Perfect Scars

6. She-devil

Violet

After my not-so-pleasant encounter with Hayden King, I rushed back to the same room where I had been living. The events of the past few days flashed through my mind and I hugged the pillow tightly.

I had been kidnapped, almost raped and now, I was staying in the same house as Hayden King. The man who once single-handedly killed dozen of bodyguards of a businessman and graced the news for several weeks. The man who once managed to bomb the cars of all three commissioner candidates on the same day but the police still couldn't arrest him. The man whom I considered a myth, until I saw him with my own eyes.

Pushing these thought away, I closed my eyes but a knock on the door forced me to get up. Opening the door, I found Daniel standing outside my room. His hands were in the pocket of his jeans and a comforting smile was gracing his lips.

"Can I come in?" he asked and I nodded in a yes.

I sat down on the bed and he settled himself on a small chair facing me.

"Are you afraid of me?" he whispered softly, a ray of hope gleaming in his dark eyes.

"Yes," I said and a hint of frustration appeared on his face. "You and your partners kidnapped me and now, your boss is not letting me go. I don't even know if I'll ever step out of this house. All my dreams, all my hopes, everything is now hanging in the air."

I was feeling more defeated than I had ever felt. I had faced many challenges in my life but I managed to bounce back every time. But now, it seemed like there was no way out.

I didn't want to cry again but I couldn't help it. A tear had trailed down my cheek without me knowing, making me feel helpless in front of him.

"Here." My eyes were fixated on the floor when I felt the bed dip beside me and Daniel passed me a handkerchief. Swallowing harder, I dried my cheeks with it and passed it back to him.

I couldn't figure out why he was treating me so nicely. Weren't people like him supposed to be evil and crazy?

"You aren't the only one who is terrified of King," he whispered and I turned to look at him in surprise. I knew Hayden was scary but even his own men were afraid of him. It clearly indicated that I didn't even stand a chance in front of him.

"The only member of our gang who is not afraid of him is Alessandro," he informed me and I nodded in understanding.

"Any particular reason?" I asked.

"Well, I've heard Alessandro was his childhood buddy. It's hard to be scared of someone if you have seen them in fuzzy pajamas, eating ice-creams and watching Tom and Jerry," he explained and I smiled at the image of him wearing pink, fuzzy pajamas.

"Here's the smile I was looking for," Daniel chuckled and my own cheeks warmed up. I used my long hair to hide my cheeks from him, not wanting to show him my embarrassment.

"Thanks," I said lowly, pushing some of my hair behind my ear.

"For what?" he asked.

"For being so nice," I murmured meekly and he grinned again.

"The pleasure is all mine," he responded. "Okay Violet, I have some work to do. I should go now."

But before going, he kneeled down in front of me and patted my cheeks. "Don't be afraid. You are safe here and I'll personally make sure of that."

After he left, I kept thinking about him and the reason why he was working with these people despite his warm-heartedness and good nature.

***