tiny & vicious || h.s ✔️

~12~

Song: Better Off – Ariana Grande

Aria's POV

The tall barbed wire warped around the abandoned cinema in terrorizing waves. As we neared the location, our hearts thumped heavily in our chests. We were so close. No one muttered a word. We all knew the seriousness of this mission and we all hoped we could get out of there with no casualties.

My ebony eyes drifted to the tiny hand in my clutch. Blair was clad in black clothing alike her mother, her long, gorgeous caramel hair slicked back into two braids. My heart swelled at the memory of us dressing up together before the mission. She watched as I braided my silky black hair and put on black leggings and a black crop top. Her eyes furrowed as I slid a gold piercing into my nose and belly button. I remember when she pouted her lips, demanding she matched with her parents and Harry was forced to oblige. She giggled as she played with my nose ring and wondered when she could have one. Harry, of course, twisted his head as soon as the bold words slipped out of her mouth. "When you are a lot older and you have grey hair and a cat", he answered. Blair's mouth fell a gape and she crossed her arms and pouted. Her face flared red and it was then that I decided to step in before they both exploded. It was memories like these that made these missions so important. To ensure we would always come home to our baby girl.

I silently laughed to myself at the memory as we trudged on forward. My eyes then drifted to the gun held expertly in my daughter's hand. A small jewelled pistol, the one my father gave me when I was 12. God bless his soul. I felt tears well up in my eyes at the thought of him. It's been 14 years since he was stolen from me and the memory still hurts like it was fresh. Since my disgusting birth father murdered the only man who ever loved me like a daughter. The only man who stepped in to raise me when my own selfish father failed to. The worst past was that Blair never met him. He never got to hold her for the first time and tell me how beautiful she was. She never got to experience his kindness or watch the crinkle in his eyes when he laughed at his own dad jokes. Nigel not robbed me of time with my father but also my daughter. And for that, I will always pray that he is burning in the dark pits of hell.

I felt a tug on my hand, bringing me out of my solemn thoughts and I quickly wiped my eyes. We were here. I peered through the darkness at the barbed wire. It glinted in the dim moonlight, somewhat tauntingly. I drew my weapon silently and shot daringly at the tiny lock in the fence. The gate swung open. That was my signal.

Silently, the whole team crept from behind me and into the open. Liam and Niall went to the left while Zayn and Louis crept to the right. Harry, Blair, Jordyn and I went through the gate. The gate made a tiny creak noise and we flinched. Harry's eyes flicked to mine and we all halted, awaiting any sounds that signalled we were in trouble.

After two seconds of being clear, Harry brought his arm forward and we continued. We trudged through the cinema garden making sure to keep our bodies low. As we neared the door, two guards rounded the corner and we all silently dropped to the floor.

"Niall, Zayn" As Jordyn muttered those words, the boys came out from the corner, hitting the guards over the head and throwing them into the bushes. I threw up a hand. Everyone halted. I crept closer to the door and pushed it open slowly while hiding behind a wall. Harry went in first, leaving me to protect our daughter.

"Clear" He whispered into the mic. Liam and Niall joined us in the garden and we all silently moved through the doorway.

Old cinema advertisements decorated the wall while the snack area was deserted. Debris and shards of glass littered the floor. Chipped paint and dents covered the browning walls and ceilings. Blair's eyebrows furrowed at the sight and I knew we were all thinking the same thing.

What the fuck happened here.

The group exchanged looks as we ventured down a long hallway. Zayn and Niall scanned the balconies with their guns, covering our every move. Liam pulled up blue prints of the place and did infrared scanning of the building. Harry stayed behind our daughter, protecting her, while Jordyn, Louis and I gathered around her in a protective shield.

As we got closer to another door, the broken mirrors and glass turned into gashes of blood. I almost felt sick at the thought of my Blair witnessing such a gruesome scene. I almost covered her eyes.

"Stop" Liam put a hand up and we all halted our movements, wary of our surroundings.

"Straight through the door, I sense movement". From the corner of my eye, I saw Blair and Harry both take a deep breath. I remained calm and calculated. Harry pushed Blair behind him and Niall planted a bomb on the door.

We all took a deep breath.

"Are you ready?" Niall whispered. Before we could answer the bomb blasted. Harry covered Blair and I shielded Jordyn and those behind me. The door blew to shreds, firing splinters and metal at us. A piece of wood scraped against my forearm and I groaned. Immediately, the gun fight started.

I sunk back, recovering from the gash of blood on my arm. Bullets fired left, right and centre. My immediate reaction was to protect my baby but she was already holding her own. I picked up my gun and swiftly entered the room. Dozens of people scattered the room. They were covered in dirt. Some laid dead on the ground and I felt my stomach drop at the thought of Gemma, Anne, Luke or Theo in the same position.

A sudden kick to the stomach lurched me out of my thoughts. My body hit the bloody concrete floor, the impact knocking me to the ground. The man was 6 feet with a bit of muscle on him. I grinned evilly. Nothing I couldn't handle. I jumped on my feet and whipped out one of my knives. I drove the knife clean through his throat. As the man choked on his blood, a warm red substance spurted all over my shirt. A soft sound of disgust shot out of my throat and I had a tiny diva moment. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. What the fuck.

"You okay?" I heard Harry ask in my earpiece. I grunted and answered shortly, communicating that I was okay. I could see Niall laughing at me in the corner of my eye while he fought off an attacker. I huffed and swung my leg into the attacker's ribs and then roundhouse kicked him in the throat. A harsh crack sounded as the man's head painfully whipped upwards and the skin of this neck split open. He fell to the ground in a painful thud.

Niall pouted, "He was mine" He whined. I chuckled and answered, "That's what happens when you don't keep your mouth shut, Leprechaun." He flipped me off swiftly and I laughed before skipping down the room.

I turned my head to the sight of my baby fighting off a woman. The woman was twice Blair's size and yet my strong daughter deflected her jabs and swiped a knife across her stomach.

That was it, I thought. The first blood.

The woman screamed in agony and fell to the floor until Blair punched her in the temples, effectively knocking her out. A ghost of a smile covered my lips as Blair looked to me in approval. I remembered the conversation we had before we entered this mayhem. No killing. That was her only rule. Blair was not old enough to make her first kill and I would continue to protect her from the crushing realisation of taking a human life.

The violence slowly came to an end, allowing us to finally notice the many onlookers in the room. We pointed out young children and women from different mafias covered in soot and dirt. They were crowded in a corner of the room. Women shielded their children from the sight and as the dust settled, many peeped out of their mother's embraces in curiosity.

The room was silent and I decided to be the first to speak.

"We are members of the Australian Royal family and descendants of the Black Cobra Mafia. We don't bring you any harm and we are here to free you all." My voice resonated power and authority which most of them were accustomed to.

Harry chimed in, "We are no threat." He made a statement of setting his gun down on the floor and we all followed suite. I locked eyes with one woman who seemed to be the leader of the bunch and she nodded, signalling peace.

Both groups scanned each other in curiosity until a young voice piped up.

"Theo! Is that you?"