Learning To Trust Again

Soon though, Al’s mates had had enough. They all moved off towards the top of the lane, leaving their friend to face the other man alone. Seeing the defection of his mates, Al looked like he was going to explode. From her position to the right of him, Rebecca watched his face turn a dark red, as his chest began heaving. And for a minute she was worried he was going to charge the tall man like a raging bull. But as she watched she saw his gaze flick past the man to the now empty lane beyond. His mates had moved out of sight, and she wondered if they were going to feel his wrath when he caught up with them. With a last scowling look in the tall man’s direction, Al conceded. He stepped back and keeping his eyes on the other man, he circled around him, staying just out of arms reach as he followed his friends out of the lane.

Her eyes glued to the man who’d saved her, Rebecca watched as he followed the man with his eyes until he had turned right at the head of the lane and moved out of sight.

Then to her dismay, making her wonder if he was just going to leave her there, she watched him steal, without a sound, up to the street. However he didn’t move out of sight. At the end of the lane he stopped and Rebecca let out her breath on a sigh. She watched as he checked the street to the right, and as he did she realised what he was doing. He was just looking to see where the men had gone.

The ordeal over, Rebecca slumped against the wall, her legs threatening to give out, as relief washed over her. She closed her eyes for a second and sent up a silent prayer of thanks for the man who had saved her from heaven knows what horror. Opening them again she inspected her rescuer as he strode back towards her. When he had arrived she had been too scared to notice anything about him except that he looked big enough to hold his own and appeared willing and able to help her. But her heart rate starting to return to normal now, she was able take in more details. While she had noticed previously that he was tall and lean, as she watched him now, she observed that he moved in a way that spoke of lithe fitness. She guessed he was a little older than her, probably in his early thirties and as he moved nearer and his eyes met hers, Rebecca looked into the most amazing green eyes she had ever seen. They were the colour of cool jade and looked at her with concern in their depths. She couldn’t help but stare. She had always thought that, unlike her common blue ones, a more unusual colour would be more memorable and looking into his eyes confirmed her opinion. She knew she would never forget them.