229: EYES ON HER LUKE’S POV “Why? What’s wrong?” I asked Ariel, giving her a concerned face. “I spotted Mason’s men heading towards the hospital. We have to leave now before they come and do something terrible,” she answered. “Hold on, those guys followed us here?” “I’m afraid so,” Ariel replied lowly. She turned to Janice. “Janice, we have to leave.” “Are they going to kill us, mommy?” “No, they’re not. We’re going to get out of this one alive.” I stood up, feeling slight pain, but it was worth it. And by the way, those nurses only made things worse. “We better start going.‘ Ariel looked at me, concern written all over her face. “Are you sure you’re alright?” “Yes, I am. You don’t have to keep on asking me that. Right now, your safety is all that matters. You and your daughter. Our daughter, actually.” Ariel looked at me, not saying a word, but her cast was not good. “What?” I queried. “Let’s just go.” She took her eyes off me and held Janice’s hand. “But what about Uncle Andre? Are we going to leave him here?” Janice asked, and Ariel looked at me, waiting for a response. Cause she looked confused herself. “He’s unconscious. We have to leave him here in the meantime. Hopefully, those guys won’t find him in his room,” I uttered. “Don’t you think we should just hide ourselves?” Ariel suggested. “So they can find us and blow our brains out? Nice suggestion, Ariel. Nice suggestion.” “Hiding ourselves in this building’s not a bad idea. Just imagine running from the terror, and you’re shot from behind. How does that sound, huh?” “That’s not happening. We’ll be in our quickest mode. Moving really fast. Flash, Quicksilver, Superman…” “Okay, we’re not in some superhero universe around here,” Ariel cut me off. “I know; I’m just trying to clarify some things. I don’t want us to be sluggish in this one. She shook her head. “So much for being a fan.” 229 EYES ON HER 2/4 “I really loved those guys during my childhood.” “And you still love them.” “Memories, I guess.” I shrugged. “No time for jokes right now. Let’s get out of here as soon as possible.” We all heard a gunshot. Janice quivered, and I held her right away. “It’s okay, little one. There’s no need to be scared.” “Are they coming for us, Daddy?” “They’re not going to harm us, okay?” I assured her with a smile. She nodded, and I ruffled her hair. I held Janice’s hand and smiled at Ariel. “We better leave now.” “I love how you’re so bold, smiling even though we’re finding ourselves in a tough and difficult situation.” I grinned at her. “I have you by my side. I shouldn’t be afraid, should I?” Ariel took her gaze downwards, letting out a sigh. “You know what? Let’s just get out of here.” I laughed a little, and the three of us left the room. We walked cautiously, looking everywhere, with me leading the way. Stepping further from where we were, we saw two nurses dead–bodies right on the floor. I could tell Janice was extremely terrified seeing this. I held her tightly, not wanting her to be fully consumed by trepidation. “This isn’t good one bit,” Ariel uttered slowly, still looking at the dead bodies. “We better leave as soon as possible,” I told them. We fastened our steps, still moving carefully. We heard another gunshot, but that didn’t stop us from walking. We were lucky that these men had not sighted us, wherever they may be. This hospital was actually a large one, and I hoped we wouldn’t cross paths with those good–for- nothing folks around here. And I also didn’t want them to find Andre. Those guys could be crazy to shoot him in his unconscious state. We left the hospital with some nurses and patients running around. Traipsing to Ariel’s car, we heard the men screaming at us to halt. “Stop right there!” were the words they vocalized. Ariel and Janice wanted to freeze, scared of losing their lives. But I was the one who pushed them to keep moving. The men shot at us as they began to scamper in our direction. No bullet hit us; we were quite lucky. The moment we burst into the car, I drove off at full speed, losing track of those idiots. “That was close,” Ariel said, trying to catch her breath like she was running a marathon or something 229 EYES ON HER 314 “Yeah, but we lost those guys. I’m not going to let anyone hurt the both of you. Not while I’m still alive.” “Thanks so much, Daddy. You’re really a strong man.” Ariel glanced at Janice right away. “He told you that?” “Well, I am strong,” I joked around. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she said, looking through the window. I sighed deeply and decided to be silent, just focusing on the road. After a while, we arrived at a restaurant. “So, who’s hungry?” I asked loudly, scrutinizing the building. “Me!” Janice exclaimed, raising her hand. We made our way into the eatery, took our seats, and made our orders. I smiled, watching Janice as she enjoyed her drink, and so did Ariel. But I could also see some pain in her eyes, and I think I knew what she was thinking, probably about Lukel. It’s obvious that she used to spend time with both of them at different restaurants. If only the little kid were here. There would have been intense joy within her heart. It is not being in the darkness. Smiles everywhere with no dull moment. But the painful thing here is that we sometimes get what we want–only some things we wish for come to pass. But we just have to keep living in hope. “Ariel, can I have a moment with you in private?” I asked her “Are you sure about that? I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave Janice all by herself.” “Don’t worry about that. We’ll still have our eyes on her. I just want to tell you something really important.” Ariel looked at Janice. “Is that okay with you?” “Sure! I’ll be fine with these burgers around,” Janice replied, her mouth filling. I raised an eyebrow at Ariel, smirking at her. I stood up, and she did that as well, following me as we left the building. Ariel crossed her arms. “Okay, we have to make this quick. What do you want to talk about?” “Don’t be scared, Ariel. We have our eyes on her.” “You can’t actually tell what’s going to happen. Someone might come and try to do shit. Oh, God.” “Is that what you want?” She gave me a crazy face. “What? No!” 229: EYES ON HER 4/4 “I know that. So, I really need to tell you about my feelings.” “We’re still following through with this conversation?” “Yes! You know very well how I love you.” “No, I don’t.” “Well, I do. And I want the both of us together again. The three of us, me, you and Janice. We can bring the family back, you know.” “It’s not going to be that easy.” “Why not? You already know the truth. I didn’t kill Lukel.” “Yes, I know that.” “So, tell me. Why do you think it’s not going to be that easy?” Ariel looked at me pretty well. “You really want to know, huh?” WITH