30. Amazed but Annoyed

"Let's go! Let's go!"
Brianna motioned Tatum to move out of the car. She cannot use her door as it is the side where their enemies can see if they make a sudden move. The mercenaries could easily move back with their car to the defenseless side where their target was and finish the job efficiently. Brianna and the two men with her had to use the same way they got into the minivan, so she told the driver to move out. Then she will follow, and Lucien will be the last to come out. 
"We have to move back to our car," Brianna answered as she saw the two men were quite baffled why she was commanding Tatum to get off the car. "We will be able to move faster with a bigger car, unlike this one. Hurry up. We have to make good use of our men's diversion!" 
She was now literally pushing Tatum to move. And the driver quietly and quickly complied.
The three moved as fast as they could, and this time she decided to take the seat behind the wheels.
"You sit on the back with the boss. I'll drive our way out of here." Not knowing what his name was, Brianna just made sure the driver knew she was talking to him.
If Tatum had any disagreement about her orders, he had no chance to voice it out because Brianna was already hopping into the driver's side seat as soon as the car was remotely unlocked. He looked at his boss, hoping he would forgive him for such helpless circumstances he was in.
"Let her be. She is a racer, she will get us out of here faster than you and I could ever manage," Lucien spoke with pride as he turned his back to his driver to get into the back seat. Then Tatum got in after Lucien. 
Brianna checked on the side mirror to see if their enemy was in sight. No signs of them. Lucien's men must have made them chase. 
"Good!" She uttered to herself. 
She checked the route through the car's installed navigation device to familiarize herself with which way to go and get out of the alley with ease. The route wasn't so complicated, but there are still two blocks before they reach the main road. She checked on the side mirror again. No car was coming.
"Buckle up!" 
That was all she said before the men from the backseat realized they were already close to the end of the first block. Brianna had to turn right as the end of this road they were in right now is the wall that marks the end area of this neighborhood, separating it from the main road. Looking at the motorists' mirrors installed on the edges of the road for any vehicles or pedestrians to check and avoid bumping into, Brianna was sure none was there, so she made a sharp turn. It was because she saw the car of the mercenary team behind them, although, with a good distance, she could not let them catch up with them. 
"Try to call our men behind," Brianna was suspecting the mercenary team had dealt with them if not lost them. Hoping it's just the latter. Or they would absolutely be dead.
"No one is taking my call among them," Tatum answered in clenched teeth. He had an idea of what may have happened to them already. 
"It's not surprising if the mercenaries had got a chance to deal with them," Brianna answered. "They do not leave with anyone still breathing when they do their job," she added.
"What do we do now?" Asked Lucien. He wasn't scared. It wasn't the first time he had encountered such a situation, after all. He was even more confident as Brianna was obviously so reliable. He had never allowed anyone to be his bodyguard up close as he didn't like them suffocating his space—a reason Leandro Michaelson had to sent Tatum Eliot to his side as a personal driver. But with Brianna taking the lead, not even asking about his opinion but making sure he was safe, she is doing a very impressive job as a bodyguard. And he is comfortable with her. Or maybe it's also because she had saved his life even when he did not expect her to. His trust in her sprouted out of nowhere, and as fast as it may seem, almost every moment they are together, she is there to keep him safe. 
Lucien felt silly. It is totally the other way around. He is the guy, he is supposed to keep a woman safe, but his situation is leading a different path. He is the one needing protection from so many people who wants him dead for reasons he can't even start to understand. What had he done? He is just in his twenties. Is it a sin to be successful than his peers? Is it his fault that he is the grandson of the feared Mafia King in the Capital? He never even engages in his grandpa's businesses. He has his own, but their enemies are not letting him live in peace. 
But in all his life of living such a constant danger, this is the first time Lucien felt so complacent about any of them. He was enjoying the feeling of being protected by a woman who seemed to be so capable of doing anything. 
She is a badass indeed! She is amazing! Mysterious and all!
Most of all, she is not even bothered by his presence as a man. She doesn't even see him as a man, only as a client. It disappoints Lucien but impresses him at the same time. He doesn't like women who seem to crawl their ways to get him and so he doesn't involve himself in casual relationships with them. The women he ever slept with are professional escorts who were all well briefed of their arrangements. An escort is paid to serve its client and none after that. That is the way he releases his lust when he gets the urge to answer to his carnal needs. 
"We need to get armed. They won't stop hunting you as long as they are alive. I have to deal with them to make sure of your safety. Or we won't be able to finish our contract with each other if we let them live for long," Brianna casually answered. "Where is your armory?" 
Lucien smiled faintly. He was actually fascinated when she said she would have to stay by his side as long as his enemies were alive. His imaginations had gone wild, seeing himself being with her every day even as a client and bodyguard relationship. 
Tatum Eliot glanced at his boss. He was waiting for Lucien to answer the lady's question, so he was quiet, but he was inwardly shocked when he saw his boss looking like he was suppressing his smile.
"Boss...?" Tatum called out to Lucien with his face deliberately moved closer to see his face clearly. 
"What?" Lucien frowned when Tatum's face almost bumped with his as he turned his head to look at him when Tatum called out. "What are you doing?" 
"She is asking where the armory is?" Tatum moved back at a fast speed when he realized he was indeed too close. They almost bumped their heads as the car was moving at a breakneck speed. 
"What's your name?" Asked Brianna.
"Lucien," answered Lucien instantly.
"Not you, his name," Brianna replied without hesitations. 
Lucien was gobsmacked. He glared at Tatum.
"Tatum Eliot," Tatum answered as he noticed his boss was so upset to say anything. His boss was even glaring at him like it was his fault. What did he do?!
"Tatum Eliot, Anna," Brianna held out her hand to shake with Eliot. And the latter quickly took it. Just to let go, after a few seconds, their palms touched. He saw his boss not just glaring at him this time. It was like his eyes were sharp daggers that would stab him a thousand times if he held Anna's hand for too long. 
"Can you move upfront?" Brianna asked. "I need you to punch in the address where we are going on the navigation while I drive," she kept checking the rearview and side mirrors for the sight of their enemies behind them—totally ignoring a huffing in annoyance Lucien.
She did not even offer him a handshake, but she did with Tatum despite their situation at the moment?