Chapter 16

JUNE 4 – SUNDAY 2:33 AM

R en

"Ugh!" I tossed the sponge down in the tub and ripped the rubber gloves off in frustration.

"Ren, I say this knowing I'm taking my life in my hands, but you need to calm down," Blake said as I stormed out of the bathroom. I shot him a glare.

"How am I supposed to calm down? My aunt has been lying to me for years and is refusing to tell me the truth," I said, grabbing the mirror cleaner and a rag before stomping back into the bathroom. "And I still don't know how she fits into all of this. Did she come to Canada with my mum? Had she left a long time ago? Is she still in danger? I hate this."

Nadia had been dodging my calls and making up excuses all week for why she couldn't see me, so I showed up at her door. I hadn't wanted to believe that my aunt could be lying when Theo said it, but now I knew, and my blood was boiling.

My Saturday had started well. After an amazing breakfast with Ivy and the boys, we did a little yard work, and then I took them into town, where we met up with Lizzy to do some shopping. Lizzy insisted that the three of us girls get pedicures, and we sipped iced coffee as we laughed and chatted the entire time. Blake bought Canadian Trivial Pursuit because he wanted to see me kick Theo's ass in a game. That had set off a whole amusing argument between Theo and Blake.

Then, I splurged and got some new outfits and even a helmet to ride on the back of Theo's bike. I was still terrified by the prospect, but he promised he would go slow and that I'd enjoy myself. Blake bought me a Kevlar jacket and gloves while Myles grabbed the pants and boots to go with it. Lizzy and Ivy, of course, were all for it, and encouraged them to get me all the accessories. They were more excited by the idea than I was. Anyone with a shopping addiction and a credit card should never be allowed out with either of them.

After a delicious dinner together, we went to my aunt's house. I'd decided that I was going to confront her about what the boys had found. If I hadn't believed Theo before about her not telling the truth, I believed him now. It was obvious that Nadia didn't want to talk about it and even went so far as to tell me to leave well enough alone. If that didn't send up a red flag that she knew more than she was saying, I didn't know what would.

I'd never argued with my aunt before. I couldn't remember my mum ever arguing with Nadia, but we yelled at one another, and Nadia slammed her bedroom door in my face.

Why couldn't she just confirm what I knew? What did it hurt? My mum was gone, and if I had family trying to kill me, then I'd like to know the entire story. Maybe there was a way to stop the threat.

The guys forced me to leave, saying she needed time and telling me to give her a day or two. We would try again, but I couldn't rest. Finishing up the bathroom, I walked out to head to the next thing I could scrub, but Myles grabbed me by the shoulders and made me look at him.

"Snowflake, I know yer angry, and ya have every right to be, but ya need some sleep." He was right. I should, but I just couldn't.

Theo sighed from where he was leaning against the wall. "Why don't I take you for a ride? It always clears my head."

"Oh…I don't know," I said, cold water trickling all over the anger simmering inside of me.

"Look, you need to cool off, or you're never going to sleep. We need to sleep and can't with you doing this." He waved his hand at the cleaning caddy.

"But it's so early in the morning," I weakly argued.

"Means the roads will be quiet." I chewed my lower lip. It did sound fun.

"Go on, Snowflake. Get dressed. Theo will keep ya safe." Myles kissed the top of my head, and I smiled.

"Okay, fine." I jogged into my bedroom and quickly got changed before taking my damp hair from my earlier shower and putting it all in a low ponytail. A quick look in the mirror as I walked out had my chest puffing out. I looked like a total badass in the black protective gear.

"Damn, you look fierce," Blake said, his eyes roaming up and down my body, making me blush.

"I second that," Myles said as he ran his tongue over his bottom lip. Maybe this was all I needed. A little fun flirting with the two men in my life to distract me. I was already feeling a little better.

"Enough with the ogling. Let's get your boots on," Theo called up the stairs.

"Coming." Smiling, I purposely wiggled my butt more as I walked by Blake and Myles, and the air sizzled instantly.

"Keep it up, Snowflake. I'll drag ya into the bedroom, and yer never getting that ride."

"I second that," Blake mimicked Myles's earlier response.

"Oh, for fucks sake," Theo griped, making me laugh before I jogged down the stairs to him. I could feel Myles and Blake following.

As Theo helped with my boots, I glanced at the living room. Ivy was asleep on the couch, the lights off, but the television was still on whatever movie she'd been watching. Maybe a road trip to Vancouver would do us some good. It would take a day to get out and back, but it would be worth it to take them to the beach and spend a couple days there.

"Alright, are you ready?" Theo handed me the gloves, and a fluttery nervousness took flight in my stomach.

"Yeah, I am."

"Gimmie a sexy pose," Myles said, holding up his phone to take a picture. He was ridiculous with the pictures, but I gave him my best teasing look, and he groaned.

"Un-fucking-believable." Theo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Forget me. He looked sexy as hell in his gear.

Laughing, we turned to head to the garage when the lights of a vehicle pulled up outside. I could feel the air tense around the guys, their bodies going tight as they stood like statues, staring at the door. Within seconds, the doorbell rang and knocking banged throughout the house. Ivy jumped up on the couch as Blake and Myles pulled guns from under their hoodies that I didn't know they had on them.

"Ren! Ren, it's me," Nadia called out as she banged again on the door.

Blake grabbed me and pulled me back as I stepped toward the door.

"What are you doing?"

"Does your aunt make it a habit to come over this early, sounding panicked," Blake asked.

"Well, no. But she's my aunt. I've known her my whole life."

"Then let Myles answer it," he said flatly, pulling me back from being in direct line of the door. Myles had already slipped silently away and stood off to the side. My heart was a steady drum, a pounding that was as loud as Nadia's knocking.

"Ren, please! I need to speak to you. It's urgent," Nadia yelled. I wanted to go to her, but Blake held me firm to his body.

"Here, put this on," Theo whispered, and I stared at a black backpack. I didn't bother to question it. I knew that Theo wouldn't tell me to do something unless it was necessary. "You remember the plan," he asked, and Blake nodded. What the hell did they know? "Ivy, get your shoes on now," Theo ordered, and she sprinted off the couch like a rabbit.

I stared up at Theo as he clipped the straps across my chest for the pack. "What do you think is happening?" He looked at me but didn't say anything. "Theo?"

"What do ya want," Myles yelled through the door as he peeked through the hole.

"Please, Myles, I don't know how much time we have. I need to speak to Ren," Nadia said, and my worry turned into panic.

"Do ya have a gun?"

"No."

"If you do, I'm puttin' a bullet between yer eyes. Do ya understand?" His tone left no room for confusion. I knew he'd do it.

"Yes. I don't have one, I swear."

Myles opened the door, and as soon as I saw Nadia's stricken face, I went into full freakout mode. I yanked away from Blake and ran the few steps to greet her just inside the door. We hugged tight, but her body was trembling.

"Ren, I'm so sorry. You need to run. Please forgive me, you need to leave now. I didn't mean to," she cried, tears streaming down her face, but it was her accent that threw me. I'd never known Nadia to have one before, but she had a distinct one now.

"Mean to do what? What are you talking about?"

She was hyperventilating as she grabbed my shoulders. "You were right, I lied. I know about the pictures and who is in them, and I messed up. I messed up so bad. I called home when you questioned me. I didn't know what else to do, but I didn't know they were listening. I promise you that I'd never purposely lead them to you. All I've ever tried to do is protect your mum and you." Her eyes were wild as she pulled back, fingers digging into my arms. "I just got a warning that they're here. You need to go. Leave and never come back. I'm so sorry, Ren. I've always loved you like you were my own, but I need to run, too, or they'll kill me. I can't let them capture me."

Kill her? What the hell? Nadia kissed my cheek and pulled me into a quick hug. "Nadia, please tell me why my mother was killed. Who's trying to kill me? Is my mother a Mikhailov?"

"I don't have time to tell you the whole story. They could be here any second, but yes, you're a Mikhailov." She looked over her shoulder at her car. "Go, go pack. I'll find you and tell you everything as soon as we get to safety. It's time you knew the truth."

Nadia stepped back, her eyes filled with love and sadness. "Please go, now."

The words had no sooner left her lips when a black vehicle roared up the street. Shock and fear twisted my stomach as loud banging erupted before anyone ever jumped out. I screamed as Myles dove for me. Grabbing me around the waist, he tackled me to the ground. All the air was forced out of my lungs as his body covered mine. He lifted himself up just enough that I could move. I flipped over onto my stomach, covering my head as pieces of drywall and wood trim rained down on us.

"Go. Crawl to Blake," Myles yelled over the deafening noise. I looked back and wished I hadn't.

"No…Nadia." Nadia's body was on the ground, her eyes sightless as she stared at me. Blood poured from her mouth, and her hand was stretched toward me, like even in death, she was trying to touch me.

"Go, Ren, go now."

I closed my eyes, trying to get control of myself.

"Come on, Ren," I saw Blake's outstretched hand and did as Myles ordered and crawled as fast as I could down the hallway as more bullets rained on the house and flew through the open door. Picture frames smashed and fell, and glass scattered in all directions. I covered my head as the chandelier in the foyer exploded, sending little bits of crystal everywhere. Blake grabbed me and pulled me around the corner.

"We need to get the fuck out of here," Myles said, checking his gun. "This isn't enough for what they're packin'. Fuck, all the good shit is upstairs, but we'd be torn apart tryin' to get to it."

"Oh my god, oh my god, my aunt, I can't leave her."

"She's dead," Theo said, grabbing my arm and yanking me to my feet. "We need to go now. Myles, you good?"

I looked at Myles and covered my mouth as he stood, red sprayed across the front of his hoodie and face. "Ya, it's not mine. Go."

Ivy was holding the door to the garage open, her eyes mirroring the terror that I felt. Theo grabbed my helmet off the bike and put it on my head.

"I can't leave, I…." My brain was in a panicked loop of watching Nadia die in front of me. It happened again. The men came, and they murdered someone I loved right before my eyes.

Myles grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look at him as Theo tightened my helmet in place.

"Snowflake, listen to me. We're gonna split up."

"No."

"Aye." He gave me a little shake. "We already made an escape plan. Yer gonna go with Theo. He's the fastest, and whoever this is, they're not after us. They're after you. We'll separate and make it harder to follow any of us. Do ya trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then trust me now. We'll be fine. Just do as Theo says." I nodded, terror making me shake. "You know we love ya, Snowflake. It's gonna be okay. I promise you." He kissed the front of my helmet.

"Okay." I shoved all the fear down, picturing locking it in a box, and tried not to think about the panic in Nadia's voice. I'd already lost so much, and now the last piece of my mum and my family who loved me was gone. Pushing the thoughts aside, I let Theo help me. Myles raced around the SUV and got in my dad's car while Blake got in the Yukon with Ivy.

Theo grabbed my wrist, getting my attention, then patted the small seat behind him. "Just hang on tight," he said as I got on. I wrapped my arms around his waist, but he pulled them tighter. "Tight. Don't let go," he yelled and then slapped his visor down.

There was still so much gunfire. We lived in the country, but the police had to be here soon, right? Someone would stop this. Money can buy anything, Snowflake. Oh my god, no one was coming.

Theo held his thumb up, and all three vehicles started at once. The wheels on the Yukon spun, screeching as Blake floored it. In a blink, I went from being a normal girl to living an action movie. My brain couldn't seem to compute that any of this was real.

I jumped as the Yukon slammed into the garage door, peeling the track off the wall. Myles was right behind him, and we followed at the end of the line. Please let this be a nightmare, please let this be a nightmare. That was all that ran through my mind as Blake slammed into the front end of the black SUV partially in front of the driveway, sending the guys using it as cover, jumping in all directions. I realized then that a second vehicle had pulled up. The garage door flew off the hood, and both Myles and Theo pulled up beside the Yukon, putting it between us and the guns.

I held on to Theo for dear life, my fear for everyone skyrocketing as guns turned in our direction. As soon as we were clear of the gunmen, Myles pulled ahead of the Yukon, and Theo took the lead. I could still hear pinging, and I dared to look over my shoulder.

"Ren, you still with me?" I almost screamed at Theo's sudden voice in my ears. "Speak to me, Ren," he calmly said, like we weren't racing down the street away from people trying to kill us.

"I'm here," I said, only able to form those two words. "Blake…Myles…Ivy…my aunt…." I stuttered.

"This is nothing more than a test. You're sitting down to take the most important exam of your life, and you need to focus. You know how to focus. You need to beat me, remember? It doesn't matter what's going on around you. The clock is ticking, and you don't have much time to get a perfect score. You flip open the exam and pick up the pen, chewing on the end like you always do. You're focused on the paper in front of you. Do you see it?"

I closed my eyes and laid my head against his back. "Yes," I said, visualizing what he was saying. My breathing was still shaky, but I didn't feel like I was going to pass out.

"Good, keep that image in your mind. Nothing else matters, just my voice, so listen carefully. There is nothing we can do for Nadia, but we will mourn her when we are safe. Myles is heading west. He's in a much faster vehicle and will lose them easily. The car is fine. I can see it in my rearview mirror." I took a deep, shuddering breath. I believed Theo. He wasn't one to sugarcoat things for me, even if it would've been nice now and then. If the guys were in trouble, he would tell me.

"Your mom's SUV is bulletproof. I hadn't told you that yet. There was just so much other stuff to discuss. It's why Blake went first and blocked the people shooting at us once we got outside. He is heading south."

I opened my eyes as the motorcycle revved, and the world zipped by faster than I ever thought it could. We got on the freeway, and it felt like we were in a race as we flew past the few cars and transports on the road at this hour of the morning.

"Where are we going," I asked, closing my eyes again so I didn't throw up.

"East. We'll meet back up once we get over the border, but for now, we need a place to lay low. I'm going to put on some music. Don't think about anything other than the lyrics or the test in your mind. Okay?"

"Okay," I said and bit my lip as I forced myself to keep the emotional turmoil from spilling out and turning me into a sobbing mess. I'd managed three lessons on fighting, and now I felt like I needed to learn how to shoot a gun. Hugging Theo tight, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell my world was turning into and how I got off this ride because I didn't want to be on it anymore.