Bound By Starlight

CHAPTER 3:

(Karina's POV)

"Oh well isn't that great. Hey at least you didn't take me out of the country or something." I remarked with a glare that my mum and dad oh-so-very kindly informed me to quit.

"Yeahh, you're lucky I got you out since it didn't look like you were doing so well in there-"

"..."

"..." He seemed to be struggling for words as I urged him on with a raised eyebrow, daring him on. I found that it was rather nice to stun him into silence. There's just something vaguely humorous about it all. "Doesn't matter. I don't need to tell you anything when I'm the one that got you out of that place." Still cocky I suppose.

I shrugged my shoulders aiming to look careless about this whole situation that no saviour or least of all assassin, should ever land in when in reality, it made my heart drum so loud it was insane he couldn't hear it, made my limbs shiver in anticipation of whatever's going to happen and sent my mind reeling in overdrive over the slight course of time that I've been awake. He gave me a little once over as if checking if i was alright.

Like... I'm kind of offended. Why wouldn't I be alright?

I stood up to walk over to the window, admiring the view of the apartment that was at least 20 stories up. Everything was so green and so much more isolated than what I was used to in Sydney. I've only ever been to Melbourne on strictly business but had the situation been different I would've rather enjoyed spending time in this state.

"You should take a shower. You really reeked from your time there but there was no way that i'm cleaning a stranger that i didn't even know-"

"And there was no way that you're going to let anyone from the outside see me in the state that I'm in. I know, I know. Please tell me the water's warm."

A pause. "I won't stay in this apartment unless absolutely necessary so I don't bother paying for the hot water bill and the temperature usually doesn't bother me. You're just going to have to deal with the cold water for once, princess."

The sudden hostility in his voice takes me aback.

"Well," I muttered, lifting up my bound hands again, which were now red and scratched from trying to get out of the rope's tight grasp, "Are you gonna do something about this? Or am I just going to end up showering with this thing on my hands?"

"I don't know how you're going to do it but I'm not taking that thing off of you."

Great. Just great.

So there I was, shivering with goosebumps on every inch of my body as the frigid water trailed its way down my back and made my skin feel raw under it making the fresh wounds on it sting and burn. "Shit." I hissed under my breath as the skin tingled. I couldn't use soap since all that could do is burn my already ravaged skin although the water was freezing. Even if I did, my hands probably wouldn't be able to do anything more than push and shove.

I stepped out of the shower after a while because I couldn't take the temperature anymore, pulling on a tshirt and sweatpants, allowing me to relax in my clothes.

My ears caught the sound of sirens before my eyes caught sight of the neon red and blue lights, flashing in the distance.

Coincidence or not? My guess was that it wasn't.

Just a few seconds after, my door was getting on the verge of getting broken down by-

I just realised that I don't actually know his name... That is so...Weird.

"Come on." BANG. BANG. "Let's go, they found us." BANG. BANG. BANG!!!

UGHHH. "Stop. BANGING." I hissed to him, slamming the door open and shoving him aside. "The police are already here so what are you trying to do?? Attract more attention to yourself?"

"Myself? You're part of this too, you know."

I gave him a sarcastic grin. "And wouldn't the police, who have probably been looking for me for a while, be glad to see me? And you would simply be another criminal that I've handed over."

"Yeah, sure they would be glad to see you." He replied, "Behind bars, at court, explaining why you were in cahoots with a well-known low-life criminal like myself? Hell, I think I might as well get off easier than you would've, without all your popularity and whatever. No one really cares about me."

"Right..." The last part was really unexpected and completely off topic but the rest of what he said was true. I feel that the government and police rather like being the one in charge and with power a little bit too much. They accepted me into the public because of the country's mutual respect and appreciation for me and not because of gratitude.

I think he could see that I was taking on the information pretty well and despite our current situation gave me a little genuine smile. "Thank you for not making this harder than it needs to be."

Huh. It was meant to be hard? What's meant to be hard? Helping me out?-

I could see his dimples, and the sirens in the background were only making my heart spin faster than it needed to be. I was used to staying calm and only ever going on solo missions but I guess I could deal with going on one a- I'm not exactly sure what to call him. Not a friend. Not a partner. I don't think he's an enemy. Maybe an acquaintance?

I could feel the methodic footsteps of the officers and before I could even react, the guy was pulling me down to the ground and basically threw me in a trapdoor I didnt even notice was there since it was concealed within the floorboards, before crawling in with me.

Everyone has a bad fear but for me, it always came at the worst moments ever.

Having claustrophobia did not help me in this situation where there were literal troops of officers stomping all over the place, probably searching for clues on where and if we were there at all while I was hiding in a stuffy room that made my heart race and pound and my hair stand up and left me shaking like a leaf.

The space was so small. So cramped. I could feel his arm against mine, my leg tensed up against his own and his breath down my ear. I could feel my face heating up as I tried not to freak out and shove my way out of this and into the arms of searching police. My throat started to close up and I was on the verge of hyperventilating as I waved my hands under my nose to try and clear my mind and my body with it.

His grip on my arm calmed me down but only momentarily. He drew random, yet gentle circles on my back, giving me the chance to take a breather and calm down as I sat in the dark with him. "It's ok, Karina, take a breath and look around." He murmured into my ear as I glanced around, realising that the room wasn't as small as I thought. "See? There's still a little bit of space for you to move around but I'm being crushed like a soda can beside you." He whispered in my ear, which I hate to admit, caused goosebumps to crawl up my neck and me to involuntarily let out a small shiver.

I didn't need to turn around to feel him smirking down at me.

"Sir, the shower's still wet and there are fingerprints all over the house that were pretty recent." One officer reported.

Shit. My nose accidentally inhaled some of the dust that laid around all over this small space and I was struggling to hold it in when my whole body was basically begging me to let it go. His grip on my arm tightened and his other free arm covered my mouth, probably hoping to smother the sneeze that was about to announce to the whole world our presence, if they suspect already.

"How recent?" The voice was gruff, as if it had been through a load of trauma and bullcrap.

"Recent as in a few minutes ago kinda recent." The soldier reported back.

I heard the faint whooshing of fabric rubbing against each other as they all left the room leaving me with a stranger, a thick layer of dust and a throbbing nose.