But when he looked behind he found a masked man. He didn’t know whether he was a friend or enemy. To his surprise the masked man enveloped him with a black coat and placed a mask on his face.

John didn’t resist. He didn’t feel any hostility in the masked man’s actions. So he cooperated. As he dressed ,he found that he was surrounded by people who wore similar suit like him. He instantly realized how clever they were. Now no one would be able to tell who was John in that crowd.

As they got separated from crowd .They were obstructed by the black market security . A Security guard said with a icy expression “No one can leave from here.”

Ten so masked men looked at the security people calmly . They immediately took out weapons hidden inside their suits. Security guards expression changed drastically when they saw high ended weapons. They understood that the other party was not normal.

An experienced security guard tried to deescalate the situation by saying . “Respected sirs, we are only taking orders from the superiors. Please co-operate for a while”

Masked men didn’t listen . They immediately formed a formation in a lighting speed and took out smoke grenades. They quickly used the smoke as a cover to escort me to a nearby gate. Security people didn’t dare to shoot as they feared that they might hurt their comrades.

John was shocked by the decisiveness of the people who escorted him. He was 90% sure that they were Erika’s people . But he didn’t dare to ask his doubts as there was no time to waste. Every second was important to survive.

Before he knew he was already in a car and the people surrounding him disappeared like a smoke. He only saw a sturdy guy’s back on the driver seat . John was in the back seat and couldn’t see his face.

John finally couldn’t control his curiosity. “Who are you people?”

To his surprise there was no response. Sturdy man drove calmly as if he didn’t hear anything. John’s face turned red but he didn’t complain instead he said in a gratifying manner.

“Thank you ,for saving my life”

As usual there was no response. John didn’t utter any word afterwards. He silently observed the interior of car after slowly removing his mask. Car’s interior seems luxurious. He didn’t know what standard to use to compare as he never travelled in a car except taxi cabs.

Car halted in front of a luxurious bungalow after half an hour . John exited the car and before he could take a glance on the driver ,car already moved . He stood there awkwardly without knowing where he was.

He saw an electronic lock system in front of the gate so, he pressed the call button after some hesitation.

“Come in”, when John heard Erika’s sweet voice, he finally heaved a sigh of relief. ‘It seems it is her house.’

Gate automatically opened and when he entered ,it closed automatically. John only saw those kind of things in movies. It was his first time to witness a high tech security system in person .

He took a good look at the house . It was 3 store bungalow surrounded by flower garden . To his surprise he didn’t see any one on the outside. He silently walked into the house which was already open.

John unknowingly opened his mouth while he witnessed the luxurious house. He couldn’t believe how clean everything was. Every corner was shining .He saw all sorts of paintings on the wall. Each furniture looked as if it was made from heaven .Design of the house matched perfectly with the objects inside .

John silently sat on a sofa .There was a gigantic T.V in front of him but he didn’t dare to be impolite . He waited for Erika patiently.

Erika on the other hand had locked herself in her room trying all sorts of dresses .There was heap of cloths all over the room. She was not satisfied with any one of them. She knew she had to hurry since John was already waiting in the living room .Finally she wore a sky blue jeans and white top. She adjusted her ponytail once more in front of a mirror and headed downstairs.

When the foot steps heard .John instinctively got up . He was dazzled for a moment when he saw her angelic figure. Erika observed his face silently and finally satisfied by his reaction.

Erika sat in a nearby sofa and said calmly “Sit ,you have to stay low for a while . I think it is better to live here as there is no one except me and grandpa.”

John understood his situation very well. He had angered Luke. It will be just a matter of time before Luke would find out who was his ‘illegal father.’ It was also a matter of time before organizers of the black market would track his real identity.

John didn’t expect Erika to offer him a safe heaven. He was grateful . He was not going to be a hypocrite and accepted her offer gracefully.

“Thank you. I will remember your kindness.”

Erika liked John’s honesty this time. She silently gave some points to John in her mind.

“No problem .You have saved me earlier .So it is my responsibility to help you when you are in need. I have received your 1 crore .Aren’t you scared that I won’t give it back to you.”

John smiled and said “If I can’t even trust you. Who else should I trust?”

Erika’s heart fluttered by his smile and response. She didn’t understand that strange feeling building up in her heart but she somehow liked it.

“OK ….I will create an account in a swiz bank and transfer your money shortly. One more thing ,I have arranged more security guards in front of your Mom’s warden. You don’t have to worry.”

John was moved by her thoughtfulness. “I don’t know how should I repay you?”

Erika hesitated before saying “I didn’t hear the last line when you talked to me in phone .What did you say that time?”

John knew that he couldn’t say another lie otherwise he would die. So he steeled his heart and said “I said I might never get the chance to say this …I love you”

Erika’s heart started beating loudly. It was a new feeling for her. Her face became scarlet red. She wanted to experience that feeling again so asked again.

“Are you saying that you are in love with me?”

John didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He couldn’t retort her question as he feared death. He could only bit the bullet and continue.

“Yes ,I am in love with you.”

Erika became addicted to that feeling and asked again.

“Are you saying that ….

Before she could complete her sentence John closed his eyes and nodded helplessly.

“Yes ,I am in love with you.”

“Are ……

“Yes ,I am in love with you.”

.…………..

“Yes ,I am in love with you.” John couldn’t help but open his eyes because of no response.

“..” Erika looked at him strangely. Her head drooped low when she met his eyes. A small mosquito voice came from her mouth. “OK”

It’s John turn now .His heart started beating loudly. He asked curiously “Are you saying that you are allowing me to love you?”

Erika didn’t understand the hidden meaning behind his words. She simply nodded and said “Yes”

John became addicted to the feeling just like Erika .He asked again “Are you saying that you are OK with it?”

“Yes”

“Are you saying that you are in love with me?” A crafty look emerged from John’s face.