Luke Allen.

“So… What exactly happened?” Natalie asked Thomas.

“I couldn’t tell you exactly,” Thomas said, looking back at me. “Oliver here saw it all. He’s the one who caught the thief before he could run away with Ms. Jennifer’s things.”

“When we got there, he already had the asshole pinned on the ground making him eat gravel,” Mila said proudly.

With all eyes on me, my anxiety began to resurface. Three people I didn’t know, looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to explain everything. Still, I began to tell them everything.

“It happened too quickly. Ms. Jennifer was walking behind me when I heard some struggling. I turned around and saw the guy… punching her. I got mad and ran after him. Thomas and Mila heard something happening and got out of the store they were in. The police took the thief, then we offered to bring her to the hospital. That was when Thomas called, you, Mr. Luke.” I swallowed. “I’m.. sorry I couldn’t stop him from hurting her.”

“No, no. Thank you so much for standing up for her,” Mr. Luke said, his smile brighter now. “And thank you for bringing her here.”

“Seriously,” Ms. Cecilia said. “She must’ve been so scared. Thank you for helping her.”

“It’s the least we could do,” Thomas said, smiling bashfully. “If assholes like that exist, then some of us need to pick up the slack and help each other.”

Mr. Luke’s smile widened. “Just so, Mr. Thomas! Just so! Let me ask again, then, so I won’t forget it. You’re Thomas Pierce, correct?” he asked our resident big guy, to which Thomas nodded. “You, miss, are…”

“Milana Aliev, sir.” Mila addressed him formally, too. Was it the suit that made us think he was so much older than us?

Then he turned to me, and his eyes seemed to look beyond just my face. He… examined me, appraised me, evaluated me… all in a single, short look. “And you are Oliver…”

“B-Brooks, Mr. Luke.”

The man smiled, a smile of genuine appreciation. “I am truly indebted to you three, and I mean to see that debt paid in some form or another.” He brought out his phone out of his pocket and turned to Thomas. “Would you mind giving me your number? I’d like to call you once Jennifer is better and I’ve finished some urgent business.”

“Um… Sure, yeah…”

I found it a little odd, too, but I didn’t think much of it. Thing is, even though I felt something was strange about Mr. Luke, I didn’t find him threatening or dangerous. He really did seem like a genuinely good person.

Only minutes later we found out how right we were.

We said our goodbyes and left Jennifer in their care. Then, as we drove back to the cosmetics store (because that was what we were there for, remember?) Thomas let out a ‘Oooooh!’ as he checked his phone.

“What? What is it?” I asked him.

“I thought I’d heard the name before, so I checked.”

“You mean Mr. Luke?” Mila asked him.

“Yeah. Luke Allen, sort of famous playboy and stupidly rich philanthropist. He’s known for burning money like it’s nobody’s business and somehow making it all back through his various businesses. He regularly donates large amounts of money to charities, too.”

“People like that are usually hiding a dark secret or two,” Mila said, skeptical.

“You’d think so, right? And he HAS been at the center of some internet drama, but it’s all people being outraged that he donated money to a foundation against breast cancer and not to [insert other charity here]. It’s all pretty ridiculous stuff. Besides, his businesses mostly amount to entertainment of all sorts. He owns a large part of the stocks for a huge game company, has beach resorts all over the world, has a movie production company, and I think he has plans to create a new video streaming service.”

I winced. “What the hell? What is he doing around here, then?”

Thomas shrugged. “No idea.”

“I guess it’s not so strange that he comfortably admitted that those three women were his girlfriends.”

For a full moment, Thomas and Mila didn’t say anything. Then, they gasped in shock.

“Wait, yeah! He said those three were his girlfriends, right!?” Thomas asked.

“He did, didn’t he?” Mila’s jaw hung. “I… didn’t think anything of it when he said it.”

Okay, now I thought they were overreacting. “I mean, it’s not THAT strange, right? I mean…”

“Yeah, but we’re a special case, aren’t we?” Mila said.

“He’s a special case, too. A man with that much money can do whatever he wants.”

“No, that’s not the issue,” Thomas said. “It’s that… I didn’t think anything of it until you mentioned it. Even now, I feel like I SHOULDN’T think anything of it, but when you call attention to it...” Thomas swallowed. “Do you think… he has some magic powers, too?”

I sighed. “It’s possible.”

“Did you feel something?” Mila asked me.

“Nothing concrete. Just a vague feeling that there was something odd about him. Thomas, how old does it say he is?”

“...Forty years old.”

“He DOES NOT look 40!” Mila said. “He looks in his mid 20s at best!”

“He could’ve had surgery, I suppose, but…” I shook my head. “I’d rather not get involved with him any further.”

“We really screwed up by giving him our names, then,” Mila said.

“I bet he would’ve found them regardless,” Thomas said. “If anything, at least we’re on his good side.”

“At least.”

“Do you have a bad feeling about him?”

I shook my head again. “No. If anything, I’m willing to believe he really is a good person. It’s just…”

“Just…?”

“Rich people make me uncomfortable.”

They both laughed at that.

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