Damon's heart beat hard against his chest as he landed hard on his feet. His breath came out in a loud Whoosh!, the impact of his landing resonating all over his body.
He just jumped from the fifth floor without thinking about the height, thinking only of escape.
He got up slowly and looked up at the ancient looking building he jumped down from. His black eyes scanned the holes in the walls of the building that passed as windows.
It was almost midnight and the area had quietened for the night.
He willed his ears to listen for any sound of the sirens or the loud cries of Stop there! And Hands behind your head!
Like he'd willingly allow himself to be arrested for something he didn't do.
He stood very still on the spot as he listened hard for anything in particular which would determine if he should take to his heels or walk with a comfortable pace.
After a long moment of listening and nothing seemed to be amiss, he took a deep breath and fished out a black bandana from his back pocket and proceeded to wipe off the sweat on his face and forehead.
He had been on the run for hours, he didn't know he could run for that long, but when you're innocent you tend to do everything to prove that you can be trusted once again.
Damon's face hardened as the events of the morning flooded in. He wasn't even given a chance to defend himself all because Daddy's girl had accused him falsely of harassment.
He had always been obedient to the Boss and his long list of Do's and Don'ts.
The first on that list,
Do not go near my daughter
He had made sure to adhere strictly to that rule, but she had been the one coming to him.
He slowly lowered himself to the ground as as his body ached everywhere all at once.
He placed both hands on his head as he buried his head between his thighs, an empty feeling in his heart.
What did he do to deserve this?
He has never spoken to the Boss's daughter in his two years of working for him as one of his personal drivers.
Why me?
He took a deep breath and leaned his head backwards expelling a sigh as the gentle breeze kissed his hot cheeks softly.
If they catch up with me will I be able to run away?
He thought grimly.
The jump had weakened his legs and they felt shaky and sore, surely they wouldn't be able to carry him at a fast speed.
"I wish things were different," Damon whispered gruffly to the quiet air.
He reached into his front pocket for his smartphone and as expected there were several missed calls from both his Boss and an unknown number.
He frowned as he tried to guess whose number it may be.
It may be a trap set by the police to track him down with a phone call.
The Bible didn't lie when it said there's power in the tongue.
Just one word from her to her doting father and everything that was going so good suddenly went very bad all in the blink of an eye.
When confronted with the issue and seeing the look of triumph in her eyes as she perched beside her father, he knew he wasn't going to get a fair hearing. So he did the first thing his brain told him to do.
He ran.
And running led him here.
A yawn escaped his lips as he scrolled through his phone for anything in particular.
He didn't know what to do anymore. His life seems to have ended.
Maybe I should turn myself in.
Damon thought.
Sooner or later the police will catch up with me.
It's a hard decision to make and he shook his head at the thought.
It'll only give the Boss more reason to increase his sentence with hard labour.
Running away had already painted him the villain.
He jumped a little as his phone vibrated in his hand.
It was an unknown number.
He stared at the screen in silence, torn between curiosity and fear.
He'd like to know who kept calling him but he's also afraid of falling for the traps the police have most likely put in place for him.
Alas curiosity killed the cat.
Better to die knowing than to die not knowing.
On the fifth ring, he picked the call.
"Damon," The caller said immediately and all the blood in his body froze.
It's the Boss's daughter.
He said nothing, there was nothing to be said.
She heaved a sigh on the other end.
"I called to apologize for what I said about you. You have been nothing but loyal to my father and I let my emotions get the best of me because you refused to give me your attention."
Damon couldn't believe his ears, he held still with the phone on his ear, frozen on the spot.
Which Angel in heaven decided to help him today?
She continued...
"I've told Dad the true story and begged him to call the cops off your back and he agreed. You're free to come back to work."
She waited for him to respond.
... come back to work…to work…free…you're free to work..
The words kept swirling in his head as he struggled to understand what she just told him.
"The Boss believes me? I can come back to work for him?" Damon asked in shock.
"Yes. That's what I said," She replied.
This is surely a good thing. If only he can trust the Boss again then everything would return to the way it was.
But the Boss showed him just how heartless he is even to his loyal subjects. Who knows what might happen in the future, it might cost him a lot or his life.
Damon shook his head as the answer became clear to him.
"Tell the Boss I resigned." Damon said, his voice thick with emotion. He really liked working with the man.
"But how will you…" She started to protest.
Damon cut her off.
"Goodbye.."
He hung up and flung the phone at the wall and watched the pieces fall to the ground.
It's a new chapter for me.
He thought as he walked slowly into the empty building.
Tomorrow he'd find his way back to his apartment and pick up the remaining pieces of his life.