I had been sat idly on the sofa for fifteen minutes before I had gotten bored and decided to wander around. Christian was still in the shower - I had made sure the water was still running before I had decided to take a look around.

 I was sure he wouldn't appreciate me snooping around his friend's house but I felt the incessant need to move around. My body was still full of adrenaline after the previous events; I felt like my whole being was thrumming and I needed to release it somehow.

I walked into the furthest door to my left and saw that it was a small bedroom. The walls were a dull grey, the room lacking any personal details; no potted plants, pictures or books. The single bed was neatly made; so neatly it looked as though no one had ever slept in it. It reminded me of a hospital room; all sterile and depersonalised. 

My legs made their way towards the bedside cabinet; my body on autopilot. I didn't know what I was searching for - a distraction I suppose. I needed something to occupy my racing mind; I couldn't stop thinking about my parents. 

The thought of something happening to them brought tears to my eyes. I quickly wiped them away and told myself the same mantra I had been repeating since I had left home; they will be ok, they will be safe, they are alive.

I opened the first draw only to see trivial things such as socks, tissues and various Rubles. It was the same with the other three draws until a small envelope caught my eye. 

I glanced over my shoulder quickly to make sure Christian wasn't waiting to spring on me. I had become so accustomed to him being my shadow; it was slightly eerie that he was now elsewhere.

I opened up the envelope and a picture fell into my lap. The photograph was small and had faded slightly as the quality wasn't the best. I bought it closer to my face and raised my eyebrows in surprise when I saw that Christian was in the picture. He looked younger; probably around my age. He was smiling; something I had never seen. His smile was nice, it was wide and boyish and it showed off his white teeth. He had his arm slung around a male who was slightly shorter than him. It was strange to see Christian that way, he looked so happy and relaxed.

"Nadia?" Christian called from the living room.

I jumped at the sound of his voice, the photo falling to the ground as I stood up. I hastily shut the draw as I heard his footsteps approach the door. I quickly flopped back on the bed, resorting to the classic, yet childish, act of pretending to be asleep.

The door opened and my skin prickled as I felt his eyes on me. I tried to keep my breathing slow and steady but I could feel my eyelids fluttering nervously.

"You're a terrible actress." Christian scoffed.

I sighed and rolled over; there was no point carrying on the act. I sat up and picked the photograph up from the floor. Christian frowned and moved closer to see what I had found. He was dressed in a pair of loose black slacks and a thin white t-shirt. His leather bands remained secured around his wrists.

I held out the photo to him and watched as he froze, his eyebrows drawn together as he reached for it.

"I'm sorry for snooping," I mumbled guiltily.

Christian was staring at the photo; his expression impassive. I noticed a slight crack in his mask, his dark eyes were clouded with some sort of emotion; sadness or possibly just nostalgia. He let out a single dry chuckle before he put the photo face down on the bed. It was almost as if he couldn't look at it any longer.

"When was that photo taken?" I asked uncertainly.

Christian shook his head, "From another life."

"Back to the cryptic answers, I see." I sighed under my breath.

"It was taken when I graduated to St. Starks; that was my best friend, Mateo." He explained reluctantly, "Come on," Christian said suddenly, motioning to the doorway, "let's get some food. You must be starving."

It was true; I hadn't eaten since yesterday evening. Everything that had happened today had emotionally and physically drained me. Christian's remainder made me notice how light-headed and sick I felt; it seemed basic human needs like feeding yourself escaped your mind when you are faced with killer gangs and a grouchy bodyguard.

I followed Christian into the small kitchen and watched as he pulled out various pots and pans. It was obvious that Christian was familiar with his friends flat as he knew where everything lived. He reached up for a pack of pasta; a sliver of his abdomen showing as his white t-shirt lifted. 

His skin was tanned; my parents had told me that Christian was originally from Spain but had left for the academy in Russia at the age of eleven. It seemed that despite his years in Russia, his looks had not lost their ethnic origins; his accent also remained.

"Pasta." I noticed with a smile.

"It's your favourite food." Christian shrugged nonchalantly.

I tilted my head in confusion; surprised that he knew that information about me.

"Nadia, my job was to watch you for a year." Christian explained bluntly, "The number of times I was forced to follow you into the kitchen after midnight and watch you make pasta and cheese, it's impossible for me not to know that this is your favourite meal."

"I always do have a craving for carbs at night."

"And every other time of day."

Christian froze slightly; looking up from under his damp hair, the pan of boiling water momentarily forgotten. He opened his mouth as he searched for something to say but stopped abruptly when I burst into laughter.

"I think-" I broke off as I struggled to talk through my laughter, "I think that's the first joke I've ever heard from you."

Christian rolled his eyes as he poured the pasta into the pan, "It wasn't that funny."

"It is when it's coming from you." I retorted.

"Believe it or not Nadia; I actually do have a sense of humour." Christian smiled slightly, "Just not when I'm on duty."

"Hmm," I drawled out, "I think I'll be the judge of that."

I lifted myself onto the kitchen counter and watched as Christian turned the heat up so that the pasta boiled quickly. It was strange to see him like this; so relaxed and doing such mundane things. It was crazy to see how he could flit between being a killing machine to humming and performing domestic duties. I had never seen Christian relaxed in all the time I had known him; he was usually a statue against a wall, or his eyes were constantly assessing his surroundings. At home, Christian had never taken a day off; he protected me like his own life depended on it.

"Why are you staring at me?" Christian drawled without looking up from his task.

"I'm not staring." I denied quickly; looking down at my suspended feet instead of his face. "I've just never seen you like this."

"Like what?"

"Well...relaxed." I shrugged.

He snorted in amusement, "I wasn't trained to be relaxed. I've made sure that all exits are barricaded and I've made sure that I can see my motorbike from where it's parked; that way if we need to escape through the window it's easily accessible."

I raised my eyebrows, "In that case, I withdraw my previous statement."

"Enough small talk," Christian said; giving me a sideways glance, "Food's ready."

      ღ ღ ღ  

I jumped awake; a gasp escaping my lips as I sprang up into a sitting position.

My eyes blurrily took in my surroundings; I was in a dark living room, the only light source was coming from the muted TV. My bowl of pasta was still on the floor; now stale and cold, and a blanket covered my fully clothed body.

"Nadia; it's ok.." A voice explained calmly, "You fell asleep."

I looked fearfully to the corner of the room to see Christian sat on a wooden dining chair. His head leaned against the wall as he rocked back and forth on the back legs of the chair; his dark hair was messy and sticking up in various directions. Despite his slightly disgruntled appearance; his eyes were alert and not slightly tired.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "I thought maybe I had dreamt the whole thing."

I turned away; not wanting him to see the tears that were pooling. I tucked my knees up to my chest and rested my head on them. I wanted nothing more than to be at the very place I had ran away from a few hours ago. I wanted to be back in my bed; with Christian guarding my door and my parents down the hall. I wanted to go back and punch my previous self for being so selfish; I wanted to scream at her and demand for her to marry Killian Durant.

"Nadia-"

"How are you still awake?" I cut him off; finally turning to look at him.

Christian stared at me before replying, "I don't want any surprises."

A shudder ran through my body at the thought of another attack. I couldn't bear to see the faceless men who had been so intent on capturing us.

"I need the bathroom," I managed to choke out.

"It's the door at the end of the hall," He informed me. His eyes followed me as I crossed the room,"Do you want me to accompany you?" He added softly when my hand was on the door handle.

I shook my head, "I'm ok."

He nodded but we both knew I was lying; I was anything but ok.

I closed the door behind me and walked quickly towards the door at the end of the hall. I locked it firmly behind me and turned towards the mirror. My grey eyes stared back at me; my face was pale and fearful.

"What the hell is going on?" I whispered to myself.

I washed my face with cold water and wished that I could wash this whole day away. I began walking back towards the living room but stopped suddenly. The door to my left was slightly ajar and I could hear a faint buzzing sound; like static from a broken TV. My whole body grew cold as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

I jolted away from the door. My heart pounded in my chest as my instincts screamed at me; get away from that door, it's not safe. My hands fumbled for something to use as a weapon; unfortunately, I did not have a pen at my disposal this time.

"Christian-" I swallowed hard when my voice broke, "Christian, there's something-"

Christian was behind me in seconds.

"Get behind me." He ordered under his breath.

I tried to object but he was already pushing me behind his body. I saw that he had a kitchen knife in his hand, the blade blunt but large. Christian was leaning towards the door, his eyes narrow as he attempted to scope out the threat.

"I can hear something." Christian murmured under his breath, his gaze focused on the something at the far end of the room, "Nadia, we need-"

He stopped abruptly as a large shadow covered his face. I moved closer; attempting to see what was happening.

Christian's eyes widened; "Mierda!"

I gaped at the scene before me; my body frozen in shock and horror.

A body was hanging from the ceiling in the centre of the room, his limbs turned out at abnormal angles. It looked like a man; probably in his mid-twenties. The dead man's mouth was wide open; as if in an endless silent scream. There were two bloody gaping holes were his eyes should have been, and his blue t-shirt had been ripped open to reveal deep ragged slashes that were shaped like a fist. His throat had been slit; the large gash was still bleeding violently, streams of red pouring from the deep indent that stained the rope around his neck.

"He's, he's," I was shaking so hard I couldn't get my words out, "he's dead, isn't he?" I shook my head violently; trying to physically shake away the traumatizing scene that I could still see even as I pinched my eyes shut, "This can't be happening; this isn't happening."

Christian was walking towards the victim; his back towards me. He cut the rope from the ceiling with one quick swing before he kneeled down beside the mangled form. He shook his head and rested his hand on the deep gashes that had been lacerated into the man's chest.

"Hermano." He mumbled under his breath. "Tu poder nos trae a luz,Tu providencia guía nuestras vidas, y por Tu mandato volvemos al polvo." He seemed to be uttering a prayer under his breath in Spanish. His hands made the sign of the cross in the air before he kissed his fingers and pressed them to the victims head.

"Who did this?" I said shakily.

"I don't know," Christian replied, "but we have to go; now."

He walked towards me urgently and grabbed hold of my elbow. I allowed him to steer me in the direction of the kitchen. He closed the door behind us and quickly pushed a bookcase, that had been holding various cookbooks, in front of the door.

"We need to go out of the window. We'll use the fire escape." Christian informed me after he had checked that the motorbike was still parked in the position he had left it, "They are probably waiting for us; they must have seen the bike by now."

"And we're just going to head straight towards it?" I guessed incredulously, "Are you crazy?"

"They've been here all night. They could have killed us at any time but they didn't," Christian said hurriedly; more to himself than me, "They knew that I would take you here, why else would Mateo be dead?"

"Mateo?" I repeated, trying to follow his train of thought, "The guy who was in that picture?"

"They know about us, they know about you, me, our friends." Christian ran his hands through his hair before he looked out of the window once again.

"They?" My voice had risen to the point of hysterical, "Who are they?"

"I don't know." Christian replied darkly, "But they are here; in this building."

As Christian said those words a loud series of bangs sounded. There were sounds of yelling outside the window and the door; people shouting orders in Russian.

"Hurry, we need to leave now, the barricades won't hold forever." Christian snapped heatedly.

He heaved the window open and climbed out of it with ease. He motioned me forwards and I attempted to copy his fluid movements. Despite my efforts, I clumsily landed on the metallic floor; causing a bang to sound out.

"Get down," Christian ordered urgently.

I quickly crouched down beside him; feeling like I was in some bad action film, despite the seriousness of the situation.

A shout came from below us and I stared down at wide eyes as a man stormed towards us. He was in the same black clothes, the mask obscuring his facial features aside from his determined eyes.

Christian shot up from his crouched position, his hand flying out to push me backwards. I landed with a grunt on the hard floor while Christian surged forward; his leg striking out and kicking the burly man in the middle of his chest. The force of the kick caused him to fall backwards, and with a loud yell, he catapulted over the edge of the stairs.

"Run!" Christian yelled.

He entwined our hands and dragged me down the remainder of the stairs. I kept glancing behind me and screamed when I saw a swarm of men climbing out of the window. My heart was thumping wildly in my chest; my breaths sharp as I forced my legs to move faster to keep up with Christian.

"взять их!" Someone behind us ordered.

Christian span around, his hands finding the blunt kitchen knife. He flung it in the direction of a man who was running towards us, his muscles straining from the precision and effort. The knife lodged itself into the man's shoulder, causing him to cry out and fall to the side.

"Get to the bike." Christian urged.

I was grabbed by the elbow once again to make it easier for him to herd me in the direction of the bike. The sounds of footsteps and yelling reminded me that we were still being hunted, and we were vastly outnumbered. I doubted that even Christian could take them on his own; he was good but he wasn't a God.

"Hurry; it's here."

I flung myself in the direction of the motorbike; which by some miracle was still hidden beneath the fire escape of the flat opposite us. I quickly climbed on, the metal cool between my thighs; Christian ensured I was on properly before he quickly followed suit.

"Hold on," Christian said as he made the bike roar to life.

I immediately clung to him; just as the bike jolted from the quick acceleration. I gulped as we peeled towards the main road; the wind whipping my hair in all directions. I fisted the thin material of Christian's t-shirt and buried my head in his back.

I screamed when a pang sounded near my thigh. I looked down to see the same knife Christian had thrown; this time embedded in the metal a few centimetres from my leg. I glanced behind us and couldn't believe my eyes. Our pursuers were a black blur, surging towards us like an unstoppable stampede.

"Christian!" I screamed, "Faster!"

The bike lurched once more; propelling us forward on the road. I checked behind us once again and felt my blood run cold. My arms stiffened around Christian's waist as I tried to comprehend what was happening.

"What?" Christian asked in concern; obviously noticing my change in body language.

The road stretched out for miles; the full moon hung ominously in the sky; its silvery flecks lit up the wet tarmac. No one was chasing us; the road was still; peaceful. The only sound to be heard for miles was the revving of the bike.

"They've gone," I whispered.  

Translations:

Tu poder nos trae a luz,Tu providencia guía nuestras vidas, y por Tu mandato volvemos al polvo - Your power brings us to light, Your providence guides our lives, and by Your command we return to the dust

взять их - Take them 

Authors Note: 

Well hey guys; it's been a hot minute since I've uploaded. Despite the wait, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter; I tried to make it the best I could to make up for the wait. Thank you so much for your support, it means the world x