Chapter 280 - Thirty-Seventy

Every single thing that happens in our lives is preparing us for a moment that is yet to come. Sometimes the road of life takes an unexpected turn, and we have no choice but to follow it to end up in the place we are supposed to be.

Not before the car stepped into the highway, the driver caught the sight of construction barrels with line closed ahead caution, and he has to force stop it. The moment the car halted, Devin shot out, closing the laptop tightly shut. ''What's happening here, Axel!''

''Sorry for the inconvenience, Sir. The line is closed here.'' Axel replied hesitantly. ''Two days back, the city was hit with 1 to 2 inches of pouring rain causing various road and transit closures. Since the rain has calmed down, the highway maintenance must be operating.''

All of a sudden, Devin remembered Leena talking about the heavy downpour in the city. Leena had a hard time sleeping because rainstorms always remind her of the accident. Devin so wished he was there with Leena to hold her in his arms and soothe her, but he couldn't. The least he could do was talk with her until she shut her eyes and dozed off to sleep.

''Alright, drive back to Greenwyn Village,'' Devin stated. He could also talk about the drafted proposal in a call, but he can't wait anymore without seeing Leena.

''Yes, Sir!'' Axel reversed the car straight to the DewGarden. The car was moving smoothly on the road, without knowing a sharp object has pierced through the surface of the tire. The puncture was so deep that the tire began to lose air pressure in seconds, making it difficult for Axel to steer the car.

Suddenly, Devin also felt the wheel shuddering like buckshot hitting his face before the car ceased to a halt. Since he started from the airport, within an hour, he has been facing barriers after barriers.

''Didn't you check the air pressure before starting?'' Calmly Devin asked, but Axel felt the force underlying Devin's tone. His throat dried, impossible to swallow. 

''Sir, I_I checked before I started, but then I don't know_.''

''Go and see the problem first.'' His patience was already running out, and he doesn't know when he will flare up in anger at this rate.

''Sure, sir.'' Nodding his head in approval, Axel stepped out of the car to examine the tire. True to his speculation, a sharp object has pierced the rear wheel. ''Strange! How did it happen?'' He whispered to himself.

It was safe enough to change the tire, but it would lead to catastrophic results if he made Devin wait for it because he doesn't know how long it takes to fix it. So, Axel immediately called Nick and asked him to send a car to the location he just shared while talking over the phone. Axel then knocked on the car window to which Devin rolled down.

''Sir, there is a sudden blowout in the rear tire. I have called Nick to send a car here since it may consume your time.''Before he would lash out at him, Axel hastily spoke out.

''One job, you have failed in doing it properly.'' Having said that, Devin stepped out of the car. Closing the door shut, he ordered. ''Get the tire changed fast.'' 

''Yes, sir.'' Heaving a sigh for getting spared, Axel started the business.

The place was deserted except for cars moving occasionally. So, changing the tire would take less than twenty minutes, and by chance, Nick doesn't make it in time, he could travel by his car alone. Devin doesn't want any more mishaps today. He had enough already.

In the meantime, Devin made a call to Fredrick to talk about the drafted proposal without knowing he was just a step away from the darkness. One often meets their destiny on the road they took to avoid it, and Devin wrote his own destiny today.

..... 

Unknown to Devin, at a hiding distance, a man was holding a rifle in his triggering arm. The barrel was pointing straight, putting the focus of his eye on the head around the target. ''I got him. Target is at my shooting range.'' He spoke up through the Bluetooth piece. 

''Wait for my orders,'' Nash declared and called up Enger. ''He is just at the trigger reach, Enger. What's your order?''

''Wait.'' Replied Enger. A bullet straight to the head will kill him in a second. It would give him no sense of satisfaction. He wants Devin's pain. He wants to read Devin's notice of death with p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. "Aim the bullet straight to his c.h.e.s.t.'' He declared before cutting off the call.

Just when the word walked out of Enger's mouth, breathing in halfway out, the shooter squeezed the trigger and released the bullet, destroying every closet doors.

Fates have terrible power. You cannot escape it by wealth or war. No fort will keep it out, and no sh.i.p.s will outrun it. You have to accept the fall when you are thrown. The only thing that counts is whether you get back up, and Devin's life and death situation was nothing more than that. The mobile crashed to the ground, followed by a loud thud. If it was the end of his story today, he wished to see her for one last time before he close his eyes.

....

Leena banged and kicked on to Nick's door impatiently. She knew Nick is purposefully not opening the door. ''I will hack your system if you don't_''

The door was pulled open from the other end before she completed her words. Watching Nick's cool stance, Leena shouted at the top of her voice. ''What took you so long?''

''Why are you here?'' He lazily asked, opening the door wide open.

''I am not able to sleep.'' Barging into his house, Leena walked into the living room and settled on the sofa. ''I am so happy that I am not able to sleep. My babylicious has landed at the airport. He will be here in an hour.'' Like a child missing her parents, Leena bragged about it. A smile spread across her face at the thought of seeing him. Finally, the wait is over. 

''If you have come to tell this, I know it already.'' With a yawn, Nick collapsed on the couch. Husband and wife have no work except to torture him without letting him sleep.

''How? Did my Devin tell you?'' Leena exclaimed. 

''Axel called.'' Nick said. ''The car got punctured while he started for home. So, he called me_.''

''Why didn't you go then!'' Leena flared up at him, and hurriedly, she unlocked her mobile to call Devin. Before Leena pressed on Devin's name icon, Nick grasped it. ''At least let him breathe for a while, Leena. You have been torturing him with your calls since the day he flew to Norway.''

''It's called love and caring.'' Leena grabbed her mobile from Nick's hands, and with a mock, she said. ''People like you who go and kiss everyone doesn't understand it.''

''Leena!'' Nick screamed, clenching his fists. ''If you bring my story again_.''

Just then, Nick's phone buzzed with an incoming call. When he glanced at the contact number, his frown deepened. Why did Kurt call me in the morning? ''Give me a second.'' Nick excused and went into the balcony to talk with him.

It didnot take much time to end the call, but his eyes were blazing red to process the dreadful news.

''Who is it?'' Leena asked, as she looked at Nick.

Nick doesn't know how the poor girl will take this to her heart, but still he has to take her to the hospital without letting her know the truth. Mustering up his courage, with a forced smile, Nick spoke up. ''Hey Crazy Leena, Devin asked me to bring you to a place.''

''Why?'' Leena asked with curiosity. ''Is he planning for another surprise?''

''I_I have no idea,'' Nick turned his face away, to conceal his emotions from her. ''Let's go first." It would be too late if they don't go now, but he did not voice out the thought.

''Okay then. I will go and get ready.'' Not before Leena took a step forward, Nick held her hand gently. ''Let's go, Leena. Devin wants to bring you urgently. He has something to tell you."

''Alright.'' A smile reached up to her ears as she stepped out of the house along with Nick.

The atmosphere in the car was eerily silent. Leena flared questions after questions to pull out the secret, but he had no answers. When the car pulled into the hospital entrance, Leena skeptically looked at him. "'W_hy did you bring me here? Isn't it the hospital where aunt Evelyn works right?"

''Yeah. Devin wanted to_

''W_hat happened to him!'' Her lips trembled in fear when a dreadful thought crossed her mind. She is slowly understanding Nick has lied to bring her here. Did something happen to Devin?

Wordlessly, Nick opened the car door, but Leena refused to get down until he answered her questions. '''W_hat happened to him!"

''Let's go in first.'' Nick was hardly controlling himself from breaking down. "Don't you want to see him for one last time?''

" W_hat!" Her brain stuttered for a moment. Her voice trembled, halting, disbelieving.

"I executed the shooter and cleared all the evidence of the spot.'' Nash said, walking into Enger's room.

''What about him?'' He asked; his tone sounded calm and relaxed.

''Thirty-Seventy,'' Nash remarked. ''Might be less than a thirty percent chance of surviving.''

''Pretty good.'' He smiled, binding a sticky pin on the board. Unless Devin is lucky, or a miracle happens like five years back when Leena got into an accident, there is no chance of Devin surviving. But luck never favors him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lost his memories.