Chapter 13: Déclaration of war

"You're tougher than you look. Good. You’ll need it." The woman said in a low voice that was filled with urgency while I stared on confused, questions bottling up in my mind.

“Who are you?“ I finally questioned with a hoarse voice wanting to know.

"Someone who used to be where you are. Now shut up and move.“ She warned in a stern voice, while I just followed on, helplessly.

As we went, the alarms begin to blare — loud, someone had seen us, of course, the whole place was under surveillance. We split up into two in a sprint to confuse the guards, one to another direction and I – to god knows where.

And somehow, we escaped. Parting ways And while I searched some more, through, I saw them. Files piled up in crates. Files that entailed every single details, including the enemies company's mergers and transaction.

My eyes darted to every piece in the file and I saw a picture – I understood the message. I wasn't just not safe and now, my only person — Victoria would have to bear in this dangerous game she has no pact to play in. I sighed, not of relief but from the tension of situation that had built up walls around me in an instant, weighing its presence on me. But this…

The pictures and file weren't just random. Somehow, I felt wasn't just some girl in an art gallery he found useful, I was chosen. He had always noticed me and has appropriately fixed me tight as a pawn in his many games and this one , I was already playing.

I stared at the files, flipping it pages continually, hoping to find some more, staying back — it all meant Victor's been watching me all along. I stood still in the abandoned office where I had run into in the warehouse for safety, I stood still trying to process everything as I fought not to lose my stance cos hell! Sweat broke out on my forehead.

The file had my photo, and every damn persons related to me including past relationships to the art gallery.

While lost in this web of confusion, I heard it. Footsteps approaching. Close! Had one of the guards found out I was here? I quickly duck behind the door. It opens, I shut my eyes tight for what was about to befall me but for some reasons, it felt different. Not harmful. No one felt my presence but the scent… I shut my eyes to think.

The cologne carried almost David's presence but it smelt almost like dust, blood and whoever it was had a rough breath as though he begged for it. Or was it some trick to lure me out for Victor? I shot my eyes wide open, it was no guards or Victor. It was David.

But something felt wrong. I studied him, his face bruised and accompanied with sluggish movement. I move away from the door to face him and that's when he noticed me. We lock eyes, my world stopping, but I should still and wouldn't say a word.

“Jess?“ He called weakly like a toddler who was daydreaming yet calling on his mother.

I stared at him. Those eyes almost sincere like I had always seen them, the same eyes that betrayed me and now he tried to act sincere? I scoffed and took few steps backwards. I won’t get fooled the second time.

I saw the flicker in his eyes — disappointment? Maybe. He must have been disappointed that I had learned of his charades earlier than prepped.

“You gave me up.“ I muttered as the pain squeezed in my chest.

"No… I didn’t. I swear, I.." for some reasons, I almost believed him but I won't fall twice for the same person.

He had tried to convince me more even while I pulled uninterested and suddenly, a shot rings out. Loud! Cutting through the air with its loud bang.

I drop to the floor screaming in fear, the bullet hadn't hit me. I looked up a little, it didn't hit David. But someone was here and whoever it was, they wanted us both dead.

Suddenly, another shot rings out, but this time, it was louder.

I was still on the floor, rolling and screaming in fright when the light inside suddenly became dim in the abandoned office room of the warehouse. I let out shaky breath consequently — desperate to leave here while my protective instincts kept surging.

The gunshot still echoed in my head, and David? He stood still, not shaken, it was not new to him, I had reminded myself but I shook at the thought of horror.

He immediately dragged me down towards him behind the desk. And then I took more note, he was groggy, weak and pale as though he had been locked up and beaten that even the grip he wrapped around my arms was not so tight But I was less concerned about that. At this moment, all I wanted was to survive. I struggled in his arms as if wanting protection like a child would with her mother, torn between hate and fear.

“Down — stay down!“ He had said in urgent whisper as I kept raising my head to see if anyone was coming. I shot a glare at him — furious and confused.

“Get off me! Why the hell are you here? Why now?“ I said yanking off his hands from mine.

I accused him of the message and for some reason I would not believe him.

“I didn't send that message, I would never give you up.“ Another shot cracks distracting us from the argument. Dust rains from the ceiling as the shooting never stopped, it was now like some battles in the outside world and we? We were close, I feared that.

“ You seem calm in this situation and it was safe to think you'd believe me over some manipulator.“

Those words. They stung me hard than he could imagine and like he wouldn't know, he added —

"He’s trying to kill us. I didn’t know you were here. I thought—I thought I was going to die, lose you and and .."

We escaped through the office's window and started weaving our ways through the back hallways. My eyes darted around places every time I took steps and helped David who struggled to walk steadily. I hadn't believed him so much but I'd be too cruel not to help when he'd always played being there for me.

Reluctantly, I wrapped my hands gently around his arms. Despite my anger, my instincts deliberately kicks in with no warnings.

As we passed through crates filled for weapons — we realized it was no joke. We docked surveillance but soon as we heard guards shooting, we swung to action. They must still be looking for me and probably David too.

"He’s not just trying to hurt me. He’s running something else here... trafficking, maybe." David let out as if he had heard my troubling yet curious thoughts. Right, that was something Victor was capable of, with the little, I know.

"I saw my name in a file. He’s been watching me. Before I ever met you at the art gallery." I told him, David stops, his hands tightening around the gun. And with a low and deadly voice;

"Then this was never about the gallery. This was always about you."

Somehow, I was overly confused and with David's conclusion, it was no different.

We got to a loading dock by hallway, David got in confrontation with one of Victor's Elite dogs. It was a tense, fast paced hand to hand fight. David fought weakly. All I saw was weak man fighting with his last strength and so I thought to help once my eyes caught something. A metal pipe, I sneaked towards it and threw a tiny bolt towards the guard to distract him. It worked and when he thought he was coming for me, I hit him with the pipe.

The guard pressed his hands to his head in pain, a good timing — I smirked as David finally knocks the guard out of consciousness and grabbed his earpiece.

We could hear Victor's voice, smooth — taunting, cold, firm, yet promising. I glanced at David once we heard him speak, he was watching us.

"You always did like to save people, David. Funny how you cannot even save yourself."

David growled weakly into the earpiece as Victor had dared him.

"I’m coming for you. And when I do, no one’s walking away." David hissed.

We — David and I both sat in hiding in a small storage room, it felt safe for a while but the air and stir that war was coming never softened or even relent. It was thick with so much silence.

My eyes darted to his wound, it was deep and the blood would not clot, so I tore a piece of my dress and tied to his leg bruise and the rest, I tore them from a tarpaulin my side eye had caught.. once our eyes locked, I took my gaze off him instantly. And for a while, there was uninterrupted silence, no one speaking just unsaid words and wounded worlds hanging so uptight in the air.

With a ragged voice — although soft, I heard his voice break out.

"I thought I could keep you safe by keeping you close but I was wrong. I should have burnt his empire down the moment he looked your way."

"You broke something in me. But I still can’t watch you die." I said to him, not looking a second into his eyes as I stood up from beneath him after finally dressing up his wound,

"I’m not dying today. Not when I’ve still got you to fight for." he said placing his legs to the ground, but not without a grunt escaping his lips.

Those words, they softened my almost hardened heart. I heard my pulse ring out loud in my ears. I finally locked eyes with him — mine filled with uncertainty yet wanting to believe and risk it all and his — carrying every ignited flames of sincerity and now, I was going to trust him. He wasn't just dangerous maybe, maybe he had more kinder part than I've always seen.

As we sneaked towards an exit, we found the mysterious woman from earlier, still rough — wounded but alive. She had a gunshot graze and while we spoke to her, she was one from Victor's operation until she tried to escape. He had promised to save her family and protect her from her father's dangerous debtors if she worked for him but it was all just some well planned out manipulation and she just only realized when she lost everything even her parents.

And now, she had made a promise to herself not just to escape but with revenge and that's why she was helping — even now.

She gave crucial information — there was a secret tunnel exit under a boiler room that was a faster route to leaving the warehouse. And that Victor has had every plans. Right. That's what manipulators do.

He had a trap to wipe the entire place clean. Fire. Explosion. No witnesses. Just a normal fire incident.

She turned to me — unexpectedly and how she spoke to me like some mother — my heart clenched and ached in pain for every of her losses.

"You’re not the first girl he has watched. But you’re the first he hated this much."

"Because I chose someone." I let out with a cold breath, David gripping my hands tight.

She turned to David too,

"You’ve got maybe ten minutes before this place goes up in flames. Save her. End this. I still have a lot to do here."

But we'd do them together. We assure her. She stared at me like I was promising but wouldn’t reach a limit, but once she glanced at David and he gave a nod, I saw some warmth of reassurance in her eyes that made her say ‘yes’.

I, David and the woman rushed through even when we saw the fire already spreading wide from the upstairs.

The fire kept burning and escalating that my breath hitched at every seconds, David kicked the doors weakly but with strength as he leaped, I help my pulling out a broken lever to open the gate and while we had our escape panned out just for us to leave, the woman collapse halfway through the tunnel. I looked back, the fire coming. Almost near.

"There was no time! You would die if you go back!" I cried out to David who was hell bent on helping the woman. It was hard to do but somehow, I wanted my life and she could be a siege to that.

"I’m not letting anyone else die for me!" David responded, almost raising his voice in anger. In realization that I felt selfish when she.. — she had helped much and all I was going to repay her with was — letting her die here?

We both helped up and had David carry her while I helped with the dragging in panted breath with every strength left in me. Behind us, was the warehouse exploding in a dirty blast — wreckage raining down.

The three of us falling to the ground outside in the grass. I stared back at the flames, everywhere smoky. My hands tremble.

David emerges carrying the woman and I helping to drag them out.

"Victor thinks we are dead." I whispered in realization.

"Then let’s make him know we're not.“ David said in a cold threatening voice.

We journeyed till we came across a nearby small building to stay in, it was dusty — abandoned but it blessed us shelter, at least for now. I smiled. I took care of the woman from earlier and her pulse seemed to be returning to normal.

Everywhere felt like peace until David picked up a burner — ringing to the other end as though he was making a declaration of war as if we hadn't just escaped one.

"Get the guns. I’m ending this." He hissed.

I watched him — plainly and for the first time, I don't just see a dan

gerous yet soft man I had met at the art gallery but a man who was willing to burn a kingdom to the ground.. for me and to win!