A Lifetime

A Lifetime / Chapter 10

She quickly texted Kyle again.

"The police are on your floor"

"Stay low"

She put her hands over the little girl's ears and lowered them both slowly to the floor. Yelling was coming from outside, but she couldn't tell how close it was or what they were saying. It was all in Japanese.

"Can you understand what they are saying?" she asked the little girl."

She only shook her head no.

Another text appeared on the phone.

But this time it said that the sender was "Chance!"

Her heartbeat sped up so quickly that she thought it would explode. She began to sob from relief.

"Where are you"

She began a text explaining, in detail, exactly where she was hiding. Then fear took over. What if someone had his phone and was trying to find their location.

She erased her text.

"Is it really you"

"Yes, I'm trying to find you"

She had to know it was really him. What could she ask that only he would know? She typed the first thing that came to her mind.

"Where was our first date"

The dreaded pause again.

Then the words she needed to see appeared.

"The fair, my favorite part was the ferris wheel"

She sat up and pulled the little one up with her. She looked down at her, "We're okay. It's over." Her smile finally felt authentic.

"Mine too"

"maintenance closet"

"a right and all the way down the hall"

"is it safe to come out"

"yes"

"one more?"

"yes"

"are you and her dad ok"

"we're ok"

"Your dad's okay," she said while her smile only grew.

She began to stand and realized that either her legs were asleep or just too shaky to stand. The girl's arm had never let go so she knelt before her, smiled, and then hugged her tightly.

There was a knock on the door.

She shook so badly that she had to catch her phone from hitting the floor. She had lost her grip on it.

"is that you"

"yes"

She grabbed the door with all her remaining strength and pulled herself up. She began untying the wire from around the doorknob.

When she opened the door, the handsome and distinguished owner of the company grabbed the little one, who was still holding Kat's arm, and scooped her up into his arms. As he kissed her repeatedly on the forehead, a hand reached past him, moving him to the side and Chance stepped through.

His eyes showed the depth that she knew. His fear turned to instant relief as he rushed towards her and slowly put both arms around her. His cheek rested against hers.

He felt her arms surround him and it felt like every part of her was in his embrace. She grew heavier as she nearly collapsed in his arms. The weight of the moment had so suddenly passed that she only now realized how exhausted she had become, both physically and mentally. But more than either of those, emotionally.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern in his voice. Her head was still buried in his neck.

"I am now," she replied, bending her head back to look at his eyes. "I was so scared that they hurt you."

She stared at him. Her heart needed to see for a moment longer that he was okay. Then her eyes became weak, and her head fell forward from exhaustion.

"I've got you," he said as he gently pulled her into his arms. His arms holding her softly just like the first time that he carried her up her stairs at home. It felt so easy for him to cradle her. It felt so easy to be cradled by him again.

She laid her head on his chest. His heart was racing. She could hear people talking around them but the only sound that was clear was his heartbeat. It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. Every other sound seemed to belong in a dream somewhere.

Someone had brought a chair to Chance who sat while never letting go of his hold on her. Information was being given to both Kota and Chance.

The men were being updated as the information was available. The first thing that they were told was that, sadly, the head of security had been shot and killed. He had been outside of the conference room when the attackers breached the elevator.

Kota's personal bodyguard was bandaged now but okay and was insisting that they leave immediately.

Kota and Chance were led through a series of hallways and into an elevator.

It wasn't long before Kat felt the wind on her face. It was later in the day. The sun hadn't completely finished its descent.

She tilted her head on his chest and saw a helicopter. They were on a rooftop now, walking towards the helipad. She tried to keep her eyes open. She wanted to absorb how quickly a nightmare could turn into such peaceful beauty. Her view, which was peaking above all the other buildings, showed a sunset up ahead. Orange and pinks blended together just below a blue sky. The city below continued on, without knowing what had just happened to any of them.

Her little friend was looking at her over her dad's shoulder. He was still carrying her also. These men were not putting the girls on their own legs, just yet.

Kat smiled again at her friend who quickly smiled back. Chance looked down to see what was being relayed between the two and saw Kat's smile. How healing it seemed to him. Mythical even. This same smile that captivated him the very first time he saw it was now softening the fear of a little child. She didn't need to understand much, she understood Kat's smile. So did he. More now than ever.

The men lifted the girls into the helicopter.

Chance began buckling Kat into a harness in her seat. She was so tired. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Her head drifted down onto his shoulder and she was asleep before she realized her eyes had even closed.

"Poor thing," Kota whispered, looking at Kat.

Her head began to fall and Chance quickly cradled her against him.

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