Chapter 3 - Race to Escape
1246 Words
Nikita
She stared at Kace, stunned. What would they do to him once they found out he was helping a Crimson Spider kidnap the very person they wanted to kidnap?
Cassius held still while she released him.
“Well, there you go. You can either go with DN.9 or you can leave with me.”
He looked between the door and her. A shadow of a smile casted over his face.
“I far better like my chances with you.”
Niki rolled her eyes. She grabbed his arm and quickly left his office. Cassius led the way to a back door.
Adrenaline coursed through her as they heard the elevator ping to his level. They darted through the dimly lit corridor. Shouts and footsteps echoed down the hall as they heard their fast approach.
The three of them ran through the labyrinth of cubicles, offices, and hallways. She didn’t know the layout as well as the man she was following. Niki knew she was placing blind trust in Cassius, which she didn’t like, but there was no other option.
As they descended the stairs into another large office area with desks scattered throughout, they saw flashlights on the other side. She shoved Cassius up against the wall. Kace pushed up against the wall beside her.
He cursed, “It’s Cal.”
They exchanged tense glances as Kace handed her a gun.
Cassius whispered, “The exit to the garage is through that door and across the lobby.” He pointed across the room to his left.
Hushed voices of DN.9 echoed across the room at their approach to their spot. If they ran, they would see them. They had already left behind more rival mafia members behind them. This was a death trap.
Kace looked at her. “I’ll cover you and find another way out.”
She took a long look at Kace. Niki didn’t want to leave him behind, but their time staying hidden was slimming quickly. Kace knew what he was doing. But even more so, he was about to start shooting at his own mafia family. If they caught him, he would pay a steep price. But, what price would she pay for not delivering her target? The answer made her blood run cold and her skin crawl. She would do anything not to return to the Pits.
"I'll see you soon, Kace.” She gave him a hard look, letting him know she meant him to stay alive.
"Get home safe, Niki." He spoke his line to their long time goodbye to eachother.
She gave him a small grin and a concerned look at him. "Don't worry about me."
Kace gave a nod and mouthed, that's my girl.
His face grew more determined. He peaked around the corner before ducking low and making his way to the front desk. He flipped over with a loud bang as he started firing shots across the room. Kace efficiently knocked out the two men near him before ducking low to avoid the whizzing of bullets headed his way.
Niki grabbed Cassius’s wrist and together they sprinted across the room. Bullets began whizzing past them and she threw Cassius hard against the door before pushing him through the door.
“Let’s go! He can only give us a sec.”
He scrambled to his feet and they sprinted across the bottom lobby to the other door to the underground garage. They hit the door and went through. Cassius ran alongside her towards the elevator.
Before she knew what was happening, she was shoved against a car. Her ankle rolled in her heels, and her head flew back into the passenger side window. She heard the distinct noise of a c***k. As she fell, she wondered if it was her head or the window. With a hard hit that burned her hands and arms on the pavement, she landed
She looked up to see Cassius entering the elevator while mouthing, I’m sorry.
With a frustrated growl, she sat up cursing at the inconvenience of heels as she slipped them off and threw them.
Stood up, and that’s when she fell hard against the car again, cracking the window more. Niki rolled over feeling a bit dazed. Her attacker was a man from DN.9. She rolled again, grabbing her pistol and shot the man.
But to her right another opponent came kicking the gun from her hand, making her hand sting. She seethed. Niki couldn’t feel her knife no longer in her sleeve. Where did it fall out? The mask covering his face made him unrecognizable as he kicked her in the stomach. She groaned as she rolled and threw her leg up, catching him behind his knees.
They buckled and he fell backwards. Niki jumped to her feet and turned around. He did the same. She lifted her fist and threw a left hook connected to his jaw. He stumbled back and Niki ran at him, kicking him in the stomach. The man landed on his knee using his downward momentum to spin his leg around, knocking her to the ground. He quickly stood and threw his foot up into his jaw. She immediately felt blood in her mouth as she fell back.
Her hand fell back hitting leather. The leather heel she had thrown was in arms reached. She curled her fingers around it as the man leaned over her ready to give her a last blow. He pulled back his arm, exposing his neck, she grabbed her shoe and, with all her strength, lodged the top piece and heel into his neck.
He gasped, gurgled and he laid back gripping the shoe. Niki didn’t care to stay and watch. She stood up wobbling as she made her way to the elevator, picking up her gun on the way.
She got in and rode it up to the ground level. Knowing Cassius had a large advantage, so the moment the elevator doors opened, she sprinted barefoot to his car. Cassius was already in the car driving out of the parking lot.
Niki lifted her gun and with precision shot at the tires of his vehicle. He swerved and she walked towards the car, continuing to shoot shots at the tires.
Anger coursed through her and she was irritated with him. Even after he was forced to a stop, she continued to shoot at his car to the point that the engine started smoking. Cassius got out of the car quickly with his hands up.
“Okay, okay. You got me.”
When she got close to him, she was furious and she could feel the blood from her split lip trickling down her chin.
In another moment of anger, she lifted the gun, and shot the steering wheel, activating the airbag.
Cassius jumped. “Goodness.”
“You move an inch past what I say, I will shoot you.”
He swallowed, all the playfulness he had earlier was gone. He nodded.
They quickly walked to her bike and she slid on. She held up her gun.
“Get on.”
He silently got on, and she zoomed off towards the drop off location. She stopped in an alleyway and got off. Cassius followed.
“You don’t have-“
Niki threw a precise hard left jab into his face. He swayed and fell to the ground, unconscious.
She shook her hand at the pain while whispering, “You deserved that, Golden Boy.”
- Writer
