Big Bad Claws - Michele Mills Page 0,2

that kept her locked inside the mansion. It was just all happening much faster than planned.

She focused on her breaths, and on keeping her thoughts in control as they quietly drove to the Singapore Transport Station; the very same station her father had built and owned prior to his untimely death. The station she was about to inherit. At least the floor plan and schematics were familiar. She’d studied them for hours on end, fascinated with this new technology. It was closed at this time of night, but they were able to bypass security with her handprint and retina scan.

“What’s the plan?” Lila asked, trying to hide the tremor in her voice as they walked the halls. “Why did you bring me here?”

“Your father once saved a desperate girl from the streets,” the assassin answered, “and gave her honest work, when no one else would, and plenty of food to eat. If it wasn’t for him, I’d be long dead. Therefore, I can’t kill his daughter.”

“Aah, now I understand,” Lila whispered. This suddenly all made sense. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard a story like this—her father was well-known for his tireless work saving children from both starvation and abuse. Dad might’ve had many faults, but he’d also had a very big heart. This was his greatest legacy, and the acts of which she was most proud.

The grim female stepped into the nearest transporter room and Lila followed.

She might be the heir to the corporation, but this was the first time she’d been inside this station. She glanced around, secretly proud of herself for being here at all. And why was she here? The only reason to be at the transporter station was to go off planet. Her eyes widened. “Is this really necessary?” she asked. “Can’t I just hide from the other assassins somewhere on New Earth?”

The female stepped in front of a panel of screens and began powering up the transporter. “Nope, not good enough. I’m going to repay Bruce Garabedian’s kindness by helping his daughter, and to help you, I have to get you off planet. You have to immediately leave New Earth and go somewhere where even I don’t know where you are. Hide from me, hide from everyone, and when you get to your new destination, don’t tell anyone who you are. Make sure you’re off the grid.”

Off grid? Off planet? It felt as if a stone lodged in her stomach. No, no, no. She could barely handle stepping out of her home and traveling to the immense transporter station her family owned. How was she going to handle a foreign location filled with strangers?

Plus, this assassin needed the protection of Garabedian wealth and power. “What will Daniela do to you when I’m gone? Are you going to be okay? Won’t you be in trouble for helping me?”

“Don’t worry about me.” The assassin glanced over. “Why does your stepmother want you dead? I thought you said you were friends.”

“I don’t know. I thought we were friends. My mother and older brother died in a vehicular accident three years ago. Dad was remarried to Daniela less than a year ago. Three months later he died of a sudden stroke. I’ve been living here alone for the last six months because Daniela moved out after his death to get her own place. When I turn twenty-one, at the end of this moon cycle, I’m set to inherit everything. Daniela was an employee of the company who was hired after my mom died, that’s how she originally met my Dad. And now that he’s gone, she’s in charge of our corporation until my birthday, and then the control and the fortune passes to me. I didn’t realize she was so mad about it. She does a great job of pretending it’s all a burden and she’s relieved to hand the business over to someone else so she can retire. She’ll have an extravagant inheritance that’ll keep her comfortable her entire lifespan. But apparently that isn’t enough.”

“Heh,” the assassin grunted. “Your stepmother is power-hungry. And you’re obviously a shut-in. So, you’ve been an easy target for her plans for domination.”

“Apparently,” Lila answered, tearing up over the female’s blunt, spot-on assessment of her situation. Her entire relationship with her stepmother had been a lie. A big, huge fucking lie. None of it was real. Had she ever loved Dad? Lila sucked in a deep breath and thought of the employees who relied on her to keep the company afloat.