A Perfect Excuse

Ashley's point of view.

>Ashley's Relaxation Center<

After much contemplation, I decided to take him in and treat him without involving the police. But then, not involving the police is risky because who knows, he could be on the run from the law, but then again, I don't think I can go through the whole process of giving a police statement – it's too much hassle.

Hold on a second, if he's on the run from the law, doesn't this mean I'm helping a criminal escape punishment? Wouldn't I be considered an accomplice? Never mind, I'll just trust my instincts and save him first.

I rushed back to my cashier desk, gathered all my money – because I'm not losing my money to anyone – shoved them in my purse and rushed back to the wounded stranger. I hurriedly locked my door, then tried to help him up, but realized he's too heavy since he's passed out.

Then, deciding on getting a cab first, I walked away from the door to the road to catch a one.

But for some reason, this evening doesn't seem as busy as other evenings. There were only a few cabs on the road, therefore making it almost impossible to get one, but thankfully an empty cab finally came along.

“Good evening, ma'am” the driver greeted. “Where are we headed?”

“Good evening, and can you please take me… Sorry, us…" I trailed off immediately I realized what I just said – us.

My gaze subconsciously flicked towards my café where the bleeding stranger laid, and I mentally began questioning myself; will the driver agree to carry an unconscious, bleeding man in his cab? Isn't he going to him suspect me of being a serial killer of some sort? And even if I manage to take him home, how do I explain all of this to Monique? No, it's better I treat him here at the café.

“Ma'am?”

The driver's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I let out a nervous chuckle, and cleared my voice as I stuck a few strands of hair behind my ear.

“I'm sorry, sir, but I just remembered that I still have some stuff to take care of here” I lied smoothly.

“Oh, no worries, then”

“Yeah, have a good night” I wished him, and dashed back to the stranger without waiting for his response.

“I guess treating you here is the only option” I whispered to myself.

I reopened my café, grabbed his hands and dragged him inside. After locking the door from inside, I dragged him towards the small room attached to the café at the back – It's where I occasionally spend the night if I close late and miss the night bus.

“Phew” I sighed after helping him on the bed. “Man, you're heavy as fuck!”

After catching my breath for some seconds, I quickly grabbed my first aid kit and began examining his injuries. It was clear that he had been in a fight, and not just an ordinary fight, it seemed like he's been involved in a gun fight because some of his injuries looked like bullets pierced through them.

I quickly rummaged through my first aid kit, as fast as I could to stop the profuse bleeding because obviously, my white bedsheet was turning scarlet red.

*******

Minutes turned into hours as I tended to his wounds, praying that he would survive, and finally, after what felt like an eternity, the bleeding slowed down.

And it was already past 11pm when I finished cleaning and dressing up his wounds all together. I let out a tired sigh and slumped on a small sofa next to us. As I sat there, my exhaustion began to weigh heavily upon me.

The adrenaline that had fueled me earlier was fading, leaving behind a weariness that seeped into my bones. But I couldn't leave him by himself. Not now. Not when he needed someone the most.

“You're lucky you met someone as kind as I,” I whispered softly, even though he wouldn't hear or reply to me. His face was pale, his eyes still closed, and he still hasn't begun breathing again – or maybe I just couldn't hear him breath.

Just at that moment, my phone's ringtone broke the silence in the room and I knew at once that it's Monique calling because she's been calling my phone since an hour ago.

Letting out a sigh, I tiredly reached for my purse and pulled out my phone and called her call.

“Hey, Moni...”

“Don't you dare, hey Monique me, Missy!” she snapped loudly from the other side.

My eyelids fluttered close as I winced and immediately pulled the phone a bit away from my ear, though, her voice was so loud that I could still hear her clearly.

“Where the hell are you? Are you seeing how late it is at all? Or is your clock broken?”

My eyes snapped open and looked towards the stranger before answering her. “There was a bit of a rush at the café, customers flocked in, and I couldn't chase them out” I lied, letting the words out of my mouth without any thoughts.

“Really?” I could imagine her furrowing her brows and narrowing her eyes right now.

“Yup. You know I don't say no to money” I laughed at my joke.

“Of course” she replied with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “When the hell are you coming back?”

“I'm not coming back tonight, I still got stuff to take care of here… "

“What stuff?”

“Huh… " I trailed off.

I couldn't find any words to say at this point, but luckily, I heard her yawn, and I knew she's going to end the call soon.

“Whatever it is you're doing, just remember to stay safe, and I'll see you tomorrow before leaving for work” she let out another yawn. “I'm feeling too sleepy, goodnight”

“Yeah, goodnight, babe” I replied and hurriedly hung up, then heaved a sigh of relief as I threw my head back.

My gaze averted to the stranger, he's still sleeping soundly. As if watching him sleep is contagious, my eyelids began feeling heavy, and before I knew it, I'm drowning into the abyss of sleep.

********

Third person's point of view.

>Daniel Anderson's mansion<

Nathan paced back and forth, his heart pounding in his chest. The weight of responsibility bore down on him, evident in the beads of sweat that trickled down his forehead. His breaths came in ragged gasps, the tension in the room palpable.

Fifteen men stood in a rigid line, their black suits blending into the shadows. Their heads were bowed, avoiding any form of eye contact with Nathan. It was as if they were collectively aware of their own shameful act, their guilt hanging heavily in the air.

“You're all useless!” Nathan's voice erupted, filled with frustration and anger. His words echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls and reverberating in the silence. “You're all a bunch of fools!”

The room fell into a pin-drop silence, the only sound being Nathan's heavy breaths as he clenched his phone tighter. He felt the weight of his impatience, the urgency of the situation, gnawing at him.

“We… We were ambushed and…" one of the men stammered, his voice trailing off as he met Nathan's harsh glare.

Fear flashed in his eyes, realizing the gravity of their mistake.

“You were ambushed?” Nathan's voice dripped with disdain, his frustration boiling over. “Does that guarantee your incompetence? Do you know that your mistake can cost the boss's life and…?

Before he could finish his sentence, his phone abruptly interrupted him. The ringtone blared loudly, cutting through the tension in the room. Nathan's eyes narrowed as he answered the call, his voice laced with impatience. “What?!”

“We've searched everywhere, but there's no trace of the boss.” the voice on the other end of the line relayed the grim news.

Nathan's grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles turning white. The weight of the situation pressed down on him, threatening to suffocate him. He knew that time was running out, that every second wasted could mean the difference between life and death.

“Continue fucking searching!” Nathan's voice boomed, filled with a mix of urgency and determination. “Boss's life is in danger, and we are not sleeping tonight until we find him.”

“Yes, sir”

Nathan ended the call, then averted his angry gaze from his phone to the men in black suits.

“Bring me to the place you were ambushed” he instructed.

“Yes, sir” they chorused.