At first, I notice her stepping away from the parked car and she was alone.
Then there was a movement beside her and then a trail of thin smoke rising into the sky and then disappearing.

She retreated fanning her face with her hands.
The person followed her in her retreat. He was cornering her towards a dark alleyway and I immediately guessed his diabolical intent.
Without much thought, I swallowed the space between me and them.
I prayed I wouldn't be too late.

'You leave me alone...  I- I- I'll scream.'
Keziah stammered.
Her breathing came in short spurts at the sight of the brandished blade.
The discarded plastic paper bent under the pressure of my feet, it alerted the attacker who snapped around to find me closing the gap.
My heart stopped when he grabbed Keziah's wrist and pulled her against him with a knife to her throat.

'Step back.'

The shock kept my body stationary. He screamed once more in Korean this time it pierced through my consciousness but I refused to step back. The more distance I put between us, the greater the chance of leaving Keziah in danger.

'Mister,' His eyes briefly widened as if surprised that I could actually speak his tongue.

'Is it money you want? She doesn't have any.'

He shoved her against the nearby wall with such force I feared he'd broken a few of her bones.
A strangled scream escaped from her.
'Scream and I'll cut your face.' He roughly took the front of her dress yanked her forward. She clutched at his hands, making a funny sound.

'You, I said step back.'
The position of the knife was perilously close to Keziah's right eye. In one erratic move, he could make her blind.

'I'll do you one better, I'll leave. But I'll call the police.'
I stepped back.
'I've seen your face. It's me you should be worried about not that week woman over there.'
I took another step back.
'I'll give them a description so good they will be able to find your mother and grandmother, you bastard.'
I realized his hold on Keziah slacked a little bit as his focus shifted to my threats.
I pulled out my phone and took a picture of him.
'Hey, what are you doing?'

'Now the whole world will know who you are.'
That did it. He released Keziah and lounged at me swinging the knife like a crazy man.

My reflexes weren't the best so dodging his swings so far was pure luck but I couldn't maintain the momentum. So I had to teach a quick plan. I had a mean right hook I've been told and that might be enough in this case.
It wasn't the smartest move but it was the best one at the time.
I grabbed the blade with my left hand and then knocked him to the ground with my right hand. He fell to the ground out cold. I was going to step on his face. Ugly bastard.
It was then Keziah's wheezing registered in my brain.
I tab to her side trying to lift her to her feet. She coughed and gasped trying for air.
She was having a bloody asthma attack.
'Your inhaler, where is your inhaler?'

I frantically searched around the dark ground with my flashlight. It was back in the restaurant.

'Keziah the car keys. Sweetie, where are the car keys.'

Freaking out was a mild way of putting what was happening to me. My quivering hands searched her body for the car keys. Dammit!

'Keziah...' What was the point she could barely speak.

I scooped her up and started running. My legs kicked the keys in my sight. I awkwardly bent to grab it thanking my stars for the save. I unlocked the car set her inside. I had t make a quick call and jumped into the driver's seat speeding to the nearest urgent care facility, a few minutes away. I made it one and a half. I parked perilously at the ambulance deck without a care left in the world.

'Get me a damn doctor, now!'

I pushed past the nurses and put Keziah in a bed. From the corner f my eyes, I saw a doctor sauntering down the hall, he looked as if he had nothing better to do with his life and so I darted out to him, dragging him to Keziah's side. 'She is having an asthma attack. And I need you to check for broken bones.'

He yelled out instructions at his nurses and then turned to ask me.

'Is she bleeding anywhere?'

Bleeding! My breath fell short.

'It's not hers.' A nurse grabbed my hand with the cut.

'You need stitches sir please come this way.'

'Do it right here. I'm not leaving until she is fine.'

She looked ready to start an argument she wouldn't win.

'Get the stuff, I'll sit right here. But I am not letting her out of my sight.'

Keziah's teary eyes held mine over the flurry of activity around us.

She was all the distraction I needed to keep my mind off the pain of the stitches I was getting.

'No, I don't want to stay here. David.'

I turned to her, 'Are you sure?'

"Yes, I'm fine.

I didn't want to object and make her uncomfortable even though my mind screamed for her to stay in the hospital. don't know for observation or something.

'Doctor?'

'The episode has passed. She needs to have an inhaler with her at all times, that's my only advice. There's nothing broken so there is no need for her to stay.'

What did he know? Even though I thought that I still walked out with Keziah and opened the door to the car, allowing her in.

'Are you sure you don't want me to drive?'

I nodded. I felt so drained but I could manage to drive us since my cut wasn't that deep.

'I left my bag at the restaurant.'

I wordlessly drove us to the restaurant. Our colleagues would be long gone, I had already explained in brief summary the turn of events to the organizer when he had called me at the hospital. I don't remember what I said to him but it must have been comprehensible.

After retrieving the bag, we retired to the house. The click of the door was the door the hair that broke the camel's back.

'Why in the name of the Lord did you go out all alone?'

Yes, I was angry at her. I felt as though I had gone on an emotional rollercoaster tonight.

'I needed some air.'

'No, you wanted to cry.'

'I wanted to be alone and to think and I had the right to express myself however I saw fit. Did I not get you the win you wanted?'

'Who gives a shit about that! Do you know what would have happened if I hadn't shown' up when I did? Huh?'

'Why are you making it sound like I had something to do with what happened tonight.' man.'

No? I could point out several things that would prove otherwise. Once again my reasoning had left the building, evidently, but it was understandable I was still reeling from the shock of it all.

'Why the hell did you leave without your bag, without your inhaler? You could have died! This could have all been avoided if you had just listened to me and taken the day off.'

'Then you would have circled back to blame me if you lost the deal because I was weak. But we got the deal so what is your problem?' She cried watery eyes.

"I don't... to hell with the deal.'

I couldn't figure out what to do with my hands, whether to hold her, shake her or just throw them around. Violence was not a resort I preferred but I was so angry at that bastard. I wished I had him here and now to pummel him to my heart's content. And then Thomas.

'Do you not understand...'

'Okay, I do. You're right I left to cry a little, but my boyfriend who I thought loved me more than anything cheated on me. But that wasn't my fault. And it isn't my fault that I forgot my bag, because I am not used to having asthma either. Another thing I had no hand in.'

But I did. A grounding revelation hooked me in the chest; this was my fault. Everything that she was going through I had a hand to play in it somehow. Claire- Claire, when she called Keziah to gloat, she said it, however indirectly, she'd said it.

I was the one having trouble breathing. I could barely register anything in my vision or sound. I slowly sank on the nearest support.

'You're not even listening to me. I won't just stand here and take this.'

My hands shot out and stopped her.

'What now?'

'I'm a stupid jerk.'

She didn't miss a beat. 'Yes, you are.'

'And I'm sorry. I was just so spooked.'
By what happened and by the intensity of my feelings for her.

'How do you think I feel?' She finally let herself cry.
I went to get a box of tissues. After that, we both just sat there in silence watching tv shows.
There was so much that needed to be said between us. Mostly on my part. However, I believe I have said enough for one night.
I would leave dealing with my building resentment for Claire for when I got back to Charlotte.
Oh boy, did I mess up.
And my brain kept reminding me after we both called it a night up until the minute I managed to fall asleep.

I knocked on Keziah's door at 7:30 am.
'I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm coming out.'

She came out fully clothed and almost ready to work once she put on her shoes.
A frown appeared as she took into view my polo shirt and pants.

'We have the day off.'

'Why? We have all the planning and gloating to do in the office.'

Gloating? I raised a brow at that.

'Yes gloating. We whooped those snotty-nosed brats' butt.'

'The gloating can wait. I called out... you know because of my hand.'

She looked surprised and rightfully so. I never called out of work, not unless I was in a coma or strapped to a hospital bed.

'Welsh...'

'Don't think too much of it. We have two days off but we aren't going to spend it in this house watching TV.'

She leaned against her door,
'Well, sir, what did you have in mind.' I could see the excitement in her clear blue eyes.

'First thing's first. You will need to change. We have a lot of errands to run.'

'Errands?' Her tone fell flat, I hid a smile.

'Yes, errands. We leave in four hours so you can take your time.'
I paused,
'You can leave the makeup on if you'd like. I doubt it'll be anything extraneous.'
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
I would be suspicious too if someone smiled the way I had before going back into my room.