fallin' out of love (stemxstud)

22

Anaela

...up!"

I could hear Tino shouting at me to wake up but I couldn't take back control of my body.

You tried to kill her! How dare you!

I told you what I wanted, little leader.

What has Valentine ever done to you?

It's not that she's done anything to me- It's that she's hurt you. She's harming you, and therefore she's harming me. She's no good for you, Anaela. See the truth. Let her be happy with Teece.

We had a deal!

Deal after deal after deal! That's not how I want to live.

I make the decisions! I'm the only person here!

Oh...so that's how you feel. Now I know that you hate me...you don't see me as a real person...and my opinions aren't valid. I'm just here to serve you, huh?

AS...I don't know why you're here to be truthful.

Well...I guess I can disappear then, huh? Since you can handle life on your own now.

AS, no, that's not what I'm saying, but you can't just take over like this again. Now let me gain control.

No. Valentine needs to die.

If you won't give me back control, I guess I'll have to take it for myself!

No!

I slowly opened my eyes, my vision hazy for a moment as they focused on Valentine peering down at me, holding me in her arms.

"Valentine?"

"You're awake- Good. The building is completely vacated and I think something's gonna happen. Teece escaped and we're the only two in here," she informed me.

"What- Okay," I slowly sat up, rubbing my head, "The stairwell," I suggested.

"I already tried that. Someone must have locked the doors," I shrugged.

"How did Teece escape. How did...how did you get out of the room? I had it locked from the outside and one of my men was supposed to...guard the door," I tried to clear my mind.

"I don't know, but it was unlocked when we got done fighting and Teece was gone. Along with the whole building."

"Frick," I sighed.

"There has to be another way out, right?"

"I just wonder who opened the door," I stated. Whoever it was, their loyalty certainly didn't lie with me and that was a big compromise to the safety of my gang. "C'mon." I went back into my office, pushing the doors wide open and leading Valentine to my bathroom. "I'm sorry about...back there. That wasn't me. I- I've just been stressed lately," I half lied.

"That wasn't you, yes, but the other part..."

I glanced back at Tino, letting my gaze drop to the crumbled shades in her hands that belonged to AS.

"You're right. It wasn't me. But hopefully I can be myself from now on," I said.

I reached into the shower and turned it all the way to hot. "Now's not the time for a romantic bath," Tino joked, watching me curiously as she laid the sunglasses on the counter. "I sure wish I could soak," I commented ruefully. I turned it all the way to cold, then hot again. The bottom of the tub gave way to a staircase and I told Tino to lock the bathroom door.

"Huh. Never would've expected this."

"My mother's the only other person who knows about this exit because this used to be her office," I told her. "I have no idea where it leads to or how long we'll be traveling for, but this should get us out of the building.

Tino started coughing, hitting her chest aggressively.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Something caught in my throat too, and I started coughing. Seeing smoke starting to drift underneath the bathroom door, I told Tino, "Get down, get down." I pushed Valentine into the shower, and once we were completely in the staircase, I pressed a small button on the wall of the little tunnel down, to close it.

"Fuck," I gasped, finally able to breathe again.

"We gotta keep moving. I don't want this whole place to fall down on us," Valentine stated, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the stairs faster than I could keep up with, as if she knew the way.

"What's this whole deal with the contract?"

Valentine ignored me, still tugging me down the straight drop of stairs. "Valentine," I begged.

"I don't know. But I have a feeling your mother or mine will give us the answer to that very soon."

"At least we know we won't get anymore cousin surprises," I chuckled.

"I hope Teece is okay. But then again...I don't know how much I believe myself," she laughed bitterly.

"Here. A door," I pointed to my right.

"But then there's another one a few feet down."

"You check that one out, I'll check this one," I told her. I cautiously peeked the door open, seeing straight land all around us. "This leads us straight outside. Hell, even the cars aren't here. It's like they completely deserted us."

"This door leads to a parking garage. C'mon," Valentine called out. I jogged my way down the last few steps after closing the other door.

"Everything from Hellcat's to Mustang's to Ferrari's in this bitch," I surveyed the vehicles.

"How about we find the fastest out of this bunch, each take a car, and decide on where the hell we can go to now."

"That's a hard decision to make when we don't know who we're up against," I stated, slowly walking over to one of the cars. "This one. This is the fastest," I stated.

"There's a note on the steering wheel," Tino pointed out, going to a rack in the garage and grabbing the car's key off. She unlocked the car, and sat down in the driver's seat, picking up the little piece of paper.

She chuckled to herself, balling it up in her fist.

"Excuse me for saying this Anaela- but fucking bitch."

"What?" I went around the car, grabbing the tiny ball from her hand, unraveling it, and reading it for myself. "My mother has Teece? But why?"

"She wants to make a deal. Teece's head for something," Tino shook her head. "That's the only logical conclusion. But what do you have that she doesn't?"

I stared at Valentine for a moment.

"I think she wants you."