"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !!!!!!!!!"
An ear-splitting scream explodes as soon as I shift back to human speed.
"Thief, calm down!" I hiss, trying to soothe her while she continues punching and kicking. "Thief, stop it! It's me, Score!" I hiss again.
"You!!" She finally recognizes me and halts her assault. Her eyes dart around in confusion. "What...? Where... Where am I? What are you—"
"Thief, I need your help," I say, releasing her now that she's calmed a little.
She just stares at me—pure rage burning behind her eyes.
"Thief, please..."
Without warning, she bolts. I easily catch her—no need to shift my speed mode. I push her back against the cold concrete wall of the river dam and lock her in place with my arms and legs. I brought her here, to the riverside, fifty kilometers from the design school.
"Please, Thief... I don't want to hurt you," I murmur as she struggles in my grip.
"What do you want from me?!" she barks, vapor rising from her mask with every furious breath. "How dare you come near me after your betrayal?!"
"Thief, I really need—"
"After you tried to kill my father, what now?! Kidnap me?!"
"No! I don't want to kidnap—"
"What does your organization want from my father, huh?!"
"It has nothing to do with them—"
"Do they want to impeach—"
"It's not about—"
"Take over the country—"
"MY WIFE IS DYING!!"
Silence.
"Jen is dying..." I repeat, this time quieter. Weary. The words drain the strength from me.
"Didn't they promise to save her?" she asks, after almost a minute. "That's why you agreed to work with them again, right? Betray your friends?"
I nod and close my eyes, tasting the bitterness in her voice.
"So what? They turned their backs on you?" she scoffs.
I shake my head. "They kept their promise. The deal was to save Jen and our baby—and they did. But Jen's heart was damaged in the accident. Now... now she needs a new one."
"Why not ask your precious organization again?"
"They offered me another deal—come back to them, and she gets a brand new heart."
"Let me guess... Jen refused."
I nod again, more feebly this time.
"Her condition is..." I exhale hard. "She can't be too sad, too angry... not even happy. You know how expressive Jen is. That kills her spirit."
I pause to breathe, to gather strength. "She's already on the official transplant list. But legal heart donors are rare. I asked Bob to search the black market, but his reach is limited."
"And so now you ask me?" she snaps, spitting out the word like poison. "Me?"
"Yes. Please... You're my only hope." I reach into my coat and pull out a folded paper.
"This is the donor specification. Blood type. Rhesus. All of it. I'm willing to pay anything. I offered Bob fifty million, but I'll give more if needed. Jen has billions in inheritance. Even if it's not enough—"
"And you think I care?" Thief cuts me off.
I can only meet her eyes—blank, drained of pride or defense.
"How dare you think I'd help you?" she sneers.
"Please, Thief... I'll do anything."
"Anything? Like what—go to jail?"
I hold her gaze. Of course I've imagined this response. I know the chances of her turning me in are higher than helping me. I betrayed our friendship. I tried to kill her father. She knows everything I've done the past four years—she could bury me in court if she wanted to.
"Yes," I say, defeated.
"Yes?"
"Put me in jail. Or kill me. Just promise me—help Jen get her new heart."
She laughs bitterly.
The roar of helicopter blades fills the sky above us. Wind kicks up, men shout, light floods the riverbank.
"Finally," Thief murmurs to herself. Then she looks back at me. "You've got maybe two minutes before they reach the ground. You can vanish in one second, right?"
I let her go and step back.
"One minute," she warns.
"Please, help her," I whisper one final plea.
"Put your hands where I can see them!" a voice yells from behind me, five meters out.
I slowly raise both arms.
Seconds later, someone yanks them down and twists them behind my back.
"Miss, are you okay?" one man calls to Thief.
"What took you so long?!" she barks, not even glancing at me. "I activated the emergency beacon five minutes ago! Didn't think it'd take a genius to follow GPS! Idiots!"
"Y-Yes, Miss—we're sorry!" the man stammers.
Someone kicks the back of my knees and I drop, kneeling on the freezing ground.
"What do we do with him, Miss?" one guard asks. "Attempted kidnapping of the president's family warrants life in prison."
Thief turns to look at me. Her gaze is colder than the air around us, harsher than midwinter. Ice glints in her eyes.
"Beat him to death," she says flatly, lips barely moving.
A guard hesitates. "Miss?"
She turns her head again, sharp and crisp. "Are you deaf? I said beat him to death."
"Y-Yes, Miss!"
-
I shuffle down the pathway toward my house, every step sending fresh pain stabbing through my ribs. My teeth stay clenched. I hurt all over—but I'm still alive.
Thief didn't spare me. After she left, her four bodyguards made sure her order was fulfilled—almost. They were smarter this time. The first blow landed on my head. I blacked out instantly.
When I came to, agony greeted me. I could barely breathe—one of my ribs must've cracked under a brutal kick. My limbs were cuffed—hands and legs—chained to a metal pole. No strength, no speed, no defense. I was helpless. I could only take the blows until I passed out again.
I don't know what made them stop before killing me, but when I woke up again, I was floating face-up in the middle of the river. Somehow, I was still breathing. The water was freezing, but at least the current was calm. With what little energy I had left, I dragged myself to the riverbank, coughing water and blood.
My backpack—miraculously untouched—was still sitting near the edge, half soaked but not stolen. I reached for it with shaking fingers, barely able to unzip it. My phone rang at that exact moment.
The screen glowed: Baby calling.
I closed my eyes briefly, inhaled a sharp breath, and answered with the softest voice I could muster. "Yes, Baby…"
"Where were you? I've been calling for hours! Why didn't you answer?" Jennifer's voice came through, laced with worry.
"I'm sorry, Baby. I… I was moving my stuff to a new safehouse," I said, lying through clenched teeth.
"You okay? You sound… off."
"I'm fine, Baby. Just tired, that's all." Another lie.
"I miss you."
"I miss you too."
"And Sophie misses you."
I chuckled, even as pain clawed at my ribs. "She did? Is she asleep already?"
"Ahem…"
"Put the phone near her ear, will you?" I heard some shuffling, then silence.
I whispered softly into the phone, "Hi, Sweetheart. Are you being nice to Mommy? Daddy's coming home soon, okay? You take care of her for me, little one. I love you so much, Sophie."
"When will you be home?" Jennifer asked gently.
I swallowed. "I'll be beside you when you wake up in the morning."
To keep that promise, I forced my broken body to the airport. I caught the last flight back to town M. I made it.
Now, I stand outside my front door, one hand hovering over the handle. But something makes me pause.
What if Jennifer wakes up and sees me like this? Bloodied. Bruised. Barely standing. My body usually heals while I sleep, but I never know how fast. What if she sees me before I'm healed?
So instead of going in, I quietly turn and limp toward the back of the house, where a small forest stretches behind us. I'll sleep there, hidden in the cold and dark, just long enough to let the healing do its work.
But as I pass by the bedroom window, I stop. My breath catches in my throat.
There she is—Jennifer. Sound asleep on our bed, a faint smile gracing her lips. She's turned on her side, her back facing Peter Thompson, who's sitting quietly at the edge of the bed.
I watch in still silence as Peter gently strokes her hair, then brushes his fingers along her cheek. His lips move in a soft whisper I can only lip-read through the glass.
"I always love you, Jen."
The words echo louder in my heart than they should.