Hannah took the stilettos from Axel after tucking the knives in the strap on her upper arm. "Will you be joining me?" She asked. Not because she wanted him to help but was just a way of telling him to leave if he was done with what he came here to do.
"I hurt my shoulder". Axel said and turned around. Hannah thought he was leaving but Axel walked to the wall and leaned on it, his eyes fixed on her.
Hannah didn't have time to react as the assassins started coming out and her attention went to them. Tightening her grip on the stilettos, Hannah assumed a fighting stance and prepared to launch at the assassins. It was one against… many.
Axel watched Hannah as she moved the stilettos with a speed that he has never seen before. She never misses her target as she stabbed and slashed anyone she comes in contact with. At a point, she discarded the stilettos and drew out the small knives she had kept. To Axel, that was a bad decision as it was better to fight with the stilettos since they were longer, sharper, and easier to swing but he was proven wrong when he saw Hannah moving with more speed than before. It was like those knives had some energy boosts in them as one assassin after another fell on her sides in a matter of seconds. It seems Hannah moves better with knives.
One of the assassins managed to get close enough to Hannah and slashed her upper arm but the assassin didn't live long enough to see what he did because at the next second, Hannah's knife made contact with his neck and he dropped dead on her side.
The fight continued for a while before it stopped and everything became silent. Uncomfortably silent.
Axel stood straight and walked to Hannah who was panting hard in the middle of the dead bodies. Just like how he saw her earlier today, she was covered in blood. He knew she was not injured except for the cut on her arm and he was sure because he was watching her closely.
He stretched out his hand like he did earlier today and this time, Hannah was not stubborn and she obediently placed her hand on his.
Axel pulled out a pocket knife, he looked up to see Hannah already closing her eyes. He ran his thumb in circles on her open palm as if to soothe the pain that was coming then he ran the knife on her palm and blood oozed out. Hannah flinched but she didn't cry which Axel found very impressive. He concluded that she must have already been used to it.
"Let's go". Axel pulled Hannah, his big palm covering Hannah's small injured palm and they went to the car. Hannah looked inside, expecting to see Penelope but it was empty. Penelope was not inside.
Hannah panicked and turned to Axel. "Where is she?".
Axel knew who Hannah was talking about so he answered, "she is safe".
Hannah, still not satisfied, kept pestering Axel to tell her where Penelope was until Axel snapped. "She is safe, that's all you need to know. Now, will you let me focus on cleaning your wound?"
Hannah nodded, wondering who was injured between the both of them. She looked down to see Axel opening a first aid kit and he started cleaning her wound. Axel was gentle, too gentle as though she would break if he applied more force.
"Do you think it's poisoned?" Axel asked and Hannah shook her head in response. Her arm would be blue by now if her cut was poisoned.
Axel bandaged her wound carefully, both her arm and her palm that he had cut, and Hannah could not help but feel that she had met another Raymond who would treat her after causing injury to her.
"Change into these, I will be waiting outside". Hannah turned to the rear seat and saw shopping bags again like before. She nodded and Axel got out of the car.
Hannah picked up the bags, her fingers crossed, hoping that the dress inside was black. Maybe not black but not yellow. But alas, it was a yellow dress. Hannah glared at the dress, wishing that daggers could fly out of her eyes and tear the dress into shreds.
She calmed down when she realized that this dress was different from the first one; it was plain yellow with no flowers on it which she was grateful for. It also had a long sleeve which she assumed was to cover her wound. She wondered how Axel even knew that she was going to get injured because she was sure that he got the dress before coming to give her the stilettos, other than that, they were together all night.
Hannah shrugged. It was Axel after all. That man was unpredictable.
Repeating the whole process of undressing and dressing up again, Hannah got dressed but it was a little harder because of her injured palm and arm. So she only got dressed, wiped her face clean, and used the perfume which, like before, smelt like flowers. Her hair was left untouched since she couldn't fix it with only one hand.
Just like before, Axel came back when she finished dressing. His eyes were fixed on her hair as though asking why she didn't fix it. In response, Hannah showed him her injured palm and he nodded in understanding.
Thinking that they were going to drive to where Penelope was, Hannah leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. She was exhausted after fighting with those assassins.
Her eyes flew open when she felt fingers in her head, Axel's fingers to be exact. Her first reaction was to jerk forward but Axel's hand on her shoulder held her in place. "Be good and stay still".
Hannah's neck stiffened when she felt Axel's fingers running through her hair. She relaxed a little when he began to brush her hair gently and Hannah began to feel warm all over.
Axel brushed her hair for a long time till he was sure that he got all the tangles out. Her hair was not really tangled, he just enjoyed the feel of her hair on his fingers. So silky.
He picked up the yellow hair scarf he bought earlier today and tied her hair with it. Smiling to himself for a job well done, Axel sat back on his ear and began driving.