At some point, Lu Jia's breathing became tremulous. She never expected that Mr. Phoenix would suddenly appear here and seem so ill-intentioned.
If Lu Jia hadn't made sure that there was no one in the car or the trunk when she was driving, she would really have thought that he had been quietly hiding in the corners she couldn't see all along, silently watching her.
...How did things turn out like this?
At this moment, Lu Jia could only take deep breaths, trying hard to calm herself down.
She had handed her unlocked phone to the other party at that time and hadn't taken it back since. Could it be that he had obtained her itinerary from her phone at that time?
Most likely that was the case.
However, although she had figured out how the other party had learned about her hotel information, she couldn't stop trembling all over.
Because the strong and tall figure behind her was still restraining her from top to bottom. Lu Jia knew very well that as long as she dared to move, the other party's taut muscles that were always on guard would immediately tighten and teach her a lesson.
No, she had to do something!
Therefore, Lu Jia stammered in her hoarse and dry voice, "I didn't mean to leave you behind. But we were almost there, and you told me to go first... I was just, just too scared..."
Compared to Lu Jia's nervousness, Mr. Phoenix was very calm. He just let out an ambiguous snort in his throat.
"Really? I'm skeptical. Your heart is beating too fast."
—Damn it!
Lu Jia closed her eyes in frustration, and her body suddenly stiffened. Cold sweat slowly flowed down at some point, and her strength quickly drained away.
Fortunately, her gaze inadvertently glanced around the room. Through the dim moonlight shining in from the window, it was as if she suddenly thought of something and continued to speak in English with difficulty.
"So... are you going to keep this posture all the time?"
"Anyway, you need to conserve your strength, right? I... can give you the bed to rest on tonight."
To save money, Lu Jia and the fortune-teller Zhang Xiaoqi had naturally booked the cheapest king-sized bed room.
After all, both of them were women and good roommates, so there was naturally nothing to avoid.
However, Lu Jia never expected that the person staying in this hotel room with her now had become another almost stranger.
She had booked the room for two nights. Letting him stay for one night was already the greatest kindness she could offer.
...Although the weak Lu Jia didn't seem to be in a position to bargain with the other party.
But perhaps Lu Jia's proposal appealed to the other party, or maybe the other party just wanted to give her a warning. Casper Phoenix finally slowly released his restraint on her and gave her back her freedom.
Finally liberated, Lu Jia immediately backed away repeatedly after breaking free. But in the darkness, her calf accidentally bumped into something, and she immediately lost her balance and fell heavily to the ground with a "bang".
Lu Jia subconsciously wanted to cry out in pain, but when she looked up and saw that tall, dark figure still standing in the dark corner by the room door, as if quietly watching her, her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately forgot what to say.
The man took two steps towards the direction where Lu Jia was. The extremely dim moonlight mixed with the neon lights shone on him, making his excellent facial contours alternate between light and shade. His straight brow bone and nose bridge showed clear lines, but only his gray-blue eyes were hidden in the deep eye sockets.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, and his gaze slowly moved down, stopping on the room card that he had stepped on.
That was the room card that Lu Jia had accidentally dropped on the ground when she was subdued.
Phoenix crouched down halfway, picked up the room card with his slender fingers, and his gaze happened to be level with Lu Jia's at this moment.
However, his gaze just swept over her indifferently and then he stood up, reached out and turned on the lights in the room.
In an instant, the rather small room was as bright as day. Lu Jia subconsciously narrowed her eyes and it took her a while to get used to it.
Phoenix looked expressionless at this time. He took long strides and stepped over Lu Jia, who was sitting on the ground, without even saying hello, and directly walked into the small bathroom in the room.
"Bang—"
Lu Jia turned her head blankly to look over. A few minutes later, the sound of splashing water came from the bathroom.
Fortunately, the bathroom in this hotel didn't have that kind of transparent glass installed. Otherwise, Lu Jia would really be so embarrassed that she would feel uncomfortable all over while being angry.
So, this man was a bit too casual, wasn't he?!
One second he acted as if he was going to strangle her, and the next second he just went into the bathroom to take a shower on his own?!
However, it was easier to invite the god than to send it away. The weak Lu Jia had no way to deal with the other party at this time.
It was impossible for her to just leave the hotel she had booked, right?
Thinking of this, Lu Jia couldn't help pinching herself hard and began to regret why she hadn't taken Zhang Xiaoqi's "prophecy" seriously at that time?
Before she knew it, half an hour had passed.
Anxious, regretful and at a loss, Lu Jia sat on the edge of the bed, her chaotic mind having no clue what to do.
But at this moment, the bathroom door suddenly creaked open. The moisture in the air slowly dissipated. The tall man was wearing a white bathrobe, covering his muscular body. His slightly wet, curly golden-brown hair still had a damp look, but his brows were tightly furrowed, and his whole body was filled with impatience and irritability.
Lu Jia's body stiffened again with his appearance, and she looked at the other party warily.
Phoenix seemed to sense Lu Jia's gaze. He looked up as if feeling something and walked towards the direction where Lu Jia was while looking at her.
She suddenly felt that all the blood in her body was surging. Her slow mind finally reacted. A man and a woman were alone in a room, and her danger level had soared!
But perhaps Lu Jia's action of crossing her arms over her chest was too funny. Phoenix frowned in disgust, acting like a picky nobleman and ordering arrogantly, "I need a set of clean clothes. After you come back, we'll go to the casino together."
"…?"
Lu Jia was at a loss. The hands that were hugging her chest couldn't help but slowly drop down. She stared at him in disbelief, "…What?"
"There should be men's ready-to-wear clothing stores outside the casino. Size 15 - 85 or XXL, thank you."
"…You, you want me to buy clothes for you?!"
Phoenix, with his tall figure, leaned against the bathroom door frame, casually curling the corners of his mouth, but there was still no ripple in his eyes, "Or, I'll tell the police that you're my accomplice."
"…"
"I suggest you do as I say obediently. When I get rid of the pursuit, then we can part ways as if nothing had happened. Otherwise... The Las Vegas police won't be able to help you. On the contrary, you'll be involved in something even more terrifying."
"…!"
"By the way, I'm sorry, but I'd like to ask... Do you have the money to change all the itineraries that have already been booked?"
"…"
She really didn't. Lu Jia didn't know whether the police could catch him or not, but she was sure that the other party would definitely be able to find her!
Even more terrifying was that, from what Phoenix meant, if she called the police and broke the calm facade, she would be implicated by him instead?!
Seeing the calm expression on Phoenix's face, Lu Jia took two deep breaths. She stood up nervously, looked at the handsome and charming man in front of her, wanted to say something, but finally swallowed her words angrily and gritted her teeth, "Okay."
With that, she grabbed her backpack and walked out of the room furiously, slamming the door heavily with a "bang".
Lu Jia was now standing in the long and dark corridor with her back against her room, thinking about what she should do at this time.
Run away?
Call the police?
Phoenix's threat had worked. Lu Jia didn't dare to act rashly, and she couldn't think of a third way to break the situation for the time being.
Lu Jia was going to graduate and look for a job in a year. She had come to the United States just for traveling. Her orderly life definitely couldn't accept any mistakes.
...It seemed that she really had to comply with the other party's demands and then try to send him away within the next eleven days and return to China according to the original plan.
Thinking of this, Lu Jia could only swallow her anger and then follow the signs in the hotel and walk towards the shopping area beside the casino.
*
I don't know if it was to create an environment where customers would lose track of day and night, but the ceilings of the casino hotels all coincidentally simulated the blue sky and white clouds during the day. The magnificent golden and elaborate buildings all showed luxury, tempting all those who had dreams of wealth to splash out money here.Even though it was already past midnight, and the time had quietly come to the third day of Lu Jia's itinerary, there were still some people spending money in the numerous long shops. They might be wealthy people who were generous with their money, or gamblers who had made a small profit in the casino but couldn't resist spending it all.Lu Jia had originally wanted to try her luck here before coming, but she was in no mood at this time.She now had to buy clothes for a man who was suspected to be a fugitive.Reluctantly, she picked out the clothes the other party needed in a rather inconspicuous small store. Out of hostility towards the other party and because Lu Jia was really short on money, she only bought a beach set for the man named Phoenix.What was a beach set?It was a gaudy short-sleeved shirt and an even gaudier pair of men's boxer shorts.No matter how you thought about it... it wasn't the other party's style at all and was a bit comical.Hmph, he could take it or leave it.Thinking of this, Lu Jia decisively bought it according to the other party's size. Her bad and anxious mood suddenly improved. She picked up the bag in her hand and walked back.She was even looking forward to seeing a surprised and angry reaction on the other party's usually calm face.
...Twenty minutes later, the casually handsome Casper Phoenix, with a strong leisure air about him, raised his eyebrows at her through the full-length mirror, as if not surprised by her little trick at all.At the same time, paired with his slightly long, drooping curly hair, Phoenix, who was originally quite aggressive, now looked charming and approachable in a way that could attract women of all ages, compared to when he was dressed in a suit and tie before.Simply put, a handsome person could pull off any outfit.No one would have thought that such a handsome and approachable man was the suspect that the FBI was looking for. It was estimated that even the face recognition system in the casino would probably fail.Lu Jia's face couldn't help but turn a bit ugly. She hadn't expected at all that her choice seemed to be exactly what he wanted.Phoenix withdrew his gray-blue eyes, which looked especially blue in the dim light, from Lu Jia's indignant expression, as if he didn't care about her thoughts at this time.He turned his head, and his hand was already on the doorknob. His deep voice slowly rang out in front of Lu Jia, leaving no room for doubt, "Let's go.""—Bring your wallet."