Trying to finish this story. There's like about 5 chapters left.
Chapter 28
"You made the smart choice, Dawn." Junior smirks as he crushes her phone.
The bluenette won't show him any fear though, so she glares at him. "You need to keep your part of the deal."
"I'm a Hayden. We're dirty."
Of course Dawn should've expected this from Junior, but she had to come here today. "Kenny has nothing to do with this!"
With a gleeful grin on his face, Junior approaches the handcuffed woman. "But he has a lot to do with you, and you mean everything to Shinji."
Flashback
After leaving May, Dawn rushed across the street and through one of the many broken gaps in the Hayden Mansion fence. Before the videofeed cut out, Paul was last seen near the garden, and she knows exactly where that is. Rushing through the small forest surrounding part of the mansion, Dawn hopes Paul can hold out until she gets to him. He needs to because she needs him now; she can't see herself without that stoic scary man anymore.
Unfortunately for Dawn, a bullet hitting the ground in front of her stops her from her tracks. The woman looks around fearfully where she spots the sly green haired man who placed a hit on her last week. His three bodyguards are with him, and one has a gun pointed at her. Biting her tongue in frustration, Dawn tries to think of a way to escape, but with them being outside, it's hard. She can try to duck between trees; however, she knows she'll soon be caught.
"We meet again, Dawn." snickers Junior.
"Just run away like the coward you are." Dawn exclaims at him, and she's surprised her voice isn't wavering. Then again, she is pretty pissed at him for delaying her rescue to Paul.
Hearing more gunshot and fighting gets Junior's attention. As much as he'd like to torment Dawn some more, he knows he needs to make this quick before someone comes after him. "Kenny Kengo."
Dawn blinks in confusion at him until she registers what he just said. Trying to feign ignorance, she asks, "Who?"
"Your childhood friend." Junior's sinister smirk grows as he sees Dawn's resolve faltering. "You may have hid your mother well, but I have Kenny Kengo."
"You're lying."
"I guess you'll find out when his body turns up tomorrow." taunts the man, irking Dawn.
She can't take that risk with Kenny's life at stake. "Let him go."
"Come with me now." Junior will kidnap Dawn to torment Paul if Lucas doesn't kill Paul tonight.
Dawn furrows her brows in frustration because now she has to choose between Paul and Kenny. Her lover and her best friend. Although, Dawn is pretty sure her only choice is Kenny since Junior's guards are pointing their guns at her. Fortunately, before Dawn can agree to willfully follow Junior, one of his guards whispers to him.
"There's no space in the getaway car, sir."
Frowning, Junior knows he doesn't have much time left. Glaring at Dawn, he tells her, "Meet me behind your workplace tomorrow at noon. Come alone." his dark green eyes stare intensely at her midnight blue orbs. "If you don't, Kenny dies." Junior and his men then run off in a different direction, leaving the bluenette alone again.
Despite wanting to dwell on this problem, Dawn knows Paul may not have much time, especially with the place due to blow soon. She will think about this later, but she can't leave Kenny. Even though she and Kenny disagree at times, especially over Paul, they still care about each other and are childhood friends. Therefore, Dawn cannot leave Kenny in the hands of that evil man just now.
Flashback Over
Junior's man had driven the bound up Dawn to an unknown location where she is now placed in a room with Kenny. He looks a little battered but is overall okay, and she's glad to see him. "Kenny!"
The weakened man snaps his head over at the voice he's dreamed of hearing since he was kidnapped from his apartment. "Dee Dee!" his eyes open wide with shock as a few tears slip out. Why is she here? She shouldn't be here!
Dawn wishes she could hug him to comfort him because Kenny is her childhood friend. It makes her choke up at how powerless she is. Even after all of Paul's trainings, Dawn knows she's no match for Junior's trained men. And now Kenny is involved. "I'm sorry." she sobs to him.
Shaking his head, the man responds, "It's not your fault." Although Kenny does think that Paul gangster has something to do with this.
"It is." Dawn weeps while blaming herself. She got poor innocent Kenny dragged into this dangerous situation. Why didn't she warn her friends to flee too? Stupid, Dawn! "I pissed off Junior Hayden."
While Kenny would love to blame Paul, he knows Dawn doesn't want to hear that. Despite being weak and fatigued, Kenny can still somewhat think, especially when it comes to his crush's well-being. "It doesn't matter, Dee Dee." He sighs defeatedly. "We're here now." If Kenny dies, he's fine because he got to spend his last moments with Dawn. However, he doesn't hope for any harm to come her way.
After a few more minutes of crying, Dawn finally sniffles back her sobs. She will not give up. She was raised to not give up. Dawn will not rely on Paul anymore, and she will get her and Kenny out of this. "Kenny." her voice gets her best friend's attention again. With a determined look, she says, "No need to worry."
Buneary Place Parking Lot
"Paul!" Drew shouts after the man storming off. After the phone call, Paul immediately stood up and left, so Drew chased after him.
Before Paul can reach his car, though, Drew grabs his arm, but Paul flips him. The purple haired man is too blinded by his rage to register anything, which causes him to continue to fend off Drew's attempts at stopping him from leaving. Dawn is in trouble, and it's all because Paul left her out of his sight! He needs to save her, else it'll kill him to see any harm done towards her. He promised to protect her. He promised her mother, her, and himself that he would protect her!
With a bloody lip, Drew grapples Paul again. The green haired man will not allow someone he cares about to do something stupidly reckless. It will only result in Paul's death or arrest, which cannot happen. No matter how many times Paul beats him down, Drew will get back up because he owes it to Paul and Dawn to help them. They helped him and May rescue Ash as well as take down Matthew, so he will help rescue Dawn.
Soon, Gary and Misty are also helping Drew hold back the very angry former gangster, but when Ash sees Paul hit Misty, he hobbles into the scuffle. The raven haired man doesn't care about his many injuries or his broken ankle because Paul just hit the woman he loves. While Ash does know Paul did so out of anger and not being aware of his surroundings, Ash also knows he's the only one capable of stopping Paul right now.
Ash forgets the immense amount of pain his body is in as he manages to hold Paul down, and Drew soon helps. Paul isn't the top fighter for no reason, so the feat is proving difficult. Gary and Misty help too since they're not as injured. May, though on crutches, has been on her laptop during the whole time.
"I'm gonna kill you!" Paul shouts angrily at the people holding him down.
"That's fine!" Ash yells back because he knows Paul is just in a rage right now. Though, Ash is worried since he's never seen Paul like this before. Usually when Paul is mad, he just zones out the world and trains. Ash has never heard Paul shout ever, not even when Paul would get hurt.
"I found it!" May exclaims to the struggling group who isn't paying any attention to her. "I know where Dawn is!" This new fact actually gets Paul to calm down, allowing everyone to relax.
"Where?" Gary asks.
Still looking at her laptop, May replies, "Paul said she was at work, so I tracked her with the cameras. She met up with Junior in the back, and I followed their car to Hayden Corporation."
"Did she willingly go with him?" Misty inquires. May sadly nods, which irks Paul.
"She wouldn't! We're safe now!" shouts the angry man as he struggles again.
"Relax, Paul!" Ash exclaims. "Maybe she has a reason!"
"Whatever it is, we have to help her!" Drew tells them. Although he isn't sure what could've compelled Dawn to surrender herself to Junior, he knows she must need help. While Drew would like to run off with May now, Junior needs to be stopped, else the Hayden Family will just come back. Moreover, Drew isn't selfish like his family, so he will help Dawn. He already considers her a valued ally.
"Yeah!" Ash agrees while keeping his hold on Paul. "So calm down, Paul!"
"I'm going to Hayden Corporation." Seethes the angry man as he pushes off the injured Ash.
Fortunately, Drew holds onto Paul tightly. "Dude! We can't go into this recklessly!" Drew warns his angry colleague.
Nodding, May replies, "Yeah. Hayden Corporation has the rest of the Hayden Family members there. They're prepared for you, Paul." She is scrolling through the many cameras she has access to in the building, and she sees there are a lot more armed guards than usual. Unfortunately, she hasn't been able to spot Dawn in any of the rooms, but like with Hayden Mansion, it could be because she doesn't have access to those secret cameras.
"Then we'll take them out for good!" Gary announces from his hold. He needs to figure out where Leaf is, and he said he'd help her take down this damn family for good.
"Yeah, Paul! We'll help Dawn, so calm down!" Misty tells the angry purple haired man.
Ash manages to make his way back to Paul where he puts a hand on Paul's shoulder. "We're not letting you rescue her alone, Paul."
"Dawn is one of us now!" May smiles at the group. "And we don't ever leave one of us behind."
Drew grins at May and then looks back down at Paul who is slowly cooling off. "We're gonna rescue Dawn."
Hayden Corporation
"I'm gonna enjoy killing you." smirks the raven haired assassin as he twirls his gun in his hand.
"We both know the only one dying will be you." smuggly replies the woman chained up in the room.
Glaring at her, Lucas replies, "I don't know why Junior wants to recruit you. You already showed your loyalties.
Shrugging, the brunette replies, "There's nothing money can't buy."
"So how much did you get paid to help Ash escape?"
To make Lucas annoyed, Leaf winks at him. "An assassin never reveals her secrets."
"It's fine. I'll kill you soon anyway." Lucas is on guard duty as he is the only one capable of watching Leaf. After waking up in the Hayden garden from the nearby explosion, he ran. Eventually, he made it back to Hayden Corporation when he saw Junior's text to him. While Lucas doesn't want to die, so he could've used the Hayden Mansion explosion as a chance to fake his death, he likes the job of an assassin. Therefore, he wants to continue it. Plus, when Junior also texted about having Leaf, Lucas wants his revenge against this arrogant flirty assassin.
Flashback
"I warned you." Leaf glares down at Matthew's lifeless dark eyes. It's finally over. She has finally killed Matthew Hayden. She's free.
Coughing uncontrollably, blood spews out of Leaf's mouth. She had been shot by one of the helicopter men earlier, adding to the pain she has from her gunshot from Matthew. Leaf knows she doesn't have much time left because of the amount of blood she's lost. Moreover, her wounds from when she was on the run have also opened up. Leaf Green has finally run out of luck.
Directing her gaze up at the smoky dark sky, Leaf zones out the sounds of gunshots and fighting as she falls to her knees weakly. She deserves to die anyway from all of her sins. Besides, Leaf this life is unfair for a reason. She will die just like how she's lived her life: alone. With the building about to blow soon, it's only fitting that she go along with this empire she helped make so infamous.
With her body fully laying on the ground now, Leaf closes her eyes. Yes, this world really has been cruel to her because she's thinking about a certain former cop in her last moments. Even though her vision and senses are fuzzy from the blood loss, Leaf is still conscious enough to think about Gary Oak. Her mind used to be clouded by guilt from Daisy Oak, but now she's thinking about Gary.
She's thinking about the man whose sister she killed. The man who has been on the run with her. Who has been protecting her and who she has been protecting. The man who makes her not feel so alone anymore. How is it that the moment she isn't lonely anymore, she has to die? Leaf lived her whole life alone and accepting her fate in this dangerous line of work, but the moment she wants to start living, especially due to Gary, she has to die shortly after? Her life really has been unfair.
Since the earpiece had started screeching earlier, Leaf quickly got rid of it. The last thing she heard from Gary was calling her Leafy. Smiling weakly to herself, Leaf thinks about how she likes that nickname. She likes it from his voice. Gosh, she really hopes he's happy now. He deserves it after everything she's put him through. And she deserves this after everything she's put him through. Succumbing to the weakness, Leaf finally blacks out due to her wounds.
Flashback Over
Apparently one of the Hayden guards had run up to the roof in search of Matthew where he found the still breathing Leaf and the dead Hayden Leader. After contacting Junior, he was told to bring Leaf out. While Leaf did kill his father, Junior is grateful for it because now he is the leader of the family. Besides, maybe he can tame this stone cold assassin, especially since his father failed. It'll make Junior look even more powerful in front of the rest of the family.
For the most part, Leaf had been patched up a bit. The bullets in her body were removed and the wounds are wrapped, but she's not been given any medication just in case she can't be convinced to join Junior. Therefore, the female assassin is in an immense amount of pain, but she won't show it. She won't give Lucas and the Hayden Family that satisfaction.
"You might as well kill me now while you can." Leaf taunts the other assassin.
"I'll kill you after Junior lets me torture you."
"You should start thinking for yourself, Lucas. It'll make you hotter." she winks at the annoyed man.
Lucas doesn't fall for flirting, which is why he's such a great assassin too. Moreover, he knows about Leaf's excessive seduction skills, so he's unfazed by her. "Keep thinking that when I kill you." Even though Leaf is chained to the bed, Lucas knows better than to turn his back on her. She's skilled for a reason; thus, she could probably find a way to escape those chains eventually. He hasn't let his eyes off of her since she arrived. Plus, he has a strong feeling that Junior will order him to kill her soon.
In Another Room
Dawn and Kenny look up at the door opening where they see four armed men in black walk in followed by a green haired man. Grinning at them, the last man says, "You're gonna watch Paul Shinji die today."
Since Brianna is in critical condition at the hospital, there's no one tech-savvy enough to find Paul for Junior. Although, Junior does know Paul will come after Dawn, and Paul has May who can easily find them. Therefore, Junior is prepared for when the angry fighter shows up to try and rescue Dawn. Kenny curiously watches the two interact because he wants to know more about this Paul guy and Dawn's involvement with him and the Hayden Family.
"You should know better than to piss off Paul." Dawn smiles at Junior, which irks him for her not giving him the reaction he wants. Despite being nervous, Dawn won't show Junior her fear. However, Dawn isn't scared for herself. She's scared for Paul and the possible situation he may encounter here because she knows he will come for her. While Dawn would prefer for Paul to just leave her, she knows he won't. He's already promised to protect her, and he's been doing so far before he ever told her that. Therefore, she knows he will be here where she hopes he will come out alive.
Junior scoffs at Dawn. "He should know better than to piss off the Hayden Family."
Her determined blue eyes meet his dark green ones. "You should run while you can, Junior." Her relentless taunts irk him, so Junior motions to a guard to hits Dawn in the face.
"Dee Dee!" Kenny shouts worriedly, but Dawn just resumes her gaze on the green haired man as she spits out a little bit of blood.
Paul gives her strength, and he's taught her to not show weakness. She will fight until the very end. "You're just pissing off Paul more."
Bending down to her level, Junior grabs Dawn's chin roughly to glare into her eyes. "I will make you eat your words, Dawn. I'll kill everyone you care about, including your mother."
Although Dawn is scared for her mother, she won't show it. Instead, the woman spits in Junior's face while glaring back at him. "Now, you've pissed me off, Junior." her venomous voice makes the new leader flinch.
Fortunately for Dawn, it's enough to send Junior and his men out of the room after Junior throws around some useless threat and slaps her. The Hayden man needs to regain his composure as well as prepare for when Paul arrives. A part of Junior also suspects that Paul won't be alone, and he's right.
Once the men are out of the room, Dawn relaxes on the ground and lets out a relieved breath. Kenny worriedly gazes at his friend because he's confused as to how she got so involved with this. When did this all happen? How long has it been happening? "Dee Dee…"
Dawn's midnight eyes meet Kenny's dark brown ones where she smiles reassuringly at him. "No need to worry, Kenny!"
But he does worry. "If we're gonna die, you should at least let me know what's going on."
"We're not gonna die." Dawn trusts herself and Paul. He definitely will not let her die, and she won't let Kenny die.
Kenny, though, isn't as optimistic in this dangerous situation. Sighing, he replies, "Well, just in case, I want you to know something."
Dawn becomes curious while looking at her childhood friend. Even though she knows he thinks more realistically, she really doesn't like hearing him sound so defeated. "We'll be fine, Kenny. Trust me."
He shakes his head and, with a deep blush on his face, says, "I like you, Dee Dee." Those nervous dark eyes of his meet hers once more as he tries to confidently repeat, "I like you, Dee Dee. I've liked you since we were kids."
To say that Dawn never thought about Kenny in that way would be a lie because there was a time when she was younger when she had a crush on him. However, Dawn decided that she likes their relationship the way it is, so she never acted on her feelings, especially when Kenny started dating other girls. Dawn then became too entranced in her own relationships, and soon, the fear of losing Kenny due to her crush drove her away from her feelings for him. This was due to Dawn realizing that all of her relationships have failed, which resulted in her not communicating with her exes anymore. Of course she couldn't allow this to happen to her and Kenny, especially since Kenny has been her support for years.
Although, Dawn never expected her childhood friend to share the same feelings. What if they had confessed to each other years ago? Would they be in this mess now? Would Dawn have had to suffer as much as she did? Would her and Kenny still be happily together or would they be awkward strangers?
Dawn shakes her head at the thoughts because she does know one thing about if she and Kenny had dated years ago: her and Paul would've never been together. And it aches Dawn to think about a life without that stoic gangster who happened to get her heart. Besides, Dawn's childhood feelings for Kenny have long since been gone, especially due to her loving Paul now. Moreover, this love for Paul is different from her past relationships with her exes because Paul isn't selfish.
Giving Kenny an apologetic look, Dawn replies, "I'm sorry, Kenny." She lets out a painful breath, "I just wanna be friends." Seeing the disappointment on his face hurts Dawn, but she needs to keep her resolve. She can't lie to him since he's her best friend.
Although, Kenny gives her a small smile soon after. "I know." He's figured Dawn and that gangster were together. Moreover, Junior did mention how he's coming for Paul, so that must mean Paul pissed off the Hayden Family somehow. Therefore, Paul must be a good guy, right? Kenny sure hopes so because Dawn likes Paul. Plus, Kenny will trust his childhood friend and her judgment. He hasn't had a chance to really get to know Paul well enough to form his own opinions on the man, like how Kenny would figure out that Dawn's exes were scumbags.
"I just wanted you to know." Even though Kenny knows it's selfish of him to be confessing his feelings to Dawn right now, he feels like he has to in case they don't make it out of here alive. He owes it to himself to let her know, and it's his own fault for suppressing his feelings all of these years. Maybe he would've had her safely by his side if he had confessed when they were teenagers?
Shaking his head to clear his mind, Kenny knows that doesn't matter anymore. Right now, he needs to focus on getting Dawn out of here alive. He likes her too much to watch her protect him. Moreover, if this Paul guy is a good person, and she likes him, then Kenny will allow his best friend to be with Paul.
"Thanks, Kenny."
He curiously looks at her because why would she be thanking him for confessing? "What for?" All Kenny has done was get Dawn caught.
"For liking me. For always protecting me and helping me. For being a great friend." She smiles at him, which just makes his heart skip a beat. Gosh, Kenny really needs to make sure she gets out safely. Fortunately, an explosion that night gives him the opportunity to.