★JANIE★

I remained in the backseat, quietly engaged in my raging thought.

What if Luciano never stops looking for me? Would he kill this family if he finds out they were the ones that rescued me?

Chills surged down my spine at the thought of that.

For a fact, Luciano was still a ruthless mafia king, irrespective of being stuck in a wheelchair. He had lots and lots of lapdogs, willing to bark at the snap of his fingers. But a part of me was pretty sure he would never get to find me again.

L.A. was quite large, as long as I stayed out of his territory, it would be like- going on a wild goose chase for him.

"We are home!" The middle-aged man announced as he pulled the truck to a halt in front of a Mediterranean-styled mansion and then switched off its engine. "Get your things out of the trunk, Noel."

I watched the boy addressed as Noel alighted the truck, picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder then closed the door. Hence, my attention was averted as soon as the middle-aged man turned to look at me.

"Yikes, you really need proper treatment." He said, surveying the bruises on my body closely. Afterward, he sighed, came out of his truck then helped me out too.

A part of me was wondering why he was treating me as if I was some sort of maimed little girl, who couldn't make use of her legs. Nonetheless, I didn't protest. Instead, I let him take my bag in his left hand, then used the other to guide me toward the front porch of their huge house.

After packing some of his things, Noel opened the front door, patiently waiting for his father and me to trudge past before leaving to get the rest from the truck.

Meanwhile, my lips parted open in shock as soon as I took in the interior decor of the house. If I mentioned that the exterior was glamorous......this was magnificent.

A diamond-embedded chandelier hung loosely on the ceiling, sparkling across the whole lounge and over a couple of creme-colored sofas. My eyes traveled from the ingenious setting of the lounge to the pictures hung upon the beige-painted walls.

It was then I realized the man who rescued me from the road was a cop, and he had a family of four.

Him. His blonde wife donned a white nurse attire, Noel, and beautiful young-looking red hair.

"Oh my goodness, you are back!" A squeaky pitched tone resonated across the lounge and I tossed my head in that direction to see a blonde woman rushing out of a hallway over to us.

Unlike the picture, she seemed a bit older but incredibly pretty.

Her smile radiated across the room as she kept making her way toward us. But then the moment her eyes landed on me, she paused in her track.

I watched her face pale and her lips parted as she scanned me from head to toe then blurted. "Honey, who is she?"

"It's a long story, sweetheart. Can we please discuss it over lunch?" The middle-aged man requested while she kept issuing me a quizzical look.

And I felt nervous and uncomfortable.

However, as soon as Noel strolled through the front door, her face instantly lit up with a smile and she darted off to envelope him in a hug.

"Noel, I miss you so much!" She squeaked, planting small kisses all over his face.

"Stop it, Mom. I'm no longer a kid." Noel complained whereas she giggled in response.

"Even though you are in college now, you will forever be my little boy, Noel." She proclaimed with her tiny giggles resonating across the lounge.

I watched them pull apart from each other. Noel went ahead to drop his stuff on the couch while his Mom immediately picked them up.

"Let me get this to his room, I'll be right back." She said, tossing me a cursory glance before strutting off.

After she left, the middle-aged man turned to face me. "Do you want something to eat or do you intend to wash up first?" He inquired.

"I will like to wash up first," I responded, pressing my lips into a grim line because I was unsure of how to react.

The man nodded. "Very well then......come with me."

I followed right behind without any further questions, but when I turned back for a moment, my eyes landed on Noel, seated on the sofa with his green eyes fixated on mine.

We haven't said a word to each other and he seemed to also have a lot of questions stuck at the back of his throat for me. Nevertheless, he tore his eyes off me and then focused on the phone in his hand. While I kept on walking.

We walked through a long hallway, rounded up a corner before stopping in front of a closed door.

He opened the door and then ushered me in. "This is the guest room, there is a first aid box inside the closet to tend to your injuries, but if you can't do it yourself, my wife is a nurse, I'll ask her instead." He offered.

"No no." I politely declined his offer. "I am quite familiar with first aid boxes."

"Okay then." He half smiled at me, handed my bag over then spun around to leave.

"Excuse me, sir." I chipped, prompting him to half turn to face me.

"Thank you."

The corner of his lips crooked with a small smile. "My pleasure." And then, he walked away from me.

Heaving a sigh, I entered the room, amazed at its coziness and setting. Moreso, I began to peel off the stained clothes from my body.

I tossed them into an empty bin situated at the rear end of the room, then entered what I presumed to be the bathroom.

The bathroom greeted me with a large mirror on the wall, showcasing my reflection. The girl staring back at me seemed way more different from the one excited as soon as she received her admission letter.

Deep down, I knew something about me had changed. There was no way I'd remain the same after going through so much at Luciano's.

I watched a man slain in cold blood for the first time, guns being held as toys, almost got myself killed with a gun pointed at my head, passed out numerous times, and yes......I had my first kiss too. Kisses to be precise.

Shoving off those weird experiences from the forefront of my brain with a shudder, I flipped on the shower, relishing the warm water that cascaded down my back.

The water stung the spots I had injuries, but I didn't let that deter me. As far as I was able to survive and escape Luciano, I could handle anything else life toss my way.

Once I was done taking my bath, I toweled myself dry then went ahead to pick out the first aid box from the location he described earlier and it was there.

I sat on the bed, opened the first aid box, then applied some iodine to the bruises on my knees.

"Oww!" I winced in pain.

For a couple more minutes, I tended to injuries, slipped into a fresh clean dress then went out of the room to join the family at the lounge.

Tracing my steps across the hallway, I was trying to remember the route we took and I instantly realized that I was on the right path the moment I heard their voices from a few meters away.

My feet paused as soon as I overheard them arguing because of me.

"But why Alan?" The blonde woman queried distastefully. "Why would you bring a total stranger home without informing me first?"

"I am sorry." The familiar voice of the middle-aged man replied. "I didn't expect to just find a girl helpless on the highway."

"Even if you are a cop and you are obligated to save people, sometimes it isn't worth putting yourself at risk. What if she turns out to be a danger to us?" She growled back.

"Oh come on, how can an innocent girl being chased be a danger? She is vulnerable and I had to skim through her before accepting to help her. She is harmless." He defended, making me feel a bit gratified.

"Oh, you studied her right?" His wife spat with a hint of irritation in her voice. "So tell me, do you even know anything about her, Alan? For a start, what's her name?"

"Janie." I chimed, stepping out so they could notice me.

All three pair of eyes snapped in my direction at once. Their argument ceased and Alan gestured at me to join them at the dining table.

I awkwardly sauntered over there and took a seat. Meanwhile, their eyes didn't leave me for once.

The atmosphere became extremely awkward. I tried to think of something to say to lighten up everyone's mood, but nothing plausible was forthcoming.

Clearing her throat, Alan's wife rose to her feet and then proceeded to serve the meals, but not before giving me a grim stare.

And to be honest, I understood her reaction. She has every right to be wary of a total stranger, covered in bruises and blood. Yet, I couldn't help but hope she wouldn't kick me out for now.

At least, until my wounds were completely healed and I was finally able to leave on my own.