Page 34 of A Touch Of Death

"...Novia! Novia, what's wrong? What is it?" Ezra's urgency-laced words begin to infiltrate my brain, slowly at first until they crash into me, and I'm forced to blink from the shock of their suddenness. Ezra walks around me, his arm sliding from under my breasts. As soon as he's in front of me, his hands go to my waist to keep me steady when I waver without him holding me upright. Once I'm steady, his hands gently cup my face and draw my head up until my terrified eyes meet his worried set.

"Novia, what is it?" he asks, his eyes boring into mine.

My mouth pops open, but only a breath of air leaves me. My shaking increases, and my teeth start to clack together. I feel Ezra's thumb brush over my cheek, and it's then that I notice I've started crying.

Again. Always fucking crying.

That little bit of rage I feel towards my tears is enough to snap me out of my petrified state, and with a hoarse whisper, I say, "We have to leave. Now. Right now."

I move backwards, and Ezra's hands drop from my face. My head jerks around, my eyes searching everything around us.

"Novia, love. You have to tell me what the hell is wrong," Ezra says, stepping closer again, his arm coming to wrap around my back to keep me close to him while my body still shakes like an addict weaning off drugs.

My eyes clash with his, and I tell him, "Davis. Davis is here. We have to go. Now, Ezra."

I don't know what he sees in my eyes because I'm feeling a lot of everything: terror, anger, grief, worry, and an assortment of other emotions I can't place right now. Whatever he sees, though, has him nodding quickly and moving his arm until his hand is in reach to capture mine. "Okay. Let's go. We'll get to the truck, and I'll call Zayn."

Gripping his hand like it's my lifeline, we rush from the shopping centre. Ezra navigates us through the crowds of people that almost feels like it’s doubled in numbers since we arrived. We bump into people with muttered apologies and whispered curses, but we push ourselves through until the parking lot comes into sight.

Ezra pulls out his cell, pressing his screen a few times before lifting it to his ear. "Zayn, we need to leave. No, right now. Novia saw Davis. Yes, that Davis." He pauses before continuing, giving me a brief glance. "I completely believe she saw him, Zayn. We need to get her home, and we need to do it right this second."

I block out the rest of the conversation, racing across the parking lot with an out of control pulse and horror that the Boss' lapdog is here. Any sense of safety I'd built since escaping the facility evaporates, leaving me scared and out of my mind with dread and a sick feeling in my stomach I know all too well to be panic.

Just as we reach the halfway point to where Nix parked the truck, I'm being slammed into from the side and tackled behind a car. My breath leaves me in a gust of air, and my lungs constrict along with my heart.

A large body is sprawled on top of me, and my panic finally spikes. I kick, scratch, and punch within an inch of my life, only for my efforts to be rendered futile when large hands hold my wrists to keep my hands away from my assailant. I keep struggling though. I won’t be taken again without a fight, so if they think this will be easy, they have another thing coming.

"Babe, it's me. Snap out of it, Novia. It's me," a familiar voice repeats breathlessly in my ear. The voice is quiet, but I know it well enough to realise it's Nix. It's only then I feel the overwhelming warmth that is the shifter, and I sag to the floor like a deflated balloon as tears prick my vision.

"Phoenix, what the fuck?!" My voice is scratchy and high, but I don't care. What the fuck is the shifter playing at? He slaps a hand over my mouth. Through my tear-filled eyes, I see his have widened, and an alarmed look is plastered over his face. He looks pale with worry, and it's enough to have my panic rising again.

Leaning close to my ear again, he whispers, "There are eight men surrounding the parking lot, all armed and definitely on the wrong side. One of the fuckers had a red laser pointed at the middle of your back. I'm sorry. I did the only thing I could think of."

I don't even care that the man tackled me like a football player because he likely just saved my life. I grip onto the sides of his face and give him a hard kiss before pulling away just as quickly. With a strained whisper, I tell him, "Thank you, Nix."

He nods with surprise and maneuvers to sit next to me, his back against the car we're hiding behind. He helps me to sit up, brushing the gravel from my knees and palms before leaning against the car again and pulling me tight to his body.

I give my surroundings a quick glance and spot Ezra three cars over. Holy shit, how far did Nix tackle me? Ezra looks equally as worried as Nix, the colour in his face turned a shade paler than it had been before. Another look around has me spotting Zayn further away, ducking behind a car while he pokes his head out briefly, sending my heart into a frantic tizzy.

The only one I can't see is Spencer.

"Nix, where's Spencer?" I keep my voice lowered to a near whisper, tilting my head to talk into his ear.

He looks at me quickly before looking away, but I saw enough. The worry in his face isn't just for me. It's for Spencer. "I don't know. As soon as I saw the red dot on your back, I just... dived for you. I didn't see where he went."

My heartbeat doubles in speed, and I feel lightheaded. What if something happened to him? What if Davis has him?No!I refuse to think like that, to believe it. But, what do I do now? What dowedo? There's a team of armed mercenaries surrounding us, all armed with weapons that I know have the ability to kill. They tested them out enough on me. On my people.

I look around again, making sure Ezra and Zayn are in the same positions as they were. When my eyes meet Zayn's, an idea forms.

I turn quickly to Nix and tell him, "I have a plan. You need to trust me, okay?"

He nods almost immediately, and it's enough for me. "I'm going to use a glamour, and I'm going to get you to the truck. As soon as you're there, get in the driver's side as subtly as you can. I'll get the others."

Nix looks at me with a frown and questions in his eyes, but he keeps them to himself. I'll answer them when we're not surrounded by weapon-wielding psychotic humans. With an idea in mind, I feel my glamour taking place. Once the feeling is over, I face Nix and ask, "Did it work properly?"

"Yeah. You look just like Spencer."

"Okay. Are you ready?" I question, deciding to reveal one of my secrets and hoping it doesn't bite me in the ass later.

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