"So you and Luke huh?" Ed questioned nonchalantly following a solid half an hour of driving. We had exchanged casual conversation so far, but I knew that a comment about Luke was never going to be far away when Ed was involved.
"What about it?" I replied, attempting to appear disinterested in the topic of conversation.
"Don't give me that. I want the details," he requested, a grin gracing his face.
"I decided that it wasn't right leaving without talking to him first, okay?"
"It wasn't just talking from where I was sat," he mumbled almost incoherently. I rolled my eyes, having already anticipated Ed's child like antics. "Wasn't it just this morning that you were adamant talking to him was off the cards?"
"Aren't you supposed to be doing cartwheels by this point or something?"
"Oh don't get me wrong, I'm all for it, but I just wanted to know what changed?"
"I don't know," I replied honestly. "I just- I needed to know that we weren't leaving on bad terms. I never stopped caring about him, so I didn't want him thinking any different. It also hit me like a tonne of bricks that I might not be seeing him for a while to say the least, so I couldn't walk away from him like that. He didn't deserve it."
"I'm glad you saw sense, though you maybe could have timed it a bit better, instead of going all movie style on us," he laughed quietly.
"I didn't think it through okay? I just knew what I needed to do. I wasn't going to give myself anymore time to go back on my word, so I just did it."
"You talk things through?"
"Kind of, I mean we've still got a lot to talk through once all of this is over, but for the time being I really couldn't give a shit. We can't waste any more time dwelling on it. It's not important to me anymore. I know how Luke feels and that's all I should care about," I said rather bluntly.
"He really is a good guy Adelaide, I mean that," Ed commented.
"I know," I smiled. "But at the same time, the space was good between us. I feel like we needed some time apart to just try and understand what was going on."
"I can understand that," Ed said with a small nod of his head. "You really are all that he's had recently Adelaide." I tilted my head toward him, catching his features morphing into a much more serious demeanour. "Since he left his father, he's had no family, he had to start again. I mean I hadn't heard from him for four years until we spoke in New York. Hell, I thought the guy was dead for first few months after he'd left, we all did. But we'd underestimated him. Everyone had."
"They still do," I added, not lifting my gaze from my palms.
"Which is why you shouldn't worry about him tonight, he knows what he's doing-"
"He's not the only one. Legrenzi for sure has a plan."
"Yeah and his involves you being the only one in the house, with no protection. For once we're one step ahead of him, so Luke having a plan can actually count for something this time round. I also gathered that Luke told you to prepare for the worst right? That's what got you so upset?"
"I'm just worried about him, and him talking about moving on without him, if anything was to happen just tipped me over the edge. I can't cope with all of this like he can."
"You don't have to hide how you feel Adelaide. Everyone is on edge, they've just been taught not to show it, especially Luke, but even he's finding this hard to say the least. When was the last time you saw a guy like that cry?" Ed paused for a minute, but didn't expect a response. "When he's with you it's a different story completely. Why else would have left so quickly earlier? He didn't want any more time to process the fact that you were leaving and clearly weren't in the best state. Knowing him, he's gone and busied himself with work. You're all he has to focus on, so seeing you like that, well it breaks him. You've spent this whole time getting agitated over the fact that he felt the need to be responsible for you, because you took it as a possession thing-"
"But only now am I realising that it's for his sanity he that needs me safe. He can't lose me after everything else he's had to give up. I'm all he has left," I concluded, completely understanding what Ed had been saying.
"Exactly," he said softly. "I'm just glad the two of you are okay. But I just want you to be aware that Luke's set up arrangements for whatever the outcome of tonight is."
"What kind of arrangements?"
"Just know that he's thought about every possibility okay? For starters he's debriefed me fully on you and your antics to ensure you're okay while we're in hiding," he smiled to himself, presumably at Luke's persistence in making sure everything was going to be as comfortable as possible for me. "I owe him a lot really, the least I can do is keep an eye on you for a while."
"Were you two close as kids?"
"I didn't really know him before I went to live with his father. We'd never really seen that much of each other, but we were the only kids on the site, so naturally we stuck by one another. Luke taught me a few of the ropes, but no-one could ever anything on him. I spent a lot of my time after he left trying to figure out how he does what he does, only now am I realising it's the drive he has. Yeah, he's got the skill, that just came naturally to him, but he knows how to direct his anger, how to think past the obvious. He takes note of things that others would miss, and uses that to his advantage. Even the smallest of things, like the light switch thing at the warehouse. Who in this world would have the power to come up with something that clever in a situation as chaotic as that? It's all about the mentality in his eyes, and Legrenzi has been foolish not to take notice of that."
"I admire him a lot for everything he's been through," I commented quietly.
"You admire him full stop," Ed laughed. "But he really was there for me when my dad died. He wasn't much better than Legrenzi, but any twelve year old would feel uneasy to say the least about being shipped across the globe to live in a base like that. Luke knew what it was like, having to adjust, so took me under his wing. I'm only a year younger than him, but that kid matured faster than you could imagine. In a sense he had to. But when it came to Legrenzi, Luke made sure that I never got the brunt of his force, even if it meant taking an extra punch or two. It killed me to see him getting abuse for something I may have done, but he always insisted rather him than me."
"How bad was he? Legrenzi?"
"He'd have his days," Ed sighed. "I could tolerate him for the majority of it, but one step out of line and well that was it. As for Luke though, well he was practically the guy's personal punch bag. I don't know how he put up with it for as long as he did, not just physically but mentally."
"Probably why he got into street fighting."
"He did?"
I nodded, "Used it to make money for the first few months back home, which is how my dad found him."
"I always wondered what he'd done with himself. We'd planned to go together, always talked about leaving, but when I came to it, well I just couldn't risk it. So Luke went alone. I have no clue how he managed it, we all thought he wouldn't make it past the boarder. But six months down the line we catch wind that he was working with your father, and well Legrenzi lost his shit. Since then, well he's learnt that he can't trust anyone, even in his own organisation. Half of the people there don't even know what's going on half of the time- they just do what they need to do to get the pay check."
"Why'd you think he believed you then?" I said, referring to our plan.
"I think part of him likes to think that he can still trust some of his family at least, or what's left of it. But I still doubt that he'd have brought it all if we hadn't have forged all of that evidence," Ed replied honestly.
"I just hope tonight is where we end it," I sighed. "I want to be able to build my life back up, spend time with my family, learn to know them again. My dad's going to hand his in notice so-"
"He is?" I nodded. "Wants to focus on family. He's adamant that he's putting Luke forward for it though."
"You sure Luke will have time for that?"
"What?"
"You really think that after all of this he's going to invest all his time in the unit when he can spend it with you?" Ed questioned rhetorically, setting my mind deep in to wander as to what was going to happen once all of this was finally over and done with.
My head winced under the intense pounding of my heartbeat as it rippled throughout my body. Amongst the coil of confusion and chaos raging around my senses, it was the only thing I could focus my attention onto. Its rhythmic initiation was slowing with every second that passed but instead of this bringing my entire being to sheer terror, it provide me with comfort amid my battle for a second of peace.
Ounce after ounce of energy had been drained with each punch that had traumatized my bones. I was left as a casket, just a useless frame of cells that were unable to control the simplest of movements.
The air around me was silent, and I found myself unsure as to how long it had been that way, nor how long I had been unconscious. My state was dazed, with moments in which I wasn't sure where I was, but then a second or two later it all came flowing back and hit me as hard as the pain my body was now numbing itself to. The time dragged by agonisingly slowly, with only small muffled voices to accompany the suspense.
Suddenly, the odd composure in the room was aborted, with the sound of almost inaudible grunting meeting my ears followed by a few solitary clicks. The silence then returned, but its fate was short lived and the room was abruptly plunged into untainted chaos- it's trigger being a single pellet penetrating the air.
The scene around me could only be described as pure anarchy. The sounds alone would give any sane person shell shock for the rest of their existence, while others wouldn't even make it to that point. To put it simply, it was a warzone.
Bullet after bullet was being flung in every direction, the entire room being swarmed with gunfire. My ears were harassed by the frantic pleas around me, each individual begging for their life, but I felt no remorse. They wouldn't think twice about taking my own. They chose this life when they chose Legrenzi's side. Though at this point, it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't actually know whose side they were on. For all I knew they could have been members of my father's unit, after all I wasn't certain on how long I'd been out.
Amid the pure state of panic for the safety of both Bennett and potentially my father's men, I, much to my own disbelief, mustered just enough energy to crack my eyes open, only to be met with darkness within the outside world.
The room had been plummeted into darkness, making the ability to determine who was who nearly impossible. My eyes adjusted after a beat, whizzing around the room in search for those chestnut locks, but my stationary position on the floor hindered me greatly. The pounding in my ears of my heartbeat as it increased in speed sheltered my mind from the constant reminder of the deadly metal coils flying inches from my quivering skin. My pores were already pooling with blood, a constant surge leaving my body, draining onto the floor I lay helplessly on.
"Adds," the faint whisper came alongside two hands gripping my shoulder. "I'm going to get you out of here, okay?" My hearted swelled at the sound of his voice, but the rest of my body still shrilled under the ruthless sound of gunfire as it continued to obliterate the room.
My eyes were finally able to meet his as he crouched beside me, seeming to check my injuries over to find a suitable place to settle his grip. His face remained passive, his entire body holding a calm and collective essence. This alone put me under a slight bit of ease, but our contact was short lived as my eyes were beckoned across the room following a raucous shout.
It was unclear to me what had been said, something that my fazed state didn't help, but I was certain the voice belonged to Legrenzi, who I located instantly. He stood alone on the other side of the room, aside a window that was seeping in moonlight, allowing his features to be depicted from afar.
His face twisted as he scanned the area around us, clearly not having any evidence of our presence but also not having any for our departure either. His eyes left us momentarily as he focused his attention on to retrieving a device to the side of him, something that caused my entire body to churn as he raised the metal object in our direction. The pistol settled nonchalantly in his grip, having clearly perched in those palms plenty of times before.
He had the choice of confirming who he was aiming at or simply shooting blind, and given the remorse this man had clearly never felt, I knew what his choice was going to be before his finger had even touched the trigger. I soon wasn't the only one to take note of Legrenzi as Bennett followed my eye line to catch his father pre-empting the fire.
The steady, slowing beat of my heart contorted into a heavy, deafening pounding, causing my ears to wince under the intense pulse that rifled through my body, almost as if it were mimicking the countdown that Legrenzi merely skimmed through within his mind.
Bennett hastily gripped my sides, heaving my body away from the ground and safely to his chest in one movement before he twisted our bodies around, not giving a second thought to the danger he was putting himself within.
I initially sheltered my eye line with Bennett's skin, but the sheer terror riddling my body forced my eyes back over to Legrenzi. Bennett shuffled his feet, pacing straight toward the door. However, by doing this, we were forced to pass window that opened up a small rectangle of limited light, but this was more than enough for Legrenzi to catch my gaze, a sinister smile carving into his features as he did so.
"Luke!" I screamed out in agony for his safety, but my call was too late. The bullet had already pierced inches deep into the skin on his back. He kept his feet moving, his body having not even flinched at the severe indentation of the projectile that left his entire back draining with blood. He swallowed the pain, seeming to increase his speed rapidly instead of falter under the injury. His desperate sprint continued and he did so until we were safely out of the door and miles from Legrenzi and his murderous mind.
The remainder of our journey was cut abruptly short as the scenery around us distorted into a bright room. My entire body filled suddenly with warmth, a harsh contrast to the ice that had previously cut sunk deep in my bones. The agony in my body was instantly discarded, relieving my senses instantly as it settled into its new found state.
The spacious room surrounding me appeared to be a living room, with two cosy sofas filling the room, separated by a coffee table that had been littered with miscellaneous objects from empty coffee mugs to sets of keys and even a vase of flowers. On the far side of the room, not far from the door stood an extensive book shelf, brimming with novels and the walls around it had been decorated with multiple frames, all filled with heart warming pictures of myself and my family.
I smiled, returning my gaze to the grinning, child-like boy as he sat with my feet resting comfortably in his lap, his hands idly trailing along my ankles. "You're too adorable for your own good sometimes Luke," I voiced quietly, widening my smile.
Luke frowned. "I'm not adorable. I'm a tough guy," he defended weakly.
"You think you're a tough guy."
"I am," he said, lowering the tone of his voice.
"Says the guy that calls me princess and openly enjoys a chick flick or two..."
"I just pretend to enjoy them," he argued, a slight blush gracing his cheeks.
I rolled my eyes at his lack of acceptance. "Then again you do always stick to your doom and gloom attire, which you think makes you look mysterious and brooding or whatever you want to call it."
"It's my uniform," he stated simply. "I have to wear it."
"Not when you're off duty."
"I'm never off duty, I consider your care as work," he winked playfully.
"I don't need looking after. You just like to think I do."
"You'll appreciate it someday."
"Then you can say I told you so and then act all smug about it. Maybe then you could venture out of your comfort zone and try a few new facial expressions?" I wondered aloud, failing at hiding my grin.
"What the hell are you on about Adds?"
I laughed, "Well at the minute you only have two. You've got the scowl that you pretty much have adopted as a resting bitch face, and then there's the mischievous smirk you have when you're up to something."
Luke watched me carefully, his face slowly twisting into the infamous smirk in the process, "You're missing one."
"I am?" I asked, raising my brow in question.
"Do you not notice the unconscious smile that somehow ends up on my face whenever I'm around you?" he said, maintaining his playful tone.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied, humorously pretending to find everything else around the room much more interesting than him. This was something that he clearly took note of, as not a second later he laced his finger delicately under my chin, turning my head his way to meet his lips in a brief, but affectionate kiss.
He leaned backwards, returning to his previous position with a content smile on his face. "Now stop teasing me would you?"
"Sorry," I said, subconsciously biting my lip to cease the smile hiding in my skin.
"Don't be."
Our peace was cut abruptly short as my father strode hastily into the room, muttering curses under his breath as he scanned the bookshelf with his back to us. We sat silently watching him as he began rifling through the shelves, his aggravation increasing by the second.
"Luke," he warned passively. I sent Luke a questioning glance, but he evidently understood what my father was indicating toward despite the fact that he hadn't even glanced our way. Luke sighed, gently removing my legs from his lap, motioning to my father in the process.
I rolled my eyes at my father's antics, placing my legs back upon Luke's lap not a beat later. "What are you looking for?" I called as he continued searching.
"Other than finding my daughter a more suitable, less of a threat boyfriend, then my glasses," he sighed.
Luke cleared his throat, "Left side of your desk Boss, just in front of the picture of your daughter and her not-so-suitable, clearly threatening boyfriend."
My father stilled his movements, eventually turning on his heals to face us. "I knew there was a reason I was allowing this," he said, referring to the two of us sprawled across the sofa before he speedily exited the room.
A small laugh escaped my throat, "What the hell is up with him tonight?"
"Work," Luke said, stretching out his limbs. "We had a little trouble today."
"What with?"
"We've had these micro bullets in storage for a couple of months. They're basically bullets but with micro-chips within them that disperse once under the skin, meaning that we can track the people that are shot by them. But one of the bullets has gone missing, which isn't seen as a problem to everyone else because we have plenty, but I'm convinced things like that don't just go missing."
"You think someone's taken one?"
He nodded. "I can't imagine it just falling out of the metal box it's sealed in, so your father and I ended up having words over it, which unfortunately delayed the rest of his day."
"He's just being paranoid Adelaide," my father called from afar in the house, evidently irritated.
"Paranoia is what let's me see things before everyone else does," Luke murmured in response. "I'm telling you Adds, someone has that bullet and they won't just be using it for display, that's for certain."