Chapter 3 The Target

Tess

It's been 100 years since laya left me. I searched and searched for years trying to find her but even my best men were unable to find her location. I sigh as I lean against a wall wondering what she could be doing right now. My ears perk up at the sound of one of my men giving a signal. I nod my head and move into position to capture the target. He's a business man that has been using his mattress business as a cover up for a sex ring. He's been picking up young girls off of the street and selling them to the highest bidder. The authorities have been trying to months to nab him, but he keeps slipping away. That's why the called me. Since laya left me, I had to find some form of distraction so i decided to become a mercenary for the humans. My division has the highest success rate in the nation, mostly because we're all vampires. We move into place and easily dispatch the target in less than 10 minutes. "Move out." We go to make our escape when I notice a fleeting red cape off in the distance. I lose focus for just a second and in that time, the targets guards approach us ready to strike. Me and My men begin to fight and hold them back but there are more of them coming. I don't even notice the arrow coming straight for my heart until a hand swiftly grabs it before it can land the fatal blow. I freeze when I look over and see the green eyes that I have been searching for for years underneath a red hood. "Laya?" She throws the arrow down and glares at me before striking a man that tried to lung at her from behind. "Watch it." I start to try and talk to her but someone runs at us with a club and we both pull apart to dodge it. She whistles out and more men dressed in hoods like her roll out of the shadows and attack the guards. I watch in amazement as she runs up to a man wrapping her legs around his head to snap his neck and then flipping off him to stomp another man's head into the ground. My jaw drops not only because that was insanely hot but the fact that her fighting skills have far surpassed my own. She quickly takes down two more guys and without even turning around, she throws a dagger straight at me. I narrowly dodge it, cutting my cheek a little, but I'm shocked when I see it perfectly lodged into the center of a mans head right behind me. I look back and watch as he falls into a heap before turning back to her. "Holy shit." She grapples with a guy for a moment and I lung forward knocking a guy that tried to sneak up on her into the floor. She knocks her guy out and wipes the blood off of her hands onto her tights. "Laya where have you been? I searched for you for years." She scoffs kneeing a guy in the face. "Did you ever think that perhaps I did not want to be found." I throw a guy through a wall and turn to her but she doesn't face me. "Please, can we just talk. For a moment?"She twirls two knives in her hands and slices through two more men before sheathings them. "No. Can't you see I'm busy?" She flips her hair and pulls her hood back over her head after signaling for her men to leave. She starts to take off herself but I rush over and grab her arm before she has a chance. "WAIT! Laya please, can we ta-" she glares down at my hand and grabs my wrist flipping me over and crushing her foot over my throat. "Don't fucking touch me!" She growls pressing down harder. I struggle trying to get her off of me but her stance is too strong. I don't understand. She was always strong but now she's on a completely different level. She watches as I struggle a bit longer and scoffs before removing her foot. "Pathetic." She storms off as I cough trying to compose myself. I look up as she struts off not even looking back once. I know that what I did before was wrong. I should have explained things more clearly but I couldn't control my emotions. I reach out for her trying to think of something that would make her stop. Something to get her to listen to me. My eyes get huge as I quickly stand. "I know where he his!" She stops walking. "I know where Darren is. I can sho-" she rushes forward slamming me against the wall so hard I almost black out. "Don't play games with me Tess. I've been searching for him for 100 years. I can't even get a connection with him yet you expect me to believe that you know where he is?"she squeezes my throat a little harder and presses her body up against me. I gulp a little as I feel her face get closer to mine. She's kicking my ass right now but internally I'm elated. I've missed her so much and if letting her throw me around is what I have to do to keep her close then so be it. "I found his location. I can show you..I swear.." She growls a little in my ear and I bite my lip. "Fine. But if you're lying to me." I flinch a little as I feel her blade run along my neck. "I'll kill you." I whine a little as I feel her breathing on my neck. I nod my head and she drops me on the ground before walking away again. "Wait! Don't...you need the ...address." I choke out rubbing my neck. She holds up one of my business cards. "Got it." I start to say something else but she's already Turning the corner, disappearing into the night. I check on my men and we make our escape. The whole way back,I can't get her off of my mind. I just hope she actually comes by.