Temi POV

My head is pounding so hard from where it was hit. I am alone once again in the room, exhausted, and in pain, but too scared to sleep. I'm terrified. I had been talking big shit previously, but that is not at all how I feel.

My eyes shut slightly, and I immediately force them back open. At this point, I'm not sure if it's tiredness or if I'm really just slipping in and out of consciousness. Vincenzo did hit my head pretty fucking hard. It was a single blow, but enough to send the message that they weren't fucking around. Not in the slightest.

And I would pay for my refusal to cooperate and my stubbornness.

For a brief second, I wonder what would happen if I just give in and go to sleep, letting the darkness take over.

I think of Grace. She always used to tell me I am a lot more resilient than I gave myself credit for, and I inspired her every day. It's bittersweet thinking about it.

Grace was the most resilient person I knew. Grace still is the most resilient person I know and nothing, not even her death, is going to change that.

In my mind's eye, I see Grace's face. It's clear, smiling above me. She's glowing and beautiful. I blink and it's no longer Grace but Isa's face. It's looking at me unsmiling, filled with concern and various other emotions.

I know I am hallucinating, but as I reach my hand up, I am shocked when I make contact with something. With someone.

"Temi, can you see me?"

I blink twice. Ironically enough, that is the same question I am asking myself.

"Isa?"

Isa nods, relief spreading all over her facial expression.

"H-How did you get in here?"

I'm immensely confused and not even sure that what I am experiencing right then is reality.

"No time for questions," Isa responds instead. Her face is set in serious lines and her jaw is clenched together tightly. "They're coming. This place is seriously guarded. I barely even made it in, let alone making it out."

As I watch Isa pushes a knife into my hand, and I respond by staring at it dumbly. My mind is clouding over. Isa is saying something to me but nothing seems to compute, absolutely nothing is making sense.

"What's going on, Isa?" I ask, "how the hell are we going to get out? Hell, how the hell did you even get in here? Why are you even here?"

"Okay Temi, I'll be quick, we really have little time," Isa says, reaching over and placing a hand on my shoulder. I try not to think of the immense comfort that this single touch from Isa brings me. But instead, with my head still pounding, I try to focus on the words Isa is saying to me.

"When I realized you were missing, I got in contact with my bodyguard agency and we tracked you down using satellite signals. It's complicated. I will not explain the tech behind that, we have no time. As for getting in here, I used a disguise. I had to pretend to be one of the guards, but it will not hold for long. Eventually, they're going to figure out my presence here. Which is why we need to go. Now."

I don't ask any more questions, sensing the urgency of the situation.

Instead, I silently let Isa take my hand in hers. The tension is high in the air as Isa slowly makes her way over to the door at the corner of the room and we slip out.

They painted the hallway walls white, matching the similar theme of the room. It's empty and cold. Freezing cold.

I grasp tighter to Isa's hand. Her grip is familiar. It's the only sense in all of this. The only comfort and I try to focus on the feel of my hand in hers to keep sane.

"The agency knows the situation and will send back-up soon. We'll be out of here in no time," Isa whispers, squeezing my hand tightly in hers to reassure me. I nod my head, reminding myself that Isa is a highly-skilled bodyguard. She knows what she's doing.

Me, on the other hand, not so much.

The feel of the knife in my hand feels so foreign, and weird.

We continue down the hallway, moving slowly. Isa turns slightly, causing me to notice the cut on her head. It doesn't look deep, thankfully, but it's bleeding quite a bit.

"Isa.. your head-"

"Shhh," Isa whispers, pulling me towards her and clamping a hand over my mouth. For a moment, we stay like that with my heart beating hard in my chest. Even at this moment, I am hyper-aware of Isa all around me. The feel of her skin on mine and the body heat radiating off her is the only thing keeping me warm.

I feel lightheaded, and I swallow hard to keep myself aware. Conscious.

After a few moments, Isa releases her grip on me, and we move. Delicately making our way down the hallway once again.

We turn the corner, and I immediately freeze up. I am cold all over as I stare down the barrels of what appear to be at least five guns aimed at us.

Immediately, Isa pushes me behind her. If a gun should fire right then, Isa's body will protect mine.

Amidst the several guards with guns, it's Katherine and Vincenzo. As usual, Vincenzo has a hard, expressionless look on his face, and Katherine looks annoyed.

"Did you really think you were going to get out of here?" Katherine asks, looking between Isa and me. My heart falls as I realize just how futile our attempt was.

My hand is still in Isa's and I clutch at it, clinging onto the last bit of peace. My last bit of comfort.

The situation is almost laughable. My life these past few months feels like something right out of a movie. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that there are loaded guns aimed at me right now.

"Temi, run," Isa whispers to me, never taking her eyes off Katherine.

"What?" I whisper in response.

"Run. I'll hold them off so you have enough time to get away."

My head is spinning, and I bite down hard on my tongue to keep from passing out.

"I'm not leaving you, Isa. I'm not going to just let you get hurt."

For a few moments, Isa takes her eyes off Katherine and locks them with mine, sending me the hardest glare I think I have ever received.

"This isn't a fucking suggestion, Temi. I will do anything to keep you safe-"

"Isa, please don't do this just because you're my bodyguard-"

"This has nothing to do with me being your bodyguard."

"What are you two whispering about? I hope you don't think you're getting out of here." Katherine says, taking a step closer to us. Instinctively, Isa reaches her hand out and pushes me further behind her.

Katherine doesn't seem to like this and, following the swift hand gesture she makes, a guard raises his gun.

"Temi, get out!" Isa yells, hustling me with one arm while reaching into her breast pocket with the other.

This time I obey. The last view I have is of Isa retrieving one of her own guns and aiming it at the guard that had drawn his gun. Then I'm sprinting down the hallway back in the direction we had come from.

My head is spinning, and tears are running down my face. I can already hear footsteps behind me, hot in pursuit. With my lungs burning, I continue running, willing myself to keep going despite how much I want to give in.

My pace is slowing down and I can feel guards rapidly approaching me from behind. They don't shoot at me. I know they want me alive. I can't say the same for Isa.

My heart seems to skip a beat for a second, and at the same time, I feel myself being grabbed from behind.

I don't know how to use a knife, but I instantly turn my body swiftly, clutching on tightly to Isa's knife, and I slice quickly at the guard that grasped me.

My hands are shaky and I barely even cause any damage to the guard, but he withdraws and his grip on me loosens, which is really all I need.

I yank my arm back and run once again. I have no idea where I am headed, but the further away from the guards behind me, the better.

I turn the corner and once again I am faced with a group of guards looking right at me. They have their guns raised at me as if they have been waiting for my arrival.

I search desperately, my heart beating fast for a means of escape. But there's nothing.

I'm surrounded, and there's nothing I can do about it.