DEVORA SAT IN the helicopter, her heeled boot constantly tapping against the ground in annoyance as each second ticked past. Nathan had left about five minutes ago to retrieve Travis, Leah, and Candice, cursing during his whole trip down towards the area. It was, of course, all for good reason. No one had seen it coming that three members of their team would be pitched in a match. While thankfully the two siblings didn't have to fight each other, Leah was still pitched with Candice of all people. Candice Clair was a skilled and very experienced fighter.

In her heart, Devora prayed that Leah would be alright. Even though Candice and Leah were partners and good friends, Candice wasn't exactly known for being merciful in battle. In fact, in her last mission together with Dallas, Candice had left him behind to save her own life. If there was anything sure about Candice, her sense of self-preservation was stronger than her sense of righteousness.

And that fact was something Devora was very afraid of.

"Is my father alright?" A small quaking voice asked, making Devora peel her eyes away from the staircase that led to the rooftop.

Turning over to face Markus, who sat in the backseat with his seatbelt long fastened, Devora braved a smile for him.

"He will be fine, Mark. There's no need to worry. Dallas is with him. Besides, your father is a very experienced fighter. If he survived this far, it's for a good reason."

While Markus seemed fairly satisfied with Devora's answer and had looked out of the window once more, she herself didn't know if she did a convincing act. Julius Cain was an experienced fighter, yes, that much couldn't be more true. However, so were the assassins that wanted him six feet underground cold and dead. If anything, Devora soon found herself offering her last prayer to someone that had ripped her away from her old life, someone she had hated in the beginning but eventually grew to empathize with.

The ground below the helicopter shook, a rumble resounding across the building as Devora sat up straighter with attention. It didn't need a trained eye to realize that the building was close to collapsing and everyone left within it when that disaster happens will not live to see the next sunrise.

She cursed under her breath, just once and soft enough so that Markus wouldn't be able to hear her. Although she had every faith in Nathan and Travis to bring Leah back safely, she wasn't too sure about her own capabilities in successfully flying them away from the doomed structure.

Thankfully, they weren't in the heart of a thriving city. When the building goes down, it probably wouldn't claim the lives of innocent citizens outside.

"Are they here yet?" Markus asked again and this time, Devora could hear urgency leaking from his voice.

He must've noticed the trembles and had started to grow afraid. He had every right to be. Even Devora could feel her fear trickling into every corner and crevice of her body, threatening to destroy her calm facade.

"Soon, Markus, soon. Don't worry. I promised that I won't let anything happen to you and I intend to keep that promise."

She had every intention to keep her word and protect Markus at all costs. If, and just if, Nathan didn't make it back in time with the rest of their friends, she was bound by her promise to ensure Markus would be safe. That would mean she would have to leave her friends behind to die. Devora didn't wish to think negatively but she had already prepared herself for the worst.

Luckily, there wasn't a need for that.

"That's them there!" The little boy was elated as he exclaimed, nearly jumping from his seat had it not been for the seatbelts that strapped him down.

Devora turned towards the direction which Markus pointed to and true enough, two men came rushing towards her, a girl in their hands.

"Fly! Fly!" Nathan yelled in panic as he and Travis clambered aboard, pulling Leah in with them.

Devora needn't be told twice. Immediately, she began to maneuver the helicopter from the landing pad, gracefully ascending from the surface and into the air as dust trailed after them. What was left of the building crumbled a few short seconds after they took off. If they had been a little later, they would've all been dead.

"Where's Candice?" Devora asked, her eyes still trained on the skies as Nathan strapped himself into the seat beside hers. He had been in such a rush that the door wasn't even fully closed before Devora took off.

"She's a traitor," Travis spat in reply. "She was going to kill Leah if it hadn't been for the explosion that set off in the building. I'm putting a bullet through her skull if I see her again."

Hearing the news, Devora's eyebrows shot up her forehead.

"What?!" She asked, voice raised as the chopper tilted a little due to her enraged response.

"Woah! Calm down there!" Nathan yelled, hands placed on the controls to help steady the vehicle. "We just survived a collapsing building. I have no intention to die from a crashed flight."

"But... But it's Candice we're talking about," Devora argued. Her concentration returned to the steering wheel but she couldn't contain her curiosity. "I knew she was probably going to take it a little far but... I didn't think she would... She would... They're best friends! She taught us everything we know. Why would she want to kill Leah?"

"We don't know." Nathan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "She ran off when the bomb went off and we didn't have the time to search for her after that."

"Man..." Devora trailed off, still bathed in shock. "It's like I don't even know her anymore."

"The question is," Travis started to say, a hand gently stroking Leah's hair as if willing her to wake up, "Did we even know her to begin with?"

♕♕♕

On Dallas's side, everything went as smooth as butter on a hot summer's day.

Julius Cain had moved to his new office in the safehouse, locking himself inside a room with as many security protocols as humanly possible. Dallas, on the other hand, was in charge of patrol, to roam around the grounds and keep an eye out for any possible incoming threats. Of course, hopefully, he would be able to spot his friends as well.

The location they were hiding in was a special spot undetected by local map services, in other words, classified information. Located somewhere in the middle of a forest, only certain registered devices will be able to clearly pinpoint their whereabouts. As of now, that meant that only he and his friends could access that information.

A rustle came from behind as Dallas passed two trees, causing him to whip around with his rifle poised and ready to aim and fire upon sight. However, when a blonde head emerged, he stopped his finger from pressing on the trigger at the last second, lowering his weapon and his guard as a relieved smile flooded his features.

"Candice," he called, smiling with a short sigh. Shutting his eyes for a small second, he turned to the sky and thanked the heavens for her safe return. He wasn't sure if she — or any of his other friends for that matter — would be able to make it out of the array of bombs Cain had set in the company building. "Thank goodness you're alright. I've not received any news from the others and I got so worried. Where's Travis and the others? Did they come along with you?"

He crossed the distance between them within seconds, enveloping a very still Candice in his arms as he exhaled in relief once more. Face buried into the crook of her neck, Dallas didn't even care that she lacked proper reaction. After all, that had always been how Candice was. She was just so emotionless when it came to affection that she would at times seem cold. It didn't matter to Dallas. Candice was still his best friend, a partner he had worked with for a long period of time— even if she did leave him to die a couple of times.

"I'm so sorry, Dallas," Candice whispered, choosing not to answer his question.

She inhaled and exhaled loudly and Dallas could feel her move against his body. He thought — foolishly assumed — that she was about to return a hug for the first time in a very long time. However, instead of that charming fairytale, the next thing Dallas knew was that his abdomen was blooming in pain and a loud gunshot had just pierced through the forest.

Flocks of birds flew from their nests at the sound of the shot firing, soaring to the skies in fear. Unfortunately, for someone without wings, Dallas wasn't able to escape so easily. He dropped to the ground with a grunt, hands flying to clutch the area where the bullet had hit. Biting down on his lip hard, he panted hard to maintain an even breathing and to prevent himself from screaming out loud— a force of habit from years of training.

Like a worm, he was writhing in agony. Dallas's eyes were occasionally closed shut for a few seconds but for the times they were open, he could see Candice standing still in her spot, the gun in her hands still slightly smoking in her hands.

"Candice... What... Why?" He wasn't sure what to ask.

Half the time, Dallas was gasping for air, struggling to breathe. Although they were trained to keep their mouth shut when injured, that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. They merely learned to mask the pain.

"I'm sorry I have to do this, Dallas. You were my best friend but I make no exceptions. I'm going to take back my old life. By force, if I have to. To do that, I'll have to kill the person that forced me into this current path." She squatted down, hovering over his body. With eyes colder than ice, she reached for the rifle that Dallas had dropped, unflinchingly staring at him with vengeance. "Even if it costs yours."

Just like that, she dashed away, weapons in hand, and revenge on her mind.

————

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