Sweet But Jealous

Chapter 8: Collision Course (8)

His fingers closed around her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "If I discover that scent is anything but harmless," his voice was a frozen blade, "you will curse the day you were born."

The pressure hurt, but Qu Yan laughed softly. "Paranoid much? I won't harm you. Truly." She genuinely wasn't wearing perfume. The rose scent was innate – calming, even rejuvenating long-term. A useless perk from the Multiverse Agency, utterly devoid of aphrodisiac properties!

"See that you don't." He released her chin, his gaze icy.

Where his fingers had pressed, a small red mark bloomed on her pale skin. It bruised too easily.

An inexplicable irritation prickled beneath Bo Siyan's skin.

"I promise!" Qu Yan raised three slender fingers, solemn. "I protect those I pursue. I'll be very, very good to you!"

Bo Siyan couldn't suppress a derisive snort. "You pursue me?"

Qu Yan blinked her luminous eyes. "Is that a problem? A real man never says he 'can't', you know."

Before Bo Siyan could retort, the car surged forward violently.

His expression didn't flicker. "Lao Chen. Report."

The driver, Lao Chen, accelerated, expertly weaving. "Young Master Bo, we have a tail. Three vehicles."

This wasn't new territory. Lao Chen handled it with practiced skill, darting down narrow, twisting backstreets.

Bo Siyan remained unnervingly calm amidst the danger. "Brace yourself. Hold the grip above the window," he instructed Qu Yan tersely.

Qu Yan didn't argue. "Okay."

Two pursuing cars were quickly shaken off in the maze of alleys. One rugged Jeep clung stubbornly.

A window rolled down on the Jeep. A gun emerged, aimed.

Bang! Bang!

Bullets slammed into the Maybach's reinforced body.

"Stay down. Away from the windows," Bo Siyan ordered, his voice steady.

"Mm." Qu Yan obeyed, bending low, twisting to press herself against his legs for stability.

Bo Siyan almost laughed at her audacity. Even amidst gunfire, she found a way to initiate contact. Fearless.

But he didn't push her away. This wasn't the time. He retrieved a handgun from beneath the seat, screwed on a silencer, lowered his window a fraction, and fired a single, precise shot.

The Jeep's driver slumped. The vehicle swerved erratically.

Bo Siyan followed up, two more silenced shots finding the gunman in the back seat.

In that split second of chaos, a sliver of reflected light flashed. Something thin and sharp streaked through Bo Siyan's still-open window!

"Look out!" Qu Yan's cry was sharp, triggered by her system's internal alarm.

She looked up just as a razor-thin throwing knife hurtled towards Bo Siyan's head!

Without thought, she lunged, throwing herself across him.

A sickening thunk echoed – the sound of sharp metal piercing flesh.

Bo Siyan dispatched the final threat in the Jeep as the woman collapsed limply against him.

"You truly have no regard for your life," he murmured, his voice low.

Qu Yan lay against his chest. The blade was embedded near her shoulder blade, radiating waves of agony. "I said I'd protect you," she whispered, her face pale, a sheen of sweat beading her forehead despite the pain. "I keep my promises."

Bo Siyan brushed the damp hair from her temple with his thumb. "Hospital! Now!" he barked at Lao Chen.

"Yes, Young Master Bo!"

The powerful Maybach surged forward, heading for the nearest medical facility. The car hit a pothole, jolting violently. Qu Yan cried out, her arms instinctively wrapping around Bo Siyan's waist for support.

He rarely tolerated such proximity. Seeing her pain-ravaged fragility, he didn't push her away. His gaze dropped to the knife hilt protruding near her shoulder. Not deep, but the blood soaking her red dress had an ominous dark tinge.