Intuition (A Villains & Monsters Novella)

1. Hazel

Daija's phone was on the ground. Right when she picked it up, she noticed someone calling it. Desperate, she answered, hoping that it was someone that would stop all of this.

"Darling, we've been texting you. Is everything okay there?" A man's voice came on the other end.

"Help," she sobbed. "They knocked out Wylan and Violet and they kidnapped Daija! Then they locked the bathroom. Please..." She managed to get out before she groaned from the pain. She heard a panicked gasp, then the line disconnected.

Not even a couple of minutes later, the door burst open, and a few people rushed in. The man from earlier was there, along with three other people she recognized: Simon, Sierra and Tony.

"Love!" Sierra exclaimed as she scrambled to Violet's side, fearfully shaking her. "Vi, please wake up!"

Tony did the same with Wylan, checking his pulse and sighing in relief that he was still alive. Then he focused on waking him up. Hazel cried in relief, but looked up at Simon desperately. "They took Daija! Please save her!"

Sheer rage filled his eyes. "Who?"

"Jamie and his brother! I don't know where they went but- but-"

"Hey," the stranger said calmly as he knelt in front of her. "Take some breaths. You're shaking."

As she tried breathing a little slower, she noticed that Violet and Wylan were awake, rubbing away the pain in their heads. "That asshole snuck up on me," Wylan said angrily. "What a fucking bitch."

Tony winced at his language, then spoke into his earpiece. "Adrienne, track Daija's location ASAP. Austin, be ready. Simon's gonna stop time and you guys are going to go get her."

Simon's going to stop time? What? She thought, her head spinning with confusion.

"Once Adrienne's done, her, Tony and myself will handle things here," the man in front of her said as he gave Simon a nod. "Go."

Hazel's breathing picked up again in panic, and he faced her, gently putting his hands on her shoulders. "Don't focus on anything else but breathing, alright? Things are going to be okay." He then softly pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. The coolness of it brought some temporary relief. "Fuck, you're on fire."

"Who are you?" She couldn't help but ask.

He smiled softly. "I was on a job when you were introduced, so you didn't see me the first time around. I'm Luca."

She tried to return his smile, but she was too shaken, too sick and too scared. Then, her head pulsed even more. She groaned loudly, and when she looked around the bathroom, her confusion grew.

Everyone was gone except for her and Luca.

"Hate when that happens," he muttered. "It's a side effect of when he stops time. That pulse in your head just now was you readjusting to it."

She would've found it fascinating if it didn't make her more sick. Luca's face twisted with concern. "I'm going to bring you somewhere quiet, okay? The music's going to be starting up again at any second and that's only going to make things worse."

She nodded, and when she tried to stand, she stumbled a bit. Luca steadied her, then decided that carrying her would be the best option. He effortlessly scooped her up into a bridal carry, and as he walked further down a hallway and towards an elevator, she rested her head against his chest and tried not to spend too much time thinking about how strong he was.

He smelled good. Alluring, comforting and masculine. It felt nice being carried, especially when she was so sick that she couldn't even think of walking. Without knowing, her eyes drifted shut and she relaxed. In the background, she heard the music start up again and she was thankful that they were going in the opposite direction, because it definitely would have made it worse.