~𝟮𝟴~

(Third person, Lee Know's perspective)

Lee Know could feel the adrenaline coursing through his bloodstream when the guy came out of the woods. Then he suddenly felt Ava's hand being ripped out of his grasp. He spun around to find her struggling against a man in all black. His hand was around her throat, threatening to squeeze if she tried to speak. The fear in Ava's eyes sent a fire raging through every inch of Lee Know's body.

"Let her go, you bastard. It's not her that you want."

The three boys who were standing nearest to Lee Know turned around, all tensing up at the sight of Ava with a hand around her throat.

"Oh, but it is. Commander Lannister has been very clear about who he wants."

Ava struggled, and the guy started squeezing his fingers around her neck. She let out a choked gasp, her movements faltering. Lee Know took a step closer, but the enemy held up his hand.

"Come any closer and she's dead. Just try me."

"Let her go."

"Lee Know, what's going on back there?" Chan asked, his back still turned to them.

"Not now, Chan Hyung."

Lee Know's anger was barely contained as he watched Ava squirm. He was clenching his fists so hard; his nails were digging into his skin. He quickly looked over at Hyunjin who was standing next to him, and by some lucky strike of fate, Hyunjin signalled that he had a weapon with him. It set Lee Know slightly more at ease.

"I'll only ask you one more time. Let her go, and you'll come out of this in cuffs instead of a body bag. It's your choice."

"This little thing isn't going anywhere besides with me. And even if you kill me, you can't stop him. He'll keep coming back until he has his prize."

Ava's movements stilled completely as the guy squeezed even harder. She let out a pained whimper, then went quiet. Her hand was still firmly gripping the man's arm, so Lee Know was convinced she was still alive for the moment. He looked over at Hyunjin again, signalling him.

"Okay. You made your choice. Now live with it, you piece of scum."

At that Hyunjin whipped out the throwing knife he had with him, throwing it, and hitting the guy squarely between the eyes. The guy went limp, losing his grip on Ava's throat and crumpling to the ground. Lee Know sprung forward just in time to catch Ava before she collapsed too. Her body was rigid, and her breathing was shallow and erratic. He pulled her close, trying to get her limbs to stop shaking. He looked over his shoulder to see Changbin choking the other guy, letting him drop to the ground when he was dead. Lee Know gently held Ava, picking her up bridal-style and carrying her inside. She was clinging to him, body still rigid and trembling. He gently set her down on the couch, but she wouldn't let him leave, gripping his sleeve. He sat down next to her, taking her hand in his. The rest of the boys came in as well.

"What the hell happened out there?" Chan asked, coming to stand next to Lee Know.

"I have no idea. The one moment I was holding her hand, the next she was ripped away, and that guy had his hand around her neck."

Lee Know felt Ava tighten her grip on his hand, making him look at her. She looked at him with fear in her eyes. Just like the night before when he touched her thigh.

"We should probably call an ambulance or something to come pick up these suckers and bury them," Changbin said. Chan nodded.

"We can do that. Felix, Hyunjin, go search the bodies for any identification."

The four boys left. Lee Know looked over at Ava again. She seemed better. Her face was getting some colour back and she wasn't shivering anymore. Then he noticed the purple marks on her neck. When he reached towards her to get a better look, she flinched away.

"Hey, it's okay. I just want to see. I won't touch."

Ava looked at him with a fearful gaze before softly nodding her head. He moved slightly closer to her, gently placing two fingers on the spot where her neck and shoulder joined. She flinched at his touch but didn't pull away again. He leaned in more, his head near her neck. The marks were turning a dark purple colour. It sent a fresh rush of anger surging through his system. He moved his face away and looked up, gaze connecting with hers. And for the first time he noticed the broken look in them. The pain hiding behind the glassy brown eyes staring back at him. And in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to just hold her and take all that pain away.

(First person, Ava's perspective)

I could still feel the hand on my neck, even after he was dead, and I was safely inside. Lee Know's fingers on my neck sent a jolt through my body. My skin tingled underneath his warm and gentle touch. I could feel his breath on my neck, slightly easing the stinging from the man's grip on my neck. When he looked up and our eyes met, he looked so angry. And yet so caring at the same time. I wanted to reach out and hug him, but he pulled away and got up before I could. I grabbed his wrist as he tried to leave.

"Please don't go."

He stopped and turned to me.

"Please."

He stayed standing for a moment before giving in and coming to sit down next to me again. I looked at him and my eyes caught the mark on his cheek.

"How's your head? Does it still hurt?" I asked, slowly reaching my hand out towards where the wound was. Just as my hand touched his hair, he gently took my hand in his. He brought my hand down, tracing his thumb over the back.

"That doesn't matter now. What matters now is whether or not you are okay. That guy squeezed pretty hard. How are the marks feeling?"

"They're okay. Just a bit tender when I touch them."

He nodded, eyeing the purple handprint around my throat. Then a siren sounded out from outside, making me flinch and whip my head around. Lee Know let go of my hand and got up off the couch. Just as I was about to do the same, he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Stay here. I'll be right back."

He walked outside, closing the front door behind him. My curiosity got the better of me. I sneaked to the door, opening it just a smidge to see outside. The bright blue light flashed in my eyes, making me squint. The car was far down the driveway, which was strange. Chan and Lee Know stood next to each other, arms crossed as they examined the car. I walked out and went to stand next to Chan. He looked over at me, and I gave him a slight smile. Then Lee Know noticed my presence. He would have dragged me back into the house if I didn't move away from his touch.

"Didn't I tell you to stay inside?" he asked, voice stern.

"You did, but you should know by now, I don't listen."

I heard Chan laugh softly, making me smile. Lee Know was not impressed but let me be, nonetheless. He came to stand on my left side, Chan still on my right. Suddenly agents in all black came rushing out of the car at us. I tensed up, but the boys on either side of me stayed calm. Until the agents started cuffing them. An agent grabbed my arms and dragged me away from them. I struggled, but I couldn't get loose. The agent's grip just tightened. My body stiffened when I heard a pained whimper. I snapped my head up to see Lee Know wince, the agent holding him having grabbed his hair. Then another agent came into my view, practically dragging Hyunjin along with him to the car. My blood boiled.

"Let them go, they didn't do anything."

"Is that tone I hear? Little one, don't speak. It'll only make things worse for your friends. And yourself."

I snapped; all restraint gone. I kicked the agent holding me in the shin, making him loosen his grip on me ever so slightly. I managed to get my one arm loose, twisting around and punching him. He let go of my other arm and I took the opportunity to try to free my team. I was barely a step closer to Lee Know, when someone grabbed my hair. Another agent came up in front of me, pressing himself up against me to force me back. The person who had a hold on my hair, fastened a pair of handcuffs onto my wrists. It was so tight the cold metal started slicing into my skin. The person in front of me grabbed my face, forcing me to look up at him. My eyes were tearing up from the pain in my wrists and his grip on my face. I could hear Lee Know struggling.

"Try that again, and I'll make sure you never see the sun again."

The agent spat at the ground in front of me, then turned away. The one standing behind me roughly grabbed my arm and started walking towards the same car the other boys were being taken to. I almost lost my footing from how harshly the agent was pulling me along, but he would just yank me back onto my feet and keep going. By the time we got to the car, my arm felt like the bone was bruised from how hard he had gripped it. He practically threw me into the car, almost closing the door on my foot. I looked up to find Hyunjin and Felix next to me.

"Ava, are you okay? We saw what happened," Felix asked.

"I'm okay. I just want to know why these idiots are treating us like this?"

"They're saying we killed two agents. I think they mean those guys who attacked us tonight," Hyunjin said.

"But they tried to kill us. The one guy almost strangled me to death. They couldn't have been agents."

"Apparently they were."

"So, what happens now?"

"They take us to lock-up until our commander comes to bail us out. But it might take a while."

"Great. Just great."

I looked out the window just in time to see them dragging Lee Know to a car. The mark on his face had started bleeding again,and he had blood in his hairline to match. I was so angry I wanted to break the window. But then his gaze caught mine. And all I saw was compassion and tenderness. The contrast on his face would probably haunt my dreams for weeks to come.