Chapter 12 Unexpected Encounters

Ethan's POV

I took the money Mom handed me and said, "Mom, I'm going to buy something over there. You guys keep shopping, and we'll meet at the central hall later."

Then I turned and ran off.

I headed to a pet store, looking around until I finally picked the last hamster they had in stock.

After haggling with the shop owner, I managed to get it for thirteen dollars.

But I still needed a cage and food, which cost another seven dollars, bringing my total to twenty dollars.

I watched the hamster sleeping peacefully in its cage, completely melting at how adorable it looked.

I would give this hamster to her.

As I was about to leave, I suddenly noticed someone staring at me intensely.

I looked over and saw a middle-aged man with pale lips clutching his side. When I noticed blood seeping through his fingers, I realized he was injured.

I felt scared and didn't dare stay any longer, quickly walking away with the hamster.

The man's threatening presence had really unnerved me, and in my panic, I wasn't watching where I was going. I accidentally bumped into someone and fell to the ground.

Thankfully, I'd managed to protect the hamster, so it wasn't hurt.

"Are you okay, kid?" the man asked.

I shook my head. "I'm fine."

When I looked up, I realized who it was.

"It's you!"

Griffin looked surprised too. "Oh, it's you."

I noticed several men in black suits behind him, all scanning the area as if searching for something.

"Are you looking for someone?" I asked.

Griffin seemed surprised. "How did you know?"

"It's pretty obvious. There's a strange man back there who seems injured. Are you—?"

The men followed my pointing finger to where I'd seen the injured man, but he was already gone.

Nevertheless, they all headed in that direction.

Griffin crouched down to my level. "Kid, thank you for saving my life two weeks ago. I left in a hurry and didn't have much money on me. Please take this, along with my contact information."

He stood up and quickly walked away before I could refuse.

I scratched my head, thinking how strange our encounters were. Two weeks ago, we were still in Bloomdale, and my siblings and I were playing by the river when we saw something shocking.

It was that same man from just now, with his upper body exposed, revealing a long scar across his chest that nearly spanned his entire torso.

We watched as he used a red-hot knife to dig out bullets from his arm and thigh.

Then he pressed the heated blade against his wounds, letting out an agonizing scream before passing out.

After witnessing this, we decided to help him. We borrowed a small cart from a neighbor and pulled him to our secret hideout, a straw hut.

The conditions there weren't great, but it was sheltered from the wind, warm enough, and well-hidden.

I made sure to cover up any traces of his fire and buried the bullets he had removed.

Since he had gunshot wounds, we didn't dare tell Mom about him, afraid it might bring trouble.

After that, we brought medicine and food to check on him every day.

Fortunately, his body was remarkably strong, and he regained consciousness the next day.

Paul always volunteered to go in alone and wouldn't let us enter, so my sister Diane Lynch and I would wait outside.

But from what just happened, it seems Griffin knew we were triplets. The moment I spoke, he recognized me.

I was curious about his background. He'd left without a word, which made us worry something had happened to him.

Paul had actually complained about this.

I remember Mom asking us why we kept going to the straw hut during those days.

I didn't tell her the truth because I didn't want her to worry.

I marveled at the strange workings of fate, feeling proud that saving someone's life was truly a heroic deed.

Opening the wallet the man had left behind, I found a thick stack of bills—at least ten thousand dollars.

Besides the money, there was nothing else.

I'd never seen so much money before. I wanted to return it to him, but he was nowhere in sight. I thought about running after him, but I didn't know which way to go.

Getting lost would only create more problems, so I had to let it go.

Making sure no one was watching, I tucked the wallet securely against my body and headed back toward where Mom was shopping.