Page 55 of Bossy Grump's Secret

"Lily, we have to get out of here," I say casually. I might be wrong in my speculation, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

"Huh?" Ava hums with her mouth full. I doubt whatever morsel is. There is less than half a teaspoon. Still, her miniaturized eating habits have made such a smidgen look like it is about to choke her.

"Remember when I was almost raped in the hotel?" She nods and gulps heavily to swallow. "He's here. I don't know why he's not in jail, but he's here... stalking us."

Her face turns as pale as mine. She dabs her mouth clean and begins arranging herself. I look out for a taxi as soon as we get outside. With any luck, the one I spot won't be full.

"Ready?" I ask Lily once I get a sighting of a taxi coming downhill. After a brief countdown, we ditch the restaurant and head straight for the door. I look at Lily's to find she didn't take her shawarma.

Hell no.

Luckily, we weren't far enough to turn back entirely. I can grab the half-finished wrap and the other full one with just two steps. These are too good to be left behind. Immediately, we burst out of the door, and as if the taxi driver knew we needed service, she slowed the car to a stop just in front of us.

"Belfrost Hotel," I tell her after we get in.

Nobody needs directions to the Belfrost. In less than twenty minutes, we were in the parking lot. None of us is calm until we are finally within the confines of our concrete haven. The first thing I do is go find Dylan. Unfortunately, after traipsing the entire hotel, as much as my persistence can carry me, I do not see him. Only when I return to my room do I realize the folly of what I had just done? Of course, he'd be moving, wherever he is, when I'm on one floor; by the time I move to another, he wouldn't be there.

"Hey, don't think about it too much. He probably was just staring because he remembered you and the circumstances after. Nothing much. Besides, till we left, he didn't seem to do anything... or want to." Lily soothes me with her words.

"I guess you're right. Still, we have to be vigilant. Now that he's seen you, he might not hesitate to come after you," she reasons.

"Pfft. I'm sure I can handle myself." She gives me a ghostly smile that tells me she's just as terrified as I am.

Less than an hour later, Dylan finally remembers that he has a girlfriend and comes through, requesting we stroll to live out our last moments...the three of us. I tell him promptly about the man we encountered at the restaurant. He immediately makes a phone call with someone for over fifteen minutes, giving the description to whoever is on the other line.

I do not know who it is, but I feel safer knowing there is someone working to make sure the criminal doesn't make his way back to any of us.

"Hey, you guys, it's okay if you don't want to go for a walk. I understand," he offers.

"No," I stammer and give Lily a determined look. She nods back. "We'll go," I tell him.

"You two are some of the bravest girls I know," Dylan maintains.

"Give that to Ava," Lily mumbles. "I'm just a side piece... and prefer to be so."

I look at her for a second before turning back to Dylan. "Oh, she pays her protection money, believe me."

With lighter hearts and a bigger, stronger assurance - Dylan with us - we head out again, not in the least exhausted, for a thrilling adventure. If we were to map out a time to explore all the good places of San Francisco, there wouldn’t be enough time in a week to do it comprehensively. We don't go too far, just the nearest park and play around with Frisbees and balls till it's too dark for proper visibility.

At nightfall, bone-chilling terror grips me. On a semi-empty trail to the hotel, we see the man standing confidently in our path.

"Get behind me," he commands. Lily obeys, whimpering as she does.

"Actions have consequences, Belfast. You made a choice to stick out for that runt..."

I guess referring to him as Belfrost makes sense since he embodies the company's brand.

"The consequence you're about to experience is something even your status can't save you from," he growls with a sinister smile.

"Now is not the time to play stubborn. Get behind me - now." He grinds his teeth painfully, an indication of the seriousness of the situation.

I have no choice but to obey, but if it comes to it, I'm helping this time. Suddenly, my heart sinks to the abyssal pit of my stomach when I see three more men emerge from the shadows.

"Call 911." I tap Lily, and she gets to it as fast as her shaky hands manage. Suddenly, the men charge at us.

"Call 911!" I scream before they connect with us, sending me flying to the ground along with Lily. I see Dylan putting up a fight against one man. I look in Lily's direction to see her being pulled by the hair by one of the men, the same one that delivers a kick to my face, snapping my eyes shut almost instantaneously.

I open my eyes to some awkward semblance of peace. It takes a little while for me to recollect my surroundings, but I'm sure when I do that, I haven't been out for long because I still hear the treacherous men talking in the background.

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