A Lifetime Assurance
The guard’s boots crunched closer, his flashlight beam dragging across the wet ground. In his right hand he held a small pistol as he approached. Sophie’s throat tightened her eyes opened wide. She wanted to gasp, scream, anything but Talia’s hand clamped firmly over her mouth, steady as stone.
The beam of light swept toward the wall where they crouched. Sophie’s pulse thundered in her ears, louder than the storm, louder than the rain dripping through the cracks. She squeezed her eyes shut, every nerve braced for discovery.
Then, just as the light was about to reach them suddenly wings flap .
A big bird burst out from the nearby bush, flapping wildly into the night. The guard jerked back, hissed loudly, swore under his breath, and turned his beam toward the sky.
“What is it?” one of the others called.
“Bird,” he muttered. “Nothing.”
He spat to the side and returned to his position. The other men shifted, but didn’t leave. Their flashlights kept slicing the road, the bushes, the trees every sweep deliberate, every shadow hunted.
Sophie’s body trembled in relief, though her fear still sat heavy in her chest. At least they were safe for now, but not safe forever.
Talia let out a long, quiet breath. Her eyes darted left, right, behind looking for exit but there is no one . The men stood like a net any movement would be caught. She pressed her back tighter to the crumbling wall, jaw set in thought.
“Attack ….yes, attack from behind,” she muttered. That could be the only way now . slip behind them, fast and silent, take them by surprise, and get away.
She shifted slightly, preparing to move, but Sophie’s hand shot out, clutching her sleeve.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Sophie said silently, still holding her sleeve. “I want to attack them from behind so we can get away from here, We can’t just stay here and wait for our deaths,” Talia said, eyes locked on Sophie’s.
“Are you crazy?” Sophie hissed, voice barely above breath. Her eyes blazed. “Didn’t you see the gun? Do you want to die?”
Talia opened her mouth to argue, but Sophie’s grip tightened. “No. Don’t even think about it because I’m not going to let you get yourself killed because of me. How many of them do you think there are? What if they all have gun ? Or is ur fist faster than a gun ?.” Sophie said silently and looking at Talia with a death warning written on her face
Talia couldn’t bring herself to argue not with the look on Sophie’s face, worry and care written plain on it . Sophie peered through the crack in the wall, still holding on to Talia’s sleeve to make sure she didn’t go. Talia stood behind Sophie and watched, how she clung onto her sleeve and how she stood in front peering at the wall protectively .
She was so carried away in admiring how brave she looks that she accidentally brushed Sophie’s palm and felt how cold it was. Her gaze softened as she noticed Sophie’s trembling shoulders, the way her lips shook not only from fear but from cold.
Without a word, Talia shrugged off her damp outer top and wrapped it around Sophie’s frame, tugging it close to keep the shivers at bay. Sophie blinked, startled, and said nothing.
Then Talia took Sophie’s cold hands, lifting them to her lips. She blew warm breath into Sophie’s palms before tucking them under her own shirt to shield them from the chill.
Sophie stared at her, wide-eyed, stunned by the gentleness in the middle of such danger. Talia gave a faint smile and leaned close so only Sophie could hear.
“Don’t worry. I promise I will get you out of here safe and sound and make sure you keep your place as heiress of the Langford group. I promise I will make those who put you in this situation pay for it all,” she said, Sophie’s hand still tucked under her cloth.
Sophie was short of words and didn’t know what to say.All she did was look into Talia’s eyes, admiring how caring she was. After a minute in a daze, Sophie moved closer, pressed her mouth to Talia’s ear, and whispered, “Is that an assurance?”
Talia shook her head, a tiny smile on her face. “Not just an assurance,” she said, voice soft. “A lifetime assurance.”