Take My Breath Away

Debbie was practically backed into a corner. Her dagger flashed, high, low, overhand. She slashed these men with the dagger again and again. Left, right, forward and backward, she sprang and slid, hacking and slicing. Bodies clashing. The sound was quite appalling.

Aldrich walked over to Kasie and pulled the rope, lowering Kasie to ground level.

Tied, unable to move, she could only watch Debbie fight against a group of ferocious men. Her face stung from the warm tears.

But the man wasn't interested in watching them fight. He really just needed this over. Suddenly, Aldrich held the knife to her throat and shouted, "Debbie Nian! One wrong move and she gets it!"

'Damn it!' Debbie cursed. She leaned backwards to dodge a bodyguard's attack. His meaty fist swung in front of her, narrowly missing her face. The bodyguards stopped attacking and watched their leader breathlessly.

Panting, she glared at Aldrich and bellowed, "Come at me! Let her go!"

Aldrich snorted, "I can't. Not until you divorce Ivan!"

"Okay! But you have to promise you won't harm Kasie," Debbie compromised.

Just then, a commotion was heard at the entrance. Soon, Ivan walked in with a black eye and a swollen face.

He didn't know martial arts and had taken a beating as he tried to get in. "Who's responsible for this?" Aldrich yelled at his bodyguards when he saw Ivan's features marred by bruises.

But since he didn't look masculine at all, he wasn't menacing even in his rage.

Pointing at Debbie and Kasie, Ivan demanded, "This is between you and me. Let them go."

"No way! Only after you divorce her,"

Aldrich said, his eyes fixed on Ivan's face. Though bloody, bruised and smudged, that face was still as attractive as ever to him.

Yet his hands shook uncontrollably as Ivan walked towards him. Debbie's heart was in her mouth. He still held the knife, and Kasie was still in danger. Quietly, she reached for the lipstick weapon in her pocket and aimed it carefully. She pressed the button and fired the dart. It sped toward Aldrich's hand.

"Ah!" The dart buried itself in Aldrich's phalanges. The man screamed and dropped the knife. Debbie rushed over, stepped on the weapon and swept his feet out from under him. He hit the floor, and Debbie gave him a few good kicks in the kidneys.

Lying on his back, Aldrich howled in misery. His men surrounded Debbie when they saw their boss beaten and heard his painful cries.

Ignoring the danger, she carried Kasie over to Ivan.

Ivan caught her in his arms and started to untie her wrists and ankles.

Suddenly, Aldrich laughed hysterically. "Ivan, don't move. I don't want to have to shoot her."

While Debbie was busy with Kasie, Aldrich managed to unholster his gun. He pointed it at Kasie. Debbie's eyes widened with shock and her heart pounded.

Ivan frowned. "Just cut it out. You want me, not them." He felt he never really knew Aldrich. 'When did he get that gun? And why does he have one? Is it all over me?'

"Yes, I want you. But Debbie stole you from me!" Aldrich said angrily.

Debbie panted. "I'm sorry. I was wrong, but Kasie's innocent. Point your gun at me."

Kasie's hands were still bound, her mouth taped. She elbowed Ivan to remind him to tear the tape off her mouth.

Ivan understood and began to remove the tape.

Jealousy devoured Aldrich's senses. His hands trembled. Then, "Bang!" He pulled the trigger.

"No!" Debbie shrieked when she saw him. But she couldn't stop him.

After the shot, everything went deathly silent.

Kasie felt someone hold her tightly when the gun went off. Then everything else was blocked out.

When she raised her head, she saw Ivan's face. He was now ghostly white.

The air was thick with the smell of blood. She realized that Ivan took a bullet meant for her.

Her heart fluttered. The heart she thought had died with Emmett.

Aldrich's mind was shattered. His grip on reality was rapidly slipping. Realizing he shot Ivan, he cried out in anguish. Then he screamed at Debbie and Kasie, "It's your fault! You made me do this! I'm going to send you to hell!"

He aimed at Debbie. Debbie looked at the black muzzle pointing at her, feeling helpless.

Knives and such are wonderful, but a gun is the great equalizer. She didn't have anything to match that, or stop it from being fired.

She had to run.

Before Aldrich could pull the trigger again, she spun around quickly, looking for cover.

The first shot rang out, and she was able to avoid it. It zinged off one of the heavy machines in the plant.

So did the second and third. But the fourth shot was accompanied by Aldrich's miserable scream.

Desperate for cover, Debbie didn't stop running or turn back. Nor did she know what had happened.

When the fifth shot was heard, Aldrich cried again.

Then, she heard Ivan say in a weak voice, "Carlos... stop!"

'Carlos!' Debbie turned around abruptly. Aldrich was seen rolling painfully on the floor. Before she could lay her eyes on anything else, a figure in black ran over to her.

'Carlos! It's really him!'

The CEO was also holding a gun. The suit he was wearing didn't bind on him, or stop him from fighting. He stood in front of Debbie to shield her, and trained his gun on the men. "Move aside!" he demanded.

Putting up their hands in the air, those men walked over toward where Aldrich was lying, and then squatted next to him. There were more than ten of them.

Next, dozens of policemen barged in even before their sirens stopped wailing.

Watching the cops gather, Carlos put away his gun and turned to Debbie, who stared at him all the while. "Are you okay? You hurt?" he asked with concern.

"No. Why are you here?" she said, shaking her head, still unable to believe that Carlos had come to her rescue and was standing right in front of her. This was like something out of the movies.

"Why didn't you tell me about the kidnapping?" he reprimanded.

If he hadn't had her secretly followed by bodyguards, he would never have known she came here.

Debbie didn't know how to explain. "He—"

"Right. You're Ivan's wife now. You don't have to tell me anything," Carlos smiled wryly. When he heard she was here alone, he ducked out of an important meeting and immediately climbed into his sports car. He raced all the way there, pedal to the metal, putting all his driving skills to the test.

He had tackled all the sentries posted outside without a sound. When he stepped inside, the first sight that met his eyes was Aldrich drawing a bead on Debbie.

He had been so nervous that he could hardly feel his heart beat. But she was another man's wife. Her husband was with her. What was he doing here? Now, he realized how ridiculous he was acting.

Without waiting for an explanation, he turned around and made his way to the entrance.

Debbie was left speechless.

'He calls the cops and zooms here to save me. Then, he makes sure I'm okay, and just...leaves?' she thought.

She didn't have much time to think about this, though. Ivan had been shot, and she needed to make sure he was safe.