The Daughter Extraction

Fast and the Furious?

•LUNA•

My heart raced the entire time we sprinted down the stairs, dodging bullets overhead.

His grip on my hand never wavered; it held firm like a cuff around my wrist.

Even though I didn't know his name, the realization that others like him were safeguarding us made me believe they were here to bring me back home, probably sent by my father.

"Get down!" he shouted, pulling me to crouch on the floor as an explosion shook the room, debris raining down. His arm shielded me from harm.

A fluttery feeling in my stomach was replaced by nerves as more men entered, shooting at us.

One of his friends took a hit, collapsing with blood staining the floor. Shock held me frozen.

"Cover us! We'll take the escape route to the back," he ordered before lifting me to my feet.

"Run and keep up. Don't look back," he shouted over the chaos.

Nodding, I followed as he pulled me through the hallway.

Bullets hit the walls, and I screamed. He fired back, and I covered my ear, wincing at the loud noise.

We ran until we reached a door. He kicked it open, ushered me in, then turned to confront the pursuers.

I had no idea where we were going, but I kept running. Pushing through double doors, I stumbled into the backyard.

Pausing to catch my breath, I realized it was dawn. The first rays of sunlight filtered through the clouds, illuminating our surroundings.

I spot a black car right in front of me, and before I can turn around, he tackles me to the ground and drags me to the other side of the car.

My hands and knees scrape against the gravel. No time to panic, though – the pain was real, but I was more worried about those people shooting at us from the back.

He's the one who pulled me to the other side for cover. Breathing heavily, he doesn't let that stop him from firing back at the bad guys.

He takes a moment to check his gun and then suddenly looks at me.

"Can you shoot a gun?" The question catches me off guard, but the shock helps my mind respond quickly.

"No."

His eyes narrow slightly before refocusing on loading up his weapon.

"Can you drive?"

"I-I-I'm still learning," I stutter out, and he gives me a pointed look while thrusting something metal and small into my hand.

"You're driving."

I can barely think of a fast response when he stands up, opens the car door, and waits for me to get in.

I literally just told him I'm still learning to master driving, but he ignores that part and expects me to take the wheel.

"I can't drive!" I finally exclaim.

"You can't shoot either. So one of us has to be behind the wheel, and the other has to stop these morons from following us. I can't trust you with a gun yet since you don't know how to use one, but I'll have to trust you with the wheel to get us out of here. Now, get in."

I reluctantly do as he asks and hop into the driver's seat. I'm not as good as a regular teenage driver, and my skills are still tacky, but screw it.

This is between life and death, so if I end up getting us into a crash, I'll gladly wave the 'I told you so' flag from my grave.

The side mirror got shot, the glass shattered, and I jumped in surprise.

"Drive, now!" He yelled from the passenger seat.

No time wasted—I cranked the car, hit the gas hard, and we zoomed away from our parking spot.

Panicking, I lost my grip on the wheel, swerving, but he grabbed the other side just in time to keep us from going totally off track.

A gunshot shattered the back window. He threw his arm around my neck, forcing me to duck.

"For fuck's sake," he grumbled before firing back at the guys tailing us.

I shot him a look, surprised by the swearing. I grew up in a fancy household, so it's not every day I hear a grown man cursing in front of me.

Another gunshot pierced the air, hitting the windshield. Shocked, I stomped the accelerator, making him lose balance and hit his head on the window.

"Thought you said you can't drive?" he asked, rubbing his neck.

"I can't!" I yelled, swerving into an alley.

"This is you not knowing how to drive?" he retorted, taking more shots at our pursuers.

"No, this is me panic driving."

He chuckled and tapped my shoulder.

"You're doing good. Just try not to crash before we get out alive."

Despite his serious tone, I smiled, focusing on the wheel.

He pressed something, and the sunroof slid open. Standing up, he shot through it, more gunfire echoing as he took on our tail.

The thrill sent my adrenaline surging. Heart pounding, one look at him reassured me—he was doing his job to keep me safe and get us home.