Chapter Five

Beneath that tough facade, there's a gentleman who will take a bullet to save a stranger.

- Grace Chanbee

[Justin's POV]

I was really frustrated and angry at Amber but it wasn't because her words were false, it was because they were true.

The sack I was holding was really heavy even though I held it like it was light, and I had only given it to her because I just enjoyed seeing the misery on her face.

Yeah, I knew I was a jerk that probably didn't deserve anything good in life, but that's how life had groomed me and all I needed was one damn person to just accept me for who I was.

My head snapped back as her tiny high-pitched voice calling Justin rang over and over again even though I tried to ignore it.

"Hey bro," Aiden said.

Aiden and I had been friends for the past ten years. He lived with his stepfather and half-siblings who treated him like dirt because they were his only family. After his mum had passed on three years ago, he had had to remain with her husband and his kids as his relatives didn't want him.

Aiden pick pocketed and went out with older women which helped to pay the bills, the only reason his stepfather still accommodated him in his house.

Grams didn't like his company at all, she had made it obvious to him that she knew he was bad influence and didn't want him around me.

I liked Aiden's company though. He was the only friend I had and he had taught me all the life tricks I knew. Although he was older than me with two years, we got along really well and we were even in the same class.

While I was always at the top of my class, Aiden kept on struggling to get a pass mark each term even though I tried my best to engage him in reading lessons. It will be a miracle if he could graduate along with me next year.

"Are you fine?" He asked, waving his palms in my face.

"Dude, what are you doing? Trying to make me blind or what?" I asked.

He chuckled, "Just checking to see if you're alive. What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing really. That crazy girl I informed you about is just severally getting on my nerves," I said.

He chuckled again, "Is she?"

"What sort of a question is that? I just told you she is," I said.

"You don't usually get pissed off by girls," Aiden commented.

"Exactly, but this girl is different. She's always getting on my nerves both intentionally and by accident," I said.

"Why don't you send her away then?"

"Are you kidding? Grams will have me executed. It's like she cares about her even more than her own grandson," I said.

He sighed. "You've not even reported the issue to the police," He said.

"Like they're going to believe me. I saw that girl half-dead with my very own eyes. It was as if someone had purposely beaten her and left her to die."

"And so?" He retorted.

"Don't you get it? It's evident that maybe someone somewhere wants her dead because she was highly battered and was only saved by a hair's breadth. Imagine I went to the cops, they're gonna ask all sort of ridiculous questions and will probably think I'm the culprit....."

"And why will they think so? Because you're the son of an alleged crime offender? Even if that were true, the fact that your father was accused of a crime doesn't mean you're the same as he is," Aiden said.

My spirit got weakened and my hands involuntarily started to shake slowly. It was always that way for me anytime my father's false bad legacy was mentioned.

"It's not because of that, okay?" I managed to speak up, still keeping a firm voice.

"It's because of what?"

"She's wealthy," I said.

"And how do you know this?"

"That day she was found, she had on a couple of jewelries I'll never be able to afford even in the next fifty years," I said.

Aiden's head jerked backwards. "If that's so, don't you think you're playing with fire? Rich people have so many problems and you're a witness to how unreasonable and wicked they can be. You should send that girl out of your house."

"I can't. Grams...."

"Stop using your grandmother as an excuse. I know too well how you can be. Once you want something, you will get it irrespective of whose ox is gored," Aiden said.

"But..."

"But what?"

"She has no family. I can't just leave her in the streets where she can be exposed to dangerous situations," I explained.

"You don't care about anyone but yourself, what suddenly changed you?" Aiden asked.

"That's what she also said not too long ago," I said in a low tone, my head bowed.

"What are you going on about?" He asked.

"It's the crazy girl. She called me selfish and it made me so angry. That's why I left her all alone," I said.

Aiden shrugged. "Since when did you start caring about people's opinions? Wait a minute. Were you wearing a sullen expression and distracted that you didn't see me approaching because of what she said to you?"

I sighed and nodded.

Aiden chortled.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I think you like her."

"Are you crazy? I like Amber? That's impossible," I said, chuckling.

"We've been friends for about a decade now. I know you too well and the last time you gave a hoot about someone's opinion was when you were dating Rosalyn. I think you've fallen again," Aiden said.

"I haven't, she's not my type," I said.

Aiden raised his hands in surrender. "Whatever you say, bro. Won't you get her back? Your grandmother will be annoyed if you go home without her and you won't forgive yourself if something bad happens to her," Aiden said.

"Fine then, but I'm only doing this for Grams," I said.

Aiden let out a mock laughter and smirked much to my distaste.

"What's funny?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's fine if you force yourself to believe you're going to get your girl back only because of your grandmother."

"I'm not forcing myself to believe anything, I'm actually going to get Amber back only because I don't want Grams to be annoyed," I said, almost on top of my voice.

"Whatever, dude. Here, let me help you with your sack. I'll go drop it off at your house then wait for you to come back while having a nice chat with your granny," He said.

I gave a knowing smile. "Stop trying so hard to get my grandmother to warm up to you, she's always going to see you as a bad influence," I said.

"Leave your grandmother to me and focus on getting your girl back," He said.

"She's not my girl!" I yelled.

"Can't wait to see your girl though, hope she's pretty," He said.

I dropped the sack at his feet and turned around, proceeding to leave his presence.

"What's wrong? I'm only saying the truth," He yelled after me as I walked off, going back to the last place I had seen Amber which was beside the mall where I had allegedly made a pass at a lady according to Amber.

I had seen the lady's fiancé talking harshly to her and making her feel small. He seemed to be a rich dude who was her family's benefactor because of the conversation I had overheard them talking about while discussing with my client.

He was telling her that no one except him will have eyes for her and the lady had been begging him not to leave her. Such cruelty!

I had been enraged and angry at how bad he was making the lady feel about herself and her reaction to the lame things he said was a sure proof that she belittled herself and didn't have a high self-esteem.

Now, this lady was really beautiful with freckles which suited her tanned skin funny enough. She had short brown hair which touched her neck with beautiful greenish-blue eyes. She was slender and had the right proportion of curves.

It was such a sad feeling to see how she cowered before that hideous-looking man that couldn't even appreciate her worth and wasn't even half as presentable as she was.

To increase her level of self-esteem, I had gone to her to talk to her about how beautiful she was and how any man will die to have her. That had brought a smile to her face but of course, dummies like Amber who didn't have a clear understanding of what had been going on jumped to the conclusion that I was a pervert who could have the audacity to ask a lady out right in front of her fiancé.

About the little boy who tried to steal, encouraging stealing is very wrong irrespective of the circumstances one may be going through. If the boy had asked anyone nicely for a dollar, I'm sure they would've given it to him, but trying to steal in a mall where he could easily be caught and sent to juvenile prison wasn't an act to be condoned.

I appeared to be thinking for a while knowing fully well that I had actually needed to see Amber all along as I could only think about her, and like Aiden had said, deep down, I knew that getting Amber back wasn't for the sake of Grams, I really liked having her around.

I knew rich people had their problems but something in me just wanted to be closer to her even though it may be dangerous for me.

I knew I insulted her and always tried to annoy the hell out of her, but the truth was that all my bad behaviour towards her was all a facade to mask my true feelings.

Were my eyes deceiving me or was what I was seeing real?

About ten feet from me stood Amber struggling with a short muscular man who held her wrist and was holding something I couldn't quite see close to her neck.

He had on a wicked grin and I could barely hear her wincing in pain from the distance where I stood.

I was scared and puzzled at the same time as I rapidly racked my brain on what to do.

Was I to call the cops? No! They will take too much time before arriving and delay was dangerous.

I looked around for any defensive object that I could use against him. He had what seemed to be strong muscles like I did but I was way taller than he was and that was an advantage.

To my utmost dismay, I could finally see clearly what the maniac was using to threaten poor Amber. It was a knife...a shiny sharp pocket knife that could inflict more harm than good on her delicate skin.

Without wasting any more time, I quickened my pace and the man's eyes met mine because it was Amber's back that was facing me.

He could already perceive danger which wasn't a surprise because of the anger in my eyes speaking that I was going to tear him apart if I got a hold of him.

His knife clattered to the ground and he pushed Amber away then took to his heels without further ado.

I made to run after him.

"Justin," I heard Amber whose voice was now frail say.

I turned around and I saw how she staggered, unable to stand on her own two feet, appearing as fragile as a paper.

I saw her eyes closing and I knew the next thing was that she'd faint. Before she collapsed to the hard ground, I leapt and caught her safely in my arms.

Looking forward, I didn't see the menace of a dwarf anywhere in sight. My eyes twitched from place to place but the man was gone, leaving no trace behind.

I stared at Amber's whose eyes were closed tightly as she lay soundly, still in my arms.

I swallowed hard. She was so beautiful and her eyes were so sexy and innocent that I could do anything to just sit and stare into them without being noticed. Her eyes held so much mystery and wonder that couldn't be comprehended.

It was a good thing she didn't weigh so much, I thought to myself, feeling relieved after getting her onto my back.

Thankfully, ours was a quiet area and there was no one in sight to watch a tough guy like me carrying a girl he barely knew on his back.

Most people were on summer vacations or busy with their various jobs since it was noontime.

I was walking all the way home, not because I enjoyed trekking, but because I had learnt while growing up that every single dollar counts. I could easily hop onto a ride for what someone will term as just five dollars, but economically thinking, I could channel the five dollars into buying petrol for my van.

Amber's once relaxed hands on my shoulders suddenly became firm and I knew she had regained consciousness.

"Amber," I called.

"Justin," She responded faintly.

"Why did that man threaten you with a knife?" I asked.

"I don't know," She responded.

I loved the feel of her hands around my neck and the echo of her voice ringing right beside my ears made my heart tingle for a reason I wouldn't love to mention.

Ignoring the unusual way she made me feel, I decided to ask her another question pertaining to the shocking event I had just witnessed, hoping it could distract my heart from any unwanted business.

"How did it all happen? He couldn't have possibly taken out a knife to kill you except he's a psychopath," I said.

"I don't know," She said again.

I stopped in my tracks. "Give me a reply, Amber, or I'll put you down," I said to her in a firm tone.

"Don't put me down," She said.

"Fine. Tell me exactly what happened," I said.

"I was about to go back to the mall when I bumped into him then he looked shocked upon seeing me. He even asked if I was alive or a semblance of someone. The next thing I knew, he took out a knife and was about to murder me in cold blood when you came and saved the day," Amber explained.

It took time for me to digest what Amber had just said to me. If...if what she had just told me was the honest truth, it signified that the man who had just tried to kill her probably knew about who she was and was perhaps the same person who had tried to kill her and left her for dead in my van.

"You're not saying anything," Amber said.

"That man....do you remember him from anywhere?" I asked.

She didn't reply immediately and seemed to be in deep thoughts.

"Answer me, Amber. This is a serious issue. Do you remember that man?" I thundered.

"I... I.. I don't. I don't remember him, I swear," Amber finally responded with a stutter.

My gut feeling told me she could probably be lying but then again, Enoch had confirmed she had lost all her memory as her brain was dysfunctional, so how could she even remember anything at all?

"Do you believe me?" Amber asked.

"I do," I responded.

She sighed deeply like she was relieved.

Amber," I called again, after a few seconds had passed by with total silence.

"Yes?"

"Do not ever leave the house without me," I said.

"And why is that?" She asked.

"I'm scared," I muttered, but she heard me.

"Why?"

"If something happens to you because I wasn't there to protect you, Grams will never forgive me," I said.

"So it's because of your grandmother?" She asked, her voice sounding disappointed.

"Of course. What were you thinking?"

"For a second, I thought you genuinely cared about me," She said.

I guffawed. "But you know that's impossible. You said it yourself, girl. I'm self-centered so I care about only myself," I said.

"I wasn't wrong about you then," She said.

"Yeah. You were absolutely right. Isn't that funny? Seems you aren't a dunce after all," I said.

"Put me down," She said softly.

"Why? Do you think you can walk well?" I asked.

"Why are you asking? It's not like you care anyway. Put me down!!" She yelled.

I released my hand from her thighs and set her down.

She ignored me and started walking away, storming off rather, with quick strides.

Her action had surprised me, she even had the capability to get angry.

"Try hard as you want to and deny it as much as you can but we both know that the only reason you always want her around you is because you do care about her and you will never forgive yourself if something bad happens to her because of your absence," My subconscious mind told me.

I ran my hands through my hair as I watched her go without doing the littlest thing to stop her from leaving.

With my behaviour, she was probably going to hate me, but it was better that way for the both of us.

Her kind will forever be enemies to me and I won't let my heart change the hatred in my heart.

************

[Author's POV]

The so-called psychopath who had nearly killed Amber watched as Justin carried Amber unto his back and walked away.

He could have chosen to follow them to know exactly where they had been going but there was no hiding place for him if he wanted to embark on trailing them.

He hid behind a mall till Justin and Amber were out of sight.

His phone rang and he was delighted to see it was his partner who was keeping watch over The Sanders mansion that was calling.

He swiped up to answer the phone call only to hear the incessant hoarse voice of his partner.

"Why did you leave town?" His partner yelled from the other end.

"I needed to see my family in my hometown," The psychopath replied.

"Like I don't have a family," His partner hissed.

"Listen. I have terrible information," The psychopath said.

"There you go again. Do you ever bring good information to the table? Of course not. Hit the nail on the head, will you?" His partner thundered.

"I saw that girl," He said.

"What girl?"

"Amber Sanders," The psychopath responded.

"You must be joking," His partner said in disbelief.

With that, he explained to his partner how he had bumped into the girl unintentionally and how he wasn't sure if it was really her or a semblance of her. He also went on to disclose how he had tried to end her life's chapter but a nosy parker had interfered.

His partner listened with rapt attention with a mixture of fear, shock and doubt.

"I'd have tailed both of them but they'd have caught me," The psychopath concluded.

"So you just let them go?"

"Yes," He responded.

"You're a fool..a big time crazy fool. I don't care if she's a lookalike or if she's real. That girl has to die, nothing will ruin this business for us," His partner yelled.

"I'll find both of them, I promise," The psychopath said.

"That's the same way you promised to keep the dead girl's body in your van and send it to her parents. Where's the body today?"

"I don't know," The psychopath responded in a low tone.

"That's my point exactly. If you hadn't made the stupid mistake of placing the body in someone else's van, we wouldn't have been in this situation of real people and lookalikes today," His partner hissed.

"And how many times do I have to apologise for making that mistake? No one's above mistakes," The psychopath said, getting annoyed.

"Raise your voice at me one more time and you know what will befall you," His partner threatened.

"I'm sorry," The psychopath said, now in a calm tone, aware of what his anger could cost him.

"You should be. What silly town are you in again?" He asked.

"Arroyo Grande," The psychopath replied.

"I give you a week... just one week to find that girl and have her killed," His partner ordered.

"One week?"

"Yes, one week. In a week's time, I expect proof of her death," His partner said.

"But that's... Hello? Hello??" The psychopath said then realised his partner had hung up.

He sighed looking longingly at the path Amber and Justin had taken, muttering cuss words against his partner and against the troublesome heiress or her lookalike.

He had just one week to seal the deal and he was going to make sure he succeeded in his job.

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