Chapter 26 - Three Times

Halia's heart ached when she saw the man. She had never seen him before, but Sara definitely knew him.

The man placed a bunch of flowers on Sara's grave and wiped a tear before he turned to leave. As he walked past the tree that Halia and Eric were hiding behind, his phone suddenly rang.

A sweet melody echoed through the empty cemetery. The pleasant notes danced across the cold night air and entered Halia's ears. Halia felt her eyes tear up and it quickly blurred her vision.

As she wiped her eyes and looked back up, Halia discovered she was inside a beautiful ballroom. She could still hear the melody playing as a man approached. "May I have this dance?" his deep charming voice asked.

Halia held the man's hand and smiled, "Of course."

The man pulled her close to his body with one hand and placed his other hand on her waist. He then led her across the dancefloor, as they moved to the rhythm of the music. Now that Halia looked at the man properly, she recognized him. He was the man that visited Sara's grave and this was obviously Sara's memory.

Judging by the feelings she felt...

...Sara loved this man.

"Hello," a deep charming voice ended the music and Halia snapped back to the reality of the dark cemetery.

The man had picked up his phone.

"Yes, I'm returning to the office right now," he said as he rushed off.

After the man left, Halia broke down in tears.

"What's wrong, Halia?" Eric asked. "Do you know that man?"

"No...but I think Sara did..."

Eric pulled Halia into his arms and comforted her, "It's OK, at least we caught her killer."

Not too far away, in the shadows, a familiar figure watched as the two hugged.

It was Jackson Wu...

He was worried about Halia, so he followed her and Eric out of the police station to make sure she got home safe. But, now that he saw the two hug, he realized why Eric looked so familiar.

He had seen him at the police station before. Eric was the one that picked up Halia and introduced himself as her boyfriend on the night that Jackson was suspected of kidnapping and drugging her.

Yes, Isaac did not lie about the night that Halia's drink was spiked at the bar. He did, indeed, black out in the toilet cubicle until 4am the next day. But, most importantly, he was telling the truth when he said that Halia's 'friend' carried her out of the bar. And, this 'friend' was none other than Jackson Wu, the same man that had brought her to the hospital when she had a panic attack.

Jackson shook his head and laughed at himself in ridicule, "You saved her three times, but she has no idea...oh Jackson...why can't you mind your own business..."

...

A few hours ago, Jackson was supposed to meet a client at an abandoned warehouse for an important deal, but when he arrived, he saw a car parked out the front. He was a bit early and did not expect the client to be earlier than him, so he walked in to check.

That was when he saw Halia and Alex. Alex was sitting on a chair as Halia danced in front of him like she was in a trance.

"Oh Halia, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" he frowned.

He quickly walked back out of the warehouse and called his client, "The deal is canceled, something came up."

"What do you mean it's canceled, we need the goods tonight!" the man yelled.

Jackson hung up without explaining. He then grabbed a burner phone from his glove box and called the police.

After that, he headed back inside. His driver stayed in the car, but two of his men quickly jumped out to back him up.

"What's happening, Boss?"

"I think we came across the serial killer that's been on the news lately."

One of his men quickly picked up a rusty hammer he found on the floor. It was probably left behind from when the warehouse was still functioning.

"Are we teaching him a lesson? I hate men that target beautiful, defenseless women," the heavier man asked.

Jackson did not answer. He simply glared at the scene in front of him as they reentered the warehouse. At that moment, Halia was unbuttoning her shirt and Alex was watching her with a perverted expression.

Jackson felt his blood boil.

"Isn't that the pretty nurse from the hospital?" the skinnier man asked.

The two men following Jackson, were the ones that visited him at the hospital when he was injured. The third one was his driver who was waiting in the car.

Jackson touched the bandage on his head. It hadn't even been a week since he met this woman, but so much had already happened.

He sighed and stepped out of the shadows, "I would let her go if I were you..."