My Husband Is My Savior (ON HOLD)

Chapter 3 (For You) Part 1

Chapter 3

For You

*Derek*

The music blares in my ears as I keep my run at a steady pace. I keep my hood up and my head low to shield my face from any passersby. I'm not sure I'd be able to control my temper if someone approached me. Arabella helps keep me calm when I get worked up.

I stop at a crosswalk and jog in place as I wait for the light to change. I lower my head even more as a small group of people begin to gather at the crosswalk. I move away from the small group, creating a little distance so no one will recognize me. For a day, I'd like to blend in with the crowd.

I feel a slight tug at my pants and stop my in-place jog. I look down to see a little girl about the age of four. Her hair is dark and her eyes are a chocolate brown. She smiles largely, the corners of her mouth nearly touching her eyes. I pull the headphones from my ears

"You like a bunny wabbit!" she exclaims with a small laugh. "Hop, hop, hop." She balls her hands into fists in front of her as she begins to hop up and down.

I smile at the little girl and her innocence. I kneel to her level and she stops her hopping. I've never liked kids. I've always seen them as disgusting and loud creatures that are more trouble than they're worth. But this little girl is adorable, far from being snotty nosed and gross.

"Do you like rabbits?" I ask her. She nods vigorously as her eyes grow with excitement. "They have big ears," she extends her arms over her head to demonstrate the size of a rabbit's ears. "And tails that are balls of poof!" She lets out a loud laugh and my smile grows in response.

Maybe this is what people like in children. Their weird comments, wild imagination, and their love for the little things. This is what Arabella wants to experience. She loves me enough to want to experience it with me. Could I really take something like this away from her?

"Ella!" A woman exclaims. I look up to see a woman who looks similar to the little girl. She takes the girls hand and pulls her towards her. "Ella, what have I told you about talking to strangers." The woman scolds the little girl. The woman shoots daggers as she glares at me. Within seconds, her face turns into a mask of horror. "You're him." She says. "The one who murdered those people." The woman picks up the girl and holds her close. "You stay away from my daughter!" She exclaims, moving away.

The crowd that's gathered at the crosswalk now look at me, the woman causing a scene. As the light finally changes, I tug on my hood to cover my face more before standing and jogging across the street, cutting into the park.

Everyone takes one look at me and they think they know me. They think they know the real reasons why I did what I did. They think they know my life. I should be used to the comments and stares by now, and I hate that I'm not.

I'm suddenly shoved from behind and I stumble forward, barely catching my balance. I yank the earbuds from my ears and turn to face the culprit. Confusion hits me as I try to place the familiar face. Within seconds, a wave of anger washes over me as the person's face clicks in my mind. His green eyes glare at me once again, and the hood covers his head again.

"You again." I say. "Who the hell are you and what do you want?" The man's eyes scan my body, a scowl appearing on his face as his eyes meet with mine again. "Can you speak? Or is glaring your only way of communicating?" The man continues to glare and I fight the urge to punch him in the nose. Why won't he answer my questions? Why does he keep showing up, and why won't he speak? It's so irritating!

"You're Derek, right?" The man finally asks, removing his hood to reveal dark dishevelled hair.

"Who's asking?" Could he know me from somewhere? I'm sure the only other time I've seen him was yesterday in this same park.

"My name's not important." His tone turns bored, as he shoves his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "I have a message from Gavin."

My heart jumps. It's been five years since I've heard that name. Five years I've been free from that man. I should have known he'd come looking for me. Once Gavin has you in his clutches, there's only one way to get out. I don't know if I can put Arabella through the grief of losing me again, maybe permanently this time.

"No." I shake my head. "Whatever he has to say, I don't want to hear it. I'm done with him." I can't go back down that path. I've worked too hard to get to this point.

"Gavin wants to see you tonight at eleven o'clock sharp." He says anyway, ignoring my refusal as he pulls a piece of folded paper from is pocket. He holds it out towards me and I stare at it, making no move to take it. He doesn't believe me? I'm done with Gavin and his games. "Take it." He says, his voice hard.

"I said I'm not interested." I narrow my eyes.

With a sigh, the man lifts one side of his jacket, revealing a tucked away gun. Most people would be afraid at the sight of the gun, knowing it could lead to death. After holding one and being around them so much, I'm unfazed.

"That doesn't scare me." I admit. "If you were going to kill me, you would have done it already."

The man sighs as he tucks the slip of paper back into his pocket. "Gavin warned me that you're stubborn. But you don't know me. I have my own ways to get what I want."

A lopsided smirk appears on his face as he pulls a phone from his pocket. I watch as he dials a few numbers and holds the phone up to his ear.

"Yeah, he needs a little push." He says into the phone.

My heart begins to race as a bad feeling settles in. The man's smile grows bigger as he glances at his phone. He turns it so that it's facing me and my heart races faster at the sight of Arabella. A silver gun with a silencer attached to the front, is aimed at her head as she sleeps soundly in our bed.

"You've caught a good one." The man says with an even bigger smile. "She's gorgeous. And just look at that adorable sleeping face." I try to keep calm as my hand begins to form a fist. Again I've put Arabella in danger, and again I can't do anything about it. This guy, this newbie working for Gavin has Arabella's life in his hands. With one word he can take her away from me. He can take away the one good thing in my life. If I say something he doesn't like, or simply flinch in a way he finds threatening, she'll be gone. "It'd be a shame to waste such a beautiful face. You know, closed casket and all. To deprive her loved one from seeing her face one last time would be terrible. And it would be your fault."

I take a step towards him, my fists balled and ready to cause damage to his face. He holds up a finger and I pause as he puts the phone to his ear.

"One word. That's all it takes to give your bedroom a new paint job. I doubt blood and brain matter looks very good on walls." He frowns. "It might be a little hard to match the drapes." He laughs lightly.

"Give me the location." I hold my hand and gesture for the paper.

"Finally, we're getting somewhere." He says with a roll of his eyes. "Thanks Logan." He says into the phone. "He's feeling a little more cooperative. See you at the hideout."

He hangs up and pulls the folded slip of paper from his pocket again, handing it towards me. I take it quickly and unfold it. An address,

23 Aspen Street

Los Angeles, CA 97460

"Meet him at that address and come alone. Come armed or with someone else, you'll be killed on the spot. Understand?"

"Yeah, whatever." I mumble, folding the paper and slipping it into my own pocket.

"Good. Nice chat. Sayhi to the girlfriend for me." He gives one last smirk before lifting his hoodover his head and walking away.  

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Hello everyone! The second half of this was almost finished until I hit a bit of writers block so I figured I'd upload this half since you all have been waiting for so long. And bonus, it's all in Derek's POV! So, I hope you like it and don't forget to tell me what you think.