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It's yet another gala that Sylus invited by the rich and most powerful in the city. Meaning it's a gala that reeks trouble. But knowing Sylus, who has the recklessness and indulgent sense of a toddler, it's like dangling a piece of meat in front of him. In an event where most of the men here wants him dead, Sylus seems more giddy about witnessing some of the rarities the event offers more than anything.
The man has an adrenaline itch, a hunger for danger. But did he really have to drag her with him?
Katya's sharp eyes looks around the crowd of laughing men in sharp suits, and women draped in fine jewelleries, more sparkles she'd seen in one room than she has ever seen her whole life. The quite, gentle tune of live music does very little to ease her nerves. It's a room filled with people who holds more power in the tip of their fingers than Katya does in her whole body. Their laughter rumbles their bellies, the kind of sound you'd hear coming from white-haired, wrinkled old men with enough money in their pockets that warrants an investigation. Sylus blends with the crowd with deceiving ease.
"Loosen up, or else you'll be spreading rumours that I keep an unpleasant company." Sylus remarks quietly as the two of them are guided by a staff to their table, tucked near the corner of the room.
"I'm putting on the face that matches the current state of my heart. If your company's unpleasant, then that's entirely on you." Katya shoots back, muttering a quiet 'thank you' when Sylus pulls out her chair for her.
Sylus chuckles a little, taking the seat across from her. "Honest as ever. Do you resent my company that much?"
"And if I do?"
"I'd have to call you a little liar. If that were the case, you wouldn't wear the dress I gave you," Sylus's eyes gazes from the top of her head down to her torso, "What do you think?"
"…It's a bit gaudy." Katya replies.
"I don't hear any complains about the colour," which he's sort of an asshole for pointing that out because the red is precisely Katya's favourite colour.
A beautiful dark, crimson strapless dress that made it hard for her to reject his invitation when it came in a lavish black box, tied nicely with a ribbon at her apartment's door. The dress fit her figure nicely, accompanied with black evening gloves that reached right below her koi fish tattoos. It earns some looks, but subtle enough to blend quietly among the other guests.
As much as Katya is disgruntled by Sylus's excessive spendings, she wasn't going to say no to a lovely dress. Damn him for knowing her well.
"You chose well, but that feels like a bare minimum compliment." Katya huffs as the waiter pours drinks into their glasses. "…But I suppose you did spend plenty on the dress. Did you really have to spend any penny? A dress from my closet would've sufficed."
"I just want to do something nice for you. Besides, red and red. We match quite nicely. It's easier to let people know you're with me when we're wearing the same shade."
An arrogant reply, which is pretty much expected from him. But still, it's a rather public announcement to make even if no words are spoken between them. Even now, wearing the same colours, accompanying him to this private event, Katya questions the unspoken status of what they are. She stares at Sylus for a little bit too long perhaps. She averts her eyes away from letting the thoughts become more than what they are—thoughts.
"Don't get too distracted now," Sylus says, breaking her line of thought. His eyes are staring coldly at their surrounding. "The little bird I've been speaking too is here. When they come to us. You'll know."
Little bird? An informant, or a warning. Katya holds herself steady, not changing a single muscle in her expression.
Half an hour passes, the gala feels…dull. Katya takes a sip of her champagne, eyes firm and wary leaned against the table designated for her and Sylus.
His side is empty now. Sylus left when an old man with striking, grey hair slicked back said he wanted to speak with Sylus. She assumed he's the host considering the number of security hovering around them when the man approach them. Every red flags and alarms blaring in her head, but Sylus accepted the offer. He merely flash a look at Katya's way, his usual grin, then walks away.
She doesn't have to worry. Really, she's not. It's more the other people who should be concerned of being stuck in the same room as the petulant red-eyed man with a thing for birds.
And now alone in the tank of sharks, Katya stays vigilant. Making observations from her seat, taking in the people around her, and making mental notes of anything that stands out in her head.
"Crimson red fits you well."
Katya looks up seeing a man approaches quietly beside their table. Dark hair, suited up like the other guests, but the quiet red of his suit can be mistaken as black to less than observant eyes. However, what's ringing in Katya's head is the gentleman's words. Crimson red fits your well. Katya eyes the man carefully, shifting herself to lean back and straighten her back.
The man slides into Sylus's seat, fingers tapping carefully on the white clothed table. His eyes measuring Katya, but she replies unwaveringly, "So, the little bird has landed. I've been told."
There's a knowing glance when Katya says those words. After he swiftly pulls something out of the wrist of his blazer, but hides the item under his palm. The man slides the item—a flash drive—under his palm into one of those intricately shaped napkins. "Save yourself while you have the time. They're out for his blood, not yours. Might as well save yourself."
"What do you mean they're out for his blood?" Katya takes the drive, slipping them on her lap and into her purse.
"A shoot-out later tonight. Sooner than later. I heard they're targetting him mostly. The man who host this party kept boasting about finding a way that will for sure put an end to him."
Shit.
She should've known better that the whole damn thing is a trap.
"How are you planning to make your exit?" Katya asks instead. Perhaps stupid to put hope a stranger in the middle of gala with dangerous people. If not, she'll waste time trying to find the way out and time's ticking.
He nods to one of the large curtains that surrounds the ballroom. Top left corner. "There's an exit there. Nobody knows aside from the guards here. Better leave before five minutes are up."
Five minutes. Is that enough time to warn Sylus? "Thanks."
"Better be quick." The man adds one more before leaving the table and as she predicts, he slips away behind the curtain and just like that, he's gone.
Five minutes.
Katya looks down at her wrist watch. She grips her purse, and the new information heightens her senses. She should've snuck in her gun somehow, but the security when entering the gala made it impossible. After downing her champagne, Katya stands up from her chair, slipping away into the corridor leading up to the bathroom.
Four minutes.
What's a way for her to get to Sylus? Her heels click agains the cool, marble floor of the ladies room, which was thankfully empty. Shit. The air vent is much too small. Calm down, Katya. There should be a way to get to Sylus and warn him, but there's not much time yet.
Three minutes.
When Katya exits the bathroom, she sees Sylus descending the stairs while the host chats with him loudly, boasting something until it echoes through the room. But Katya's eyes are too distracted by passing guards clicking their weapons, readying them.
Two minutes.
She shouldn't be too worried, or be this anxious. Technically, Sylus can't die. But still, the person who held this gala is deliberately targetting Sylus, boasting about 'putting an end to him'. She's not going to risk anything to find out whether that's true or not.
One minute.
"We need to leave." Katya whispers to Sylus the second she returns to his side. The entire room stills. The guests stops mingling, eyeing their prize for the night. The music feels like a distance away from them now.
"I know."
The first shot's fired. Some guests gasps, another screams. Sylus puts an arm over Katya as they bend down, rushing over to under their table as more gunshots begin to wreak havoc within the ballroom. Katya's cursing to herself for not at least keeping a weapon on hand. She peaks out from under table. Bodies after bodies lying dead along with men shouting directions at the others. There's time before they finally catch on to them.
"We need to be fast. There's an exit right in the upper left corner of the room, behind the curtains." Katya tells Sylus while measuring the distance between their table and the exit.
"You take cover. I'll handle the rest." Sylus adds.
"No! Are you insane? You're their target!" Katya protests staring at this crazy man in disbelief. "Just dodge the bullets. Give me cover until we reach the next table."
A striking glowing red tendrils wraps around Sylus's fingers readying himself. It wraps itself around his back like a protective layer. He toss her a gun from god knows where, but Katya's not going to complain. She holds it up between two hands. The safety's off, as she expects from him. His eyes are sharp, and his demeanor calm yet smug at the same time. "Are you worried for me?"
Katya's eyes widen then stammers her reply, taken aback by his audacity. "You're absolutely unbearable."
"I know." Sylus clicks his tongue. "Ready?"
Katya stares at Sylus, hesitant. For what? She's unsure.
"Do you trust me?" He asks instead, much quieter. For a second, Katya almost could see his red eyes soften a little. Of all the things he has to bring up in this moment. He had hand her his life before. Why wouldn't she trust him in this moment?
Katya sighs, nodding. The two then make a run for it. Bullets rips through the room with sparks of it following their rushed steps.
It's a close call. Katya and Sylus manages to slip away from the shoot-out few minutes into the chaos. Someone had started firing at other guests, missing the main target completely. The sound of guns fired echoes behind them once they find their way out of the building.
Down the streets, Katya and Sylus finds some safety in a nearby somewhat abandoned building. Sylus seem unscathed, entering the place without a second thought with his palm resting on her lower back. The two of them settle down further enough in the building that nobody would ever thought to follow them.
"What a night." Sylus is the first to break the silence. "Luke and Kieran should be here soon enough."
He kneels in front of her while she's sitting down from her feet aching having to run in these brand new heels. His fingers carefully tracing over her legs, eyes searching for any sign of injury on Katya.
"I manage to get the thing from your informant. I hope this was worth it," Katya rummages through her purse and pull out the drive. Sylus stays silent, taking off the straps around her heels, seeing that it digs into her ankle leaving behind some red marks. It stings to the touch. Then she adds a quiet, "I'm fine."
"It never cease to amaze me how well you've been able to keep up," That smug look returns, while he unstrap the other shoe for her. "You're well built for this sort of life, you know?"
"If this is your attempt to rope me into moving in with you, you can forget it. I don't think I'm equipped to be anyone's babysittet, let alone yours." Katya waves her hand off, muttering a quiet 'thank you' before taking her shoes off.
Sylus laughs, sitting down across from Katya. "It's only an offer, sweetheart. An offer that remains up in the air, should you change your mind. At least I'm that generous."
She almost wants to scoff at that, but decide to roll her eyes instead. Katya shoves the small drive into Sylus's palm without saying a word.
Time passes as they wait. Katya feels Sylus's eyes on her. The rough rattling noise of rain cutting through the silent tension between them. The two of them look at each other, sitting there soaking each other's presence while the rush of earlier's events comes to a slow. All the frustrations for this one man. All the worries that she feels until her head spins over his recklessness. It boils down to this, her inability to look away from his eyes, then briefly at his lips. This happens more than a few times. Neither of them make any move.
"Stop staring." She scowls, not too serious. But annoyed.
"I'm not."
"So not only you're reckless, you're also a liar? Pick a struggle."
"You seem adamant
But Sylus surprises her by edging closer to her until he's looming over her, the warmth of hers and his body distracts her from their surrounding. Everything is quiet except for the quiet thrum of her heart in her chest and ears. They lean closer, and closer, and closer—
"Boss! We're here!"
Katya and Sylus stops, looking over below where Kieran and Luke waves at them much excitedly from the window of one of Sylus's cars. Sylus sighs, closing his eyes briefly before turning to Katya. "Another time."
He extends his hand towards her. Katya looks at him then at his hand before taking it. The warmth of his coarse palm tingles against hers. It lasts only a moment until Katya pulls her hand away.
"Let's go." She says to him, watching the way it takes a few seconds before Sylus takes his hand away from the lingering feeling of hers on his.
"Let's go." He nods, returning that same smug look she knows all too well. All before the two of them exit the building, into the car, and leave the chaos of the evening behind.