STEEL (The Aurum Trilogy Book 1)

Chapter 26

TWENTY SIX

Daniel

Lauren stepped on the gas pedal and started driving. Pain started shooting up through my right arm, making me realize I was shot. Blood gushed out of my sleeve as I removed my vest and tore the hem of my shirt to wrap it around the wound.

"Shit." I muttered. It was the first time I've been shot and it hurt so bad. I applied pressure on it to stop the bleeding. "Shitshitshit..."

"You're shot." Lauren said in the most casual tone as if somebody being shot was normal in her everyday life. But then, it was normal to her in her life of killing.

"I'm fine." I assured her. "What did you get?"

Lauren pointed to her legs. A gun was strapped on one of her thighs, another was near her knee. Looks like she made a few new friends there. She lifted up her vest and shirt, exposing her belt and some of her skin, making me want to touch it and feel her against me. I dismissed the thought away. It must be a hallucination from being shot.

"You?" She asked.

"The Alliance is looking for something." I answered.

"Mmmhmm..." She took a turn to the right, approaching the border gate which was still electrified.

"It's something they call Project Pandora."

"Interesting. What's it about?" She asked me, not taking her eyes off the road. I expected her to have some concern over my gunshot wound but that remained a simple expectation that we'd never meet.

"A lost genetic experiment dating back to the Division War." I answered. "They plan to use it as a weapon for dethroning The Control and taking over Aurum."

"They're heading for The Control too. They're planning on assassinating President Knoxx." She said, slowing down.

"What do we do?" I ask her.

"The Control first. Then, we'll find answers to this Pandora Project of yours." She replied.

"Alright." I say, flinching a little as I placed extra pressure on the gunshot wound.

"Your first time?" she asks me. I nod. "You'll get used to it." she says, reaching for my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

All my senses awakened and I felt as if I was jolted back to life. I felt my cheeks flush involuntarily and I looked away from her, pretending to focus on the wound but everything in my mind spoke about Lauren, Lauren and nothing but Lauren.

No. This wasn't supposed to be happening. I was looking at her differently. She was no longer an enemy. She was no longer a target. She was no longer someone I detested, someone I would use. She was a friend. She was an ally. No, she was more than that.

Everything changed about me when I met her. I had come here seeking glory and power, seeking vengeance and acknowledgement. I came here to capture her for legal reasons but right now it seemed as if even the law of The Control I worshipped was not enough to stop me from falling for her. Yes, I was falling in love with her. I was falling in love with this former assassin, this fugitive, this rebel, this hero, this girl who defined my present and my future, this girl whom I never thought I could fall for.

"I don't know how we could cross the border fence." Lauren said, a worried look painted on her face. I observed the way that small crease appeared on her forehead, the way her emerald eyes focused on the road, the way her hands clutched the wheel, the way her lips pursed. Now I knew why Jonathan fell for her because I had done the same as well.