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.

“Handle it yourselves. Meet at the foot of Heaven’s Gate Mountain in 6 miles!”

was a landmark in Rivenwood, situated

precisely where she was headed

me up,” Percival commanded as he opened her car door and

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

had already kicked two pursuers

handle tightly,

gun. It was

Faced with this sudden attack,

got a moment to call Thomas, instructing him to rendezvous at Heaven’s Gate Mountain without

at the wreckage of several

to meet Anna, several motorcycles had suddenly appeared,

tail.

find them, especially when she had only learned of the location herself at the

gaze flashed

within the Nine

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

operation at Eastlake Bay, she had suspected

the Vanguard Agency, but now

Nine Mystics Society was her creation;

Nine Mystics Society implicitly. Who could it

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

“Take care of yourself.”

to your location. I’ll handle

phone to Percival. “Matthew’s in

opened the phone and

[No idea. I was following the

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

Anna, [Turn off all

followed up with a string of codes, intelligible only to

the message, Anna instructed Aaron and Kenneth to shut off their phones and then

bewildered, utterly confused by what was