Don't you just love Christmas?! XD ahh well, I do! who want another chapter? :)
Sorry for any grammar mistakes, if there are, I hate correcting.
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Mission: Not Falling In Love With Him. (18)
It was an easy half an hour ride to where I thought Amanda might be. It was a decrease a couple miles after the place where Brian had taken me and Shane. It wasn’t very noticeable in the map unless you knew what you were looking for and really know how to read maps. Spending days watching maps grew some kind of sixth sense in me.
I told everyone to scatter around the little cave at the bottom of the downhill. I had to do this alone. Amanda had been well trained and I had to face her.
“Dad, I want you back in here to look out for this area—“
“No.” he shook his head frantically. “Not leaving you.”
“Hey, put on the bodyguard suit for a minute here and get this: I have to go alone. She may not know I know what she is really into and having you there is just going to make it worse. She knows I’d have tried to find her on my own.”
Dad frowned analyzing it. “I see your point but because she’s been lying to you I can’t risk you.” He started shaking his head again.
“What’s the worse she can do?” I said snorting.
He didn’t laugh. “Do you really want me to answer?” he said sobered.
We stared at each other for a full minute. It was a test of strength almost, the one that could make you look away first. He blinked and shook his head no.
“Either you let me go alone and I get Shane out of this alive or you go in and risk all three of us getting killed. Your choice.” I said. I was going in without him even if he chose to come. I would tie him down if I had to.
“Nathalie, if you don’t come back…”
“I will.” I said and smiled. I grabbed a gun from the compartment and snapped it checking the bullets. I took a whole extra set and tucked it in my pants and shoved the gun in the waistband in my back.
“Sometimes I believe I taught you too well.” I smiled and he followed resigned and handed me the radio.
“Under any circumstances are you allowed to go in. An hour can go by and you cannot go in there. Understood?” I said and one by one everyone answered. I handed the radio back, kissed dad and mumbled I love you. “Hide everyone.” I said and walked downhill to the little cave hidden by wild trees and bushes. There were shoe tracks on the ground, two sets: one perfectly looking, a perfect walk, and another dragged line, Shane most likely. Slowly I made it to the entrance that was hidden behind some branches.
“Hello! Amanda?” I called inside trying to sound as innocent as possible. There was some movement inside and suddenly a red head peeked from the side with a scared look.
“Nat!” she cried and lounged to hug me. I held her for a second as she faked some crying. I almost felt sick of holding her like everything was ok. “Thank God, Nat! I thought I was never getting out of here!” she said pulling me back. I plastered a fake relieved smile on my face and stared into her eyes. She looked frightened at me but just behind it was a light of amusement.
I grabbed her shoulders lightly so that I couldn’t pull away and said “Amanda, where is Shane?”
She looked at me puzzled and cocked her head to the side. “Nat-I thought—I tough Brian took him.”
“Don’t lie.” I said pushing her hands off me. Time to get my brother back.
“I swear I don’t know.” There was some noise coming from the cave and we both turned to look at it. “This place is scary, can we go?”
“No.” I said. “Is he in there?”
“Nat, please what are you talking about?” she begged me to leave.
I pushed her off harsh this time and she stumbled a couple steps looking hurt. I took out my gun and pointed it to her. She raised her hands in the air and a tear slipped off. “Brother. Where?” I said. “Don’t come with bullshit, I know everything.”
Amanda looked up with nothing but fear in her eyes and red rimmed eyes and stared at me for what seemed like forever. Her face started dropping the mask and in seconds Amanda was looking much like a bitch queen with cold eyes and a wet face. There was nothing pleasant about that face and I almost shuddered.
“So the secret’s out.” Amanda said with a fierce voice. “Did he break?” she asked amused.
“I’ve got more brains than even you thought.” I said. “Brother?”
“Dead.” She answered shrugging. “He was too much of a burden.”
I clicked the gun and Amanda chuckled. “It doesn’t scare me. I almost grew up with one next to the stroller.”
“Poor thing, you could have shot yourself. Why didn’t you?” I spit sarcastically.
“I was saving the bullet for this day.” She smiled that cat-like smile I used to share with her. “You won’t get out of this alive. I bet he told you that. That little brat knew what he was getting himself into but he couldn’t stop shielding you away.” Her grin grew. “Pathetic.”
“Amanda, I don’t have the nerve to talk about your experiences right now so why don’t we cut the chase and you simply give me my brother so I can kill you.” I smiled brightly as she chuckled.
“Out of all the things you can do, killing is not one of them.” she said with a confident smile.
Oh, she was really not observant…
I couldn’t help the grin in my face. “Where were you in the hotel?” I asked remembering the many bodies lying around. I wonder now if it was all some set up planned by her. The thought brought fresh rave to me. All of that trouble for what? I don’t know if those men were protected but I landed some hard shots in some…and they might have died for nothing.
“I was covering up the target you left with the enemy.” She said and smiled. “Rule number one if I remember correctly; always protect your target. Not even that you could do well.”
“Screw you Amanda.” I said bitterly.
She smiled one last time before lounging towards me. She was much closer than I thought and before I could even think about the gun in my hand she had tackled me to the ground making the gun fly away from my reach. I struggled with her as she tried to hit me but I managed to pin her down and land a good punch in her face.
She didn’t mind much because she hit me on the chest knocking my breath away. I staggered backwards and prepared myself for another punch. Instead she dashed away from me and towards the gun. Still short of breath I jump on her back crashing her down and grabbed a handful of hair knocking her head against the floor. She yelped in pain and spin landing a punch in my mouth.
The taste of blood…gross.
I took her arm pinning it behind her back and threw her backwards. She was far enough that I could aim to grab the gun but before I could even think about it, there was a gunshot that made me freeze in place.
Think, Nathalie. Does anything hurt? No.
I slowly turned to her to see three other guys next to her, all of them with guns pointed at me. One of them, presumably the one that shot before, reloaded the gun. I swallowed the fear I know had. Put me in a hallway with fifteen dudes and I can beat that, put me in a forest with three dudes and a backstabbing whore and no, I froze.
“Nathalie, I suppose.” The guy who reloaded said. He was dressed in a long black coat with black dressing pants and a dark blue sweater underneath. “You brother doesn’t shut up about you.” That brought me sober.
“I can shut him up. Give him to me.”
All four of them chuckled. “You are so naïve.” He shook his head. “What makes you think he’s here?”
He’s gone, she’s here, and there was a sound. How can he NOT be here?
“Who the hell are you?” I asked.
“Mouth.” He lectured. “I am the men who lost millions because of you back in Canada.”
“Oh, you’re the asswhole who ruined everything!”
He chuckled again. Damn it I hate him. “You know quite some words.” Without another word his two wind men lounged at me. First thing I did was reach for my gun that was a little farther. I grabbed it just as one of them grabbed my ankle and pulled me. I spin on the floor and landed a solid hit on his chin with the gun. He staggered backwards and guy 2 came by, gun first. I kicked his knee and he came buckling down just as I hit face with my feet. Guy 1 came back and this time, protected or not, I shot him in the chest. I would regret it later.
He seemed shock. He stumbled and fell backwards leaving me, the dude and Amanda.
“He was one of the goods.”
“You save him, I get my brother. It’s a win-win situation.” I offered with sarcasm.
“Well, your brother has caused me quite some trouble so I need to have a little chat with him.” he snapped his fingers and two more guys carried my brother’s almost lifeless body out and threw him on the ground.
I gasped out loud, which was a mistake and raised the gun to point the dude. Stupid dude…
“He’s not that much of a listener.”
“See, I knew he was here.” I said almost thoughtfully. “Now, give him to me. I’m running with no patience here.”
“You’re not getting out of the alive.” he said.
“See that’s where you’re wrong.” I turned my gun and shot Amanda in the leg. She cried in pain falling to the floor. I can only pray dad doesn’t come down here. The dude looked in shock at Amanda and then back at me with more composed face. “I knew her and if I just shot her, just imagine what I can do to you. Tell your men to bring him to me.”
“Little girl, you think me so stupid.” His laugh boomed throughout the trees and around me stepped at least ten more guys. oh dear god. None of them had visible guns at the very least but I quickly spotted four with them on their belts. “You can’t beat that.”
“You’d be surprised.” I heard Amanda mumble.
I looked at Shane who was looking back at me with so much pain. One reassuring wink and I was back to the one that could kill all this guys and feel bad about it later.
“Listen to her, she’s seen me do it before.”
Out of nowhere, Shane jumped up with a speed I didn’t know he could manage and hit the dude on his back making him fall to his knees. I heard several more hit and turned to see some guys in suits hitting to ones that surrounded me before. I looked back at the dude and then snapped my attention to Amanda. She was going for something in the bushes.
No way in hell. I shot her in the shoulder and she cried in pain again turning to me. I ran to her and hit her in the head knocking her out. Yeah, not the greatest fighter. I went for the bushes and found another gun. I took it and turned to help Shane.
He punched one of the guys that had had a hold on him. He looked at me with a smile and went back to fight. He was gonna fall, he had no strength. But the fight he put might have said otherwise. I turned seeing some guys run over to me and Shot the one that was closer and landed a punch on the next. He was harder to keep down because he kept coming back. I was in it for at least two minutes when someone hit him from the back and the guy just went down. I looked up in surprise to see Steve with a wood stick.
“I wasn’t going to miss this.” I smiled and then remembered he was supposed to be with Logan. He saw that in my face and quickly said, “He’s fine. Trust me.”
I nodded sharply and turned to another guy that was fighting Jonny, one of the bodyguards. I turned back to Steve. “Can I have that?” I said pointing the stick. He gave it to me and I ran to Jonny, hit the guy on his back and kicked him in the face and winked at Jonny. I threw the stick back and turned immediately to hit someone that was coming for me.
No surprises there, the guy went down shocked and looked up to see my gun. I smiled and hit him with it in the head. Another one out.
It was like that all over. Everyone was in a fight and it looked like our guys were winning. I spotted dad doing his thing and smiled. There were more guys coming for our group but we were and easy match to them. I noticed the dude guy standing up and looking at me with so much fury in his eyes. He raised a gun and that wasn’t the thing that froze me. It was the look on his face that didn’t let me move. It was just a second, but a second was enough to allow him to pull the trigger. Instantly two gunshots ran in the air making most the fights stop for a second and then resume again.
The dude went down spitting blood from his mouth. Some of his guys stopped fighting and just threw themselves on the ground. They didn’t want to be here in the first place.
I took a deep breath and then, I went down myself.