V quickly ran to the lever that was connected to Jungkook chains and brought them down halfway. The younger staggered uneasily and V ran back to hold him in his arms.
"Easy.. baby, hold on.." V gently released the cuffs and lowered the younger to sit on the floor, with his back leaning on to a pillar.
V looked at Jungkook's appearance, his heart pained from how worn-out and semi-conscious the younger is. Not to mention the number of wounds on his body, some of which are still slightly bleeding. Jungkook didn't look like he had the strength to walk even.
When V tried to get up from the floor, Jungkook grabbed his shirt and stopped him. V looked at the younger to see him mumbling something inaudible so he quickly leaned forward to listen better.
"D-did you...M-my s-sister-"
V didn't let Jungkook finish the question and quickly spoke up.
"Doll, I would never." V said in a reassuring voice. "I never touched anyone other than Jay for the entire time I was here."
Jungkook gave a small smile to the other. He had to ask that. Of course, in his heart, he knew V would never do something like this. But Jay is a monster, Jungkook had seen many times Jay forcing people to do things they would rather not.
V pulled Jungkook into a hug and gave a soft kiss to Jungkook's forehead. He felt the younger responding by snuggling into his chest too. For that moment, V's heart was at peace as his baby was safe and protected in his arms.
But then, the moment passed.
V got out of the embrace and walked toward Sehun. He pulled a small canister from his pocket and took a pill out of that. Jungkook watched curiously when V forced open Sehun's mouth and put the pill down Sehun's throat.
V waited for a few more seconds to make sure it was fully dissolved before getting up. He noticed Jungkook's questioning gaze and hurried to answer.
"It's just a very strong drug. One of the side effects is that it'll mess with your long term memory storing process." V explained as walked back to Jungkook and helped him on to his feat.
"M-memory?"
"Yeah." V half dragged the younger out of the room and made their way into a small corridor. "He will not remember anything that happened in the last hour or so. I can't have him remember me doing this."
They walked slowly as Jungkook's legs were still not functioning properly. V had Jungkook's arm over his shoulder and was supporting most of the younger's weight for him to walk. He knew they had to hurry as Jay will be coming back any minute now. V had to get the younger to the safe place.
Jungkook tried to ignore the aches in his body as they walked for a few minutes. Then, thought came to his head.
"W-where are we g-going?" Jungkook's voice was still weak but since they were practically glued to the sides, V managed to hear it.
"This leads to an exit near the north wall. There is about a 15 minutes gap between the guards rotations. You just have to climb the wall, Hoseok will be waiting on the other side."
"V, I can b-barely walk. I c-can't climb a w-wall."
"Don't worry about it. I'll get you out of here, I promise."
Jungkook stopped walking and looked at the elder. "A-aren't you c-coming with me?"
"I'm sorry, doll-" V gave him a pained smile. "-I can't come with you. Not yet."
"N-no. It's d-dangerous here. Please come with me, Tae."
V looked at the younger's pleading eyes and gave a soft smile. He cupped Jungkook's face and stroked his cheek with his thumb.
"I'll be okay, no one knows about me. I disabled the cameras also." V tried to assure the worried man but Jungkook just shook his head.
"Baby, listen to me. Just give me a few days, okay. And I'll come back to you, I promise."
V sealed the promise with a kiss to the forehead. He wanted to properly kiss the younger one so much but restrained himself with much difficulty. He and Jungkook were not in a good place right now, although Jungkook seemed to have forgotten it due to everything that had happened today. It's not right to take advantage of that.
They started to move again but a sudden sound of multiple sets of footsteps running, made them halt in their tracks. Both of them slowly turned around to see the group of people who just came within their sight.
Jay was standing in front of all, his eyes blazing with a murderous glare.
"Going somewhere, V?"
V pulled down Jungkook's arm from his shoulder and gently pushed the younger one behind him. They were trapped with no way to escape. The only person on their side is waiting for them over a wall and it doesn't look like they could make it there.
"Jay.." V frantically tried to think of something to say.
"So.. you betrayed me after all." Jay's voice was soft and calmed. More dangerous than how anyone had heard, ever.
V made his face really vulnerable as it was the most favorite look Jay likes to see on his pray. "Jay, I'm sorry.. please..."
"Please what?!"
"Please let Jungkook go. Y-you can p-punish me instead. I'll take whatever you were planning to do to him."
Jungkook's hand that was placed on V's back, clutched the elder's shirt. He couldn't let V sacrifice himself for him. V felt the gesture but couldn't respond to reassure the younger due to Jay's watchful eyes.
V had studied and understood Jay's psychotic nature to some extent and knew that this was the best method to manipulate him. Jay always liked to break people, till they feel they don't have any choice. To make people give up and take whatever Jay gives them.
V was just trying to buy some time but to his shock, Jay's face turned into a one of pure rage at those words.
"YOU ARE MINE!!" Everybody flinched at the boss's thundering voice. "How dare you!!"
'Shit!' V gulped in dismay. It seemed like he had misread Jay's thoughts for him. He had never guessed Jay to be so possessive of him. V feared that he might have worsened the situation, if it was even possible.
Jay on the other hand, was shaking with rage. How dare his toy try to associate himself with another man? How dare his toy pleasure another man, as he had done to Jay countless times? The very thought of Jungkook being able to touch what belonged to Jay was enough to make the boss lose his head.
"I will torture him in the worst possible way. And I will make you watch it all." Jay sneered with demon eyes and V took a tentative step back.
"You will hear him scream until he can't make a sound. I will break him in ways you can't even imagine, so that you will beg me to kill him."
V sneaked a hand around Jungkook and pulled him even closer to his back. He had to save his baby, he couldn't lose when they were so close. But how?!
Suddenly, there was a loud bang, shaking the entire mansion.
"What the-" Jay cursed loudly, distracted for a second and that was all V needed.
He swiftly turned and dragged the younger by his arm. "RUN!!"
A rain of bullets fell on to them which V and Jungkook narrowly missed. V turned mid running and sent back a few well aimed bullets of his own. There was a scream so he could say that one was hit and he took that chance to put some distance between them and Jay's men.
Jungkook didn't even know how he could run as he could barely walk earlier and chucked it to the adrenaline rush. He could literally feel the energy being rapidly drained from his body and he hoped to God for it to last till they reached the other side of the wall.
But all those thoughts went out of the window when they heard gunshots coming from the direction that they were running towards. V made a split second decision and turned left, and ran along the corridor there.
They could go only for a few seconds before Jungkook suddenly felt like he was fainting. He came to an abrupt halt, making V's hand to snap back. Jungkook doubled down and V held him from his arms.
"Doll-"
"I-I c-can't" Jungkook gasped and struggled to breath, his legs almost giving up on him.
V could see that it was not possible for Jungkook to go much further and by now, gunshots could be heard from every direction. It sounded as if the mansion was under attack. He looked around frantically to determine possible hiding places and noticed one of the storerooms. There's plenty of stuff in there and would make a perfect hiding place.
He half carried Jungkook into the store room and made him sit behind a pile of sacks, totally hidden from a casual observer.
"Stay right here, okay? Don't come out of there unless me or Hoseok comes for you. I'll go see what's happening." V said in an urgent tone and Jungkook nodded his head.
He didn't want to be separated from V but he also knew that they would not make it otherwise. He was too weak to go and V would be in danger if both of them tried to run. Maybe this way, at least one of them would survive.
Jungkook looked at V with longing eyes, trying to remember every single inch of his face, just in case this was the last time he would see the elder. Right now, he forgot the heartbreak the elder gave him, the pain he felt by V's lack of trust in him. The only thing remained was his love for V. His love for this man, who managed to capture his heart, even with all the crap he pulled.
V understood the look in those starry eyes perfectly and he leaned forward and connected their foreheads.
"I promise.. you will see me again, doll."
After giving one last look, V ran out of the room.
__________________________________
About an hour later...
The door to the storeroom opened and Hoseok ran in. "Jungkook!"
He didn't wait for an answer and ran straight towards the pile of sacks that V told him about. He pushed a few away so that he could see clearly.
But no one was behind it..
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A/N - Next chapter should be '33 - U turn' and by any chance anyone can't view it, please let me know. It shows as a draft in my editing page but it's visible to other readers.