Ivan's muscles tensed as he launched himself from one rooftop to the next, his powerful leaps leaving cracks in the structures beneath him. With each bound, he closed the distance between himself and the two figures ahead.
Beside him, Ania matched his pace, her speed almost close to his own, as they pursued their target through the rooftops. As they ran, Ania couldn't help but voice her curiosity about Everly.
"So are you going to tell me who Everly is or what?" she asked with a loud voice from behind, her brow furrowed curiously.
Ivan chuckled, a brief distraction from their intense pursuit. "Everly? She's..." he began before trailing off with a scoff. "We'll talk about it later."
Ania rolled her eyes at his evasiveness. "Fine then, but after all of this, I'm having your credit card for the rest of the week," she declared, her face serious.
Ivan couldn't help but smile at her demand. "Sure,kiddo, you've earned it," he replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I'm not a kid, I'm literally 25" Ania retorted, though a faint smirk appeared on her lips.
Their banter was interrupted by the sight of their targets leaping down from the rooftop and diving into the road with two routes. One of them followed the left route, while the other figure followed the right.
With a shared nod, Ivan and Ania descended, blending into the crowd.
"Shit," Ivan muttered, frustration evident in his voice.
"We need as much information as we can get. They probably split to throw us off, so we're going to have to split too. You go that way, and I'll follow the other one this way. They're all betas, so they should be trouble. I'll deal my target and then come to you." Ivan instructed, his gaze locked with Ania's.
Ania nodded. "Understood."
Before they parted ways, Ivan called out to his sister out of concern. "Ania, be careful,"
Ania gave him a nod of assurance before they each set off in opposite directions to capture their target and bring an end to the night's absurd pursuit.___
Everly's pacing grew more frantic with each passing moment, her nerves on edge as she looked outside the mansion through the tall glass window.
Sergei, composed as usual, observed her with a calm demeanor.
"Miss Everly, you need to calm down," Sergei advised "I assure you, they're perfectly fine."
Everly whirled around to face him, her eyes wide with fear and frustration. "I just saw a gun pierce through someone's head today, completely unaliving them, and you're telling me to calm down?" she exclaimed, her voice trembling.
Sergei adjusted his glasses with a gentle touch, maintaining his composed demeanor. "Miss Everly, I understand, but..."
"No, you don't," Everly interrupted. "Because if you did, you wouldn't be here telling me to calm down. Maybe we should tell the cops, they'd know what to do."
Sergei's shook his head in decline of Everly'ssuggestion. "Absolutely not. We cannot involve the police in this. If you tell them, you will be putting yourself and everyone else in danger. You might even end up being a suspect," he explained "For now, I think we should just lay low and await Master's orders."
Everly sighed, feeling a bit lightheaded. "Well, at least, can you go help him? Aren't you his trusted bodyguard who's always with him 24/7?" she asked, placing a hand on her forehead.
Sergei shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot do that, Miss Everly. Master has instructed me to stay here and look after you to make sure you're safe."
"I don't need to be looked after," Everly insisted, her frustration growing more each minute that passed. "Besides, there are so many maids around, so I have someone to stay with if that's what you're worried about."
Sergei's words remained unwavering. "I'm sorry, but I can't go against Master's orders," he said, sticking to the orders given to him.
"Sometimes I wonder if you're a robot or something," Everly muttered under her breath, her tone slightly irritated.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Sergei replied, giving her a slight bow.
"Well, it's not," Everly retorted before turning to leave the room. "I'm going to freshen up. I've seen, heard and felt enough for one day."
Sergei watched her go, his expression unreadable, as he remained steadfast in his duty.____
As Ania ran through the route she had followed earlier, her thoughts raced alongside her footsteps. "I have a bad feeling about this. It's just like in the movies. Rule number 1 is to never split, but here I am," she muttered to herself, a soft laugh escaping her lips.
Despite her unease, she continued moving, scanning her surroundings for any sign of their target.
The road eventually led to a dead end. There were old, broken cars scattered around. They looked like they hadn't been touched in ages, covered in rust and weeds.
Some of the windows were smashed, and there were bits of glass and other trash everywhere. It seemed like a place where people had left things behind and never come back.
"Great, a dead end," Ania said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the sight before her. She knew she had to turn back and inform Ivan of the dead end, but before she could make a move, she sensed something—a familiar scent. It was the scent of a werewolf, probably same one they had been chasing.
Her brows furrowed as she attempted to turn around, but her movements were halted by a distinct sound—a click.
Ania froze as the voice of the man pierced the silence. "Make a move, and I'll blow your brains out, princess. Hands up," the mysterious man ordered.
Ania didn't reply, as the man ordered her to raise her hands.
The man insisted Ania raise her hands. "Hands up, Smirnov!" he shouted impatiently.
Ania sighed "Whatever, I can't risk ruining my clothes anyways, they're a limited edition, so let's just see how things go," she muttered and shrugged, lifting her hands.