, I fall into an embrace.

I think it's Dmitri. I'm done for. But when I look up, I see Luke's face.

"How did you know I was here?" I ask, surprised.

Luke doesn't answer, instead taking my hand and leading me into a nearby restaurant.

I'm about to ask something else when Luke places a finger on his lips, gesturing for silence.

Immediately, I hear Dmitri's voice outside, asking the restaurant owner if he saw me run past.

My heart tightens, and I instinctively grip Luke's hand harder. But his next move puts me at ease—he lowers his head slightly and plants a kiss on my ear.

My racing heart suddenly calms down.

Sure enough, the restaurant owner calmly replies, "She ran that way, just a moment ago."

Dmitri's footsteps are heard, then gradually fade away.

I fully relax.

After waiting a bit, until we're sure Dmitri has gone far, Luke pulls me out from the restaurant's booth and thanks the owner.

The restaurant owner is tall and muscular, wearing just a shirt despite the cold winter.

"I never expected to see you being chased," the owner jokes, looking at Luke. "What, did you steal his girlfriend?"

"More or less. Thanks."

"You owe me one now. Buy me a drink next time," the owner shouts after us.

"No problem."

Turns out, they're friends.

Then Luke turns to me, "Gemma, stay here. I'll go get the car and pick you up."

Ten minutes later, Luke's car pulls up outside the restaurant.

He gets out and opens the passenger door for me.