When a group of assassins is onto her irritating escort, a happy-go-lucky bodyguard must ensure they survive their trip before his escort's past demons catch up to them.
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No one expected easygoing Aspen Mendoza to be accepted into Interpol a...
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Tan Residences
Davao City
5 February, 01:06
The room is in disarray, furniture overturned and broken shards of glass scattered across the floor. The dim light filtering through the curtains reveals two figures bound and gagged, their faces contorted in fear. Even though I haven't seen them in person before, I still recognize them.
Lucas' parents.
A tall, menacing figure looms over them, his shadow stretching across the room like a sinister omen. But he's not facing them. Instead, he gazes over the Azalea twins lying under his feet. Their faces are bruised, their throats punctured with tiny holes, a pool of blood slowly forming around them. His fists are coated with blood.
He turns towards me. The shadows scatter, revealing a face dotted with thorns as green as ones in a freshly plucked rose.
I gasp. "Lucas."
Without a word, Lucas lunges forward.
Instinct kicks in, and I dodge his attack just in time. But I'm a second too late, costing me my gun, which skids down the floor.
He swings a fist towards me and brushes my face. My hand flies over my cheek as I feel something sharp slide across it, wincing. Warm blood drips from my skin.
"Lucas!" I yell. "It's me!"
Lucas stops, but not before I notice the wild look in his eyes. The last time I saw that was when he had a bloody fist fight with Hogweed, but this time, there's something else in them. Something dangerous.
An enraged grunt erupts from him as he slowly comes to me. "I'm not gonna let you play games with me, Foxglove. Your stupid poison won't work!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't even fucking pretend," he rushes on. "You're not Aspen."
That's when it dawns on me. Foxglove's got him poisoned, and now he's hallucinating.
I look around me, searching for my gun. There. By the dead bodies.
Just as Lucas jumps at me again, I roll toward Azalea, grab the gun, and stand poised in front of Lucas' parents.
"Lucas, stop," I say firmly, the grip on my gun unfaltering. "If you don't snap out of it, I'll shoot. I swear I'll shoot."
"Why did you do it?" Lucas asks, his words slurring. His gait sways as he takes a step, two steps towards us. "Why did you kill them? They had nothing to do with me leaving the Grove, and you know it. You could've said no to him. You could've done something."
A gunshot to the floor makes everyone jump, including Lucas. For a long moment, he stares at the little hole by the floor next to him, then at me.
"A-Aspen." Lucas staggers as if he was hit, darting his gaze between me and his parents. "Mom. Baba."
