Page 20

Arielle

I jumped past the pothole in front of me, feeling my chest expand and contract as I drew in shallow, controlled breaths. The force of the solid ground pushing back at me every time my feet struck the floor had my ankles hurting. My lungs burned increasingly, and I could feel the fatigue building in my muscles. A glance at my smart watch revealed I still had about a kilometer before I could think of stopping.

When I was told I needed to pick a daily activity to keep me fit while I continued my self-defense training, running seemed like the best option. It provided me with a good reason to leave the bed at the crack of dawn, escaping the pillow talk that always came in the morning while giving me time to clear my head and get in character for my day.

A bonus point was Mikhail being gone to work by the time I returned, but now, I found myself loving the activity. The feeling of the wind against my skin and my hair flowing behind me as I ran constituted an odd feeling of freedom, a feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time since I moved in with Mikhail. Slowly, running went from being an excuse to an outlet. Even the burning in my chest and the ache in my joints began to feel like a well-earned trophy.

The buzzing sound of my phone dragged me out of my head, halting my steps in the process. I pulled out my phone to find Mikhail’s name flashing on the screen.

“Morning Princess.” His velvety voice poured from the speaker, sending a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold morning down my spine.

“Hey, good morning. How’s your day going?” My voice came out in shallow pants as I rested my body against a giant oak tree by the side of the track.

“Going fine. We’re coming to close on the deal, and I should be back in two days. Isn’t it a bit too early for your run?” he queried.

“Couldn’t sleep,”

“You should’ve called,” his tone was firm and clipped.

“You had a long negotiation meeting the whole day, and I didn’t want to disturb you with something as little as insomnia.” I took a long sip from my water bottle, welcoming the feeling of the cool water on my parched throat and circulating through my body.

“I’d take your call in the middle of a war, princess,” he said, and I had not a single doubt in me that he would do that. “I wanted to check in on you before continuing my day.”

The statement had my eyes rolling. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have someone watching and reporting my every movement to him at this very moment.

“I’m fine. Have a wonderful day,” I replied, and the line went dead after goodbyes were exchanged.

Too exhausted to move, I leaned back into the tree, the unwelcome feelings associated with the events of the past days slowly replaying in my head. When Mikhail told me he was going on a business trip, I was both relieved and happy to hear about it. What I didn’t see coming was the effect his absence had on me.

It’s been three days, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I was beginning to miss him. The house felt cold and empty without his presence, and in a funny twist of events, I suddenly became unable to get a proper night’s sleep without him and had resorted to calling him every night to talk me to sleep. It didn’t do a lot, but it helped.

Regardless, I would still consider his absence a blessing. I had more alone time to think without his presence clouding my senses and didn’t need to tip-toe around the house to make a call or have discussions with Vivian. Overall, his absence was both a blessing and a curse.

Communication with Father also got better. When Mikhail told me he had taken care of the threat, I went cold with fear, thinking he had somehow closed in on us. But Father told me it was he who planted a culprit to relax Mikhail, throwing him off our scent and giving me a better environment to conduct my affairs. Against my better judgment, I found a pang of guilt tugging at my chest as I watched Mikhail celebrate the demise of a fake threat, not knowing the only threat slept next to him.

Glancing at my watch, I decided to cut my running at the spot. I’d just spend extra time in the boxing ring to make up. I returned to the house and prepared for work, hating how colorless and boring my life seemed when I wasn’t working on a target or tailing someone.

*****

The sun had just begun its descent, casting a golden hue over the city as I made my way out of the office building, settling into the passenger seat of Mikhail’s G-wagon. Today, I practically forced Mr. Vanderbilt to give me actual work to do. He was hesitant at first, but when he figured I wasn’t going to leave until he gave me something, he caved and asked me to shadow his COO for the day.

It turned out to be a very exciting experience, and I ended up staying past my work hours. It was exactly what I needed—a distraction to occupy me for the day and keep me from returning to the empty house waiting for me. While I appreciated Maya’s efforts to keep me company, she simply wasn’t Mikhail.

“We’ll make a brief stop at Ben & Jerry’s,” I said to Angelo as we pulled out of the driveway, feeling the need to treat myself after a long workday. I’d probably have to run an extra kilometer or two to shed off the calories, but it’ll be worth it. Ice cream was my ultimate guilty pleasure.

“Yes, ma’am.” My skin bristled at the cold and formal tone of his voice. I’d given up on trying to create a less tense relationship between us long ago and allowed him to continue with his formalities. He was probably following strict orders from his boss, but that didn’t make being called ‘ma’am’ bearable.

As we approached the ice cream truck, my phone buzzed with a message from Julia reminding me of our monthly catch-up dinner tomorrow. Finally, something to look forward to. A smile curled my lips as I typed my reply. Our monthly dinners were the only sign of normalcy in my life, and I held tightly to them.

Before I could hit the send button, a sudden jolt threw me forward, and searing pain exploded on my shoulder from the seat belt holding me in place. The deafening sound of screeching tires and shattering glass filled the air as the car was sent spiraling out of the road.

“Angelo!” I screamed, my heart going into overdrive as I struggled to process what the hell just happened. I could see him struggling to control the car, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. Panic surged through my veins as I realized we were spinning out of control. I closed my eyes tightly, praying to every God I've ever heard of and offering my fealty to any one of them who managed to bring me out of this situation alive. This can't be how I die.

Time slowed down as the car skidded across the pavement, and I cracked an eye open to see Angelo slowly regaining control of the steering. The relief was wiped off my face as a bigger force slammed into us, the force of the impact sending shockwaves through me. My vision burned as my head slammed against the window, a sharp pain radiating from the side of my skull. I could taste the metallic tinge of blood in my mouth, mingling with the smell of smoke and burning rubber.

For a moment, everything went silent. The world seemed to hold its breath as I struggled to stay conscious. I could hear the pounding of my heart against the pain in my head, and my breath was coming out in a ragged manner. Survival instinct kicked in as the blanket of smoke around me thickened, almost crowding my vision and filling my lungs with so much carbon monoxide that they started to burn. I tried to move, but my body seemed to weigh a ton. I could only manage to lift my fingers. Panic tugged at my chest as I realized I was trapped.

“Angelo,” I whispered, my voice weak and trembling. I couldn’t see him. I couldn’t see anything. Tears streamed down my eyes as I came to the slow realization that this was how I was going to die—in a burning car, scared and alone.

Suddenly, a hand grasped my shoulder, shaking me violently. "Arielle! Please Arielle, open your eyes. Don’t die on me, please, stay with me." Angelo’s voice sounded like a muffled noise at the back of my head, but it was a lifeline in the darkness, and I focused on it, clinging to it like my life depended on it because it probably did.

“Can you move?”

I tried to nod, but the pain in my head was overwhelming. I forced myself to take a deep breath, filling my lungs with more smoke as I pushed through the fog of pain and fear. Slowly, I managed to unbuckle my seatbelt, and Angelo pulled me out of the car, his movement careful and deliberate. The world outside was a mix of chaos and anarchy. Mikhail’s car was crumpled and smoking, the front end smashed beyond recognition. Another vehicle, a pickup truck, was lodged against the driver’s side, its front bumper twisted. There was no sign of the driver.

My legs wobbled as I stood, my body protesting every movement. I leaned on Angelo for support, my mind still reeling from the shock. “What happened?” I managed to ask, my voice barely more than a whisper.

“Someone rammed us,” he replied, his eyes scanning the area. “We need to get to safety.”

As we stumbled away from the wreckage, I couldn’t stop my thoughts from racing. Who would do this? Was it a random accident or something more sinister? The questions swirled in my mind, each one more terrifying than the last.

We made our way to the sidewalk, where a small crowd had gathered. People were shouting, their voices adding to the growing pain in my head. I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me, my vision darkening at the periphery.

“Stay with me, Arielle. Please,” Angelo pleaded, supporting my weight with his body.

Just as we reached the relative safety of the sidewalk, a loud explosion rocked the air. I turned just in time to see the car engulfed in flames, the heat and light searing through my senses. The force of the blast knocked me off my feet, sending me crashing to the ground. Pain exploded in my head as I hit the pavement, my vision going black. The last thing I heard before losing consciousness was Angelo’s frantic voice calling my name.