Chapter 3 Liam

Within the past week, Elena had seen her neighbor and the local grumpy person, Liam Sterling, four times.

He accidentally spilled the coffee on her while they were at the café.

When he and his dog were at the beach, she interrupted too.

Their shopping carts bumped in the store and spilled a stack of canned soup on the floor.

It was as if the universe wanted their lives to cross paths at the most awkward times.

But every time he was there, she noticed his stare and strong jaw, and it made her feel something new inside of her.

It was nearly like a memory she couldn't link to anything in particular.

Familiar and always annoying, but completely unattainable.

She blamed her feelings on what she thought were fantasy thoughts.

This could have been a déjà vu experience.

For me, what happened did not go away.

On that dark night, with the clouds covering the sea and the sky getting menacing, Elena stood by her kitchen window hoping to find a memory. Strong winds brushed through the branches of the trees.

In a flash of lightning, a booming thunder made the cottage shake as if it was scared.

At that time, the lights went off.

Great, she said, as she tried to find her phone.

She almost didn't get the warning because another loud sound happened in the house not long after.

Heavy rain was hitting the windows, and the wind howled loudly from outside.

She took a flashlight and ran to explore the rear of the house.

Water was spilling close to the doors.

Part of the roof shingles fell into the garden outside.

There was a grim and warning creak somewhere up there.

That was followed by the frightful sound of wood breaking apart.

The back porch was weak and had parts that collapsed.

Her phone started to vibrate just at that moment.

MOM: Are you feeling fine, sweetheart? There are many reports about the storm all over the media.

Elena's words came out as her hands trembled.

There's a problem with the roof, as it's leaking. Lights out.

Striving to be calm.

Love you mom!

She was shocked by a powerful knock on the door suddenly.

"Elena!"

At the door she found Liam, who had just come in, his clothes were wet and he was carrying a bright flashlight.

His long hair was stuck to his forehead.

Heavy rain was pouring down his jacket.

At the beginning of the conversation, He told me that my place looked trashed.

"Come along with me."

"No"

"Why?, you can't stay here.

Perhaps are you scared??"

"I..,what? No, I am not worried about it.

I'm just curious about what difference it'll make"

"There are strong windows and an automatic generator at my location.

Life will be safer for you in that place."

"And I have to go back very soon because max would be worried. He can't stay alone for too long "

"Generator "?

"I do not rely on the grid Elena "

It made her smile a little by itself.

Suddenly, the porch continued to creak again..

"Okay, we can go on" she said, picking up her bag.

Strong wind blew around them as they rushed to his home.

After entering, it felt like a completely new place.

Warmth.

Light.

Max moved his tail vigorously on the couch.

She started to shiver and took off her wet coat.

"Thanks."

He put a dry sweatshirt into her hands.

You can put your laundry next to the heater to speed up the drying process.

Within a short time, she was comforted by his hoodie while sitting up on the bed.

"Max is sitting on the couch right now," he waved a hand toward the couch.

She looked at the bed set up for her to sleep on.

"Are we... splitting it evenly"?

Yes, if you hesitate, it just mean you won't have a warm bed to sleep in, and you may even end up sleeping in the hallway.

"Right. Okay."

The weather outside was very stormy. Elena heard another round of thunder and jumped unexpectedly.

"How are you feeling?" he said to me.

I admitted that i was scared of storms.

I remember being in a closet with my mom when there was a hurricane when I was a youngster.

Almost everything people saw and felt was nearly destroyed.

Both of us became quiet.

Then he added in a low tone,

"You're fine now."

She looked at him a second time.

That face.

Can I just say that you seem familiar to me?

There was no reaction from him.

But it was evident, there was something about him she could not fathom.

Outside, the wind screamed.

Inside, their world quieted.

And in that silence, something began to shift.

Sitting all by himself in the dim part of his preferred bar, Gavin Rhodes had his glass of whiskey, which reflected his own weariness.

He kept seeing the last moments with Elena in his mind while looking at the reflections on the polished wood table.

All his hopes were scattered when she broke up with him.

She already moved to a different place.

She vanished from his life the same way a ghost can disappear before one's eyes.

But where?

That thought was always lurking in his mind and bothering him constantly.

He used all available paths to locate her, including contacting their friends, people from the same industry, and others. Nothing. With each fork in the road, there is no solution.

Nothing but blank spaces in nuclear forensics.

he squeezed his hands tightly while his anger simmered beneath.

He tries to ignore his angst and his true feelings as if they were nothing.

She left me alone and I'm not even done with her

Nevertheless, Gavin continued to hold on even in these times.

It was not written by a woman. It is not a big deal.

He went to the phone's contacts to find what he needed.

He took a pause before he addressed a message to a person whose background was less than ideal.

Have you found any information about Elena?

Where is she now living?

Gavin hit the send button, and then stared at the ceiling while waiting for a response that could be hours away.

He wanted to find out the answer to that question.

For now, he wasn't able to get any responses. Darkness spread around him, an image of the storm inside him.

Miles from the scene, Melissa sat in her modern office with the windows providing views of the twinkling city lights.

She couldn't sit still and kept tapping her fingers as she looked at her phone.

There is no news of Liam Sterling and she doesn't really realize what he may be preparing.

A look of concentration appeared on her brow as she was texting Gavin.

I've not come across any news about Liam Sterling.

More discussion and tough action are required Gavin!!.

The wait went on and none of them replied.

She moved back a little and ran her hands over her arms.

Being forced to wait was something she seldom had to do.

"Where is he hiding?" she said to herself.

Even though Elena is also being watched by Gavin, it was Liam's unexplained absence that bothered Melissa.

If they can not find any leads, then there's nothing to do next.

Yet, Melissa managed to be kind and merciless at the same time.

"We will track him down,"

Her eyes got serious. She said to herself.

In any case, should Liam try to react, he can not win me.

I made him had powerful enemies. And I'm still determined to put him behind bars

Gavin's phone started beeping, showing a message from one of his people.

No concrete facts have been released so far. She is being careful so she isn't noticed.

Everybody is saying they have not seen anything out of the ordinary lately.

A heavy sigh came out of him as his frustration swept over him.

She manages to blend in and dissolve into the background, he noted.

Then Melissa's message came in and he replied...

I'm still working on it.

You know me, I don't lose.

I shall find and pin him down

However, Gavin had a history of being obsessed about things.

Should Elena and Liam choose to be gone, He would look in every possible spot on the face of the Earth.

In his thoughts, he realized that some debts have to be repaid dearly.