Wrath

Chapter 3: Questions

Chapter 3: Questions

Zara

I stood there, gawking at the man who had just saved me.

"Are you just going to stand there, Zara?" he asked me, putting his gun away.

"How do you know my name?" I whispered, my voice still shaking.

"I know everything about you." his words sent a chill down my spine and I took a fearful step backwards.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Stefan Esposito." he stepped forward, "And I believe you owe me a thanks for saving your life."

"I'm not thanking you for anything until you tell me who you are." I raised my head, trying to keep my voice steady, "And how do you know me?"

"Let's just say for now that I am an associate of your adoptive father, Theo." he said, as if that vague explanation would be the answer to all my queries.

"What type of associate?" I enquired again. "And how did you know I was adopted?"

"Zara, I have answers to all of your questions." he rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation, "But right now, we need to leave."

He moves forward and raises his hand. Instinctively, both my hands shield my face, afraid of any slap or punch that may come.

Only, it never does.

To my surprise, his fingers wrap around my wrist as he pulls my hands away, "You thought I was going to hit you?" his deep voice is now softer, gentler.

Afraid to look up into his eyes, I stare down and mumble, "You wouldn't be the first one today."

His intake of breath is sharp and when I look up I can see his jaw ticking in anger.

"I don't hit women, Zara." he says, his gaze fixed on mine, "No self respecting man raises a hand on a woman."

I shiver slightly when those words leave his lips. It starts from his firm hold around my wrist and all the way down my spine.

"Now," his voice again resounds in the alley, "we have about two more minutes before more of those men come looking for you. We better leave."

He starts walking away with his fingers still wrapped around my wrist.

But I stay rooted in my spot, "Why should I go with you? How do I know you won't do the same to me as those men?"

"Trust me, if I wanted to do something to you, I would have done it already."

With those words, he starts to turn around, and spares me a glance over his shoulder, "Now it is your choice. You can either come with me where I can keep you safe, or you can wait for those men to come, who would probably, tie you up in a basement and do things to you which are beyond your worst nightmares."

My mouth drops open at his words.

"Why?" I ask.

He took a deep, highly annoyed breath and then turned to face me, "Why what?"

"Why are you helping me?" I ask, "I mean, I don't know you, and you, in some weird and very creepy way, know me."

"As I said before, I knew your father. Keeping you safe right now is sort of a favor he asked me years ago."

As soon as I open my mouth to ask another one in my long list of questions, he cuts me off, "Enough questions. We have to leave, now."

It took me a couple moments to decide whether I should follow him or not, but when I heard shouts and curses echoing from far away, I made up my mind and followed him. I jogged behind him, trying to catch up with his long, quick strides,