Chapter 1
Chapter one
Sloane,
Friday 7/19/2024 07:23
I was in the car going to work when my driver stopped in the gas station to fill the car, I was listening to my favorite afro bit playlist, I usually slept in the car to the way to work. A tiny morning nap was all I needed to be perfectly functional throughout the day, my eyes half closed, and my ears clocked that a big thud to the window beside me
startled me. When I looked to my right hurriedly the next thing I saw was a hammer slamming the glass broken, pieces flew all over my face and before I could try and dodge anything huge hairy hands wrapped around my neck when another man opened the door and I was immediately shoved outside as he slammed me to my black Mercedes SUV, when I looked
down I saw my driver on the ground choking in his own blood after being stabbed in the chest, the knife still in his body, he was shivering, I couldn’t take my eyes off of the gruesome scene whilst thinking about his family, a modest loving wife and two beautiful daughters, I don’t think for how long was I staring at the man losing life slowly
completely frozen when the man holding me started yelling gibberish to me, I couldn’t understand anything he was saying, all I could fixate on was his bad breath. Next thing I know is his head exploding into million slimy pieces Infront of me, his brain material coating my face, the sidekick turned to the shooter and lost his life immediately after
he looked at the man standing in black, everything was happening so fast It was almost surreal, no it was entirely surreal. I was not made for situations like that, I was simply frozen unable to make the slightest move. After the second sound of bullet and the last thud of the man falling to the ground a numbing silence took over, I was still
standing looking at the men that had lost their lives like flees, in a snap of a finger, in no time. I was certain I was to be next so, slowly I looked at the man in black who was approaching unhurriedly with pleading eyes. He stood Infront of me blocking all view and existence, sucking all air and life from me. The last thing I saw that day was
the masked man’s bright blue eyes.
“Do you think you can give us anything more about the masked man?” asked the police chief who was holding my plead.
“I don’t remember anything else.”
“I saw you mention the intruder had a bad breath! I take it you are particular in scents. What was the masked man smelling like? Do you remember miss?”
“He didn’t smell like anything “
“Are you certain? Can you think deeper? “
It suddenly hit me that he in fact didn’t smell like anything which is impossible, everyone has a smell, and I can sense and distinguish them all but he, he was like a phantom, no scent, no. Nothing.
“He had no scent.”
“Do you recall him making contact with you?”
“I don’t “
“Well as I explained to your father previously, we continue to search for the motive of the masked man, that will be giving us many answers, I believe. “
A fat short officer who was standing in chiefs room thought necessary to make a comment,
“Miss you must be thankful of him though, he saved your life big time. “
I could sense mockery in his tone, so I gave him a death glare and asked,
“Do you know who gave out my journey information to the intruders?”
He swallowed a chunk of air and replied.
“No madam”
Before I could scold the officer chief turned to him and almost shouted,
“Then you are not doing your job right officer, leave, now “
He looked at me ashamed and continued
“Forgive me “
I nodded sympathetically, he took a deep breath and continued,
“For now, if you agree I will put a twenty-four seven surveillance and protection unit for you, all of my best men “
I cut his words
“No need I will have my father’s security team handle the commodity until I get my own bodyguard “
I wanted to add that police did absolutely nothing in the past week, but he looked too tired for me to be cruel to him.
“Very well, in that case let me at least have a trope escort you home “
“Thank you “
Now that this was done, I had to make a press meeting telling the buzz’s that I’m so very unaffected by the splash of brain material on my face and I will continue working on the pipeline project thank you very much.
Being as busy as I was in the past two weeks kept the trauma away from whizzing its way into my life but then it started haunting my dreams, every night I would wake up in a pool of my sweat or occasional out of date period blood, the dream was the same every single night, the masked man shot the two intruders before walking to me calmly, stood
face to face and just when I opened my mouth he would choke me to eternal darkness, I don’t even know what there was I wanted to say to him.
Logically he saved my life, my family knows that the police know that. But somehow some feeling I can’t explain tells me otherwise, he was a masked man after all, he certainly had a target, if it wasn’t me, it certainly wasn’t the low-level oil tanker workers who were going to lose their jobs after my project was done and decided to spook me away
from the decision either. So, him killing them so nonchalantly, without a shred of emotion in his eyes was just insanely terrifying. I thought about his stare a lot in the past and the more I picture him looking at me the more I become certain that his goal was not saving me at all.
Saturday 8/10/2024
It’s been almost a month that I haven’t left the house, but today I must. There will be a board meeting being held and the matter to discuss is exactly what got me where I was a month ago (employment of tanker workers). This clause had been in the plan since the beginning, only if those fools could have waited a month, they would be eating breakfast with their families right now.
I wore my most comfortable oversized grey suit and put my hair up in a slick bun, walking to the garden to meet my security team, whom my father had assembled for me two weeks after the incident and I was yet to face, my father’s head of security mr Dalton was a reliable ex-military man who has been working with our family since before I was born,
no incidents had ever happened under his watch, mine wouldn’t have happened either if I wasn’t so persistent on having a normal driver instead of a body guard. I always found the idea of a man sacrificing himself for you bizarre, but at this point I don’t really have any other option. Its either staying in the house for ever or having someone
protect me, though I did negotiate the length of my protection with my father and brought it down to one man only who would be driving me around as well. And mr Dalton himself handpicked a very skillful man to accompany me, and as for the events in which I was more compromised a personal team of twelve including my driver/bodyguard were to be
present.
Nine men and three women were standing Infront of the door all looking incredibly professional and somewhat scary in their physique and presence, I greeted them all and got in my new bullet proof Mercedes, and slick looking sharp man in a black suit came and sat in the driver’s seat, calmly adjusted the mirror in a way he would both see me and the
road behind nodded and drove on. I was in my tablet, no headphones this time though. When I raised my head and caught him looking at me.
“I didn’t get your name. “
“Henderson ma’am “
His voice detached and cold.
“Pleased to have you here Henderson “
I said cheerfully hoping to break the ice, judge me all you want but I need to be close to people who work for me, especially if they are going to be spending the entire day with me.
“Pleasure is mine maam “
“Call me Lane or Sloane, which ever you prefer “
“As you wish “
We were slowly driving from the side of the gas station that I was attacked in. I contemplated this moment a lot and finally at that moment decided to do what I felt like would heal me.
“Pull over in the gas station, would you “
Henderson’s brows raised for the slightest of seconds before going back to its cold professional way. And without double checking he swiftly drove inside and stopped at the entrance, my heretbeat was raising to the moon and I came to a state of hyperventilation, I needed air and I needed it immediately. Without a second thought I opened the door
and jumped outside but stepping foot there and smelling the gasoline only made me feel worse, I was going back to that day, frozen like then, Henderson’s hands then wrapped around my arms as he shook me back harshly.
“Sloane, do you here me?”
He then shouted
“Lane “
I wanted to answer I just couldn’t.
Henderson looked calm the same calm that I saw that day in the masked man’s face, I had two options, either be terrified and think that Henderson could be that scary killer or be rational and blame my fucked up terrified brain and hug Henderson for the comfort he is trying to give me, after all I did see my uncle and Pier my best friend as the masked man too in the past week. I chose the latter.
“Attaboy that’s it, I knew you were the type who’d never call me by my nickname “
He looked both pissed and relived.
“And I shall never again “
“Till further panic attacks “
He shook his head in disappointment as he opened the door for me,
“You are going to be late “
I smiled at him and took another glance of the fully sealed gas station before sitting in the car like the big girl I am not.
Minutes passed and only then I realized how boring drives are without music, but too scared to put headphones on I turned to my new favorite person and said:
“Henderson?”
“ma’am “
I rolled my eyes dramatically making sure he saw it,
“what’s your name “
“max “
Max, I tasted it in my mouth, it didn’t suit him but who am I to judge.
“Can you put some music on!?”
He so gently turned the radio on and put the volume on just the perfect tone and drove on as graciously as someone could drive.
The meeting went fine, I become the topic of discussion for the first thirty minutes but then it took a productive turn and we managed to prepare contracts for three hundred workers, noting that the rest will be able to join as well with slightly differing terms, but it ended with my COO and sadly shareholders usual demining comment,
“Oh, dear Sloane now that we are done with the meeting let me tell you how impressed I am by your resilience, you are holding up pretty well for a twenty-three-year-old girl “
Twenty-five thank you very much and girlll, fucking girl you fucking pig, of course I didn’t say any of those words and calmed myself imagining my bodyguard Emily kicking his, arse, as she likes to call it. The exact comment being : (I will kick your attackers’ arses maam donna fash). Which I found very sexy and would defiantly want to fuck her if I wasn’t sure she was straight.
“Its life I guess martin, see you are holding up pretty good yourself for your age, still drinking by the way?”
I swear he was holding himself tight not to punch me, men like martin can’t tolerate having a woman order them around, well too bad for him I’m the fucking CEO.
Before he could take this any further with, yet another disgusting comment max came into picture.
“Pardon me, ma’am you’re your next meeting is coming up shortly.”
Martin who had to look up to be able to see max’s face growled like a lazy cat.
“Is the young man your new puppet “
Max slightly turned and looked down at him like he was dirt under his shoe, and I was fuming, that was it. I might be able to tolerate him and his disgusting comments about me, but he can’t touch my people, max is now mine and it’s his first day, I simply can’t have him disrespected like that. So, I took a step getting closer to martin and whispered in his red fat ear,
“Manuela send her regards, I might pay a visit to your wife today, see what she thinks of Manuela’s new Hermes bag “
He turned two shades redder, he was many things but on top of all he was terrified of his wife.
I stepped back and pointed at max saying sharply:
“Mr Henderson is the head of my security team, you may shake his hand “
I was overstepping and knew dead sure he was going to come back to me hard in the future, but if max was ready to protect me with his life the least, I could do was backing him up like this.
A teeny tiny grin took place on max’s full lips for the slightest of seconds, martin raised his hand up to max with burning eyes.
“Pleased to meet you young man “
Max was no young man but well martin calls himself a young man too.
“Now if you allow me martin “
We walked away like the power due I saw we were becoming; max opened the car door now looking somewhat annoyed? Angry? I couldn’t really tell.
“You will not protect me like that again “
Ok that was out of line mr prim and proper.
“a disrespect to my men is a disrespect to me max, and what I do and don’t doesn’t concern you the slightest “
“understood “
Darn it I was harsher than I intended to be, but only because I was shocked, I expected him to fist bump me and say that it was cool of me to standing up for him thank you very much.
Days were passing quickly and the busier I got the less time I had to have panic attacks, max never called me by name again, and the only thing we shared was the debatable choice of music I had in the car which he was forced to tolerate, he seemed like a classical music kind of guy but oh well, rock and afrobeat’s it was.
Our magnifying gap wasn’t that bag of a problem because I managed to get super cozy with Emily, that I was even considering having her as my driver instead of max, so I started with asking her to accompany me in less grave daily tasks, walking my huge king German shepherd, shopping or going to my favorite outdoor yoga spots.
Things were getting fixed step by step and I could finally feel the freedom I was stripped from coming back to me.
