Chapter 6

Chapter Six

CALVIN

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, guys. Seriously." Yes, yesterday had been terrifying, and yes, I was probably out of a job, but I wasn't going to dwell on it. I had an interview to get to, and I couldn't afford to go too long without work. At least Arjun said he'd give me a good reference if I chose to find another job, so that was a perk.

I should have probably looked into why I wasn't as freaked out as I should be. My friends kept watching me like I was going to start bawling any minute. And yeah, I was scared, I'm not insane, but once the adrenaline wore off, I let it go. It wasn't even about me. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Simple as that.

Running my hands down my shirt, I tried not to grimace. I hated wearing nice clothes. They were never comfortable, and I felt like I looked too much like an Asian stereotype with the glasses and button up. I refused to wear a tie, no matter how good it'd make me look for the interview, but still. I wanted to find a job where my clothes didn't really matter. At least I could get away with wearing my nicest jeans for the interview.

"You sure you don't want a ride? I don't mind," Robbie offered.

"Dude, I'm fine. The crazy guy isn't going to show up on the bus. With that fancy suit, I'd be surprised if he ever rode the bus in his life." Spinning around to face them, I put up my hand before they could argue. "Nope. I'm good, I promise. I'm going to go to my interview, stop at the mall to check on the shop, and then I'll come home. Nothing scary. Got it?"

They grumbled, but eventually relented. They were good friends, and I loved that they cared, but they could be overbearing if someone was hurt or ill. I had to be firm with them to get them back on track.

Stepping outside, I grimaced as the Arizona heat smacked me right in the face. I probably should've taken Robbie up on his offer, just to avoid getting all sweaty before my interview, but I knew if I turned around now, they'd assume I was making up excuses because I was actually freaking out and didn't want to admit it. I sucked it up, pulling my headphones out of my backpack as I headed down the street.

The closest bus stop wasn't actually that close, but I'd been walking that path for years and it never bothered me. I put my headphones in, listening to my favorite k-pop band. Okay, so I was a little bit of a stereotype. They were good, though, and I wasn't ashamed to listen to them. I bobbed my head, hands stuffed in my pockets, until an uneasy feeling settled on my shoulders. It felt like someone was watching me. I took out an earbud, looking behind me, but I couldn't see anyone.

Shrugging it off, I kept walking, but the feeling didn't go away. I was actually grateful when other people showed up to stand in line for the bus. I was probably just paranoid after yesterday, and it'd take a few days for the feeling to go away.

The bus showed up on time for once, which was pretty rare. I took an empty seat in the middle by the window. It was empty enough that no one sat next to me, and I relaxed into my seat as I watched the world pass by the window.

That uneasy feeling got worse and when I looked over my shoulder again, there was someone in the back who was staring at me. He was huge, bald, and wearing a suit, and he looked out of place on the bus full of blue-collar workers and teenagers on their way to the mall. He didn't look away or even pretend he wasn't watching me, which was unnerving.

Reaching into my pocket, I toyed with the card the bounty hunter gave me yesterday. Her behavior made a lot more sense now. She wasn't hanging around to get to know me. She was waiting for the wacko to show up so she could haul him in. She told me to call if I heard anything about the guy's whereabouts, and this wasn't technically relevant, but the guy moved up a few seats, getting closer to me, and alarm bells went off in my head. I punched in her number, bobbing my head slightly like I was still listening to music.

"Santiago."

I cleared my throat, turning to face the window more and keeping my voice as low as possible.

"Hey, uh… It's Cal. From yesterday?"

She paused for a second before replying. "What's wrong? Did you see him?"

The guy's stare burned on the side of my head and I had to fight not to wince. "No. I think I'm being followed, though."

She didn't argue or demand proof, which was a relief. I didn't think the cops would take me seriously. She did, though, and I could hear her moving on the other end of the line.

"Where are you?"

"On the bus, headed downtown."

"Don't get off. I'm coming to you. And don't hang up."

Yeah, no shit. I kept that comment to myself. She was willing to help me, and the guy moved up another row again. My knee started bouncing a jittery beat, and my breath picked up along with my heart rate.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but he's getting closer. I might need to get off."

"No!" she barked. "Believe me, they'll catch you. Stay on the bus. Move up closer to the driver and ask them how long it will be. Pretend you're in a hurry or something. Don't let the person following you know you're on to them."

I followed her directions, holding onto the overhead bar as I moved closer to the front to ask the driver how long until we got downtown. He looked annoyed and obviously tired, but he grumbled out a time frame and there was a seat open right next to the door, so I sat down next to him.

We had about fifteen minutes until we got downtown, but the burly dude was getting closer, and fight or flight kicked in hard.

"I'm gonna run," I murmured in warning.

"No, Cal! Stay where you are! I'm not far. I–"

Yeah, no. The guy stood again at the next stop, holding onto the railing as he got closer, and I saw a flash of a gun on his hip. No way was I going to let him get closer. I waited until the last minute, dodging through the doors and onto the street right before they closed. I took off without looking back and went in the opposite direction of the bus, but I heard the squeak of the brakes and the doors opening behind me. The guy shouted, and the chase was on.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," I cursed, booking it faster than I ever had before.

"What the hell did you do?" Kiara demanded.

"Not a good time to yell at me! Can't it wait?" I gritted out between panting breaths. I was a short distance runner at the very most. I exercised, mostly so I didn't get injuries from sitting in front of a computer or standing at work all day, but I was not a marathoner. I wouldn't be able to keep up this pace for very long.

"Where are you?"

"Roosevelt. Heading towards the Circle K."

"You're lucky I know where that is, you idiot. I'm two minutes out. Keep moving."

I wanted to roll my eyes. Like I had any other option. A stitch in my side made me grimace, but I kept up my pace, racing as fast as I could down the street. The guy chasing me was faster, though, and a quick glance behind me told me he was catching up. I whimpered, pumping my arms to get myself to move faster.

"What is this guy on speed or something? How the fuck is he so fast?"

"I told you," Kiara growled. "I can see you. Straight ahead, blue sedan. Stop looking behind you."

Dodging past a group of people, I saw what she was talking about. She was parked on the corner ahead of me. Thank god for that, because I was running out of steam. She leaned over and opened the passenger door before opening her own door, standing, and pointing her weapon at the guy chasing me over the roof of her car. It must've made him hesitate long enough for me to get a lead on him because I swore a minute earlier I could feel his breath on my neck. I threw myself into the passenger seat, slamming the door behind me, and ducked in case he had a gun too. When I peeked to see what was happening, the guy slowed to a stop a good fifteen feet from us. He sneered at Kiara and when he looked at me, he ran a finger across his neck in the universal sign that said I was dead meat.

Kiara didn't move until he walked away. Dropping into the driver's seat, she threw her door closed and slammed her foot on the gas, cutting off a few cars as she whipped through traffic and away.

"Jesus Christ! Are you insane?" I yelped, squeezing my eyes shut when a car came a little too close to hitting us. She corrected with enough time that they passed us, blaring their horn, and straightened out on the road.

I buckled in a hurry in case she did anything else crazy, listening as she spoke to someone on the phone, her cell tucked between her shoulder and her ear.

"Yes. They were chasing him down the street. I need a safe house."

"A safe house? No, I have a job interview," I protested.

She shot me a dry look and ignored me, her eyes on the road as she spoke to whoever was on the other line.

"No. I'll take care of it. Send me the address. Alright, thanks."

She hung up, shoving the phone into her pocket, and made a sharp turn at the next light. When she stopped at another light, she reached under my feet and pulled out a cap, tossing it at me.

"Put this on. If you don't want to die, you'll do everything I say. Understand?"

Holy shit. What the hell did I get myself into?