𝟐𝟏- 𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄𝐓𝐘

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Safety.

❂

MEMPHIS sprung into action before I could even fully process what had happened.

We were hiding underneath the island countertops, my barstools scattered across the kitchen from our hastiness.

Her body protected my own as she fired shots at whoever had just stormed in.

The sounds were deafening and all I could do was cradle my hands to my head in order to block out the noise. Two, nearby shots rang out followed by a thud onto the ground.

I looked to where the sound originated from and found myself frozen at the sight.

It was a man.

He was dressed in all black, his eyes completely lifeless as he lied on the ground. The bullet hole was directly in the middle of his forehead, graphically oozing with blood.

The sudden touch of hands grasping my waist caused me to scream, my hands throwing themselves at whoever was attempting to touch me.

"Fleur, it's me." Memphis mumbled quickly, brushing my hair aside to make herself known.

She seemed unharmed.

The only sign of there being a recent struggle was the frown of her eyebrows as her focus seemed set on me. Her gun was still in her hand, firmly gripped with familiarity.

Her breaths were soft and controlled compared to my rapid breathing.

My vision blurred as tears began to slowly pour from my eyes, as if they were afraid to show themselves.

She took notice of my shock and dropped her gun, cradling my face into her warm hands.

"Look at me." she mumbled, softly swiping her thumbs against my cheeks, "I don't know if there's more of them or not so we have to move."

Her eyes were the most alert I had ever seen them become. She wasn't high for once, and the fact seemed to stress me more because that meant that this was all very real.

I could only flutter my eyes shut and hum to myself, "I can't do it."

"Yes you can." she comforted, "Focus on my hands."

Subconsciously, I obeyed her gentle demand. Her hands were warm against my face. She drew miniature circles with her thumbs, drawing my attention to the motion.

I couldn't believe that I was able to find some sort of peace with her.

Her fingers were gentle across my skin, feather-like.

She spoke up as I centered myself, her tone as light as her touch, "Our next movements have to be quick, okay? I'm gonna keep watch while you pack a small bag of anything you desperately need. This can't take any longer than three minutes."

I nodded at her calculated words, finally allowing my eyes to open again.

Memphis gave me a reassured smile.

It was unfamiliar, but so damn beautiful.

Her dark eyes were naturally low-lidded, but they still managed to twinkle with a specific shimmer. Her bare face remained calm and unchanged— this was nothing new to her.

I ignored the ache in my chest and responded to her with a simple, "Okay."

And then without observing the scene in my home, I rushed to my bedroom.

Nothing else mattered more than Sade.

I found him hidden in my bathroom, his tiny body rested inside of the tub. I exhaled at his safe spot before picking him up in my arms, hurrying to my closet right after.

Any designer piece of clothing that I had recently purchased wasn't even a thought in my mind as I tossed toiletries and Sade's valuables into the bag.

"Aria!" came the loud shout of Memphis' voice.

I took that as my que to finish up my packing, scurrying out of the room with my bag and Sade in my arms.

Upon my arrival, Memphis observed my appearance with an approved nod before interlocking our hands.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"I told you that I wouldn't let her— or anyone— hurt you." Memphis breathed out, her gun back in her hand, "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." I uttered without a doubt in my mind.

Her expression was solid as she hummed, "Good. We have to take the back way out. Police are starting to swarm the place and I don't know if she sent others."

She. . . as in Kiera?

The ability to swallow seemed like an action that I simply couldn't accomplish anymore.

Could my best friend really have wanted me dead?

I was too stuck in my head to realize the change of scenery. Memphis had lead us outside out of harm's way, as promised. We were making our way to her car, the clean material a stark contrast to the mess that was just left behind.

The last view that I received of my apartment was heartbreaking.

There was a mix of blood and bodies on my kitchen floor, the dark suits that the men wore nearly stuck to the marble. Chairs were flipped out of place and bullet holes were permanently inside of the walls. The place that I once called home looked more like a crime scene— and it technically was.

The change in my life seemed to give me whiplash at its quickness.

I could only be grateful that I was alive as I sat safely in the car with Memphis.

There wasn't a word spoken between either of us as she drove with speed. It was a miracle that the police weren't on us. Memphis was more focused on her phone as she made calls and texted others while I cuddled Sade to my body, thinking about recent events.

His soft fur was soothing against my skin, the source of my tranquility.

Hesitant, I bit down on my bottom lip, "Is my family safe from this?"

Memphis' gaze shifted over to me.

Her brown skin seemed to glow underneath the sunlight despite the dark actions she'd just committed.

"I'm not sure." she admitted— but then as if reading my mind she spoke up again, "I can send security their way if it helps soothe your worries."

My head bobbed up and down nearly a thousand times, "Please."

Memphis' jaw clenched, "I'll protect them as much as I possibly can, ange. I promise."

The confirmation soothed me.

The rest of the drive was forgetful as my body retired out of exhaustion.

When I woke up again, our transportation ways had changed. We were no longer in her car but rather a plane— no, a jet.

I shuffled in my seat, momentarily watching the clouds that we seemed to pass up.

The fact that I was in the air without a clue of where I was headed finally seemed to dawn on my mind once I was awakened fully.

I searched for Memphis, standing from my seat once noticing Sade in the one beside me.

It didn't take much to find her considering we were the only ones on the jet.

She was exiting a room from the front, her eyes immediately finding my face as I stood ahead of her.

Her appearance was unchanged from earlier. She still looked as calm as before, her eyes hard with expectation. The loose white tee that she wore was clear of any blood and hung over her jeans comfortably so. Her weapon, the pistol, was no longer seen— perhaps hidden in between her waistband once more.

"Are you okay?" she asked the moment she stood in front of me.

Her soft hands reached for my face, causing me to slightly flinch. She immediately relocated her hands to her pockets.

I glanced away in embarrassment, "Everything is just happening too fast."

"I understand and I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I just—" she cut herself off with a heavy sigh before urging herself to speak again, "We'll be in France in only a few hours."

"France?" I nearly yelled in question.

There was no way we were heading to an entirely different continent— away from my friends and family after what'd just happened.

Memphis nodded, "It's where you'll be safe."

"I'd be more safe with my family, knowing that they aren't being targeted next." I said with growing anger.

"I promised their safety to you." Memphis replied.

"Yes, but who knows what could happen? Rylee is pregnant and can't be under any extreme stress right now. It'll—"

Despite my earlier movements of hesitance, she grasped my chin in her hand, tilting it upwards. Her eyes stared into mine with a sense of nonverbal guarantee.

"I keep my promises." she whispered surely, "France is my territory, meaning that it's the safest place for us to be at the moment. America was only a mild trip for me."

An extravagant breath left my mouth as I huffed.

I still couldn't believe any of what was happening.

Memphis and Kiera are both the head of mafias, Kiera just nearly killed me, and I was now heading to Europe in such short notice.

I had to be dreaming.

Sade's body stirred in his seat as he woke up. At the sight of something familiar, I scooped him into my arms.

He purred against my chest, causing a slight smile to grow on my face.

"How long will we have to stay?" though I was speaking to Memphis, my attention stayed on Sade.

"However long we must." she clarified, her posture slackening as she took a seat, "If I have to kill her too in order to stop this, I will."

My eyes narrowed on her, "You killed her father first."

As much as the situation nagged at my brain, Kiera was still a friend to me before anything, disregarding our romantic relationship. I was far more closer with her than Memphis. Yes, she'd sent hitmen to my home, but for some reason I couldn't fully believe that she would do such a thing and involve me with it.

Had she truly lost it after seeing Memphis and I together?

Could I fully stand alongside Memphis, knowing what her intentions were?

It felt hypocritical of me to do so.

Memphis held back a smile as she brought a hand up over her face, "Ken paid the price that came with stealing valuable things from me."

"Like what?" I challenged.

"Money." she lazily stated, "Greed is not applaudable in this business. Neither is stealing."

"Don't you guys have more money than even all the fucking Kardashians combined?" I groaned, finally allowing Sade to jump down from my arms.

"It's the principle of it all. Desperation is just as bad as greed." the brunette said with a shrug.

I sighed, "Yeah."

After a beat of silence she spoke up, "Don't overthink it. There's always someone who refuses to follow the rules. It's best we eliminate the issue before an all around war begins."

I could only nod at the words, fully tired of mafia talk. I never knew that it'd be something I would be involved in.

❂