"These guys mean business." I manage to croak.

August looks back to me. "At what point did you think otherwise?" He grimaces. I avert my eyes from him and look to Mae so I don't have to face him.

"Fair point."

He taps at my arm briefly. "I'm just kidding, you're right. I'm just also bummed because this car wasn't cheap. Repairing a shattered back window and bullet holes isn't going to be good." He sighs. "Imagine the looks on the mechanics."

I raise an eyebrow. "That's what you're concerned about right now? Stupid jokes and your slightly scratched up car?"

"Slightly scratched up?" He echoes with his mouth wide open.

"At this rate we won't be alive long enough for your precious car to be fixed! And chances are if we do manage to escape by the skin of our teeth, this car won't be coming with us!" I exclaim, finally finishing my rant and realising I'm breathing a little raggedly. "Sorry." I mumble.

"Don't worry about it. You're right yet again." He sighs heavily again. "Anyway, it's like you said, these guys mean business. They want your life, Willow. So lets get the officers plan out of the way so we can leave this evil infested place."

I nod. "Right. I'll be back in a second then." I quickly say before going to get out of the car but August puts out a hand a stops me. "What are you doing? Dozens of men are trying to kill me at this very moment!" It sounds super dramatic and it is but it's true nonetheless and I see the thought cross August's mind before his mouth stretches into a line.

"I can't let you go on your own!"

"I'm not, I'm taking Mae." I retort.

His mouth fall open again. "What?"

"I can't leave her out here, August, in a smashed up car!"

He starts to looks a little hurt. "Well I'm with her, aren't I? It's not safe to take her out there either!"

I grit my jaw tightly. "Well, who's the parent here?" I seethe perhaps a little too harshly and he sinks back in his chair a little, nodding slowly.

"Sorry." He apologises. "You're right, just... hurry, please. I'll keep an eye out for anything and take care of them if I have to." He then goes back into the glove box and draws out a gun.

I can't allow guilt to then take over from my rash comment so I decide to heed take his advice and just go when he takes in a breath suddenly. I follow his gaze to the end of the road where I catch a look at the end of a car as it whizzes past and disappears behind a building. Quickly realising it's one of the cars that had tailed us, August and I slowly turn and look to each other. "They're too close already." He murmurs as he reaches over and opens my door, resting his other hand on my knee. Sighing, he adds, "the shop is round the corner and straight away on your left. Hurry."

I nod and take a long look into his eyes when the strangest feeling washes over me. I reach out and brush my fingers down his face slowly before I pull them away like he's hot to touch. I then jump out of the car and go round to Mae's side, snatching her up into my arms and placing that doll finally back in her palms. I want to say one last thing to August but nothing comes to mind so I just give him a smile, which he returns, and then I leave.

The walk from the car to the front of the shop is nerve wracking, especially when I have to turn the corner where August won't be able to see me anymore. He probably chose to park down the hidden alley instead of where Smith told us to park because we're more out of sight but I regret not telling him to park closer.

I go to place my free palm on the door handle when I see a vehicle in the corner of my eye. He's pretty far away but by the significant colours of the car, I can already tell that it's Smith in his police car. I feel as if three large planets have been lifted off my shoulders as I push the door open and step in to the shop, a thousand times more confident than before. I head over to the counter where an old lady greets me kindly and takes some random order I blabber. Mae begs for some chips too so I give in and ask for some for her as well. The lady tells me the order will take about five minutes which is when I agree and then go to take a seat well away from the window.

Smith takes longer than I had expected but a couple minutes later the bell on the door sounds out just like it had when Mae and I had come in. She's sat in my lap now, tight in my embrace. I'm afraid if I ever let her go again, she'll be gone forever. When look over to the door, I have to do a double take just to make sure what I'm seeing is really real.

Unfortunately it is.

I have to pinch myself but that just makes the urge to scream and cry stronger.

Stood tall in the door way with a dozen other scary looking men, is the head of D.A.R.E and he's looking more angry than the darkest storm filled sky you've ever seen. He takes slow and pronounced steps over to the table I'm sat at as I try to sink further back into my chair and taking Mae with me. The lady who was behind the till is no longer there but I catch a glimpse of her rushing into the back.

He finally reaches the space by my feet and towers over Mae and I. Mae just stays very quiet, her big eyes studying his every movement even hen he pulls a nasty face at her. I cuddle her even closer to my chest, trying to get her to look away.

"Willow Calendula." He announces. "My sincerest gratitude for actually completing the task I gave you. I do believe it's a first."

"Really?" I scoff. "How many opposing people do you force to do jobs?" I jokingly add and then by the look on his face, realise that was definitely the wrong thing to say. I gulp as he chooses to ignore my comment and continue.

"You probably know why I'm here."

I begin to shake my head. "Not really, I did as you asked." And hopefully this has nothing to do with the fact that we injured one of your best man and he's bleeding out far away from here... somewhere.

"True, while you did that, I can't let you live with all the information that was stupidly disclosed to you."

I give him a hard look. "What, about Jack being whisked away on some new secret mission?" The thought of Jack telling me that his real name is actually Beck then hits me and I wonder whether these guys knew that secret or not.

"Amongst many things, I just plain don't like you. You're a dangerous woman, I just know these things." He retorts thoughtfully. "You're a large threat to my company so unless you plan to leave the planet for good... I can't let you live another day."

I try not to snort. "That's what you call your messed up business deals? A company?"

He growls and clutches at a gun he just pulled from his belt. "This is exactly what I'm talking about."

I give him an innocently confused face.

"You've already distracted me for far too long! I came here to end you and go to find my man that you've probably badly harmed, not have a conversation!" He fumes, lifting his gun and aiming it right at me. It's then that I realise I'm being far too cocky and not nearly as careful as I should've been. This man will heartlessly kill me at the drop of a hat, now is not the time to allow August's bad jokes to reflect on me. "And don't even think about the precious officer coming in here to save the day. Let's just say we sorted him out."

I give him a look but he just shrugs and then he cocks his gun.

I cry out at being pushed past my limit suddenly. Lifting my hands to cover Mae's eyes, I plead, "Okay! Please! Don't hurt me."

"You have five seconds to tell me why." He hisses with an upturned lip, practically foaming at the mouth. I feel a little dazed by the slight mercy he shows me by not killing me then and there.

"Isn't it obvious? I have a daughter! An innocent young baby with her whole life ahead of her and she does not deserve to see her mother die in front of her!" I cry, my voice becoming more of a whimper as I explain. I find my eyes closed, not able to stare death in the face as confidently as I used to be able to.

The head of D.A.R.E doesn't reply straight away and so I slowly open my eyes to find that the gun is no longer there and neither is he. There are still some of his men staring me down rather aggressively though so there's no chance of me escaping this yet. The head of D.A.R.E shows again with another man dressed differently to the rest, more doctor like with a long coat on.

"Well, well Miss Calendula haven't you got yourself into quite the hole." He sneers, the doctor looking guy also looking quite cocky. "We decrypted the encrypted call you had with the police station, nice try but we've got you trapped on all sides."

How did they manage that? The encryption is the newest most difficult one to crack in possibly the whole world! They can tell I'm completely shocked with just one look at my frazzled face.

"So hand over the information, Willow." He adds as nastily as before.

I being to lose control of my breathing, not believing that this is actually happening. They really do have me closed in on all sides. There's no way out of this. I remain more still than a statue as I allow his words to sink in but I begin to wonder whether I really should just hand over the USB. It's then that I scan everyone in the room to asses whether there's any chance of escaping this. My gaze ends up falling on the doctor looking guy, who now that I think of it, is familiar looking.

It dawns on me that he's on of the very tech guys who worked on developing the new code to encrypt all our devices.

D.A.R.E really are everywhere.

The bell to the shop suddenly goes off again and I remember the police officer who had only just been outside. I hope with all of my heart that it's him but feel my heart explode into a million pieces when I realise who it really is.

August.

He manoeuvres his way in between all the men like lightning, not giving any of them an opportunity to grab him until he's right by me, slapping the gun from the hand of the head of D.A.R.E. His jaw is gritted tight as one of the men hand him another gun like it never happened while one of August's hands weaves behind his back and takes a hold of my own.

"The information, Willow." The head of D.A.R.E demands again with his other hand outstretched and even with August here I realise we still have no chance.

I try to get up the courage to go into my pocket even though neither of my hands are free when August suddenly cries out. "Wait! She can't give it to you."

"Why not?"

"Because. I have it." He declares and then he draws out something out of his own pocket and holds it out to them. The doctor snatches it from his hands and thrusts it into the side of the small wierd looking device he has.

"Is the information on there?" The D.A.R.E head asks after a few moments of the doctor typing away.

"I can't tell, it's also encrypted but with another language. It'd take hours to find out." The doctor replies a little timidly.

"Hours we don't have." He grumbles. "Just give it to me."

The doctor sighs and pulls it out, dropping it into the boss's hands. It's then that I get a proper look at what August gave them. It's an SD card not a USB. I try not to give August a look because then it'd become more obvious to everyone that it's not the real thing.

The head of D.A.R.E then lets it fall to the ground where it's so quiet in the shop that we all hear it hit the ground lightly. He then points his gun downwards, aiming at the SD card and lets the gun off. The SD is blown to smithereens, not a trace of it left other than a mark in the shop floor.

I look back up to the boss who's already staring August and I down. "Well isn't this nice. A whole family of crime fighters."

"Back off. You've got the information we were going to use against you, so leave." August seethes at him.

"Oh? A tough guy?" The boss smirks at August and I get shivers down my spine. He grips at his gun and cocks it again before taking a look at Mae and I. "Willow, I'm going to go easy on you today. You say you want to live for your daughter. Fine. But someone has to pay for everything that's been done."

"I can pay!" I cry, knowing exactly what's going to happen. This merciless man is looking for blood and it can't end well no matter what. "Just not with my life!"

August's hand that's griping mine, tightens for a brief moment. I squeeze it back.

"Oh no, see, that's not how this works." His smirk deepens. "I only settle for lives."