The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Before Anna could even speak, she saw a motorcycle racing towards them from behind, the rider wielding a baseball bat. As it closed in, the bat smashed against the rear car window with a vicious swing.

Anna shielded herself with her arm and yelled, “Hit the gas, now!”

Kenneth snapped to attention and floored the accelerator, speeding forward.

The car was a top-of-the-line sports model, yet to their astonishment, the motorcycle clung to their tail, relentlessly hammering at the window.

Although Aaron had learned a bit of self-defense from Mark, he was no match for actual combat. He could only huddle behind his school bag, yelling at Kenneth, “Can’t you go any faster?!”

“This is as fast as she goes, dammit!” Kenneth was more terrified of the glass shards flying towards them than anything else; they could ruin his good looks!

Anna tried to open the door to fight back, but it was so badly bent it would not budge.

With a powerful kick, she shattered the car door window, steadied herself by grabbing the grab handle, and leaned out. Her lithe body delivered a kick that sent the pursuing motorcyclist tumbling into the roadside greenery, bike and all.

Kenneth was dumbstruck for a moment. “You could’ve just told me to retract the roof; this is a convertible!”

Anna’s lips twitched with irritation, unable to comprehend how their team leader could have such an idiotic brother.

Aaron cursed and said, “Well, aren’t you going to open it now?”

“Forget it,” Anna said, leaning forward to push Kenneth’s head to the side while she grabbed the steering wheel. “Just drive!”

Kenneth, reacting instinctively, slammed on the gas, and Anna executed a smooth right-hand drift.

They had just rounded the corner when they heard the sound of another motorcycle crashing at the bend they’d left, with someone on the ground.

“Damn, how many more are there?” Kenneth had not even seen the other motorcycle in pursuit.

Anna, too annoyed to reply, turned to Aaron. “Send Ms. Vivienne our location!”

Aaron quickly took out his phone and called Vivienne, informing her of their situation and location.

it yourselves. Meet at the foot of Heaven’s Gate Mountain in 6 miles!” Vivienne hung up without another

in Rivenwood, situated well beyond the

precisely where

Percival commanded as he opened her car door and nimbly hopped

Vivienne spun the steering wheel sharply to the left, skidding the car around to

had already kicked two pursuers off their motorcycles and climbed into the

the handle tightly, Percival’s face was dark

It was a terrible

and badge confiscated. Faced with this sudden

moment to call Thomas, instructing him to rendezvous at

at the wreckage

to meet Anna, several motorcycles had suddenly appeared,

had been a premeditated ambush, not a tail. Otherwise, neither

find them, especially when

piercing gaze flashed with

traitor within the Nine Mystics

handful of people knew her real-time whereabouts: Anna, Matthew, and the man she had

last botched operation at Eastlake Bay, she had suspected a

be someone from the Vanguard Agency, but now it seemed like the Nine Mystics Society had its

Mystics Society was her creation; she

member of the Nine

just then, and the sound of an explosion was audible on the other end. “Vivienne, we’ve been ambushed. Several are hurt. How’s

“Take care of yourself.”

your location. I’ll handle

her phone to Percival. “Matthew’s in trouble,

and located

responded quickly. [No idea. I was following the real-time

certain there were no trackers on him or Vivienne, and their phones were not bugged. That meant the

immediately messaged Anna, [Turn off all communication

up with a string of codes, intelligible only to

phones and then pulled up a location on the car’s navigation system.

confused by what was