At last, the time came for me to leave. We ensured that every corner was sparkling clean before we locked up.
"What a day," Melissa sighed, taking the keys out of the door.
"Yeah," I agreed, gazing up at the moon.
The night was deep, the bright moon dotted the dark blue sky.
In San Francisco, the night air almost always carries a cold bite. I rubbed my hands over my arms, shivering from the chilly wind.
The uniform didn't offer much help; the shirt sleeves sat a little above my elbows, and my nipples poked out of the thin material. The skirt was above my knees, revealing my thighs. It wasn't my best option, but I'd rather wear this than my dirty uniform.
"Damien is gonna be here any moment," Lisa said. "We're hitting the club tonight. Why don't you come along and burn off some steam?" she suggested.
"Not tonight, Lisa." I felt too drained to hit the club, or endure Damien's company.
Damien was Melissa's boyfriend, and a real piece of work. He'd been making passes at me whenever Mel wasn't looking, and it was clear to me that Melissa was too blindly in love to see his true colors. I hated being the one to potentially break up their relationship, but I hoped Melissa would wake up and dump his sorry ass soon enough.
"Come on, Val, just a couple of drinks and then we'll head home," Lisa urged, trying to persuade me.
"Some other night, Lisa," I replied with a tired yawn. "All I need now is a good shower and some sleep."
"Alright," she sighed heavily. "I'll ask Damien to drop you off at your place."
"Hmm... No, thanks," I quickly replied. The last person she wanted to be around right now was Damien.
"Come on, Val, it's late and cold out here," she joked, swirling around to face her. "I sure as hell don't want you to freeze and die a virgin. I'll never forgive myself if you die without getting some action," she joked.
"Seriously?" I sighed, rolling my eyes at her, while curling my arms around my waist.
I hated when she teased me about being a virgin. As ironic as it may seem, I valued my virginity too much to give it away to just any man. I was preserving myself for someone serious, a man who was worth it.
"What?" She burst into laughter.
"Very funny," I retorted sarcastically.
"Okay, I'm sorry," she breathed, trying to hold back her laughter. "I just want you to be safe."
"I'm going to be fine," I smiled. "Besides, it's not that late. I can take care of myself."
"If you insist, then fine," she conceded, tossing the keys into her bag.
"I insist," I replied firmly.
"See you in the morning," Lisa said, pulling me into a warm hug. "And I hope you dream of some hot Italian hunk," she whispered into my ear, planting a quick kiss on my lips.
"Uhh," I chuckled, shaking my head in disbelief, raising my hand to show her my middle finger in a playful manner.
Her laughter still echoed as I dashed away, just as Damien's car approached.
Opting to avoid the highway traffic, I hurriedly crossed the road, heading towards an alley that served as a shortcut to my house.
The darkness enveloped the street, broken only by the faint glow of streetlights, casting small circles of light on the empty, cracked sidewalk. The quiet footsteps of passersby echoed in the distance.
Only a handful of windows emitted light from within, most notably from a 24/7 grocery store across the street.
As a black Mercedes car drove closely by, loud music blaring from its speakers, "For the Night" by Pop Smoke filled my ears.
"Hey sexy," an asshole called out to me, but I ignored him completely.
"Come on, sexy," another voice yelled above the loud music.
The car pulled over right beside me, and the sound of the door opening and shutting pierced the silence of the night.
Footsteps pounded on the pavement, and I quickened my pace, feeling my heart race in my chest.
Gripping my handbag tighter, I walked faster, the sound of their footsteps growing louder and closer. It was evident they were gaining on me.
Suddenly, a hand curled around my arm, pulling me to a stop, as a man appeared in front of me.
He stood a little taller than me, with fiery red hair and sinfully grey eyes. A tattoo of a snake adorned his hand, the same hand that held me firmly.
It was evident he was drunk; the acrid stench of alcohol emanating from his body was unmistakable.
"Hey, beautiful," he grinned. "Need a ride home?"
I almost cringed at the sound of his voice.
"No, thanks," I replied firmly, snatching my arm out of his hold
His eyes flickered to my chest before returning to me, a cocky smile revealing his gold front tooth.
"How about you take a ride on me instead?" he quipped, prompting laughter from his buddies at his feeble attempt at humor.
Rolling my eyes, I forced a smile. "As I said before, the answer is still no. If you'll excuse me, I'd like to be on my way home."
Without waiting for his response, I took a bold step forward, silently hoping he would step aside and let me pass. However, he didn't. Instead, he wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me closer.
With my back pressed against his front, it became difficult to breathe, his tight grip making it even more suffocating, and the stench of alcohol only added to the discomfort.
I clawed at his hand, desperately trying to pry his fingers loose. "Let me go," I cried out, my voice tinged with fear.
Oh my god! This is it, this is how it's all going to end. They're going to assault me, then slit my throat, before dumping my body in a dark alley. After that, the cops will find my body, and my face will be plastered on every TV news channel and newspaper the next morning, alongside a picture of my lifeless corpse.
My heart began to race faster as my thoughts ran wild.
He pressed his head against mine. "Come on, darling, we're going to have a good time together," he whispered, his breath hot against my ear.
"No, please," I begged, desperately trying to pull away from him. "Let me go!" I screamed.
"You heard the lady, release her," a familiar voice called out from the darkness of the alley.
My movements ceased as my eyes searched for my rescuer. I couldn't discern who it was; although the voice sounded like a man's, I couldn't see him. All I could make out was the glow of the cigarette my hero was smoking.
"Who's telling?" My assailant demanded.
"Me," came the reply, as he stepped out of the darkness of the alley and into the light.
It was him, the man from the café. Seeing the stranger brought a sigh of relief to me.
He approached us, taking a few steps closer.
"Leave," the redhead growled.
"And if I refuse?" the stranger responded firmly, exhaling a plume of smoke.
"Then we'll put you in a hospital," the other guy, presumably the muscle, chimed in. It made sense, considering he was twice the size of the redhead.
"How about I send you?" he chuckled, seemingly unfazed by the fact that he was up against three men his size.
"We've found ourselves a hero, boys," the leader said, prompting the rest to laugh foolishly.
"Oh no, I'm not your hero, boys," the sexy stranger smirked. "I'm just your worst nightmare." With that, he removed his suit and neatly folded it on the car hood. Then, he slowly rolled up his sleeves, revealing his tattooed arms.
"Get lost, kid, before you get yourself killed over a piece of pussy you don't even know," the redhead chuckled.
In the blink of an eye, the stranger's fist collided with the redhead's face in a single swift punch, causing him to stagger and loosen his grip on me.
I broke free from his grasp, not before stomping on his feet with my heels.
"Stay behind me," the stranger said, his sexy accent adding an extra allure.
I didn't need to be told twice. Quickly, I ran over to him, standing behind the stranger.
The other two guys were too preoccupied to chase after me. Instead, they rushed forward to attack the stranger, but he was quick to block their attacks.
He punched the muscle guy in the face, but the man didn't budge. So, he swiftly kicked his knee, causing him to drop onto his right knee. Then, he removed his cigarette from his sexy lips and pressed it against the muscle guy's eye, causing him to scream like a little girl.
Meanwhile, the third guy attempted to kick the stranger in the waist, causing him to bend slightly to the side. However, he quickly recovered. Dodging the third guy's fists, he waited for the right moment before delivering a punch to his stomach and then to the base of his throat.
The third guy fell to his knees, struggling to breathe, and with a final punch to his face, he knocked him out cold.
The muscle guy's left eye was shut, pink like that of a baby's rash from the cigarette burn. Back on his feet, he looked more furious than before.
"I'm going to fucking kill you," he spat, and panic surged through me as I watched him charge forward, intent on grabbing my rescuer by the throat.
The Italian stranger used his elbow to break the muscle guy's hold on his neck before jabbing his knee straight into his stomach.
Meanwhile, the redhead cursed as he watched the fight, blood streaming from his nose. He rushed over to his car and pulled out a bat from the back seat.
"Behind you!" I screamed as the redhead took a swing at the stranger.
The Italian swiftly spun around just in time, his reflexes quick as he dodged the bat. The bat swung straight into the muscle guy's face, knocking him out cold with a bloody face.
"Fuck!" Redhead cursed as he realized what he had done.
Running his fingers through his hair, he pulled at the scalp. "You're so fucking dead, hero," he spat, pointing his bat at Mr. Stranger.
"Too much talk from a dead man," the stranger grinned.
"I ain't dead yet," Redhead stated before rushing forth to attack him.
Anticipating his attack, the stranger swiftly sidestepped, then extended his leg forward, causing the attacker to stumble face-first against his car bumper.
The stranger stepped forward, grabbing the redhead by his neck before smashing his face multiple times against the car.
After a few minutes, the stranger released his hold on him. Redhead fell on his back, his face exposed to the moonlight.
I gasped when I saw him bleeding all over his face from where I stood. "Oh my God. Is he dead?" I screamed.
The stranger glanced at me, as if he had momentarily forgotten my presence. His gaze was intense as he watched me.
He smirked, walking towards me. "Unfortunately, no," he said.
Relieved, I sighed. "Thanks..." I paused, waiting for him to introduce himself.
"Stefano," he introduced himself, extending his hand for a handshake. "Stefano Marcello."
"Thank you, Stefano," I said with a smile, shaking his hand. "I'm Valerie... Valerie Davies."