King's Sword

Haven One

VANCE

Thankfully, Adelaide was in such a rush that we decided to park across the street from the hotel, but hauling her through moving cars as she screams at me to let her run alone, is a lot more unnerving than I thought it would be.

I put her in the passenger seat and pull the seatbelt across her chest before pushing her head down to her lap. "Keep your head down, Sweetness. We're going to be okay." Before she gets a chance to yell at me some more, I shut the door and run to the driver's seat, ducking my head when someone shoots at the backseat door.

"Who is shooting at us!" Adelaide groans angrily and I can't help but to be amazed at how quickly her fear changes. I start the car and drive off with little regard to the cars around us. "Vance!"

"You know that guy Tommy was talking about?" I ask but my eyes are on the mirrors and the road.

"Alister?" She says while reaching in between my seat and the center console. She pulls out the spare gun and checks for ammunition as she frowns. I chuckle at the sight. I taught her to do that once, we went to the shooting range once, and she remembers everything. "What about him?" I push her head down when I notice a black van weaving through traffic behind us.

"He hates me." I say in lamest terms.

"That makes most people who meet you." She says while pushing my hand away to look behind us. I groan and try move her away from their sight while keeping a steady hand on the steering wheel.

"I killed his brother." I clarify and she glares at me. "Aren't you a little disgusted by that?"

"I guess I should, huh?" She shrugs while sinking into her seat. I take a sharp left turn, running a red light and sending Adelaide flying towards me. She points at the road with the gun in her hand. "I happen to like this car!"

"It already has a bullet hole in it, Sweetness." I say incredulously when another shot come at my side mirror. "Two."

"You drive, I shoot." She says and I laugh nervously with a shake of my head.

"This isn't a movie. Stay low." I reach for her gun and tuck it back in between the seat as she pouts in her seat. "Are you really fucking pouting right now? We are in an active car chase, and you're pouting?" Her brown eyes go up to me, reminding me of who she is why she is intoxicating.

I take a hard right and an immediate left into an older neighborhood, the brick walls I used to know are now faded with time.

"Where are we going?" Adelaide asks before I pull into the backyard of a house and shut off the engine and lights abruptly. The trees would hide the car from the freeway, and the two story house covers the car entirely. I sigh and pull out my phone quickly. "Oh you have to let Lorie know about our exciting night?" I take a hold of her face and pull her into a tight kiss, trailing two more on the corner of her mouth and jaw.

"Two seconds, little one. Then I'm all yours." I beg before dialing Arthur, who's the lead of the security detail for the King Estate. He picks up after a ring. "Gates, locked. Keep everyone inside, I don't think they have the manor's address yet but we won't risk it. We're staying at Haven One tonight."

"Haven One, Copy. Do you need backup?" Arthur says and I can hear him shuffling around in his clothes.

"No backup, we'll redetermine that in the morning." I say while rubbing my temples and glancing over at Adelaide who watches me quietly.

"Copy. We'll see you in the morning." Arthur says and hangs up. Adelaide looks out my window to look up at the house, her top half almost completely on my lap.