Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 411

"My helmet."

The woman retrieved her helmet, secured it back onto her head, and swung her leg over her motorcycle. With a wave and a grin at Keith, she called out, "Catch you later."

"Hey!"

Keith wanted to ask for her name. She was skilled and mysterious, and curiosity aside, she had helped him out. It was only polite to ask for a name.

But he had barely let out a 'hey' when she had already sped away on her motorcycle.

She loved the thrill of the ride, her bike roaring away in an instant.

"What's your name?" Keith shouted after her.

Her laughter was the only response, drifting back to him on the wind.

He never did get her name.

The six thugs sprawled on the ground.

Pinehurst really wasn't the place for an ambush.

They into a woman, and she turned out to be a master.

The police arrived, and the six thugs had the misfortune of following in their seniors' footsteps, getting hauled off by the cops.

Lately, they all seemed to have the worst luck. No matter where they tried to strike at Keith, they ended up in police custody.

Keith must have been the darling of the gods lately, such good fortune!

He followed the police to give his statement.

By the time he was done, it was well past three in the afternoon.

His stomach was protesting fiercely, reminding him that he hadn't eaten, and his sister had called him a dozen times.

During his statement, he had picked up Lucinda's call, but hadn't dared to tell her about the trouble. He just said he was out for a ride and wouldn't be back for lunch.

Now, Keith headed straight for his sister's coffee shop, the Serendipity Cafe.

His brother-in-law was there.

He wanted to ask him to help find the mysterious woman who had done him a huge favor, practically saving his life.

It took Keith just about fifteen minutes to reach Serendipity Cafe.

Pinehurst's two young tycoons were both helping out at the shop.

Owen was even humming a tune.

He was in a fantastic mood because, at noon, Cecilia had driven him to the Yates' for lunch, which had nearly made him jump out of the car and dance right there on the street.

The Yates family had treated him so well.

During lunch, Becca had kept piling his plate with food, building a veritable mountain.

Though it was just regular home cooking, to him it tasted like the most exotic delicacies.

He had eaten nearly to the point of bursting.

It was only because Cecilia stopped him that he didn’t overindulge.

Cecilia got him.

She cared about him, worried he'd hurt his stomach if he ate too much.

In short, Owen was over the moon!

Returning to the shop in the afternoon, his smile was brighter than the sun. The customers who came in for a coffee ended up ordering much more under the influence of his radiant charm, inadvertently boosting the shop's revenue.

"Lucy."

Keith walked in, calling his sister, "Get me a couple of pastries, will you? I'm starving."

At his words, Lucinda hurried to grab some treats.

Cecilia brought him a warm glass of water.

Keith took a seat at the table nearest to the cash register.

Stefan and Owen came over to join him.

"Haven't had lunch yet?" Owen asked Keith. Without waiting for a reply, he teased, "That's the single life for you. No one to remind you to eat, no one to worry if you're starving."

Keith shot him a look. "You talk like you're not single yourself."

Stefan sensed something was off with Keith. He didn't rush to ask, waiting until Keith had devoured the pastries and downed two glasses of water before asking with concern, "Did something happen?"

Lucinda also chimed in, "Bro, you want more pastries? Or should I get you a burger or something?"

Keith glanced around the café. NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

His rapid consumption had coincided with the patrons finishing their meals and leaving. Now, there were only a couple of customers left, sitting far from him.

"Lucy, I'm good with the pastries, not hungry anymore."

After replying to his sister, Keith said in a low voice, "I ran into some hitmen outside."

"Are you okay, bro?" Lucinda had a feeling her premonition was right.

Her brother wouldn't ignore her calls without a reason. Then, he answered but didn't explain, probably not wanting to worry her over the phone.

"If he was hurt, would he be sitting here chowing down on pastries and sipping water?" Owen quickly retorted.

Keith gave him another look and turned to Cecilia, "Cecilia, this guy's got a long tongue for a man, all chatter and no substance. You'd better think it over, or he'll nag you to death. If you ditch him, I can introduce you to a decent guy."

Like their cousin Hayes Brooks, for instance.

Cecilia smiled, "If you have a good man to introduce, I'd be delighted to meet him."

"Cecilia."

Owen grabbed her hand in panic, "Don't listen to his nonsense. What kind of good man could he possibly introduce you to from his world? Even if there were any, you wouldn't be able to handle them. I'm simple, no schemes, an open book – you can handle me."

"Mr. Martinez, you've got some nerve. If you're without schemes, then no one has schemes."

"Keith, I'm quite a bit older than you, so cut the 'little boy' act. Besides, you're ragging on me for no reason. Are you sure you're not barking up the wrong tree?"

"No, I find it particularly enjoyable to trip you up, to knock you down a peg."

Right, he'd forgotten Keith was his enemy's dear brother-in-law, firmly on Stefan's side. It made sense for Keith to target him.

He'd just gotten a bit irked seeing Cecilia bringing Keith water, and that had made him jump into the conversation too quickly.

And now Keith had taken note.

Keith sure could hold a grudge.

"Alright, let Keith finish his story," Cecilia interjected, and Owen quieted down to listen.

"Lucy, I'm fine. The bad guys are all down at the station. I'm telling you this because I need Stefan's help. I ran into this mysterious lady—she was clad in a sleek, black outfit, topped with a stunning silver butterfly mask. Couldn't see her face, but she had long hair, and was somewhere between 5'7" and 5'9", with a slim, statuesque figure. She helped me out, actually saved my bacon. Stefan, can you dig up some info on her? I've got to thank her in person."

As he shared his story, everyone's interest was piqued.

Relieved to know her big bro was unharmed, Lucinda's heart settled, and she too became intrigued by the enigmatic woman.

She wondered, who could this savior be?

Could she possibly get her brother to fall head over heels?

Keith just shook his head.

Was his sister channeling Cupid or what?

Always trying to sort out his romantic lives as if she was more invested than their own parents.

Dad never really poked his nose into Keith's love life, but mom, once she sobered up, definitely showed some interest.