Chapter 21 Have We Met Before?
At the restaurant, Tianna chose a table by the window. After ordering, she said to Levi, “This place is known for its local cuisine. Give it a go.”
“OK.” Levi nodded. Though he didn’t find Dr. B today, at least he got to have dinner with Tianna, which was something. He was in a pretty good
mood.
“The next time you wanna tail someone, call me. I’ll join you,” he
suddenly said while waiting for the good, which stunned Tianna a bit.
Noticing her puzzled look, he continued, “It might be dangerous if you’re alone.”
She hadn’t run into trouble so far because her target hadn’t noticed her. Once she was noticed, she’d get in a jam.
Levi couldn’t help but be worried.
Yet. Tianna didn’t think he needed to worry about her at all, though she couldn’t say that outright. “Chill. I’m not to be trifled with.”
She waved her fists, proving a point that she was quite good at fighting.
The scene where she kicked Melvin’s ass came back to Levi’s mind, and he chuckled. “Indeed. Hardly anyone can mess with you.”
“You bet.” She was pretty confident about it.
“And I assume whoever can make you tail is definitely not a nobody,” he continued.
She didn’t say no because Randall indeed wasn’t a nobody.
Resting her chin on one hand, she observed his face with suspicion. But he hid his thoughts so well that she found nothing. “Mr. Wilkinson, why do I have the feeling that you’re overly concerned about me?”
He said while holding his teacup, not flinching while meeting her probing gaze. “As I said, fate brings us to know each other. If possible. I’d like to be your friend.
Her friend….
Now that he had put it like this, rejecting him would be rude, and she decided to keep her suspicion to herself. She also picked up her teacup and said. “Of course. It’d be an honor to be your friend, Mr. Wilkinson.”
She couldn’t find anything about Levi, but since he was friends with Rafael, a member of the Levine family, she could say for sure that Levi was no ordinary man.
They clinked their teacups, substituting tea for wine.
“You…”
Suddenly, there was a loud bang.
The gunshot interrupted Tianna. Almost instinctively, she stood up and grabbed Levi, and they both dropped to the floor.
As more shots rang out, her expression darkened. “Don’t move. It’s a sniper.”
Judging from the bullet trajectory, she figured that the sniper was in the building across the street. Pulling a long face, she took off her jacket and tossed it into the air. As expected, another shot rang out, and she rolled to the side and took cover.
Just as she was about to make another move, Levi said, “Stay put. I’ve had people coming over.”
17 JU
With that, he had already stood up and moved swiftly to her side.
No shots were fired this time. Apparently, he wasn’t the target.
With a grim face, she said through gritted teeth. “I swear I’ll catch him today. Don’t try to stop me.
She wasn’t thinking about how to escape: she was trying to figure out a way to catch the sniper.
He had the audacity to attack her in broad daylight. If she didn’t catch him. she’d have to look over her shoulder every time she went out.
She was about to rush out when Levi grabbed her wrist. “Calm down. Even if you run out now, you won’t be able to catch him.
The sniper was no fool and would leave as soon as she stepped out.
By the time she reached the building, he’d be long gone.
Levi’s words made sense, and Tianna knew he was right, but she was still furious. “I bet it’s Randall. That piece of shit.”
She knew he was bold. But to this extent?
The sirens wailed, and Levi went out first. Only after making sure that the sniper had left did he lead Tianna out of the restaurant.
She headed to the building across the street at once. Standing where the sniper had been, she pulled a long face, not saying a word.
Levi followed her in silence. Noticing the look on her face, he said, “I’ll help you…”
“No need. I got this.” Her gaze fell on the security cameras, and she smiled slyly.
After they gave a brief statement to the police, they were allowed to leave.
On their way back, Tianna’s phone kept buzzing.
The shooting had been all over the news in Ridgedale. Though her face. wasn’t shown, those who knew her could tell it was her from her figure. so they were all calling to check on her.
After reassuring them, she looked at Levi, who was driving, and asked, “Have we met before?”
Levi couldn’t help but tighten his grip on the steering wheel, mixed emotions surging in his eyes. He tried his best to keep them in check and asked back, “What brings you to ask me this?”
“When we were at the hospital, you recognized me though I was wearing a hat and a mask. Only those who knew me well could do this.” It just dawned on her, so she couldn’t help but suspect that he might have known
her before.
He chuckled and pulled over. “Maybe I just have a good memory.”
She glanced at him deeply but didn’t press further. “Yeah, maybe.”
“Get out,” he said.
Only after she stepped out of the car did she realize he had taken her to the hospital. “I’m fine…”
“Your arm is injured. Let the doctor treat your wound,” he said in a commanding tone and pulled her inside before she could say no.
The cut on her arm wasn’t serious, though it was bleeding. She didn’t think it was a big deal.
On the contrary, Levi seemed more concerned..
When the doctor was treating her wound, she saw Levi frowning the whole time as if he were the one injured.
She felt bad. She offered to treat him to dinner, yet she almost got him injured. “I’m so sorry about today.”
He looked at her calmly. “It’s fine. You can treat me another time.”
“OK.”
Just as the doctor finished treating her wound, someone wearing a mask and a hat rushed into the emergency room and hurried over to her. “Why
lidn’t you tell me something this big happened? Who did this?”
“I’m fine, Matthew.” Tianna felt a headache coming on. She didn’t tell him. so as not to worry him, yet he knew anyway.
“Look at your arm! How could you say you’re fine? I’m not blind, you know?” Matthew took off his mask and grumbled.
She shrugged helplessly and said to him, “Don’t tell the others, OK?”
She didn’t want Gordon, Jameson, and Deven to worry.
Matthew nodded and then noticed Levi. He looked over and asked with suspicion, “Who’s this?”
“This is my friend, Levi.”
Then she turned to Levi. “This is my third brother, Matthew.”
Levi extended his hand and said politely, “Hello, Mr. Bennett.”
Matthew didn’t shake Levi’s hand. Instead, he sized up Levi for quite a while before snorting and looked away, saying to Tianna, “I’ll take you home.”
Tianna glanced at Levi apologetically. “Forgive…”
“It’s fine. Go with him. Remember to rest well,” Levi smiled, not taking it
to heart.
Chapter 21 Have We Met Before?
Noticing their interaction, Matthew realized they were quite close and pulled an even longer face. “Tia, don’t be fooled by one’s good looks. After all, you can never judge a book by its cover. Be smart.”
