CHAPTER 3

More shots were fired at them as they ran, oftentimes they had to duck to prevent being hit by the bullets.

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In a matter of seconds, they were at the base of the stairs and the garage was just down another corridor to the right.

Skidding through the passageway, Jade rushed to the opposite direction and hid behind a wall when she heard the footsteps of the men.

"Find them! They must not escape!",the man bellowed again, sending shivers down his subordinate's body.

"Where are you going? The garage is the other way. We need to make a run for it before those goons get here."

Asia's eyes were filled with confusion and worry at Jade's actions. She rushed up to where Jade stood and tugged on her gown. "We need to escape now, my Lady."

"Asia, I need to get to my father's study. Cover me," she said and prepared to leave when a hand pulled her back.

"I am going with you," Asia said in a whisper, her eyes meeting a set of determined ones like hers.

"You're injured."

"It hasn't made me fail in my duty to protect you. I am coming with you," she repeated again, her eyes fiercer and sharper than before.

"Fine, I won't stop you. There is something I need to get from there. I cannot let it fall into the wrong hands."

Asia nodded in agreement and together they sprinted to the last room down the passage, unlocked the door and entered, quickly locking it behind them.

In the big study room, there was a single, huge table with two chairs, opposite to each other and several bookshelves in it. Jade hurried up to the table at the far end of the room. On it was a small moulded phoenix on a frost-like iceberg.

At each side of the iceberg was a symbol of an eye, she moved to her father's chair facing the phoenix and pressed on the eye there.

Immediately a sound was heard from behind her on one of the bookshelves. It moved backwards and brought out a safe. Jade quickly knelt down and put in the figures.

POM! POM!

After imputing the numbers, the safe opened to reveal a keyhole. Not wasting time, she removed her necklace. It had a symbol of a key on it and fixed it into the keyhole. Turning it to the right twice, it clicked and the safe opened.

Staring right at her was a small golden and black coloured box, with the size of her palm. She reached for it and picked it up then closed the safe and hid it.

Meanwhile, Asia found a knife with which she used to remove the bullet from her arm. Jade looked at her and without a second thought, took the knife from her and tore the edge of her dress.

"My La…"

Before Asia could protest, the dress was already torn. Dropping the small box on the table, she used the cloth as a bandage and tied up the wound.

From the slit near her knee, she used the knife to tear up the remaining part of her dress, making it a short gown and smiled.

"It was already getting in the way. Let's go."

She picked up the box then moved to her father's drawer and got out a car key.

"I already have your car keys, Lady Jade. That is Lord Frost's!" she protested.

It was her boss's favourite car. He never let anyone use it and called it his baby. But here his daughter was, wanting to use it for her escape when she clearly knew the car would never remain the same.

"Father wouldn't mind. Besides, these goons would take it for themselves and it is bulletproof."

With that settled, she quietly unlocked the door and kept the key back on her thigh straps. They listened for some seconds and opened the door when they were sure the coast was clear.

"Run!"

Both of them ran with all their might, but unfortunately, the sound of their shoes could be heard and alerted them.

"There they are. Chase after them!"

Bang! Bang!

They ran, dodging the bullets and fighting off some men they met on their way and taking their guns. In a matter of minutes, they were in the garage. Asia hit a button on the wall, at the side of the huge garage and its doors slowly opened.

She pressed the car key button and the car lit up. It was the AddArmor APR RS7. It had the ability to sprint from 0 to 60mph in 2.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 202 mph with all the armour it was carrying.

Both girls ran up to the car and swiftly opened the doors.

Jade entered the driver's seat, with Asia in front, by her side. She started the car and moved it to the path facing outside as the garage doors continued raising up.

"Ready?!"

"Always," Asia replied calmly, her gaze fixed to the path ahead.

They knew opening the garage would alert the gunmen outside and would obviously be waiting at the front to shoot them on sight, but they were prepared and ready.

They could see the body of the men outside and the readied guns in their hands. Her lips curved up into a sinister smile before removing it from park then clicked on the drive button and…

VROOM!!

She moved the car at a high speed as the bullets came flooding in on them from both the front and the back. By the time she got to the opening, she brushed the men in her path and zoomed off towards the gate, clearing anyone who stood on her path.

"SHOOT THEM DOWN!!"

The orders came from the first man in a tuxedo, his cold eyes were fiercer and sharper than before.

As the words left his mouth, more than twenty men rushed up to the gate with machine guns and loads of bullets in their hands and stood in their way, shooting at the oncoming car.

"Close the gates!"

The gates immediately started coming down at his command. Asia turned her head to the side to face Jade and spoke up, "My Lady…"

Seeing the determined look on her face, Asia's heart skipped a bit. She knew Jade was determined to make it and she definitely would. This was Jade, the sole heiress of the Frost Empire.

Although she didn't look the part though, she was skilled in hand to hand combat, handling weapons, driving, business and all…

Increasing the speed limit...

VROOM!

Jade increased the speed, brushing the gunmen and passing through the gate. The sharp edges of the gate barely grazed the top of the car as it went underneath it.

"Yes!" Asia said through gritted teeth, her fist curling up into a ball.

Jade smiled as she sped off, running into the distance.

"Quickly, follow them," the man shouted and ran to his car.

He quickly entered and started the engine before rolling down the glass and shouting, "Open the god damn gate!"

Within a couple of minutes, they had chased after her, shooting at her vehicle from behind. Asia rolled down the window and took her gun out.

BANG!

She shot at the incoming vehicles, aiming for the person in the driver's seat.

Before long, they were already on the main road with some cars on the road, preventing Jade from going at top speed.

Other cars pursued after with some men on bikes, shooting at the tires of the car. Jade rolled down the window at her side of the car and shot at the two gunmen on a bike.

"I wanted her alive before, but now… she poses a greater threat than her father if left alive. Kill her."

The man in the black tuxedo spoke into the Bluetooth speaker on his ear and increased his speed.

"Asia, take the grenade launcher at the back, underneath the seat and bomb those cars," Jade ordered her bodyguard.

Without questioning her order, Asia did as she was told and got the launcher out. Moving in position, she took her aim and shot at the first black sedan at their back.

BOOM!

The car went up in flames instantly, killing its inhabitants. She moved her aim to the side a bit, ready to shoot at the next car, but Jade swerved the car to the right, trying to avoid an oncoming car since she left her lane to overtake the car in front.

She lost her aim and the next car took the opportunity to swerve behind a civilian's car. It was the man in a black tuxedo. He grinned wickedly at Asia's miss.

"Damn it!"

She got ready to aim again, and just when she was about to shoot, the man rolled down his glass, with his gun out and shot at her hand.

At the same time she pressed down and took her shot, he swerved to the side and she missed, bombing the oncoming car.

"Aaahh!"