Azalea

chapter 30~ shoot the wheels

I'm eating breakfast; the housekeeper made me pancakes, and I spread peanut butter on one side and jelly on the other.

It's really good.

I'm having it with coffee.

"Hey Dorian," I greet him.

"Hey azalea"

"You're not working today," I ask him. He came back seven hours earlier than he usually does.

"I haven't left work since yesterday; I was working all night."

"Aren't you tired?"

"Insomnia is a strange thing," it indeed is. You're tired and feel like passing out from exudation, but you can't

"I will go change and join you for breakfast," he says, walking away.

I decided to make him breakfast; he usually makes it himself, but he's tired.

I fry three eggs with six bacon-warmed cornbread, I cut some tomatoes, and I make him coffee.

He gets inside. "You made this," I nodded while smiling.

"Thank you, Azalea," he says, smiling and kissing the top of my head.

We eat in silence; it's peaceful.

"Can I drive?" I ask, uncertain.

"Do you know how?" he asks.

"Yes"

"Who taught you?"

"Myself"

Don't ask how.

Don't ask how.

Don't ask how.

"How?" he asked.

"Oh, I was 14 or 15 trying to escape and somehow managed to learn on the way." I smile proudly.

"You amaze me every time; sure, go to my office and take one of the keys."

I smile to myself. I miss driving.

A few hours after breakfast, I knock on Dorians door. He said to come in, and I entered it.

"I'm here for the keys," he nods, not answering me; he's still working.

I look around and see one key that looks like a car.

What the hell?

It's the prettiest one, so I will take it. I took it and went to the basement, where they have all the cars parked.

Maybe I should buy one too.

I go inside the car, and it smells good inside.

I started to drive, and I'm just realizing how much I have missed this.

I could drive back to Russia; I didn't have a car.

After a while, I hear my phone ring. I put it on a speaker and hear Owen's voice.

"Azalea, you're with the car right now, right?" he asks.

"Yes, what's up?"

"I need you to do me a favor," he asks.

"Sure, what's wrong?" I question.

"I will send you the location, and you will need to pick up some people there—only three; they're our friends, and they messed up."

"Yeah, sure, no problem."

"Okay, I'll send you the location. Thank you."

He hung up, and a few seconds later, the location was sent. I pushed the gas and increased the speed.

I stop at some kind of bar, or, I don't know, it's getting late.

It's not like it's dark, but it's not that sunny.

I see three men looking around. I press the honk, and their heads turn to me.

They opened the door and jumped in so hard that it literally made the car wiggle.

I don't know who they are, but I started to drive even before one of them closed the door.

"Who are you, and where's Owen?" one of them said.

"I'm his sister," I state.

"He doesn't have a sister."

"He asked me to come here to save your ass, and that's how you say thank you." I question him.

"You're right I'm sorry, my name is Luca."

"I'm Azalea," and as soon as I said my name, two of them started screaming.

"AZALEA." I hear Liam's and Kenji's voices in surprise.

"Y'all know each other," Luca asks.

They ignore his question.

"You know how to drive," Liam asks.

"Yeah"

"Are you good at it?" he asks. "I can drive if you stop for a second."

"Look behind; they are following us."

I slowed down the car and made rough turns in an attempt to lose them, but I didn't

Two cars, one in front of me, are getting slower second by second, so it will make me go slower.

And another behind

"Does anyone have a gun?" I ask casually, like I just asked for a glass of water.

"Yeah," Luca said.

"Can you give it to me?"

"Why"

"I want to shoot the wheels," I say.

"I can do it," he says confidently.

"I'm closer to it, and if you mess up, they can and will blow your head off."

"What makes you think you can do it?"

"I don't think, I know, I'm faster."

"You talk like you have done it before," he said, raising his eyebrows.

I smile and say, "Who said I haven't?" He hands me the gun, quickly looks out of the window, and shoots back the wheels.

It makes the car lose balance, which leaves me with no choice.

A few minutes later, the same happens to the back car, and finally we're going home.