Chapter 3 Pussy

LYRA

He finally sat down on the edge of the bed with a heavy sigh, his expression unreadable. For a moment, he just stared at me, like he was trying to figure out whether to trust me or shoot me.

Up close, he looked even more dangerous. Even more handsome. His shirt clung to his chest, soaked with blood and rainwater from the ground, the white fabric now a mess of red and gray. The sleeve tattoo running down his arm flexed as he rested the gun on his thigh, his muscles tense.

I swallowed hard, snapping open the first aid box. My fingers shook slightly, not sure if it was from fear or the fact that he was way too close.

“Take off your shirt,” I said, trying to sound firm but my voice came out smaller than I intended.

He gave me that same sharp, teasing look that made my stomach twist. “You always talk to strangers like that?” he muttered, smirking faintly.

“I don’t usually bring strangers with guns into my apartment either,” I shot back. “So this is new for both of us.”

His smirk deepened, but he did as I said. The sound of the wet fabric peeling off his skin made me wince. My breath caught when I saw the deep cut running across his side, it wasn’t just bad, it was brutal.

I bit my lip, dabbing the antiseptic on a piece of gauze. “This might sting,” I warned.

“Do your worst,” he said, voice low and rough, his eyes never leaving me.

I pressed the gauze to his wound, and he let out a sharp hiss, gripping the edge of the mattress tightly. My heart skipped. His emerald eyes locked onto mine again, intense with a glare.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked quietly, trying to keep my hand steady.

He leaned in a little, his breath brushing my cheek. “Because you’re not afraid of me,” he said, almost like it surprised him.

I swallowed hard, forcing a small, nervous laugh. “Trust me, I’m terrified.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

The silence between us stretched. The air felt heavy. I wrapped the bandage around his torso, trying not to notice how warm his skin felt under my fingers or how his gaze never softened.

“There,” I murmured when I finished. “You’re patched up. Now you can leave.”

He didn’t move. His lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile.

“You really think I’m going anywhere tonight?”

My stomach dropped. “What do you mean?”

He leaned back slightly, his hand resting on the gun again. “I’m not done with you yet, Red.”

“Red?” I blinked.

His eyes flicked to my hair, then to my lips. “Yeah,” he murmured. “It suits you.”

My stupid heart skipped. I wanted to say something...anything, but the words wouldn’t come.

All I could think was that I’d just brought trouble straight into my home…and something told me it wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

Knock knock!

I heard the sound of knocking on the door and I flinched, the sound was loud in the now quiet room.

Before I could answer, he stood up swiftly, his hand pressing against my lips as he pressed the gun to my back.

"Shhh...don't make a sound." He whispered hoarsely, his breath fanning my ear and I shivered. His voice sounded so good.

'What the heck is wrong with me today?' I asked myself, wondering how I could think about his voice with a gun pressed to my back.

Pushing me towards the door, he hid behind it and gestured with his gun for me to open it.

Clearing my throat, I breathed out, my heart beating loudly in my ears as I asked who was there.

"It's your neighbor, I came to return your cat." The voice of a man I didn't recognize sounded from the other side of the door. I noticed the way Mr...intruder tensed slightly.

I didn't even know his name, tsk.

Every evening before work, I drop my cat off at my neighbor’s place. She loves him but she loves men even more. Honestly, there’s a new guy walking out of her room every day, so at this point, I'm not even surprised.

I forced a nervous laugh and opened the door just enough to see a tall guy holding Pussy in his arms. My cat looked completely unbothered, like he hadn’t just spent the night at the neighborhood’s version of a dating app.

“Thanks,” I said, trying to act calm even though a gun was literally pressed against my back. “You can just hand him over.”

The guy smiled politely and passed Pussy to me. “Your neighbor said she’ll be gone for a few days, so I thought I’d bring him back.”

“That’s nice of you,” I replied, petting Pussy’s head even though my palms were sweaty.

He looked at me for a moment, his eyes sharp, and before I could even blink, he suddenly pulled out a gun.

I froze.

The sound of a gunshot exploded through my apartment and I screamed, stumbling backward with Pussy clutched tightly to my chest. But before he could aim again, Mr intruder behind me moved like lightning.

Two quick shots echoed through the air.

The man dropped instantly, blood pooling near the door.

My whole body went cold. I stared at the lifeless body on my floor, unable to move.

The intruder didn’t even flinch. He lowered his gun calmly, his expression cold and unreadable.

“Who... who was that?” I stammered, my voice trembling.

He crouched beside the man, checking his pockets like it was nothing. “Not important,” he muttered. “But it means they already found me.”

“Found you?” I repeated, my heart still racing. “What do you mean found you? You just killed someone in my apartment!”

He stood up slowly, his piercing green eyes locking on mine. “And saved your life while I was at it.”

I blinked, completely stunned. “Saved my life? You brought this mess into my house!”

He smirked, wiping the blood off his hand with my towel like he owned the place. “Correction, Red. You opened the door for it.”

I glared at him, speechless. Pussy meowed softly, licking his paw like nothing happened.

“Great,” I muttered, sighing. “Now Pussy’s traumatized too.”

"Doesn't seem traumatized to me." He shrugged before eyeing me, " Who names their cat Pussy?" He raised an eyebrow.

"That's non of your business!" I shot him a glare.

He chuckled, his hand sliding into his trouser pocket and pulling out his phone.

"Track my phone and come with some guys." He said simply before ending the call, sliding his phone back into his pocket.