Chapter 63: How Do You Know Gabriel?

Esme sat upright, the chill of winter now seeping through her clothes from where she lay on the now damp grass. She didn't know how long she stayed on the ground thinking about a past that seemed a lifetime ago but now she had to look forward and move on. Maybe her sins were paid by her blood, torture and almost death, though she didn't think that was the case; suicide was a coward's way out. 

Pulling her hood over her head, her dark waves of hair framing her face and helping keep the cold at bay, she jumped to her feet and threw her bag over her shoulders as she casually walked back through the woods. Esme began whistling a joyous tune, aware of the rustling of leaves and the light scent of lavender following in the shadows. That scent had almost clouded her mind while she lay on the ground and nearly sent her into a blissful sleep. She chuckled under her breath. 

"Is stalking a new pastime for you?" She questioned the lavender phantom, her eyes roaming the woods briefly before looking at the trail again. As expected, there was no response, so she arrogantly pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and checked her messages. Maybe ignoring the phantom would lure him out to play. 

But it didn't, and she found herself distracted by the address Lenny sent her and telling her he was free now, waiting for her with some champagne. "Don't mind if I do," She purred at the idea of rich man's champagne. Putting her phone away, she glanced over her shoulder, noting how the scent in the air had changed direction, but she knew well that the wind was a delusion, and the phantom could be anywhere. He was using the environment well.

With a nonchalant shrug, she saluted the air before setting off at a run towards the city. She didn't need anyone except Lenny knowing her location, and even then, she didn't want anyone knowing that Lenny knew her location. So, for the next thirty minutes, she raced down alleyways, turning, crawling, hiding and jumping on rooftops until she was sure she was alone. Still, she would have to be extra diligent going forwards.

Finally, Esme slowed down and leaned against the back of an alley staring at the clean, white apartment complex that almost seemed to shine. She assessed the Porsche and convertible leaving the underground garage and raised a brow in question. This was a far step up from the last place Lenny showed her, and she wasn't quite sure if having such an apartment was a good thing. Esme glanced down at her clothes and almost laughed aloud. 

This damned gangster. 

Lowering her hood, she forced herself not to fidget with her hair as she approached the glass doors that would not open. She pressed the button on the side and spoke through a speaker, her eyes unwavering from the concierge who sat behind a polished desk in front of a wall-length fish tank fitted with coral and colourful fish. 

"Hey, I am here to see Lenny." 

With those words, a buzzing noise sounded, and the doors opened to the revolving door that she had to time and walk through with slight annoyance.

"Bit OTT," Isana remarked dryly. "I can't believe Lenny has jumped from the apartment with a bath in the kitchen to having human security and working lifts." 

Esme smiled both at her wolf's comment and to the suited man behind the desk with short curly brown hair and grey eyes. He was a looker, of course, he was; she didn't expect anything less now that she knew what sort of place she was heading to. 

After pressing the button in the lift for the fifth floor, she waited and shifted on her feet nervously to the classic music playing. Exiting the lift, she followed down the sleek white hallways until she was at the far end knocking on the door and staring outside the floor to ceiling windows to the side of her, checking out the nighttime views.

"Esme!"

Esme turned and nearly struck Lenny in the face as he brought his lips close to her. But her quick reflexes relaxed when she realised he was greeting her with a kiss on one cheek and swiftly moved onto the other. Lenny chuckled. "Normally, you return the greeting. Don't worry, kiddo, you'll have it next time." He waved his hand nonchalantly then opened the door for her. 

"You're lucky I didn't stab you," Esme muttered, meaning to keep her voice low so he didn't hear, but the sudden greeting made her flustered and her voice louder. 

Lenny chuckled again. "Don't worry, I wear bulletproof and stab-proof vests under my suits. You never know what might happen, " He grinned as they stood in the large hallway.

"You know, I can always test it out. Make sure it is stab-proof," Esme replied with a smirk as she removed her trainers, eying the clean white marble floors. 

Definitely not within her budget.

"With you, darling, I don't want to take my chances," He raised his hands in surrender, looking at her deviously as though he knew more about her than what she made him believe. 

You are reading story The Fugitive at novel35.com

Esme frowned slightly but decided to ignore her growing curiosity about this mafia boss. She was also surprised his men weren't guarding the floor he was on. But she wasn't here to fill her curiosity about the man and instead gazed upon the grandeur of the apartment she was in. With its chic décor of white marble and pastel blue and pinks, with matching cushions to go on white sofas in front of an L-shaped wall with a narrow, glass fireplace built in it. 

"Lenny.." She eyed the floor to ceiling windows placed across the entire floor and forced her lips to stay shut at the kitchen a chef would be happy with. "I can't afford this place."

"I haven't told you the price," He replied, unscrewing the cork to the champagne bottle and pouring the fizzy liquid into two flutes. 

"You don't need to tell me. I can see from how luxurious this place is. Lenny.. mate.. You realise I rented that shithole first, right? The one where I would have slept in the bath if you hadn't given me your second-hand sofa, which by the way.. I know it was brand new." She placed her hands on her hips. "Why are you so good to me? I haven't done anything for you unless.. what are you after?"

Lenny chuckled and elegantly sat down at the head of the large rectangular glass table next to a radiant view of the city and the  ONYX building standing out within it. Esme tried not to think about how she was now only a five-minute walk away from Gabriel. 

Unbuttoning his jacket, Lenny folded his ankle over his knee, gesturing for Esme to sit down, the view across from her. She sat and waited patiently. "That's the thing I like about you, Es. You never think someone is willingly going to be nice to you for no good reason. You only see the cruelty in this world." He sipped his drink, his dark eyes watching her over the rim of his glass. 

Esme leaned back in her chair, grabbing her glass and sipping tentatively as she stared back at him. "There is more to this disgusting world, I know. But I am not one to look for such things when monsters and shadows are all I know. What do you want, Lenny? Because I know this place doesn't cost the same as the last," She replied calmly, waiting for his response as she sipped down more of the delicious champagne.

Lenny put his glass down and leaned forwards, clasping his hands together on the table. Esme's eyes were glued on his still, taking note of the deeper shades of brown of his eyes. "I don't want anything, darling. Like Gabriel, I feel protective over you. I can't stand it when I see a beautiful creature like yourself, fighting to survive in that shithole apartment. I think, though.. Whatever you are running from needs to end here in Chester because you are looking more radiant the longer you stay here. Chester suits you." He grinned cheekily from the stunned expression on her face.

"What.." She frowned, feeling tongue-tied and had to look away from his gaze to grab hold of herself. Looking back at him, she cleared her throat. "I'm not your responsibility, Lenny. Thank you but-"

"I'm not taking no for an answer, Es. I let you stay in the other place because I didn't know much about you.." Lenny interrupted and trailed off, looking outside the window in thought.

"Well, you still don't technically know me, Lenny. There's a lot you don't know, in fact," Esme replied quietly, looking down into the tiny bubbles of her drink. 

"That is true. But you are close with Gabriel and are clearly fearless to deal with his majesty. I know you aren't a vampire, and there is probably a lot more out there than I can imagine. So if you're gonna tell me you're a fricken fairy or mermaid then.." He shrugged, "then that's another secret I will keep." 

Esme laughed at this. "Fairies and mermaids aren't real.. as far as I know anyway." She took a moment, wondering if they were really just fairytales, but then laughed at herself for being silly. The only thing from those fairytales that she now knew for sure was real were the witches. "And I am definitely not a leech. I mean a vampire," She added, shaking her head at the very thought.

"I know you're not a vampire," Lenny replied confidently.

"You do.." Esme frowned, then remembered Niko's eyes had a red rim around them, which were hard to detect on brown eyes, and Gabriel had red specks in his blue ones. Though he was hardly ever in the human part of his bar for human's to take note of his eyes. "I see.. I will not reveal what I am. It might scare you," She winked, then looked down, truly believing her words. She was, after all, a rogue and a hellhound at that. But he wasn't to know the truth anyway, even if it was revealed that she could change into a wolf. 

Lenny chuckled and shook his head, "No fucker is scarier than Gabriel. Even I will admit that." He grinned at her, making the tightness in her chest melt slightly. 

Maybe she wasn't that scary? 

"Ex- ASSASSIN," Isana whisper-shouted as though to remind her. 

Esme released her breath then looked back into Lenny's dark and mysterious eyes. "How... did you know vampires exist? How do you know Gabriel?"

You can find story with these keywords: The Fugitive, Read The Fugitive, The Fugitive novel, The Fugitive book, The Fugitive story, The Fugitive full, The Fugitive Latest Chapter