Chapter 192: Restless If I Don’t Run For a Day
Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Restless If I Don’t Run For a Day
Gigi circled above two men in floral shirts.
They carried a bag of beer, their arms slung over each other’s shoulders as they walked toward an oyster stall.
The pair ordered a dozen oysters and sat on low stools.
The man with glasses pulled two bottles of beer from the plastic bag and tossed one to the crew-cut man beside him.
As they drank, they scanned their surroundings.
"That chick isn’t out yet," the crew-cut man grumbled.
The man with glasses took a few gulps of beer and clapped his companion on the shoulder. "Relax, the chick comes out almost every night. If not tonight, we’ll just wait for tomorrow."
"Connor is such a wuss," the crew-cut man couldn’t help but rant. "We ask him to join us in getting a piece of this girl, and he says he doesn’t have the nerve."
"Forget him." The man with glasses pulled a betel nut from his pocket and tossed it into his mouth. "If he’s not coming, that just means more fun for the two of us."
The crew-cut man took the betel nut and nodded. "You’ve got a point."
Having heard enough, Gigi flapped its wings and flew back.
It relayed the men’s conversation to Renee Jennings.
"They’re disgusting!" Renee Jennings clenched her fists, her face flashing with anger.
Seeing how angry she was, Zachary Conway asked nervously, "Renee, what did the little swallow say?"
Renee Jennings repeated what Gigi had told her.
"Those two bastards!" Kyle Morgan’s face was filled with rage.
Zachary Conway was furious too. "They’re total scumbags!"
With a grim expression, Henry Stark took out his phone and made a call, requesting more manpower.
He hung up and said in a low voice, "Let’s get back to the car and observe."
"Roger," Kyle Morgan and Zachary Conway said in unison.
Renee Jennings nodded as well. "Okay."
She looked at the four curious little birds and said softly, "Can you help us keep an eye on them?"
"Of course!" Coco was the first to agree. "It would be this sparrow’s honor!"
The other three little birds also chirped their willingness to help.
"Thank you," Renee Jennings said with a smile. "I’ll treat you all to a meal tomorrow."
Gigi waved a wing. "It’s nothing!"
Renee Jennings and her group left the riverside and got into the car Henry Stark had driven. It was parked on the side of the road, offering a clear view of the man with glasses and the crew-cut man through the window.
Another half hour passed. The only vendor left by the river was a stall selling starch sausages.
Presumably because there were no more pedestrians by the river, the starch sausage vendor also began to pack up and leave.
The man with glasses and the crew-cut man sat on the steps, finishing their last two bottles of beer.
They crushed the cans and tossed them aside.
The crew-cut man frowned. "It’s almost midnight. Why isn’t that chick out for her run yet?!"
The night grew darker. Pale moonlight shimmered on the river’s surface. A few new apartment buildings stood by the river, and Eliana Sinclair lived in one of them—a company-rented employee dormitory.
After working late, she returned to her dorm and immediately changed into her workout clothes.
Her roommate noticed, glanced at the time on her phone, and said, "Ina, it’s almost midnight. Are you still going out for a run?"
"Yep," Eliana Sinclair said as she tied up her hair. "I have to run, no matter how late. If I miss a day, my whole body feels off."
"You’re so intense!" her roommate exclaimed. "Your figure is already amazing. It’s okay to slack off once in a while."
"I can’t," Eliana Sinclair said, taking a couple of small sips of water. "I’m afraid if I get lazy once, I won’t be able to get moving again."
Her roommate frowned slightly. "But it’s getting really late. It’s not that safe for you to be running out there alone. Especially since you’re so pretty."
"It’ll be fine." Eliana Sinclair gave her roommate a reassuring look. "I’ve run this late before. There are high-def cameras everywhere these days; no one would dare try anything."
Since she put it that way, her roommate didn’t press the issue. "Well, just be careful then. I’m going to bed."
"I will. Good night." Eliana Sinclair put on her shoes and headed out.
"Here she comes!" The man with glasses nudged the dozing crew-cut man with his elbow. "Quick, look! The hottie’s here!"
The crew-cut man snapped awake, looking up with an excited expression. "So hot. Today’s outfit makes those bombshells of hers look even bigger."
"If only she’d trade those yoga pants for a miniskirt one of these days," the man with glasses said, rubbing his chin lewdly.
"Haha, are you stupid?" The crew-cut man rubbed his hands together with a sly grin. "Aren’t we going to be stripping those yoga pants off her tonight anyway?"
The man with glasses slapped his forehead. "Right, what was I thinking?!"
Inside the car, Kyle Morgan broke the silence. "You guys see that? There’s a girl running."
"Saw her."
"See her."
Zachary Conway and Renee Jennings replied at the same time.
A short distance away, a swallow flew toward them.
Henry Stark lowered the window and said softly, "Renee, it’s for you."
"Gigi." Renee Jennings extended her hand out the window.
Gigi landed in her palm. "Renee, the female human who runs at night is here."
"Is it the one in the pink outfit?" Renee Jennings asked.
Gigi nodded. "That’s the one."
Renee Jennings whispered, "Got it. Did the two males say anything else?"
Gigi: "They said they want to strip off the female’s... um... yogurt pants."
Renee Jennings’s slender eyebrows knitted together. She pressed her lips into a thin, displeased line.
Eliana Sinclair ran with headphones in, listening to music and regulating her breathing.
When she had enough time, she usually ran for fifty minutes and stretched for ten.
Since it was late tonight, she planned to run for just thirty minutes before heading back.
As Eliana Sinclair ran, she suddenly sensed footsteps behind her.
She turned around and saw a man wearing glasses.
He wore a loose, faded black T-shirt, black shorts, and a pair of black flip-flops. He definitely didn’t look like he was out for a run.
When the man with glasses saw her look back, he bared his teeth in a grin. "Well, look at that. Fancy seeing you here. You out for a run, too?"
Eliana Sinclair frowned. Ignoring him, she turned away and picked up her pace.
The man with glasses jogged after her for a short distance before stopping.
Eliana Sinclair glanced back cautiously, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw he hadn’t followed.
"Just my imagination," she muttered.
Eliana Sinclair finished her first lap and started on her second.
As she ran, she saw the man with glasses standing up ahead, now with another man beside him.
Eliana Sinclair frowned. She instinctively tried to speed up as she passed them, but they suddenly jumped out, blocking her path.
"Hey there. Out running so late? Don’t you have a man?"
Forced to a halt, Eliana Sinclair took a step back. "I don’t know you," she said, annoyed. "And I have no interest in talking to you."
"Ooh, playing hard to get, are we?" the man with glasses laughed slyly. "That’s okay, we’re not picky. Why don’t you come find a place and chat with us two brothers for a bit?"
A wave of unease washed over Eliana Sinclair, and her expression soured. She clenched her fists nervously. "I’m not interested."
"You might not be interested in us, but we two brothers have a very *special* interest in you!" the crew-cut man snickered. "And I mean *sexual* interest, you get it?"
The color drained from Eliana Sinclair’s face. Her eyes widened in shock. "You... I’ll call the police!"