Chapter 122 The Car Door Suddenly Closed by Gabriel
The two inebriated men reeked of liquor. Jessica attempted to flee, but the dark hallway limited her escape. Approaching her with boisterous laughter, the men spouted obscenities. Although the hallway was old and dark, Jessica walked through it every day. She was familiar with the height of the steps under her feet. She quickly retreated until she reached the entrance of the unit door, then turned around and ran outside.
"Hey, beauty, where are you running off to?"
"Stay and have some fun."
"Come back and chat, beauty. You're running pretty fast. Let's catch up!"
Jessica thought that once she ran out, she could avoid those two drunk men. However, she didn't expect them to chase after her. Despite being intoxicated, they had large strides, catching up to her easily.
Instinctively, Jessica reached for her pocket, but her phone wasn't there. She couldn't even call for help.
Usually, the people moving around the neighborhood were uncles and aunts of that age group. By this time, they had all gone home to rest. There was no one downstairs, and it was quiet and dark all around.
Jessica thought of running out of the neighborhood and hiding in the supermarket across the street. She quickly turned and ran towards the residential compound entrance.
As the footsteps of the two drunk men chasing her grew closer, Jessica ran to the gate of the community and suddenly saw that Gabriel's car hadn’t driven away.
Looking up, she saw Gabriel standing by the driver's side door, with one hand in his pocket, standing tall and relaxed. As she ran out, their gazes met.
Her face was full of panic as she ran out, and Gabriel's stern eyebrows twitched. He walked directly towards her.
With the footsteps behind her getting closer, Jessica hurriedly ran towards him. Just as she reached Gabriel, she grabbed his sleeve to pull him towards the car, hastily saying, "Open the car door and let me hide for a while!"
Gabriel noticed Jessica, breathless as if from a sprint, yet her voice remained firm. Nothing seemed amiss. Simultaneously, he spotted the two men, reeking of alcohol, who had rushed from the neighborhood gate, spouting obscenities. With her pulling on his sleeve, he walked over to help her open the car door.
Without hesitation, Jessica sat directly into the car, then looked up and asked, "Did I leave my phone in your car?"
Gabriel handed her the phone, then turned to close the car door on the outside.
Jessica caught the phone with one hand and quickly reached out to pull him back, whispering urgently, "Don't go over there! Those two men don't know which neighbor's floor they're on. They're drunk and say all sorts of dirty things. I'll just call the police and report their behavior. You don't need to go over there. No need to dirty your hands!"
While speaking, Jessica had already called Cynthia, briefly explained the situation, then put down the phone and looked at Gabriel standing by the car.
Although Gabriel didn't go over to teach the two drunk men who were still standing on the roadside looking around, he was now standing by the open passenger door, looking at her with a faint gaze.
By now, Jessica's breathing had steadied a bit. "I have a friend at the police station. I've already told her, and she's sending a nearby patrol over."
After saying that, she hesitated, looking through the car window at the two drunk men who were still looking around and walking towards the supermarket. She didn't immediately get out of the car, planning to wait for the police to come and take the two men away before getting out and going home.
However, just as she had this thought, the car door was suddenly closed by Gabriel from the outside.
The sound of the door closing was heavy, and Jessica suddenly turned her eyes. Then she heard the sound of the door being locked.
Gabriel was still outside the car, and Jessica quickly tapped on the window. The window rolled down halfway in the next moment. She leaned out half of her head from inside and asked, "What are you doing?"
Gabriel's expression was indifferent, overly calm. "The key."
"What?" Jessica didn't understand.
Gabriel's gaze had already turned to the other side of the road. The two drunk men, unable to find Jessica at the supermarket, were still looking around and shouting, "Beautiful girl, don't hide, come out quickly," with increasingly lewd expressions.
Jessica felt that if those two men had already approached the car, Gabriel's frosty gaze could have kicked them into the nearby flower bed in an instant.
"What key?" she asked.
Gabriel withdrew his gaze. "The key to your house."
"Why?" Jessica didn't understand, but in this helpless situation, she subconsciously followed his words. She took out the key from her pocket and handed it to him through the half-open car window, then curiously blinked. "What are you going to do? Use the key as a weapon?"
As he took the key, Gabriel glanced at her as if she were a fool. "To help you move."
Just as Gabriel was about to step away with his long legs, Jessica said, "Wait, wait! Hold on! Last time, I sent a WhatsApp to Mackenzie and asked her to help me find a house. It accidentally went to you! I did plan to move out, but I haven't found a place to live yet. It's not convenient to carry a bunch of luggage to a hotel at this late hour, and I haven't even packed my things!"
In the distance, the siren of a police car could be heard approaching.
The two drunk men, still staggering on the road, shouting, "Beautiful girl, don't hide, come out quickly," were suddenly caught by the police car. One of them was startled, clinging to the car door, saying he hadn't done anything wrong and refusing to get in. In the end, he was mercilessly dragged into the car.
Jessica sighed in relief. "See, they're gone. I'm safe now!"
Gabriel glanced in the direction of the police car, and when he withdrew his gaze, there was no warmth in his eyes, his tone flat. "Safe?"
Jessica didn't dare to respond.
During the time Gabriel had stayed at her house, there was one night when the middle-aged man next door suddenly came over to knock on her door after ten o'clock, saying that the faucet in his house was broken and he couldn't get water. He wanted to come into her house to get two buckets of water to take back.
By ten-thirty, Jessica knew her neighbor was alone since his wife had taken their kids to her mother's. He'd noticed Jessica and her daughter were often alone, with no man in their home. His late-night visit to borrow water, even without ill intentions, was certainly pushing Jessica's boundaries. Of course, that night, Jessica didn't open the door, but Gabriel heard the whole process and asked her, "Hasn't this situation happened before?"
She didn't deny it at that time.
Gabriel was well aware of all the safety hazards she faced living here, and for a moment, she didn't even have the chance to explain.
"Even if we want to move, we don't have to do it now. It's already late, and I'm not used to staying in hotels." Jessica had a few drinks tonight, and she wasn't feeling well. She really wanted to go back and sleep early.
"I didn't ask you to stay in a hotel," Gabriel said.
"What?" Jessica didn't understand.
