Melody quickened her pace as she navigated the dimly lit street.
Her eyes flickered between the familiar apartment building that housed her and the figure of the stalker closing in behind her.
Uncertainty gnawed at her insides; she couldn't quite tell the level of how dangerous this person was as the thought of confronting him flashed through her mind.
She clutched her zapper tightly, the small device that comforted her with the illusion of safety. Handing him over to the police would be the right thing to do, and getting him off the streets felt like a noble cause.
As she swallowed hard, a thrill of reckless excitement coursed through her veins—an adrenaline rush that had often led her into trouble.
She recalled her impulsive behavior during the bank incident, a memory that sent a shiver down her spine. Stopping abruptly, she cast a wary glance at her shadow on the pavement; the stalker mirrored her movement, his silhouette freezing in place just feet away.
Melody felt the tension in the air thickening like a storm cloud, the need to act surging within her. She convinced herself that now was the moment; she had to use her zapper on him.
She only needed to turn abruptly after he had closed the distance between them, and buzzzzzz. She never knew he had other intentions.
Enveloped in a whirlwind of thoughts, she didn't notice how quickly the stalker had closed the gap between them, his intentions dark and menacing.
He removed a knife from his pocket, the weapon was one quickly noticed by Maverick but not Melody. He sensed that she could be in absolute danger.
Just as the stalker prepared to strike, Maverick attacked from behind, striking him really hard, that he crashed to the ground with a thud and went unconscious.
This was the moment.
Melody turned. she activated her zapper, the blue arc of electricity crackling ominously through the air. In a perfect twist of timing, the device locked onto Maverick's waist, and she pressed the button without a second thought.
"Buzzzzz!" The zapper buzzed violently as electricity coursed through him, a searing shock that paralyzed his muscles before he even realized what was happening.
"Do-nnnttt," he murmured, his voice trailing off as he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Melody's eyes widened in horror. Her heart raced as she stared at the two figures lying motionless at her feet—one was her would-be attacker, with the knife in his grasp, and the other, a stranger.
She had heard a thud. It seemed like this guy had knocked over the attacker and she had misunderstood the whole scenario.
Panic consumed her as she understood her grave mistake. She had buzzed the wrong guy.
Rushing over to Maverick, she knelt beside him, shaking him gently. "Hey!" she pleaded, her voice trembling with concern.
He lay unresponsive, his body limp. She swallowed, a knot forming in her throat.
The zapper was meant to incapacitate, not to harm. What if her actions had gone too far?
Desperation clawed at her mind as she thought of giving him a first aid treatment. "I don't know if CPR would even work," she murmured, her chest tightening with dread.
"I work in a bank, not a hospital." Could this possibly be how CPR was performed? She couldn't remember, but she was willing to try anything to help this man who had shielded her from danger.
Deciding to act, she leaned closer, intent on placing her lips on his, wishing to breathe life back into him, but just then, a low grunt caught her attention. She turned sharply to see the stalker stirring.
In a frenzied motion, she reached for her zapper, but her thoughts were muddled, and her fingers fumbled.
The stalker, sensing an opportunity, sprang back to his feet, clutching his knife with a savage intensity before vanishing into the shadows, retreating as swiftly as he had come.
Melody's heart sank as she watched him escape, but she couldn't abandon Maverick.
Sighing heavily, she returned to his side, guilt washing over her. "I'm so sorry for doing this," she whispered, her breath hitching in her throat.
Just as she leaned down to try again, Maverick's eyes fluttered open, revealing an intense shade of black that caught her by surprise.
"Which of them are you sorry for?" he croaked, his voice thick with confusion and laced with humor despite the circumstances. The electric aftershocks still coursed through his body, leaving him disoriented.
Melody's lips parted in shock, her heart racing as she searched his gaze. "Are you okay?" she managed to ask, concern flooding her voice.
Maverick gave a half-hearted nod, his fingers running through his tousled hair, a gesture that made Melody's jaw drop.
Her lips parted, but no word came out of it.
As he locked eyes with her, she felt time pause around them, her breath catching as she took in his features. He was breathtaking—unlike anyone she'd ever seen before, with a charm that left her momentarily speechless.
How could a man look so perfectly perfect?. She didn't know if it did him just to say he was the sexiest man alive. Because he was. None had this kind of defined face, it was exactly detailed, God didn't leave anything out when it came to creating him.
His full eyebrow arched in challenge. "What are you doing?" he asked, rising to his feet with a graceful ease that captivated her.
Caught off guard, Melody pressed her lips together, desperate to find the right words. "And what exactly are you sorry for? Jolting me with electricity or trying to kiss me?"
Melody was already on her feet, her body tense and her eyebrows knitted together in a frown. "I wasn't trying to kiss you," she blurted out, a rush of words escaping her.
"I mistakenly zapped you out, and I had no idea how to bring you back. I thought of CPR... but thankfully, you woke up just a few minutes later." The adrenaline surged through her as she spoke, her mind racing with the vulnerability of the moment.
"Anyway, I'm sorry. You came to my rescue, and I really appreciate that," she finished, studying the expression on his face. Would he really understand her messy explanation?
To her surprise, the glimmer in his dark eyes and the subtle smirk that graced his lips told her he did. Maverick wasn't clueless.
Maverick let out a frustrated sigh, parting his lips as if to respond, but he was cut off by her eager curiosity.
"I'm sorry, have we met before? I feel like I've seen you somewhere," Melody said, scrutinizing him more intently now.
She focused on the deep black of his eyes and the beauty mark that marked underneath his right eye, desperately trying to recall where she had encountered him.
Maverick tilted his head slightly, a thoughtful expression crossing his features. "This isn't our first encounter" he affirmed.
Melody gazed at him intently, as if requesting for more details. "I was the one who saved you the day you were being chased on the bridge" He replied, and she felt her eyes widen in surprise before narrowing again in contemplation.
"I didn't know you'd be getting into another trouble. Do you kind of like danger?" He inquired with a whisper. But she was lost in her thoughts to hear him.
"That was you," she thought, her memory flashing back to the sight of his leather jacket, the intoxicating scent of musk that lingered in the air around him.
Yet, as she studied him more closely, a sense of déjà vu washed over her. Hadn't they met before that day? Her mind began to race, trying to piece together the fragments of recollection.
Maverick observed her with a keen intensity, ready to speak again. "I've been watching you for a while now," he continued, his voice low and sincere.
"You seem to attract danger almost every day. You need a form of protection..." His voice trailed off, but Melody was no longer fully present. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to pinpoint the moment when her paths had crossed with his.
"I want to be your bodyguard," Maverick declared, his gaze steady. "In return, just give me a place to stay. I'll protect you and ensure you never stumble into danger again." He felt awkward saying it, aware that his true motivation was to draw closer to her, unable to shake her from his thoughts.
But he reasoned that serving as her protector might buy him time until his boss summoned him back to work.
That was when it struck Melody like a bolt from the blue, and she shivered involuntarily.
"At the bank... You were the one," she pieced together, her heart racing in shock.
He had said he would find her, and here he was, but the implications of his presence began to alarm her. Had he really been following her since that incident? The memory of his gun flickered in her mind like a dangerous shadow.
Hastily, she pulled out her phone, her thoughts racing. "The police," she reminded herself, her heart pounding. "There's one of the robbers here," she murmured.
"You're not doing that," Maverick said firmly, his frown deepening as he stepped closer, sensing the danger of the situation.