Well, shit.
I did not see that coming. No pun intended.
"What do you mean you saw him walk in an hour ago?!" I demanded.
"I mean I saw someone who strongly resembled Tochio walk in an hour ago!" She said.
"Now what do we do?" I asked.
"I don't know! This was your crap plan!" Arianna said.
"Yeah, but you're the adult!"
"You turned eighteen last year!" She pointed out.
"Yeah," I muttered. "You're right. And after that spectacular screw up with Dean, I don't even want you to plan anything."
She placed her hand on her hips. "Excuse me?"
"We need to get out of this room! We'll be cornered if he breaks in the door," I said.
Arianna nodded.
"We can't go outside the room," I whispered. "He could be anywhere in the house and trust me, he's good at fighting."
"He'll kill us."
I nodded.
My gaze drifted towards the window. "So here's the plan. You go out first, your butt is big and the window is small, I'll have to push you..."
"Careful..."
"You go out first, you're my sister and I love you..."
"Better."
Fortunately we were only on the first floor, which meant the drop wasn't too deep. I just had to keep Tochio busy till...
Till...uh...
Oops.
I realised that I may not have planned this very well.
But if I could stay alive, Kai and the gang could go free. I had no idea when the Shadow Circle would arrive or how long before Nakamura got arrested, but that was the FBIdiot Jake Evan's concern now.
Shah was also probably not going to be happy when he woke up. Assuming he did wake up and Kai didn't screw up and give me the wrong vial but knowing Kai...
Heh, at least he had a thing for my sister.
"Kes!" Arianna snapped.
"Huh?"
"Window. Now."
Right. Arianna squeezed out of the window and I tried to push her unusually large butt out. I heard a plonk and she fell out of the window. I watched in fascination as she landed on her hands and knees, almost like a cat.
Also the drop was looking slightly bigger than I thought.
"Kestrel! Jump!" She yelled.
"Shh!" I hissed. What if LadyfingerChopper heard?
I crouched and sat at the windowsill with my feet dangling downward. God, this was going to hurt like a bitch.
Arianna abruptly screamed.
I looked behind me.
Standing to the doorway of the room was Tochio. How had he gotten so close without me hearing him?
Of course. Assassin. Even Kai did that shit.
His lips curved. "Hello, Kaito's whore. Leaving so soon?"
So I took the most logical course of action. I gave him a brilliant smile. "Hey, Tokyo, right?"
"It's Tochio."
"That's what I said. Tokyo." I couldn't resist. I was a troll at heart.
"You little bitch!" He snarled. Uh oh.
"You look unhappy," I noted.
He took a step closer and me, being the smart person I was, jumped with a scream loud enough to wake the neighborhood. Pain ricocheted up my tailbone and spine.
"Ow."
Arianna pulled me up by the collar of my shirt and started running towards the bungalow. I heard a thump behind me. I briefly looked back and saw that Tochio had gracefully jumped down too.
That gave me the motivation I needed to start running like I wanted to challenge Usain Bolt himself.
I could feel his footsteps catch on. I had the stamina of a sloth and even though Arianna was in a better shape, none of us stood a chance against a trained assassin. Was the entire Koga-Ryu full of psychopaths?!
She pushed me into a dark alcove somewhere in the house.
"Great, now we'll be cornered!"
"Shh!"
"Move to your right," I said. I needed to make sure our shadows didn't fall on the tiled floor. There's no point in hiding if there is a distinct shadow giving your hiding place away. Even if they were barely noticeable in the dim moonlight.
I held my breath as I heard footsteps walk towards the corridor that we had taken. Maybe he'd fall for it and run ahead.
I really needed to pee.
My heart stopped and Arianna hugged me closer. He was here. He was less than a foot away. I didn't even dare to breathe.
I can't let anything happen to Arianna. If he gets me, Arianna will have to run.
Arianna's pulse fluttered.
And...and the footsteps receded!
I nearly let out my breath so did Arianna.
Then my phone started ringing.
"Fuck!" I muttered.
I hesitated but Arianna didn't. She pushed me out, grabbed my hand and ran.
There were no footsteps behind us this time. I didn't know where Tochio was or even if he was chasing us still.
And for some reason, that scared me shitless. My shoulders tingled as if expecting a knife or a bullet.
"Phone!" Ari snapped.
Right. I picked up the call without checking the caller ID. "Hello?"
"Kes?" Jake Evan's voice floated through the speaker. "I wanted to congratulate you in person. Nakamura was arrested by the Indian Police with the arms he was trying to traffic into the country! And Shah wasn't even there to bail him out—"
"Of course. He's drugged," I muttered. I wanted to punch him in the face for nearly getting me killed but maybe he had some information I could use to bargain with Tochio.
"What? Nevermind you can elaborate later. He's looking at life imprisonment here—"
"That's nice. Anything important?"
"...Unless he coughs up more information about the Circle! We have a really good chance at taking out the Circle now. You have done your country a great service—"
Arianna tugged me and my shoulder nearly dislocated.
".. And this is the biggest breakthrough we've had in years! Congratulations, Kestrel Seran, I was absolutely impressed—"
"THANKS! AND I'M BEING CHASED BY A MURDEROUS PSYCHO SO FUCK YOU!!"
I cut the call.
"Here!" Arianna yelled as she turned a corner into a corridor. She pulled me but I wasn't ready. A sharp pain flared in my ankle and I cried out. I must have twisted it pretty badly. Normally I would have stopped to look but it's amazing how fast your priorities shift when you have a murderous psycho chasing you. Not that it mattered because I stumbled and lost both my momentum and my speed.
I really wished Kai was here. And Elizaveta. And Ryo. And Julian. Actually no, scratch that, poor innocent Julian deserved to be protected.
My brain was refusing to focus on my current situation.
Smart brain.
"Where is he?" I whispered to Arianna. Our pace was slowing drastically. Worse than that? We were trapped. The house framed the square courtyard. Unless I knew where Tochio was, I couldn't blindly run towards the the house.
"No idea."
"Kestrellll..." A singsong voice called. "Where are you, little whore?"
Speak of the devil...
Arianna clamped a hand over my mouth. I rolled my eyes. Yes, because I was totally going to scream 'here I am!!'
His voice seemed to have come from somewhere distant. Across the courtyard. And towards the only exit.
I needed a plan.
Now.
My gaze fell to my phone. The stupid traitor that rang and gave away my location.
Maybe it can do it again.
I threw it into the corner away from the exit with all my force.
The phone clattered to the ground with a loud crash.
"There you are," he sang. I threw the phone away from the exit. If he went towards it, that would mean the exit was unguarded. Sadly, it was too dark for me to arrive at any conclusions.
"We should go," I whispered.
Arianna squeezed my hand. We ran towards the exit that led into the house.
We nearly made it. I could see the double doors and the hallway opening behind it.
Then I felt my arm being twisted against my back.
"Kestrel!" Arianna cried out.
"Run," I told her.
She stayed frozen like a deer in headlights.
"Now, Kaito's little whore, you're going to tell me what the fuck you're up to or I'll take your hand this time."
He must have seen us run across the courtyard. The distraction didn't work as well as I'd hoped. But he wanted me alive...
For now.
I locked my eyes on to Arianna and spoke again. "Run."
I struggled against his grip as he turned us around. He took out a gun and pointed it at Arianna's head.
"NO!"
"I want you to watch. I want you to see what happens when you mess with the Circle," he said.
"Kes," she whispered. I'd never seen Arianna this afraid. Afraid for me. Afraid of death.
The fear was gone. Just like that. I wanted to scratch and rip Tochio's flesh off.
The adrenaline in my veins was replaced by ice. I wanted to kill him. Painful and slow. For trafficking those women. For mutilating me. For trying to kill the one person I loved the most. Just. For. His. Fucking. Power.
When I spoke, my voice was low and foreign.
"No, Tochio. If you hurt her, you'll see what happens when you mess with me."
It was not a threat. It was a promise.
He laughed. "Such big words! No wonder Kai finds you delightful. Sadly our family reunion is at an end. Say goodbye to your sister, little Kestrel."
Suddenly his arm was shoved away. The gun went off but Arianna was okay. His grip on me momentarily loosened. I turned around and gauged my nails into his eyes.
He screamed and I felt his blood trickle into my palm. I wasn't even repulsed. I was satisfied.
I was being pulled away.
"Go," said a very familiar voice.
I looked around for Arianna and I saw her running into the house with a tall dark haired boy. Ryo.
I turned to the boy who had spoken to me. He was the same as ever. Same leather jacket. Same longish hair with those midnight almond eyes.
"Kai?" I whispered. "I thought you were in Brazil!"
"Columbia," Ryo said. "And we weren't. Kai wasn't ready to leave you alone to face Tochio and the Circle. Thank god."
Tochio was stumbling while holding his gun.
Kai bent down and drew a long, wicked looking knife from his boot.
"Kestrel!" Another familiar voice called.
Standing inside the hallway of the house was a beautiful blonde girl with a dark haired boy.
Elizaveta and Julian.
I wanted to cry of relief.
"Kes, Kai will handle Tochio but for now, you need to get here!" She said in that accented voice.
I ran into the house with probably tears in my eyes and a goofy grin on my face.
"What are you doing here?!" I asked as he pulled me into a hug and held me till I stopped shaking.
"Kai thought you were being reckless so he dragged us here. We never went to Columbia. Julian tapped your phone and we heard Jake Evan's call. You said you were being chased by a murderous psycho," she explained. "We were close but we didn't know you were in danger till then."
"You got here soon," I remarked.
"It has been fifteen minutes since that call, Kes," Ryo said. "You didn't feel it because of the adrenaline but once it wears off, you'll feel it."
Arianna was leaning against a wall, breathing hard. "That's it. We need to go. Kai killed Tochio and we need to run."
I shook my head.
"Too late," Kai said. I saw him enter the room with Ryo. I guessed Tochio was dead because there was nothing visible outside except for an ominous patch of red. No body. Nothing.
Kai walked towards me. I fought my first instinct to run. This wasn't Tochio. This was Kai.
He pulled me towards him in a hug. "That was a stupid idea, even for you" he whispered.
"Yeah," I admitted. "But not as stupid as trying to assassinate Nakamura in secret when he had the resources of the circle at his fingertips."
Kai chuckled. "At least there were no explosives this time. Are you losing your touch?" He teased.
"What do you mean too late?" Arianna demanded. "Why can't we run now?"
Nobody spoke.
"Because it's too late," Elizaveta said in a fearful whisper. "Because the Circle is already here."
________________________________________
Vote and comment!
Kestrel's plan is in place and the Circle is here. It's going doooown next chapter!!!!
Do you guys want an epilogue?
But I'm not going to write one that takes place years after because I'm not sure whether I'm ready to say goodbye to Kes forever. There maayyy be a book 2 but I'm not sure yet.
Plus Sadie has been jabbering in my brain again and Pierce is losing his patience (he's a real psychopath when he gets pissed off).
...And Chevie and Adrien may make an appearance in G&R