Chapter 2: The Chase

Lisa had ducked behind the trees as soon as she walked through the coded gate. She thanked her lucky stars that the gate code hadn't changed since she moved out last. "For goodness sake, just go!" she muttered as she watched Matt and another man have a chat. Eventually, they walked away, and Lisa sighed in relief as she went out the same gate and hurried down the road.

When Lisa was convinced that she was not being followed, she walked to her real home, a middle terrace in an old Victorian row of houses. Lisa locked the front door as she dropped the heavy bag to the ground. She went into the front room to find her purpose for living in this world, her younger adopted sister, Emily.

Emily was furiously signing to a friend over Facetime. Lisa smiled as she could easily interpret that they were speaking about boys and school work. She tapped Emily on the shoulder and signed: "Hello, are you OK?"

Emily smiled. For a 17-year-old teenager, she was well-tempered and kind. Emily nodded and signed: "Yes, of course. How was your day?"

"Good, thank you! We are having spaghetti for dinner at six. Make sure you get your homework done, your exams are coming soon. "

Emily rolled her eyes and went back to her phone call as Lisa went into the kitchen to start cooking. Lisa turned on the radio as she was cutting onions. Her mind wandered to the man she saved. She had to admit he was sexy, but she could not afford to get distracted. "Oh bugger!" she said as she cut her finger with the knife. She thought, "That will teach me to not focus!" as she put her hand under a running tap. Then, with a deep breath, Lisa forgot the man, reasoning that she would never see him again.

Blackwood's Home, London.

"Are you sure you are OK? Mat, you seem a little off tonight. You didn't even complain about my cooking once! " Alannah Blackwood asked.

Matt returned his gaze to his old friends seated at the table. Alannah and Kurt Blackwood were the King and Queen of the British Syndicate. They had fallen in love whilst Alannah was in the same fighting gang as Matt, The Nine Tails. Those days seemed long gone, as the couple had recently adopted a baby girl, Lilly- Anne, who was fast asleep in the nursery.

"Maybe you are improving," Matt said while sipping some red wine. Alannah stopped cleaning the table and sat back down.

"OK, now I know there is something wrong!" Alannah said, eyes narrowing.

"She is right, her cooking has not improved, and you have been exceedingly quiet all night. So, out with it! " Kurt said.

"I think somebody tried to kill me today," Matt said, dismissively,

"What? What happened? " Alannah said, shocked.

"I was crossing the street to get some of those pastries I like when a black car came out of nowhere and tried to run me over. If it were not for a woman pushing me out of the way, I would probably be dead. " Matt said.

"Are you sure it was not just an accident?" Kurt said, frowning.

Matt shook his head and said, "No, the car had blacked out windows and was heading right at me. It didn't stop either. "

"This is not good, I am going to increase security," Kurt said, getting his mobile out to text his security team.

"And what about the woman? Is she OK?" Alannah asked.

"Yes, she is fine. She had a few grazes, but nothing major. "

"Did she try to go out with you or get your details? It may all be a ruse to get close to you. " Kurt said.

Matt laughed and said, "Sorry, no, it was the complete opposite actually. She point-blank rejected me, even when I asked out! "

"Ahh, so it is a case of the forbidden fruit tasting the sweetest?" Kurt asked.

Matt thought for a minute. Was Kurt right? Was this a case of forbidden fruit? Would he be thinking about those grey eyes and cute freckles if she had agreed to have dinner with him? He then remembered the sparks he felt when he touched her hand. He was surprised that her hands had not been smooth like the other women he had known. They were rough and showed signs of hard work, something Matt respected deeply. She was obviously smart too if she was a teacher, as well as brave and kind.

Kurt and Alannah gave a knowing smile. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that you seem rather... taken with this woman." Alannah said.

"No, just curious, that's all," Matt argued.

"Is that what we are calling it? OK, so what do we know about this woman you are so curious about? " Kurt said with a mischievous smile.

"Not much. She gave me a false name and led me to a false home. " Matt admitted.

"Clever, I like this lady already!" Alannah said.

"However, when I picked out some of her children's work, I know her name is Miss Mitchell, and she is a teacher at St. Paul's Primary school. I have Simon working on finding out anything else. "

"St Paul's, you say?" Kurt asked, and Matt nodded. Kurt turned to his wife and said, "Darling, didn't we donate some computers and tablets to that school?"

"Oh, yes! It was so lovely, and all the teachers were very kind. They taught us some basic sign language so we could talk to the children. " Alannah said.

"Sign language?" Matt asked.

"Yes, it is a school for deaf and hard of hearing children. It does very well in the league tables, and they really care about the children. Come to think of it, Miss Mitchell….Miss Mitchell…Ah, you mean Lisa, who teaches the 5 to 6-year-olds! She has the patience of a saint, that one! " Alannah recalled.

"From what I remember, she was very quiet and.." Kurt said but stopped himself.

"And what?" Matt asked.

"Guarded, I suppose, is the right word. If you don't mind my saying, she doesn't really seem your type. " Kurt said.

"And what do you think my type is?"

"High maintenance, slutty and power-hungry," Alannah replied.

"Alannah! " Kurt said, disapprovingly.

"What? He asked and it is true! Matt has never had a long term relationship, and there is nothing wrong with that... if that is what he wants. But I think that if he is honest with himself, it isn't. " Alannah said with a shrug.

"So, what am I supposed to do?"

"Do what you do best, and persuade her that you are worth taking a chance on!" Alannah said with a wide smile.