***Misha***
*Three Months Later*
“Are we taking the usual route, boss?” I asked Sephie as we both stretched for our morning run. Since I’d been running with her regularly now, I was able to keep up with her better. She was still faster than I was. I did make the mistake of testing that out a few weeks ago and I still regret it. I’m not sure my ego will ever recover.
“I think so. I like being able to see Mr. Turner at work on the way back here.”
“You got it. You’re sure you don’t want to eat something before we go?” I asked. She had been doing fasted cardio in the morning, trying to lose a few pounds. I didn’t see where those pounds were that she needed to lose, but I knew better than to argue with a woman over these matters.
“I’m sure. It’s not as bad as it sounds. And there’s that damn gala, ball, extravaganza thing coming up in a few weeks. I have to like wear a dress for that and I hate wearing dresses and being in public. Everyone stares. I’ll be damned if they can say I’m fat while they’re all staring at me.”
I laughed, shaking my head. I always found it funny that men were constantly trying to be bigger while women were constantly trying to be smaller.
“You will look great, gazelle. And just think about all the sandwiches from Vinny’s that you’ll be able to eat after it’s over.”
“Someone should warn that poor man. He’s going to go bankrupt feeding me after that event,” she said, a very serious look on her face. She could definitely pack the food away, especially for a girl. It was one of the things we all loved about her. She was always down for a food run whenever we got to stay with her. She always worked out with us, too. She was practically one of us.
We finished stretching and set out on our usual route. Over the past couple of months, we’d all settled into somewhat of a routine. It was so much easier with her at the penthouse. We didn’t have to fight over who got to stay with her. We would take turns throughout the day and we each had found unique things that we did with her. I would run with her, Andrei was basically her trainer now, Ivan was teaching her how to drive defensively, Viktor was teaching her how to defend herself, and Stephen was teaching her how to shoot. She took an interest in each of us as an individual and at this point, she likely knew more about each of us than Adrik did, even though we’d been with him much longer. We all had demons from the past and in her own way, she was helping us deal with that. She was always there to make everything more fun.
Woman’s touch, I suppose. She was different from any woman any of us had known before. We all loved her and loved being around her. She would come hang out with us if Adrik had a late meeting or needed to work late.
As we ran, I was silently grateful we were back at the penthouse and not at the house. She always wanted to take the long way around the lake when we were at the house, and I would suffer every time. The route we took through the city wasn’t nearly as long. I still had some improvements to work on before I could easily keep up with her on the long runs.
We neared the last leg of our route, the hotel that Mr. Turner worked at coming into view as we ran down the street. Only a few more blocks to go now.
We passed by the hotel, stopping briefly to say “good morning” to Mr. Turner. As we left the hotel and continued on our way, I got a bad feeling. I made sure to keep an eye on Sephie beside me, while trying to weave in and out of pedestrian traffic. There were suddenly a lot of people on the sidewalks. I was just about to stop her so I could keep her closer to me when I felt someone try to tackle me from my left side. Just as I was pushed to the side, I heard her scream behind me.
Shit. They’re going to try and grab her.
The man that tackled me was still trying to get me to the ground but couldn’t. He still had his arms around mine. I still had full use of my legs and I was taller than him, so I was using that to my advantage. He had pushed me closer to the buildings, so I turned and shoved him into the building as hard as I could. The shock of the impact made him loosen his grip enough that I could get my arms free. I elbowed him in the face, causing him to stumble. I looked to find Sephie. She was fighting with her attacker. The guy that had tackled me was coming back for more. He looked like he wasn’t completely with it, somehow. His eyes were having trouble focusing.
I punched him in the face as hard as I could. His body immediately going limp and falling to the ground. I ran to Sephie, who had her attacker on the ground. She was straddling him, just letting her fists fly in this guy’s face. I could tell she was pissed. I’d sparred with her a few times. If you pushed her to the point of anger, you better be ready for a fight. Clearly this guy was not prepared.
I caught her arm and pulled her off him. He was unconscious. He wasn’t going anywhere. I stood her up and looked her over. While my attacker couldn’t get me to the ground, hers took her down immediately. She had road rash down one side and she had clearly hit her head. She was bleeding from a cut above her eyebrow. Adrik was going to be so pissed at me.
“Sephie, look at me. How bad are you hurt?” I asked, holding both of her shoulders. She didn’t answer. She just kept staring at the guy on the sidewalk as she was trying to catch her breath.
Mr. Turner, who had seen everything, ran to us. “Are you guys okay? Do you want me to call an ambulance?”
“No, Mr. Turner. I’m calling my people. We’ll take care of it. But thank you.” I turned to look at Sephie, who was still breathing hard, her face red, still pissed. “Gazelle? Talk to me. How bad are you hurt?”
She finally looked at me and I could see the switch flip in her head. “I’m okay. My head hurts, but I’m okay.”
I exhaled, taking my phone from my pocket. I had Viktor on speed dial. He answered on the first ring. He knew we were out and the only reason I would be calling was not a good one.