LISA'S POV
"Hey! Hey! Hey!"
I nudged the guard, who was fast asleep, until he finally stirred.
"You bitch! What the hell do you want?" he grumbled, barely awake.
"Well, I'm pressed."
"So?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"So, you'd better take me somewhere I can relieve myself, unless you want an unpleasant surprise on your face," I replied with a mischievous smirk.
"You really are a pain in the ass, aren't you?" he muttered before grabbing my arm and dragging me outside.
"Do your business over there," he said, pointing towards a secluded corner.
I stretched my hands towards him and raised an eyebrow.
"What the hell is it this time?" he snapped.
"You don't seriously expect me to do that with my hands cuffed, do you? I'm not some kind of magician."
He hissed in annoyance before unlocking the cuffs.
I smiled inwardly.
Perfect. Things are finally getting interesting.
I leaned closer, pretending to be friendly, and lowered my voice.
"How about we make a little deal? I'm sure you'd find it worth your while."
He looked at me with a smug grin.
"You're one naughty girl, aren't you? I like that."
"Well, I'm full of surprises," I replied sweetly.
While he was distracted by my act, I managed to get close enough to reach his pocket and retrieve the keys.
Unfortunately, he noticed something was wrong just as I moved away.
Before he could react, I struck out at him and caught him off guard.
He staggered backwards, shouting angrily.
"You little snake! Get back here!"
He charged towards me, and I quickly realised that this wasn't going to be as easy as I'd hoped.
He was much bigger than I was, and one wrong move could ruin everything.
I glanced around desperately until my eyes landed on the discarded handcuffs.
An idea came to mind.
I grabbed them just as he approached.
"What's that supposed to do?" he asked mockingly.
"We're about to find out," I replied.
The next few moments were a blur of movement and shouting. I managed to catch him off guard, and he eventually collapsed, giving me just enough time to get away.
I retrieved the keys and hurried back inside.
"Simon!" I whispered urgently, shaking him awake.
He stirred, looking completely confused.
"What's happening?"
"What's happening is that we're leaving. Get up!"
I quickly freed him from his handcuffs and pulled him to his feet.
"Let's go!"
"Wait! Please, take me with you! Don't leave me here!" one of the girls cried.
Her voice caused the others to stir.
"Shit," I muttered.
I looked around at the frightened girls, then towards the exit.
We couldn't afford to waste time.
"Come on, Simon!" I urged, pulling him along.
By then, the other men must have heard the commotion because several footsteps came rushing towards us.
"Hey! Stop right there!" one of them shouted.
We ignored him and ran towards the parked vehicles.
"Can you drive?" I asked Simon breathlessly.
"Nope."
I stared at him in disbelief.
Of course. Why would I expect anything different?
I pressed the button on the car key, and one of the vehicles unlocked.
"Get in!" I ordered, rushing into the driver's seat.
Simon stared at me in confusion.
"Wait... You can drive?"
"Yes, you idiot! Put your seat belt on. It's going to be a rough ride!"
I started the engine just as the men began closing in.
With a confident smirk, I drove off.
A few minutes later, I noticed several vehicles following us.
"Hold on tight! Things are about to get even more interesting!" I shouted, keeping my attention on the road.
"Holy cow!" Simon screamed. "Forget about getting caught! At this rate, we'll meet our ancestors before they even catch us!"
I sighed.
"How on earth did you even get into the FBI?"
Simon continued shouting, completely ignoring my question.
Eventually, we reached a busier area. I glanced around and realised that we were no longer being followed.
For the first time in what felt like forever, I allowed myself to breathe.
After a while, I pulled over and switched off the engine.
"We can't keep using this car. We need to find somewhere safe and figure out our next move," I said as we got out.
"But why?" Simon asked, looking confused.
I turned to him slowly.
"And I ask again, how the hell did you get into the FBI? You're clueless, you can't fight, you can't drive, and you're not exactly helping my situation. I should have just left you back there!"
"I'm sorry!" he protested, lowering his head. "I admit I'm pretty clueless when it comes to this kind of thing, but I can still be useful. When I was working with the FBI, they mostly gave me meaningless tasks. They wouldn't even let me investigate certain systems or attend important meetings. They barely shared any information with me. I guess they were just keeping me around to make sure I didn't cause any more trouble."
I stared at him.
Unbelievable. I really have my work cut out for me.
"I can't believe I have to teach you so many things," I muttered.
Then I sighed and continued.
"Listen, we need to be careful about our next move. We can't assume we're safe just because those men aren't following us anymore. We need somewhere to rest, some money, and a way to continue searching for my mother."
Simon nodded before looking at me with a curious smile.
"But how did you learn to drive and fight? You're actually a pretty impressive girl. I'm fascinated by you."
I smiled faintly.
"My dad. He was a genius who seemed capable of doing just about anything. He taught me so many things because he always said that life was unpredictable and he didn't want me struggling if something ever happened to him."
My smile slowly faded.
"He made sure I learned everything he could teach me. And just like he predicted, something eventually happened. He died, and my dream of becoming a WWE champion became nothing more than a childhood fantasy."
"I'm really sorry about that," Simon said gently. "I'm sure your dad is proud of you wherever he is."
I let out a quiet sigh.
"No, he's probably disappointed. He never imagined I'd end up using everything he taught me to run from the police or become one of the most wanted criminals in the country."
I paused before shaking my head.
"Anyway, enough about that. Come on. Let's see if there's anything useful in this car before we figure out where to go next."
We searched the vehicle and found some money.
I handed Simon a little and asked him to get me a mask. I didn't want to attract unnecessary attention.
Once we had what we needed, we headed off to find somewhere safe.
We still had a long way to go, and I wasn't about to give up now.
Not when I was so close to finding out what had happened to my mother.