[8]

Laurie's grip on my hand was tight as I led us away from the plaza and deeper into the streets of Manhattan. The girl didn't let out a peep for the entire duration of the journey, or at least not until I eventually turned a corner and finally stopped running once we were hidden well enough in an alleyway, which I figured would conceal us from any eyes for the most part.

When I turned back to face her fully, she stood with a lowered head, her eyes peeking out from underneath her bangs with a timid demeanor. I couldn't help but smile as I began to channel my inner-cult leader, and while my hoodie still covered the majority of my face, I gestured to our surroundings in a placating manner.

"...Well, that was fun." I muttered under my breath, pausing for a moment to get my bearings straight. The fact that I essentially just stole a rich guy's daughter was still kind of catching up to me, and I wasn't exactly sure how to process it yet either. "There's no need to worry now, you're safe. You know, from your dad and his weird mind control thing."

I was laying it on a bit thick, I knew that, but it honestly just felt like too much of a bother to act completely ignorant. Plus, if I came out swinging with information I obviously wasn't supposed to know, it would likely give off the impression that I wasn't entirely normal either. Depending on how she responded to the situation, that could definitely have some consequences, but since she had already seemed willing enough to be taken away by a stranger, I couldn't really find it in myself to be too worried about the outcome.

Quelling the hint of anxiety that had begun creeping up my neck when she didn't react at all for the first few seconds, the blonde eventually nodded her head slowly but continued to remain silent for some reason. I quickly grew curious.

Stepping into her personal bubble, I placed a hand on her bare shoulder and tilted my head. She was wearing clothes that I'd likely see on an e-girl, but I wasn't exactly complaining. The form-fitting tank top and skirt that was notably short for a girl her age appeared to fit her very well, even though it kind of seemed like it wouldn't have been her first choice of attire, which brought me to the conclusion that what she wore had at least been somewhat influenced by her father.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, occasionally hearing the familiar sounds of traffic outside of the alleyway. This place truly was the city that never slept. "Do you need a water or something? I sorta forgot that you might be tired after running for so long-"

My eyes widened as, before I could react, she abruptly lowered herself to the ground and uncaringly kneeled before me, her exposed knees resting against the rough concrete beneath our feet. On instinct, I took a step back out of surprise.

Quietly, her voice traveled through the alleyway, and it didn't me very long to realize that she was partially crying tears of joy as she spoke up for the first time.

"...T-Thank you." Laurie wept, her head slowly rising from its lowered position until her teary eyes met mine. "Thank you so much for saving me. You're my hero!"

I stared down at her with a baffled look under my hood, but with how much she was crying at the moment, I didn't even think she would have been able to notice it. However, as much as I disagreed with the last part of what the blonde said, I still crouched down to wrap my arms around her in a comforting manner. It wasn't because I thought of myself as a good person though, and I was still reeling from this new turn of events, even though in my mind I was already trying to come up with a plan on how I could best guide this to my advantage.

Honestly, I kind of already was at an advantage, but since I also had to meet up with Armena in a couple days from now and continue working on my shitty living conditions, there were other aspects of my life I still had to worry about in the long run. Not to mention, with how this was going, I would likely be taking the girl home with me, which meant that, before we headed back to Harlem, I'd have to pick up a few items along the way.

As I rose from the ground, I gently tugged Laurie up with me, and she held on with her arms wrapped around my neck. Her face was tucked under my chin, and when I pulled back to get a better look at her, I was once again taken by surprise as an unfamiliar set of lips made contact with mine. They were soft, though, and before long, I was returning the unexpected affection with some of my own hunger.

I wasn't a virgin, and it had certainly been a while since I got laid, but now wasn't exactly the time, as much as I wanted to just allow my dick to do all the thinking.

After nearly fifteen seconds of an impromptu make out session, I separated from the emotional girl in front of me. She clearly wasn't all that stable, and I figured that applied in a few areas in her case, but I also couldn't help but at least feel partially sympathetic with her situation. It was fucked up, plain and simple.

However, before I could actually get a word out, I suddenly felt a strange wave of heat pass between us, a line of saliva connecting our tongues together before it eventually broke off. The blonde stared up at me in an adoring manner, her eyes full of a concerning amount of infatuation. It was in that moment that I truly realized what had just transpired.

Unseen to both of us, a unique brand silently appeared underneath her skirt and on one of her ass cheeks, before it eventually disappeared at a sedate pace as well. From this point forward, she completely belonged to me in every way imaginable, and that would never change, no matter what.