April

We were speeding through thick sheets of bushes and tree shadows. I focused my eyes on the greenery outside to help my heart to cope up with what had just occurred a few minutes ago. My hands rested on top of Christian who was sleeping in my lap with his hands wrapped around my waist. I was sure he was having a panic attack but before I could ask him or help him calm down the bullet that broke through glass window stunned us speechless.

We were not supposed to get caught. No one was supposed to get suspicious about us, and we were supposed to leave the building without any trace, the four of us. Austin however, hadn't managed to join us and on top of that neither Austin nor Dad was picking their phones.

Jayson didn't blink an eye before he had put the car into reverse and roved it out at maximum speed. Three people followed us running and screaming "traitors" for about five minutes before I could see three dots disappear.

"We are almost there Ap." Jayson broke through the heavy silence and made me look at him in the rearview mirror.

"Right." I nodded.

Our destination was Montville, another small town which was approximately eighteen miles from Old Lyme. Even though it was a twenty-five minutes ride it felt like twenty-five hours when people chased after you with guns. Every second now and then I kept glancing back anxiously waiting for our ride to end waiting for Montville to arrive.

There were two cars at a distance that had been chasing us from the beginning but after we had left Old Lyme behind Jayson had successfully managed to lose their tail.

Sense of relief washed over me as Christian squirmed in my lap and his messy raven hair tickled me.

"Chris?" I gently touched his cheek. "Chris, how are you feeling?" I was sick worried about him because I had never seen him having any sort of mental problem before so the way he was clutching his head and screaming before he lost his consciousness was giving me hysterics.

He took a minute knitting his eyebrows before he slowly opened his eyes. The moment his eyes landed one me, he jolted up from his position.

"Hazel? What happened? Are you okay?"

The way he makes sure about me before even thinking about himself hadn't changed and it warmed up me from inside.

"I'm okay. Are you sure you okay? You were shivering." I checked his forehead with the back of my hand to make sure he didn't have fever which I already had checked a dozen times while he was asleep.

He blinked a few times at me with his brows joined in confusion. "Yeah, I'm good but wait, I remember hearing a gunshot."

"Yeah it barely missed me." I glanced at the broken window to my right. That gunshot was for me. I had managed to escape it through sheer luck.

His gaze followed mine and his eyes grew dark when they noticed the spot where the bullet had crashed making a small hole with mismatched cracks around it.

"I'm sorry I lost it for a while I don't know why it happened after all those years." He brushed a hand through his hair sighing in regret.

"It's not your fault. Anyway, we are almost reached our destination. Look!" I decided to distract him before he could go on a guilt trip and gestured for him to look outside.

"Where exactly are we?"

"The next town. Montville." I replied.

"Why?"

"Why? Because I don't know about you but we sure as hell don't want to get roasted with bullets anytime soon. We prefer to live you know." Jayson snapped after he hit the breaks and turned around, fuming.

"What is your problem?" Christian asked in a dangerously low voice and it was a warning bell for me so I jumped from my seat immediately and put my arms between them.

"That's enough you guys. Let's go inside before our pursuers get here."

Jayson slammed the door shut as he walked away without looking back. Christian held my hand as we stood in front of a small one storey house.

"This whole block is full of one storey house." I mumbled as we approached the house. A man was waiting for us at the entrance and for some reason he was beaming with joy.

"Welcome! You must be-" he stopped mid sentence as he saw me. His eyes twinkling in awe. What was with him?

"I'm Apr-"

"Shhhh! I know you. I know who you are! Let's go inside. We can talk there."

He hurriedly took us in before instructing one of the men standing by the gates to hide our car.

So Dad had given us specific instructions about how where and when we were supposed to go this week. According to him the taking over will require that much time as our relatives might interfere and in the worst-case scenario a brawl will break out which may last for days. Mere idea of it gave me chills, but there was something else which stunned me.

In just one night Dad had managed to arrange everything for us. Now I was convinced that he was in fact working as a spy for all these years. He practically knew everyone in Old Lyme and each and every surrounding town but no one knew who he really was except for a few and the guy in front of me was one of them.

"I'm Thomas Stone, one of your father's most trusted men." He extended his skinny hand forward, and I shook it. He had shaggy blond hair which made me think that he was younger, but he was Dad's acquaintance so he was anything but young.

"I'm April Grey."

"Of course you are. You look just like your father. It's a great pleasure to help you. I'm forever in his debt, so I am always looking for opportunities to pay him back somehow." He paused as his grip on my hand loosened.

"Don't tell me...you are...that..." Thomas's words were caught in his throat as his eyes were fixated on one specific person.

"What are you looking at?" Christian growled. Uh oh I had forgotten how he was still in a bad mood.

Thomas Stone's face paled at a rapid pace as if some invisible hand was strangling him to death.

"Mr. Stone? If you don't mind we would like to-"

"Why are you here? You...you...!" Thomas's eyes filled with pure terror.

"It's okay Mr. Stone. He is not going to harm you. He is with us." My words went unheard by him as he clutched his head and began screaming.

Christian had a bad reputation. He was dropped out of our school. He was called unkillable and was a legend in the mafia world. That's all the information I had which was on the surface level and I was aware that it was a tip of an iceberg.

"Mr. Stone!" I snapped without realising and ended up shouting as if I was angry because he was afraid of Christian.

Thomas stone froze on his spot and looked at me incredulously. Maybe in his eyes I was an utter fool who was not scared of the guy who terrorized this town.

"Please calm down and show us to our rooms." I felt Christian gripping my hand tighter.

"Miss April. I'm sorry for my behaviour. Boss, I mean your father did tell me about him but I thought he was joking. I mean he is...do you know who he is?" He threw a terrorized look at me.

"I may not know what you know Mr. Stone. But it is the same for you. You don't know what I know and I-"

"No matter what you know Miss April it's definitely a facade. If you knew who he really was you wouldn't be standing with him so carelessly." Thomas eyes landed on Christian again and yet again he froze.

"Anyway I will fulfill my duty as my boss has instructed me. However, I must warn you to stay away from him if possible." He hesitated before instructing his men to show us to our individual rooms.

As I let my body relax on the smooth surface of the bed I found my mind whirling with questions. Unanswered questions. Questions about Christian.

I shook my head and pulled out my phone to call Austin again. Great. This will be a good distraction.

Fortunately this time he answered though on the last ring but it made my heart flutter.

"Hey Ap."

__END OF CHAPTER__