章 50: Roots

"I clearly saw someone standing there." Looking at Ivan, Amber asked, "Did you see it too?"

"I did—but maybe it was an illusion. I mean, it was dark so there is a chance it was a shadow of a tree branch or something." He tried to comfort her. Ivan could vaguely guess what it was but he wasn't sure either.

'Darius is gonna kill me,' he thought to himself and stepped on the gas. The sooner they got out of the secluded area, the better.

Amber on the other hand was very sure it wasn't as simple as Ivan was making it seem. The way he hastily made her board the car and was now driving faster than he normally did was evident that he was hiding something.

….

After reaching the main city, he finally slowed down and switched to his normal speed.

Looking at Amber, he asked, "Are you okay?" When she nodded her head, he explained, "I am sorry for the bumpy ride, actually I have heard that area is not safe and I realized it only after we got out of the car."

"Not safe?"

"Yes, it's a hub for smugglers, drug dealers and looters," he lied. What other choice did he have? He couldn't tell her the truth.

…..

Outside Amber's House.

Unbuckling her seatbelt, she smiled at him. "Thank you for the ride and for today."

"You're welcome."

"Good night," Amber greeted him before getting down from the car and walking towards her house.

Meanwhile, Ivan waited until she got in before driving away.

….

City block.

Ivan's apartment.

As soon as Ivan entered his apartment, he tossed the car keys on the table before taking off his overcoat.

Cracking his neck and fingers, he made his way towards the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of chilled water.

"Darius is gonna be so mad at you."

Splattering the water out his mouth, Ivan coughed vigorously. Slamming his own chest, he sat on a chair to calm himself down.

Grabbing a tissue, he wiped his mouth and nose before dabbing it on his wet shirt. "You almost killed me."

"Did I?" Walking towards him, Rachael remarked, "Well, Darius will kill you tomorrow anyway."

"It just happened not even an hour ago, how did you manage to get the news so fast?" he frowned.

When she raised her brows, Ivan sighed and explained himself. "Look, I forgot okay? I realized it halfway through the road where there was no turning back. So I drove as fast as I could and got us out safely. And I swear, nothing happened."

Sitting beside him, she asked, "You sure nothing happened?"

"Nope nothing happened, it was a smooth ride."

"Ivan, you need to be more careful. You can't be doing reckless things like this." Helplessly shaking her head, Rachael sighed, "I know you love staying here and lead a normal life but no matter how hard you try to stay normal, you know your roots. And the fact where you came from is never gonna change no matter how hard any of us try to deny it."

Placing her hand on his, she added, "Look, I have always supported you in possible and impossible ways. You have no idea how many times I argue or fight with Darius for you each day. But you also need to understand the situation and act wisely. You could have been killed today and we wouldn't have even known."

Ivan nodded his head in agreement and admitted his mistake. "I know it was my mistake today. I haven't seen or heard of that place for years Rachael, it just slipped my mind and I completely forgot about it."

….