Chapter 17

We were almost at the town when Jasper took a shortcut, diverting from the original route. But as we drove on, we came upon a checkpoint. A few officers in uniform were patrolling the area. As soon as they saw Jasper's car, they signaled for him to pull over. Two officers approached the window, knocking on it. "Sir, please roll down your window. We'd like to conduct a check." Jasper complied, rolling the window down. "Please show us your ID, sir. And is this lady your wife?" One officer asked, pulling out a notebook to take notes. "Yes, she is my wife," Jasper said, handing over his ID. "My wife doesn’t have her ID with her. But I don’t remember seeing checkpoints here before. What’s going on?" The officer compared the IDs, then handed them back with a smile. "Lately, more and more people have been moving here because of the beautiful scenery. For security, we've set up this checkpoint to protect the town’s original residents." Jasper didn’t seem suspicious, simply nodding and starting to roll the window up. "Wait, sir," the officer called out, still jotting something down. "The main road into the town is under construction. You’ll need to take the other road. It’s a bit more remote, but it’ll still get you there quickly. Just be careful, there are no streetlights on that path." Jasper looked slightly confused but remembered he had taken a shortcut earlier. When we had driven out of the residential area, he’d taken another route. Maybe this was the shortcut they were referring to. He glanced at the dark road ahead, which looked like an endless abyss. But he was exhausted, and I was half-asleep. The road he had taken to pick up the car was far. Reluctantly, he said, "Thanks for the heads up," and rolled the window up before driving off down the dark path, unaware of the menacing looks from the officers behind. Once we passed, the officer who had been taking notes grabbed his walkie-talkie. "They’ve passed. Time to act. Stick to the original plan... Yeah, it’s confirmed, it’s them." "Why are we taking this dark road?" I had been jolted awake by the officer's words and rubbed my eyes, looking at Jasper. Jasper drove quickly and replied, "The shortcut’s under construction, and the other road is too far. This one gets us to the residential area fast enough." "So, you have a place in Sundarica?" I stretched, still groggy. Jasper kept his eyes on the road. "Big deal." "I thought you would buy a place in the city center," I said, trying to shake off the sleepiness. Suddenly, the car hit something with a loud crash. Jasper slammed on the brakes, but we were still pushed forward by the momentum, only to be jerked back by the seatbelts. I gasped for breath, my chest heaving. My vision blurred, and I turned to look at Jasper. "Did… did you hit someone?" Jasper had a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. "Shut up. With that kind of noise, there’s no way—" "Then why don’t you check?" I unbuckled my seatbelt and threw open the car door. Jasper reached out, trying to stop me. "Don’t go! I’ll check!" But I was already running ahead. Reluctantly, Jasper grabbed the flashlight, unbuckled his seatbelt, and chased after me. "There’s no blood," I crouched down and peered at the road in front of the car. "So what did we hit?" I was about to move forward when Jasper, now fully alert, grabbed my arm. "Get in the car! We need to leave, now!" "But we just—" Before I could finish, I heard a rush of wind, and suddenly, I was shoved behind Jasper as he instinctively moved aside. Only then did I see the man standing in front of us. Dressed in black and shielded by the night’s darkness, he was nearly invisible, his presence betrayed only by the gleam of the knife in his hand reflecting the car lights. "You're quick on the draw," the man whistled. Jasper had no time to waste on conversation. His only thought was to move me toward the car and get us out of there. He leaned closer to me, his voice low. "No matter what happens, don’t scream. I’ll protect you as best I can. If I can’t, just run." I bit my lip, eyes brimming with tears, shaking my head. Despite the pain from Jasper’s tight grip, I clung to his hand. Jasper paused for a moment, then a barely noticeable smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. The man, seeing the exchange, immediately understood what Jasper intended. His teasing expression disappeared, and with a tight grip on the knife, he stepped forward, ready to unleash a deadly strike toward Jasper. Jasper tilted his body to avoid the attack, his other fist flying toward the man’s abdomen. The man winced in pain, frustration flashing across his face. He adjusted his attack, but Jasper skillfully dodged each move, finding every opening to strike back. As the fight continued, the man became visibly bruised. He shouted toward the direction behind Jasper, "Damn it, Christian! How long are you going to watch?!" Hearing that there were others involved, Jasper became even more alert. He stopped engaging with the man in black, landed an elbow strike, twisted his wrist free, seized the knife, and in one swift motion, drove it into the man’s chest, twisting the blade as he did. The man’s blood sprayed across Jasper’s face. He raised an eyebrow in annoyance, quickly spun around, yanked the knife out, and scanned the area for any other threats. It was the first time I had seen Jasper kill someone. I bit my lip, silently cooperating with him. He told me not to scream, so I didn’t. There was silence for what felt like an eternity. Jasper didn’t think the man was just toying with us—there was still danger, possibly from the group of "police" we had encountered earlier. Looking back, they probably weren’t real officers at all. But then… he turned to look at me. My pitiful expression, my first real taste of danger… He had always protected me so well before. I must have looked terrified. Jasper grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the car. He yanked the door open and shoved me inside. Just as he was about to close the door, he saw my wide eyes, fixed on something behind him. The next moment, I was out of the car, spinning around and clinging to him tightly. My back pressed against the same direction his had been earlier. After so long, they embraced again. I could feel his warmth, the familiar scent of my hair, his soft lips and smooth skin buried in the crook of his neck. My breath against his neck, my delicate arms wrapped around him… But all of that faded when his hand brushed against the blood that was seeping from my body. The beauty of the moment shattered. "Arabella!" Jasper shouted, his eyes bloodshot as he screamed at the woman in front of him.