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NATALIE POV
I drive quickly, reaching downtown in under 5 minutes when it usually takes 15.
I drive close to the restaurant Matthew and I reserved for them, and I see Grace smartly keeping a low profile.
She sees me and it's almost like she melts. She hurried into the car and we share a tight embrace.
I don't take long to swerve off into a closed and private lot to ask her questions.
"Where is he? What happened?"
She sniffles. "I- I went to the bathroom we were talking a walk, and when I came back I was looking for him. Some woman noticed and said he went off with a guy I asked how he looked like and she said he was in all black."
She takes a deep breath.
"T-then I called you and I tried to follow the lead b-but I feel like he's being held at gunpoint."
I shuffle in my seat. "What why?"
She sniffles before slowly bringing out her phone.
There was a video from an unknown sender. It was Matthew. He tried to take one of the agents phones and managed to send Grace the whereabouts before they caught him and held him at gunpoint.
My heart lurches when the gun cocks into place.
"Bring me Natalie. And he stays alive."
And the video ends.
"Sweetie, I don't want you going there with all those weapons they have. Call for backup or something."
Her voice was panicked and breaking, torn that two of her most loved people were being threatened.
"I have my gun, I'll go get him don't you-"
I hear a car and I tell Grace to duck, but when I see a tall and toned figure emerge my breathing eases.
His eyes nervously scan for me until he reaches my gaze and runs over to my car.
I turn the window down.
"She okay?"
"Yeah, I have his whereabouts I need to track them."
He nods. "I have my BlackLens in. Let me do it."
He takes the video and the smartlens scans the location. Till then I talk to Grace.
"Can you drive? I've texted Mark and he's on his way to the house. Take my car and drive safely. Take different routes and when you reach Mark will stay with you okay?"
She nods, sniffling.
"Are you sure Grace? Can you drive?", I ask again.
"Yeah." She wipes her eyes. "I raised a badass I can be a badass too."
I smile. "Right on." I fumble for my boot and give her a small gun. "Remember how to use this?"
She nods. I took her to some training sessions and she was able to defend herself well.
I give her a hug.
"Get my other baby back to me please", she chokes. "And stay safe too, both of you. I want all three of you home soon."
I agree, kissing her forehead while Lucas and I get into his car, heading to the tracked location.
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"How far is it?", I ask.
"Two minutes, it's a broken alleyway which is a rookie move."
"It's H.E.X.A right?"
His jaw straightens. "Thought so, but their moves are calculated but not at the same time. What pro takes the captive to an alleyway?"
We reach and he drives with the lights off leaving the car.
When I grab my gun he wraps his arm on my hand which causes me to stop.
His face is less than half a feet away and he looks into my eyes.
"The video was asking for you. I say we make a distraction and you aid to Matthew while I cuff them."
"They are H.E.X.A agents, Lucas. It's not gonna be that easy."
"Yes it will. You trust me right?"
I nod.
"Then continue trusting me."
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We put our Blackpeices on and walk into the dark alleyway. It was dead quiet, ominous with a linger of a trash smell. I walk as slow as I can, treading with caution.
I turn my BlackPeice on and it scans my surroundings in ultra light since it was dark.
Heat figure, looking for a heat figure.
It was dead quiet until I hear grunts from far away.
Lucas found an agent.
I run to the sound when a figure emerges from the cans.
"I found Na-mmmhm", I grab the agent before he screams my name as he tries to combat me.
He wasn't pulling out a gun and neither was I, just hand-to-hand combat.
"Where is he?, I ask restraining his moves.
"Won't tell ya cutie."
Ew, gross.
I grab his face behind his mask and now his actions are in my control.
"I'll ask you one more time. Where is Matthew?"
He scrambles for his gun, but I holt his actions causing his gun to fall on the ground.
"Fine, let's do this the hard way." I sigh, blocking his calculated but easy to figure out moves, until after a few seconds he's on the ground scrambling for his gun.
I take his gun and point it straight to his head, and he freezes, head stuck to the concrete ground.
"Where is Matthew?"
He struggles from my grasp. "H-he's in the third tunnel to your right."
I loosen his grasp. "Thank you", I say sweetly and decide to knock him out with the base of the gun instead of shooting him.
I compose myself, running to the direction he pointed me in, only to see a bunch of tunnels.
I sigh. "Third which way?"
I hear footsteps around me to see him, limping but gaining on me.
I laugh. "Man, I tried to be nice."
I pull my gun out and aim for him when he aims for me.
Bam.
He screams as I shoot him in the leg. I find sleeping powder in my jacket and give him some to knock him out.
"Oh, and by the way, thanks for calling me cute. I know I am" I say as I turn my figure to the tunnels, feeling bad I wounded him but it had to be done.
I let my intuition follow me into a tunnel to see the room mostly empty from Lucas' distraction.
I hope he's okay and isn't hurt.
He could be.
Natalie think, he can handle himself.
I see a few guards running to the sound of the gunshot I threw, and I not so easily put them to sleep with the powder as well.
I huff from the amount of restrain it took to knock them and I look around the dark alleyway to see a building, meaning this was a safe house for H.E.X.A . I enter the run-down cabin to see Matthew, his hands tied and mouth restrained from a black band.
He can't see me yet, as I point my gun incase anyone was lurking in the shadows.
My BlackPeice shows no heat signature, except for Matthew and I rush to him.
His face was in full shock. "N-Natalie?"
"Yeah, hold on", I whisper.
He stares in shock as I try to unwrap the ropes, only for it to shock my hands.
"Agh, crap it's connected to an energy source. Hold on Matthew, this will take a minute."
Was I surprised? No, it was H.E.X.A after all.
"H-how did you?", he asks while I find a way to let him loose.
"Grace called me, I'll explain later. How many agents were there?"
"Five, pretty well armed too."
I scoff. "I knocked out three, so not that well armed."
"T-the gunshot?"
"Was me."
He stares wide-eyed but nods. I unfasten the ropes and grab him lightly to see bruises formed on his skin from the ropes and a bruise on his head.
"Matthew how did you access a device? It was a pretty smart move."
"I work with technology and medicine. I knew this building would have some high-tech so I found one before they roped me and well-", he points to his head. "Knocked me with a gun."
"Smart move, I'm glad you did. We need to go."
I grab his hands and lead him out, not without a mental picture of the safehouse when I see Lucas run up to me. He sees Matthew and stops.
"Get him in the car. Anyone else conscious?"
He shakes his head.
"Okay go take him to the car, I'll be right there."
"Where are you going?"
"I'll be a minute."
I run to the house, putting my mask and gloves on before rummaging through the rooms to find some evidence for our mission.
I find nothing that they would need Matthew for, which means they were trying to get to me.
I turn to see a camera flash towards me. I grab one of their tech and flip my finger to the security camera before leaving the house."
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I rush to the car to see Lucas just finishing situating Matthew when he sees me. He rushes to me and immediately pulls me into a tight embrace, which catches me by surprise.
He's barely even talked to me let alone touch me.
His embrace was comforting and tight, like he didn't want to let me go, and the familiar tinge of his soft cologne hits my nose on full alert.
"What, Lucas?", I say softly coaxing him to tell me what's wrong.
"You don't know how fucking glad I am that the gunshot wasn't you."
I sigh, as he runs his hand through my hair, wanting him to do it again.
"You okay? Any wounds?", I ask him.
"Probably a few bruises but I'm fine."
I laugh. "I'm surprised you're this worried. Haven't shown me much concern these past few weeks", I say softly.
He tenses and let's go of my embrace, which I immediately regret saying.
I missed his touch.
Why did you have to open your mouth?
"Doesn't mean I don't care about you", he says roughly, walking away from our moment.
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Home
We drive to my house to see Mark, and he nods when we enter the driveway and the gate closes.
I enter the house to see Grace in a hoodie, all showered and she runs to me first.
"Thank goodness. Matthew?", she freezes when she doesn't see him.
"He's in the car. I'm thinking of taking him to the hospital to get checked out."
Grace sighs. "Can you call a doctor at home? I want him to stay here."
I nod. "Sure."
Lucas and I head out the door for Matthew, helping his bruised form up the stairs and they both sigh in relief when they see each other.
Grace hugs him tight and he winces.
"Grace he'a hurt. Softly", I say.
"Hi baby, I'm okay", Matthew says to Grace who starts tearing up.
They converse quietly when I unconsciously back up into Lucas.
His form tenses immediately and his hands instinctively tighten around my hips, sending butterflies throughout my body. Feeling dizzy from his touch, I press further into him from behind, his inhale sharp and hands lightly pushing me away but still near him.
"Natalie...", he warns with a whisper.
I lean my head back to rest on his chest but before a second of contact is over, he takes a step back and turns me around to face him. When our eyes meet, his dilate. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
"I should go Natalie."
"No, we need to talk about why you're avoiding me."
"Not today, the doctor is on his way. I'll see you", he says, closing the door without looking.
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Few Hours Later
The doctor attended to Matthew's wounds and gave Grace and I clear home instructions before they head to sleep, leaving me awake with the device I stole from their safehouse.
I fiddle it in my hands, not being able to sleep and end up researching and tweaking the device all night.
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Authors Note-
Was the action okay?
More Action?
Thank you for all your reads :)