3.

Zen clenches his jaw while watching Isabelle exit the room; he grabs a pen and stabs the wooden top of the desk. He closes his eyes and breathes heavily trying to relax. “She doesn’t love you, she doesn’t want you. The moment she finds Daniel she will leave you and you will be alone, all alone once again. There’s no one for you, you are alone. ALONE!!” He yells and swipes his hand across the top of the table making all the files and his laptop fly off it.

He fishes out his phone from his pant pocket and quickly dials Gerald’s number; he taps his foot on the floor while waiting for him to pick up. “Yes, boss I was about to call you there has been a problem.” Gerald says as soon as he picks up. For a moment Zen’s heartbeat stops, he felt it in his gut as if something was about to go down. “What is it Gerald?” He asks trying to calm himself down. “I sent Antony to torture Daniel as you asked me to do so but he stabbed him and ran away boss.” He informs him.

Zen falls back on his chair as his legs starts giving up; he is just imaging what Isabelle will do if she finds out the things he has done to keep Daniel away from her. He knows she will never forgive him and probably leave him forever. “I gave you one job Gerald! Get your ass out in the streets and look for that bastard.” He yells into the phone and slams it on the floor breaking into pieces. Sweat beads starts gathering on his forehead, a sense of fear starts settling in his stomach, his mind keeps going back to the idea of losing her and he can’t take it anymore. Isabelle on the other hand, heads in their bedroom while her tears roll down her cheeks; this is nothing new Zen always acts this way whenever she asks him about Daniel. It’s not like she would leave Zen if she found out where Daniel is, all she wants is to know whether he is safe or not.

Daniel gathers all his courage and slowly stands up and starts walking on the pavement while trying to rinse off the blood stains on his hands and face. He is completely lost, he has no clue where to go to for help, another thunder strikes making a shiver run down his spine. It was too cold for him and the shivers were not stopping at all, a small cafe comes into his view. The smell of coffee fills up his nostrils, a hot cup of coffee would make him feel good but he doesn’t have the money for it. He slowly stands by the door of the cafe and stares inside through the glass wall and watches the happy family that was enjoying the rainy evening. His eyes starts to tear up, he never had something like this and yearned for it for so long. All he wanted was a normal life and small family with Isabelle but fate was always against him.

“Are you crying?” A female voice pulls him out of his thoughts and he quickly wipes his face and looks at her. It was a girl in waitressing clothes, she had short black bob hair, her skin was sun kissed and her melanin was glowing as the street light emulates on her face. Her vixen hazel eyes were roaming around Daniel’s face trying to read him.  She keeps on staring at him from under the shade of the cafe and starts looking him up and down. The girl realizes something is really wrong here, the blood stained clothes doesn’t really seem normal to her. “Should I call the police for you?” She asks and slowly opens the umbrella that was in her hand.

As soon as Daniel hears the word police he turns to his heels and starts fast walking away from the cafe. “Hey stop!” The girl quickly runs after him and grabs his arm and pulls him to her. She catches Daniel off guard which makes him slip and fall on her. The girl couldn’t handle his weight and she falls on the concrete with him on top. Daniel becomes flabbergasted due to the close proximity between the two of them and quickly pushes himself away from her and sits beside her on the pavement. “Do you want food?” She asks him trying not to laugh at him and his red face. Daniel quickly looks away from her and stares at the street lights, he doesn’t want her help no wonder what she will do to him if he agrees to eat. “I won’t ask you again.” She slowly stands up and forwards her hand to him for him to take it and stand up. He slowly looks up at her and stares at her silently. “No police, I promise.” She smiles at him and leans down towards him. “No police?” He questions and moves backwards.

She shakes her head no and grabs his arm and pulls him up. “You’re like a child.” She laughs and slowly walks to the back alley to get him in the back room of the cafe. “Please don’t call the police.” Daniel says in a begging manner to her. “Okay, okay no police. I’m Cheyenne, nice to meet you.” She smiles at him and takes him in the back room and makes him sit on a chair and walks towards the lockers. “I... I’m Daniel.” He whisper and watches her look through her locker. “Well Daniel nice to meet you.” She pulls out a towel and throws it to him. He takes the towel and quickly starts wiping his hair while watching what she is doing. Cheyenne looks around to see if anyone is coming and quickly steals one of the male uniforms from the staff locker and walks to Daniel smiling coyly. “Here put this on.” She hands him the uniform and sits beside him on a chair and watch him as he tries to dry himself down.

“Daniel I won’t ask you now, but you have to tell me later on from where you got those blood stains.” She slowly stands up from the chair and walks out to give him some privacy. He watches her go and slowly takes off his wet clothes and hisses due to the pain. The wounds on his body need some sort of medicine but he doesn’t want to ask anyone for help. He slowly discards the wet clothes on the floor and slips in the shirt and pants. After tucking his shirt in his pants he knocks on the door through which Cheyenne went out. She doesn’t respond so he keeps on standing there, after a few minutes she walks in with a tray full of food and a cup of coffee. “Sit and eat, my shift is over I will drop you to wherever you need to go to.” She hands him the tray and walks to her locker to get her things. “Where will I go?” Daniel whispers to himself and stares at the tray of food silently.