Loving A STRANGER

But what Aiden didn"t know was that Lord Ethan owned a private helicopter and that he"d come here, by car, as soon as he"d received Nate Ba.s.s" call, about four hours ago.

The surrounded air had become chilly as soon as Ethan Parker had arrived. He strode towards the car in which Kylie was held captive. Aiden withdrew, as though by nature, as soon as Ethan approached him.

Under everyone"s scrutiny, Ethan exactly did as everyone else had done: he raised his hand and knocked at the car window. But still, Kylie did not react.

Upon seeing that, Aiden suddenly felt relieved. Although he had dumped Kylie, he still didn"t like the idea of her being with another man. Especially this one, who was much more powerful than Aiden.

Back at the Parker house, the two had deliberately displayed affection for each other, but now it appeared that this widely-admired Lord Ethan didn"t weigh much in July"s heart. So naturally, Aiden was satisfied to see that Ethan couldn"t do any better than he could.

"But...Kylie." Ethan knocked at the gla.s.s once more. His voice was low and mild: "I"m here." Right when Aiden was about to smile ironically, the car door was unlocked with a snap. The police officers looked at each other with surprise and excitement in their eyes.

Aiden"s face darkened, while Khloe clenched her teeth and looked on with jealousy. Ethan pulled the car door open and hunched his large body to get inside.

He gently stroked Kylie"s hair, and she didn"t overreact to his movements, although she remained silent and still. Ethan removed his coat and draped it over her shaking body until she finally began to calm down.

The man reached an arm around her, and carried her out of the car, in a mild yet determined manner.

Aiden"s eyes became dark, instinctively wanting to stop him. But her expression remained indifferent to the motion.

At the same time, Ethan harshly glanced forward. "If you had planned to pick her up because you were worried about her, then why did you send along a rapist to do the job?"

Ethan"s arms were wrapped around Kylie; she was as light as a doll.

Noticing Khloe, who was clutching her nightgown nearby, his eyes became even colder, and even a little savage. "I don"t want to repeat myself, but whoever hurts my woman should know the consequences."

Aiden"s face changed. This man was reminding him that Kylie was Ethan"s woman and that Ethan was also Aiden"s senior! Aiden looked at Kylie, lying quietly against this man"s chest, with embarra.s.sment.

"Uncle Ethan," he began, "I drank a little this afternoon, and lost the car key...I..."

Ethan sneered. "If that"s the case, then you must not know the criminal."

"I don"t know him," Aiden answered with surety. He honestly didn"t know Ken White, but Khloe was so worried that Ken would reveal his relationship to her. "I"ll handle it," Aiden continued, uncertainly.

"No sweat. I"ll take care of my woman," Ethan responded. But Aiden started sweating under Ethan"s icy gaze. Khloe couldn"t help but step forward and hurriedly explain: "Uncle Ethan, please don"t blame Aiden..."

The man glanced towards her before she could finish, and Khloe immediately fell silent under the threatening pair of eyes that seemed not to care for anyone in this world.

Ethan didn"t utter a word more and directly carried his woman back to his car, without making eye contact with anyone else.

The police officers discovered that the victim was already gone by the time they could finally react.

***

The faint smell of tobacco spread through the vehicle. It was completely quiet in the car. Ethan lowered his eyes and observed the woman who was leaning against the back seat.

"I"m sorry for letting you be in danger." Kylie shook her head with her eyes closed. Ethan was silent for a while, then asked: "How do you want to deal with that man?"

Kylie pulled his jacket closer to her chin. She tilted her head a little to the side and stared ahead with empty, cat-like eyes. "It"s up to you."

"No problem," the man responded.

Ethan put in his Bluetooth earphones and began dialing with his long, slender fingers. All the while, he held the steering wheel with one hand and continued to stare straight ahead.

"Investigate that man," Ethan said, once the connection had been reached.

Nate Ba.s.s"s airy voice came through: "Already done. Ken White: an underling in Seattle, likes to fool around and enjoy himself."

"Why was he in Baleney?"

"I suppose he had an eye out for Kylie for quite a while now. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you—he"s Khloe"s cousin, on her mother"s side."

Ethan hung up the phone and tossed it into the armrest. He didn"t send Kylie back to where the movie crew was sleeping, for fear that it would affect Kylie"s rest. Instead, he brought her directly to his own room in Baleney.

"Have we arrived?" She opened her eyes, feeling the car come to a halt. Ethan stepped out of the vehicle and walked towards the other side to open the pa.s.senger door.

Kylie"s feet hurt so much that she trembled when she stepped onto the ground. The man, lowering his head, discovered that the soles of her feet were caked in mud. He hugged her and gently pushed the door shut with his knee.

Kylie was leaning in his arms. Half her hair covered her face, and the other half was loose against his chest. Her voice was very low when she spoke: "Lord Ethan."

"Um?" Even though he"s answered with a mere syllable, the sound made her feel secure in the heart. All her aggrieved feelings began to well up; she was almost crying.

She didn"t say anything more, but the man seemed to sense everything in her heart. His arms tightened their grip on her, and his warm voice sounded through the cool night: "Have a good sleep, and leave the rest to me." Kylie"s arms tightly circled his neck, and her soft hair was rubbing his chin.

They were in a small, two-story, retro building. The wood creaked when someone stepped on the stairs. Filled with the pleasant scent of his body, Kylie suddenly felt exhausted. "Why did you suddenly show up? How did you know?" Her voice was so light, and it was likely to blow away in the night wind.

After a while, he responded with ease: "To deal with something."

Kylie nodded and mumbled: "Something to do with a woman?"

As soon as the door to his room opened, she heard the man"s faint, warm voice: "Something to do with you."