16• Burnt Alive

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VANESSA

I sit on the same bench I sat on yesterday when I watched Ethan and his crew combat each other, but this time, I stare at an empty gym. I mean, a few people dot the place here and there, but Ethan and his crew are nowhere in sight.

Is it bad that the first thing I think is that they have forgotten about me?

They could be injured or in trouble, and yet I think of myself. I'm so pathetic.

I rub my arm subconsciously. How would I know if they are in trouble? There's nobody to ask, and I'm definitely not going to talk to my father.

I guess I'll just wait it out.

I awkwardly remain seated, watching a few people jog on the treadmills. My mind soars with the possibilities. What if they've been kidnapped? What if they're in a hostage situation? What if they're all hurt, or worse?

I mean, I don't know them that well, but I don't want something bad to happen to them.

Maybe, Drake, but none of the others.

I smile at that thought, just as someone familiar exits from the hallway where the shooting range was located in. I recognize the woman's auburn hair, pretty freckles, and gray eyes. She's the doctor who saw me when I was a Popsicle, and she is the one who saw me crying in the bathroom. My two best moments. Yippee.

And now she spots me while I'm all lonely-looking, sitting on a random bench. She smiles at me from across the gym, wearing an outfit similar to mine. She has on leggings and a long-sleeved shirt, but while my hair is braided down my back, hers is in pigtails on the sides of her head. I couldn't pull the look off, but she does.

"Hey." She plops right beside me as if she and I are best friends. "How are you doing, Vanessa?"

"I'm okay." I reply honestly. "Could be better, could be worse. How about you, Aubrey?"

Her smile widens when she realizes I remember her name. "I'm great, actually. The best I've been in a while."

"Really?" I see that in her excited gray eyes there's more to the story. "How come?"

She lifts up her left hand, showing me that there is a dazzling diamond ring on her finger. I swear it must cost a million dollars with the big jewel that resides in the center of the band, and just seeing it up close makes my stomach roll. "Holy shit. You've got a sugar daddy?"

Aubrey tosses her head back and laughs. "You're hilarious. My fiance isn't rich, but he did buy me this." She flinches back, holding her hand to her mouth. "It's so weird calling him my fiance."

"When did it happen?" I ask on, just passing the time while I wait for Ethan. The more time that passes, the more I want to call the police and ask if any dead bodies have been found.

At least I have Aubrey to keep me company.

Last time I saw her, I was in tears and lying my ass off to get her out of my hair, but when I'm not in the middle of a mental breakdown, she is fun to be around. Plus, her country accent cracks me the hell up. "Well, yesterday he took me to my favorite restaurant, and he booked the whole place up so that we had it all to ourselves. I honestly thought that he was just being romantic because it was our fourth anniversary of being together, but he fooled me. He wanted to make the night as special as I am, he told me."

"Sounds like a keeper." I reply, not knowing what else to say.

"He is." Her radiant smile has me wishing I was in a relationship. "Anyway, enough about me. What about you? Are there any men in your life?"

"Mmm... Let me think about that." My mind immediately flashes to Tony, Ajax, Felix, Ethan, and Drake, but they are more like pests than men. "Nope."

"Damn. No one to butter your biscuits?" She chuckles, her freckles scrunching along with her nose. Then, her face straightens. "Or is there a woman in your life? It's 2019, I guess I shouldn't assume."

I smile at her. "Nope. No women either."

"Man, you're a loner." She jokes, her gray eyes twinkling. "You know what? You and I should hang out sometime. Do you want to catch a coffee sometime next week?"

"What are your hours?" I ask, a little too curious.

"Nine to five, sugar." She winks. "Sometimes I work a little late, and when I have nothing to do, I go to work early, but I'm on call a lot. I normally work with patients who don't need immediate care, like those who have torn ligaments or infections, but sometimes I get called in for emergencies."

"So, you're just there if the agents need you?" I query, wondering if I'm understanding correctly. When she nods in confirmation, I shrug. "How much do you get paid?"

"Not enough." Her optimistic tone gives away that she really doesn't mean it. She probably gets paid the big bucks working as a consultant for CIA agents who don't have time to go see a doctor. She shifts her weight then, rising to her feet. "I guess I should be getting home. My fiance is waiting for me."

She says the word "fiance" with emphasis, making me cringe and laugh at the same time. She leaves me after patting me on the shoulder, and as I sit alone, I smile.

She's sweet. I probably should've been nicer to her the last time I saw her.

"Ugh." I mumble, glancing down at my phone. Ethan is a half hour late. Maybe, I should just leave. If he was going to show, wouldn't he have come by now?

I stand up and turn, all too fast. I am rewarded with a chest in my face.

I ram right into someone and trip over their feet, collapsing directly onto the ground. My duffel bag goes flying across the nearby mats, landing with a thud. My head hits the ground, and when I rise to a sitting position, I rub it softly, moaning. "Sorry..."

"Are you okay?" Ethan's smooth voice rings in my ears as he crouches beside me. One of his hands rests on my shoulder, but I think that's just a subconscious decision.

"Fine. Sorry for running into you." I mumble, blinking back the stars I see. He helps me to my feet, and then he recovers my duffel bag. When it is safely slung over my shoulder, I gaze into his stormy gray eyes. "I thought you weren't going to show."

"I got held up in work." Is Ethan's simple response as he shoves his hands in his pockets. He's not even dressed to work out or teach me anything. He wears black slacks, black shoes, and a button-up shirt that has the top couple buttons undone.

"I'm guessing there is no lesson today, then." I ask, still rubbing my aching head as Ethan meets my gaze.

"No..." he mutters, lifting his hand to his mouth as he yawns. "I'm exhausted."

I shut my mouth and blink. Wow. Okay.

"Cool." I mutter, turning on my heel. I exit the building, not glancing back. Fumes trail behind me, and I guess Ethan can tell.

He follows me outside, his voice stopping me before I walk any farther. "Hey, don't be mad. We can work on something if you want to. I was just saying that I had a long day-"

"Nope. I'm good. But, I'm going to go home now. Thanks." I notice that Ethan's jaw clenches at the tone of my voice, and I gotta admit that I kinda dig it.

I'm getting under the guy's skin. Maybe, he'll slip up and end up talking to me about something other than nothing.

"Why did you just interrupt me?" He asks in disbelief as he follows me down the sidewalk. "Drake said you were annoying, but I thought that was just because his tolerance level is little to zero."

"I'm just a little angry that I've been waiting for thirty minutes to hear you say that you'd rather not waste time with me." I toss back behind my shoulder.

I can feel anger radiating off of him. "You're impossible. That's not what I said."

"Okay, well that's how I took it." I abruptly spin around, halting right in front of him. He skids to a stop before me, merely inches away from my face. His gray eyes bore into mine, his lips forming a scowl.

He swallows and takes a step back, running a hand through his dark, wavy hair. "You make me so angry. Obviously, you're just trying to start drama with me. I really don't get why."

"Well, anger is the only emotion I can get out of you." I remark, shrugging. "Every other emotion is masked."

Ethan says nothing as he watches me throw my hands up. I gesture to the building beside me, saying, "Whenever you guys aren't mad, it's like I'm talking to brick walls. So, sorry if I like seeing some emotion in you people."

I grumble. "If you are people."

He's probably thinking that I'm an ignorant, crazy bitch, and that might be true, but I'm right. Felix was nice to me, but I still have no idea who he is. Drake was rude, and I don't know what happened in his past to make him that way. Ajax was okay and actually conversed with me, but I still don't know him. Tony was a lot sweeter and showed me his humanity, but with Ethan I feel like I'm staring at a blank canvas.

"You're right." He admits, surprising the hell out of me.

I open my mouth to say another word, but a sudden screeching noise fills my ears, making my heart stop and my body to turn in the direction of the sound.

Gasping, I watch in horror as two cars collide in the street a little ways away from us. Metal tears, glass shatters, and screams erupt in the afternoon air.

One car T-boned the other, sending both cars crashing into a light post. Smoke escapes one car's hood while the other is too crunched to even call the front of their car the hood.

Before I can even process what has happened, my legs have carried me over to the closest car—the car that was hit by the other. It's a red one, and inside is a couple.

Their car is the smoking one, and that's not a good sign. I can't reach them, either. A light post blocks one door while the other is sealed shut by the vehicle's impact.

"Shit..." Ethan says from behind me.

My mind is racing as my heart rams against my chest, but somehow words escape my mouth. "Check to see if the other driver is okay."

Ethan immediately moves into action, while I do the same. I rush to the front of the red car, deciding that the wind shield is the best way to get the people out of.

The wind shield is already cracked, so I use my elbow to make it shatter into pieces. When I hear the sound of onlooker's voices, I turn my head and yell, "Call 911!"

Facing the couple again, I assess their injuries. The woman is behind the wheel, her head cut up probably by glass. Her side window is broken, as well as her door. She is passed out, probably from the impact of the hit or the impact of the air bag, which is deflated now.

What makes my heart drop into my stomach is the sight of a shard of metal that has torn through her arm and is embedded there, blood flowing over the piece.

Her boyfriend in the passenger seat, awake, but dizzy. His eyes can barely focus on me as I scoot the glass aside and hop up on the hood, leaning into the car. I get close to him, unbuckling him.

"Hey, what's your name?" I ask him, hoping he knows the answer and hasn't gotten a bad brain injury.

"Fred." He says, his curly blonde hair matted to his sweaty head as he blinks at me.

"Fred, do you think you could climb out of the car for me?" I ask him softly, grabbing a gentle hold of his hand.

He starts moving, but then he stops and glances over at his girlfriend. "Wh-What happened?"

"Riley!" His voice ricochets off the walls. When the woman doesn't respond, he looks at me, horrified. "Is Riley okay?"

My heart seizes, but I keep my calm. "In order for me to get her out, I have to get you out, first, okay, Fred?"

Fred hesitates, tears welling up in his unfocused eyes, but he comes around. I guide him as he uses his seat as a step to get out. I steady him after he has crawled over the hood and gets to his feet.

"Stay here, Fred. I'll help Riley." I promise as I help him to a sitting position. He holds a hand to his head, his mouth subconsciously open.

I move away from him, rushing to help Riley. I hazard a glance at the other car where Ethan is in the middle of pulling a man out of the driver's door. The guy doesn't look so good, so I pick up my pace.

While on the hood, I lean into the car and unbuckle Riley. She's out of it, but she's also losing a lot of blood.

"Here we go..." I mumble before sliding into the passenger seat of the vehicle. First, I check to make sure there are no more injuries that I didn't spot before.

When I realize her only injury is the giant piece of metal in her arm, I check her pulse. After waiting a few seconds, I feel the strong thud of a heartbeat. If an ambulance gets here soon, she'll be okay.

I wrap one arm around her abdomen and begin working on getting her out. It's a difficult task, and when I hear Ethan's voice shouting, "Here, let me," I move right out of the way.

I help Ethan from the side as he pulls her out gently, making sure her injury isn't grazed. She makes it safely out, but just as I am about to get out as well, the engine bursts into flames.

Ethan automatically backs away, and as he still holds the injured woman, he gazes at me with sudden fear in his eyes.

My heart stop beating as I back way from the front of the car. Instantly, I am hot and feeling as if I am being baked alive.

Shit.

I climb into the backseat and begin trying to open the side doors. Both of the doors are bent, and after a couple of failures, I decide that the rear window is my best bet for escape.

Hurriedly, I lie back and use the front seats as my support as I aim my feet at the window and begin kicking. The first kick does nothing, the second barely cracks it, and the third finally shows some damage.

By the forth kick, smoke has filled the car. Coughing and choking, I keep kicking, finally shattering the glass on the seventh kick.

Immediately, I climb out of the back window, falling onto the pavement not-so gracefully.

Sweat rolls down my body as I lie on the ground, coughing. I don't even notice that glass has cut my hands or the sharp pain that the glass brings.

Instead, I focus on recovering my breath. I hear Ethan's voice somewhere on the other side of the car, and before I can call out to him, the car explodes.

I lie down and shield my head, flames escalating to the sky. Car parts cream and fall, some flying through the air. I swear it's something straight out of an action movie, including the badass secret agent, who at the moment is rounding the car.

When he spots me, he stops moving and immediately bends over, placing his hands on his thighs. He looks as relieved as a cancer patient learning that they are cured.

"Shit, Vanessa." He mutters as he moves to me and helps me to my feet. His gray eyes are serious, blood spotting his clothes. "I thought you just burnt alive in that damn car."

"Can't get rid of me that easily." I say, warily gazing at the flames. We both move away from the vehicle, heading back to where the three injured people are.

In the distance, sirens blare, but they sound so far away.

I wipe my bloody hands off on my clothes, just now noticing the burning sensation rippling over my palms. I wince, but I keep my hands hidden by my sides as I move to asses the third injured man.

He is awake and moving around, horribly grimacing and grunting with every movement. I disregard something Ethan is saying as I kneel beside the man.

"Stop moving." I order him, holding my breath. I glance back at his car, noticing that his airbags didn't deploy. They must've been off or faulty.

The man doesn't listen, so I grab his shoulders. "Sir, stop moving."

The man appears to be around 40 years old, grays dotting his short, brown hair. He owns hazel eyes, and like Fred's, they aren't focused well.

The man's hands have burn marks on them, a few other welts up and down his arms. His face is even a little burned, but that's not what I'm worried about. If his airbags didn't deploy, he hit the dash hard. His ribs have to be broken, and if he moves the wrong way, his broken bones may puncture organs.

The man stares at me blankly as I tell him to lie down. When he doesn't follow my instructions, I force him into a lying position, and once he is down, he stays down.

He moans. "I think I might barf."

And he might. He has to have a nasty concussion, if not something severe.

His leg is broken as well. It must've gotten crushed under his car's bent front and dash. There's blood trickling from his knee cap, swelling already occurring.

The woman, who has her boyfriend's arm wrapped around her, is coming to. She will probably want that piece of metal out of her arm immediately, but there's no telling what the shard punctured.

The three injured all sit together on the side of the road. Traffic has started backing up, people getting out of their cars to see the commotion. Ethan stands beside me, silently watching me work as I rip my sleeve off and wrap it around the older guy's bleeding leg.

I order Ethan to watch over the older man to make sure he doesn't move while I take care of the woman who is arousing from her sudden slumber.

All the while, ambulances are nearing.

When they finally make it to our vicinity, I tell the EMTs my assessment of their injuries, and everyone goes on their way to the hospital.

Cops and fire trucks arrive soon after, taking care of the car situation. By that time, Ethan has grabbed my arm and has begun dragging me away from the scene so that we aren't questioned or brought into anything we don't need to be in.

We walk down a back alleyway, setting route for the gym. Silence surrounds us for a long time before Ethan says, "You're good at thinking on your feet."

"Thanks." I reel in the compliment and let a blush spread across my cheeks. "I thought good on my feet before, when I was kidnapped by you guys. I almost outran you."

Ethan rolls his gray eyes and runs a hand through his dark, wavy hair. "You wish."

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