Chapter 283

Chapter 283
FLASHBACK

I watched her moving with the swords. She was moving at a pace that was borderline unbelievable, and yet she was handling it with a grace I could only match with a wild cat. I accidentally knocked into the corner of the table, breaking her concentration. One of the blades just about missed her.

Her eyes caught mine and I was captivated. She raised an eyebrow at me and I smirked at her. She looked even more beautiful as she blushed before beckoning me over to her. I headed there and grabbed two swords.

"Do you know how to handle those?" she asked me. Her voice was smooth and strong, despite her small size.

"I don't know. Let's find out," I challenged before going for her.

We fought for hours, changing techniques and weapons. For the first time in my life, I was lost to time and I didn't mind it. I didn't even care that I'd been sent to find Storm. Being with this girl was more important to me in that moment.

She took off her jacket as I followed with mine. That left me shirtless, and she was in a sports b-ra. Together with the yoga pants, I was afforded the kind of body hormonal teenage boys fawn over.

"Like what you see?" she asked.

"Very much so," I agreed.

"Don't bruise it too much," she replied.

I had no idea what she meant by that, until she landed a punch across my face. I wasn't expecting it, but I was ready for all her other attacks. I've fought many people in my life, and I've been named the best amongst the best, but I'd never fought anyone like this girl.

Let alone have anyone keep up with me like she has.

She caught me off guard and sent me to the ground. She smirked at me, only for me to blindside her and bring her down with me. She landed on me and the most wonderful sound came out of her mouth as she laughed.

She didn't make a move to get off me, and neither was she freaked out by me wrapping my arms around her waist. I didn't even know why I felt comfortable enough to do so, especially since my mission was Storm Tsar.

I moved a strand away from her green eyes. "What's your name?"

"Why should I trust you when I know that your name isn't Coren and you're trying to get in with my best friend?" she asked.

I was shocked.

"If you know that my name isn't Coren, and that I'm infiltrating the Tsar's, why haven't you said anything?" I asked.

She traced her fingers on my face. "Because I'm curious about you."

I scowled. "What are you curious about?"

"Why you would be stupid to enough to take on this mission alone," she replied, smiling.

"Stupid? Do you know something that I don't?" I asked.

"I know that the Tsar's will kill you without so much as a second thought once they find out who you really are," she replied.

"That's a given. Everyone knows that, so there's something else that you're not telling me," I pointed out.

"There's something about you Xander, son of Alexander, and I will die before I let anyone hurt you," she said before getting up, leaving me confused, especially since there were only six people who knew my name and she wasn't one of them.

I held her hand before she could leave. "Wait! What's your name?"

She shot me a breath-taking smile. "Lillian."

And then she was gone.

I clutched my head at the memory. It was unfamiliar to me, and yet it felt so real. We were at one of the dojos back in Cuba and I would know because I spent so much of my time training there.

Everything felt so real. I could even feel her skin and remember how quickly my heart beat the very first time I saw her. However, the timeline just wasn't making any sense because if the memory is true, then I met the love of my life four years ago.

And not last year as I originally thought.

"Bro, are you ok?" Thales asked beside me.

"I'm fine," I mumbled before the Lillian walked in. They'd sent a message to say they were on their way back, so we were all meeting for the debriefing.

"Well that mission was a bust!" Theodore commented as he threw himself onto the couch.

"I wouldn't necessarily call it a bust. While we didn't gain any new information on Lane, I did find out that there's a new woman in his life. Her name is Elizabeth McFarland and she's a physicist," Zeya informed.

Yeah, no.

"I heard about her too. Apparently, she's not only really special to him, but he's hoping to bring her on board with whatever it is he's doing," Garrett added.

Like she wanted.

"Did anyone get a glimpse of what she looks like?" I questioned.

"Nope! It was a masquerade party, remember?" Bart pointed out. I rolled my eyes at that.

"So, what now?" Nadia asked.

"Our mission is still Lane, so we just look for a new way forward. Did anyone manage to get any intel on his lab?" I asked.

"The security is apparently the tightest in the whole country, so whatever he's building, be it a bomb or not, is something he values highly," Theodore replied.

"Or it's something that might potentially end the world," Malachi added.

"The important thing here is finding out what it is, over discussing the obvious," my brother pointed out.

"Has anyone received any intel on the new organization?" I asked.

"Not much has happened on that front. If anything, it's almost as though they've gone quiet," Theodore replied.

"Because that's always a good thing," Mordecai said sarcastically.