Chapter 449: Run

Mina did not want to talk on the phone, but she had not heard from Tara in months, and she felt as though she could use the distraction of a casual conversation. She listened to Tara tell her that she had switched her field of study to management and budgeting. It was a smart move on Tara's end, because even general merchandise stores required managers; and budgeting was good for practical reasons; like family planning.

After a few minutes of small talk, Tara had to go and Mina handed the phone back to Bressaw, who sighed, seeing that Mina's smile had faded again.

"What happened to the girl who used to smile in the dark?" He asked.

"She died in that room," Mina responded coldly.

"Then who am I talking to? Her ghost?" Mina chuckled, but not because it was funny, but because that was the most accurate description she could think of; she was a ghost.

Mina flipped to her back and stared up a ceiling. She did not feel like she had ever come out of that room, and she wondered if it would have been better to die there. She had been an idiot to believe in President Lee's words, but what person would not want to hold on to a shred of hope? There was also the fact that she kept meeting people who made her want to live, even if her survival chances were slim.

"Let's go find Dom," Bressaw suggested, and Mina reluctantly agreed.

----

Immediately after seeing her, Dom's face dropped. Mina knew it was obvious to anyone that she had been crying but she saw no need in hiding her tears anymore. They were not something she needed to be fearful of because she was not dangerous, everyone else was. From the beginning it had been everyone else.

"Are you the girl Dom talks about all the time?" Asked one of the physical therapists. The woman had sensed the tension that was building, and she wanted to lighten the mood. "I still can't believe you out ran him." Mina smirked.

"I knew the area."

"Bullsh!t Mina, you are just fast." Dom wanted to make Mina laugh, but he got nothing.

"Guess I have gotten used to running." Mina shrugged and sat on a small mat, hugging her knees.

"I heard from Jessica, she is on her last assignment, and she says she can't wait to leave Pan." Mina cracked a smile.

"I hope she finds happiness." Dom looked at Bressaw quizzically, but the man shook his head. Neither sibling told him what was wrong, they just asked him to fix it.

"Okay, tell me what happened, because you are kind of hurting my feelings." Dom's words put an actual smile on Mina's face because she found it cute when the man's feelings were hurt.

"It's your boss again. Just when I thought the devil was finally setting me free, he showed me his horns." Everyone in the room laughed, almost giving Mina a heart attack. She patted her chest trying to calm herself.

"I like her," the woman who was making Dom lift his casted leg replied. Mina found herself curious about what they were doing, because she could not see how it was helping Dom. She was almost positive Dom's leg was in a cast to keep it immobile, the same reason her arm had been in a sling.

Thinking about her arm Mina rotated it which made Dom glare. He asked her if the video Jay had sent him was real, and not wanting to lie she told him the truth.

"Why the f*ck can't people keep their hands off of you?" It was a question Mina had no answer to. She had lived most of her life without being hit by another person, but the moment she stepped into President Lee's hotel room the floodgates were opened. Everyone seemed to love hitting her, and Mina did not know why.

"Mina you really should train with us. If what Dom says is true, then you need to learn how to defend yourself."

"I prefer to run," she said.

"You can't run from everyone," Dom replied, making Mina feel a little bitter.

"Leave her alone," Bressaw added. "Mina just needs a confidence boost." He nudged Mina with his arm and the woman smirked.

"Or you could just help me get away." Mina was joking when she said it, but her words rang throughout the room until they made their way back to President Lee.

-----

Ian was struggling to stay attentive during Lisa's event. He had been told that Mina asked two men who he knew were weak against her to help her run away. If it had been any other set of people, he would not have been worried, but Dom was infatuated with Mina on a platonic level, and Bressaw saw Mina as a savior. The two men were also good at what they did, and if they set their mind to it, they could probably help Mina disappear for good.

Ian knew it was selfish wanting to keep Mina around, but he wanted to show her that he could be something different to her. He wanted her to understand that they did not have to fight or hate one another, and he planned to do that on her birthday, which was less than a week away.

Lisa was busy talking to someone about all the features her studio offered, and she turned to Ian with a smile, but she noticed he was not paying attention. Thinking he was struggling to handle another scandal; Lisa pulled Ian to the side and gave him permission to leave. She did not like to see him worried, and she wanted him to handle whatever it was he was trying to fix before it fell on her ears. He pressed a light kiss to her cheek promising to make it up to her.

Not wanting to embarrass the woman by leaving abruptly, Ian called everyone's attention and gave a small speech. In it he praised Lisa's dedication, and he mentioned how great of a wife she was going to be. Zane just stared at him with an expression that said 'you're an ass,' but Ian did not understand it until after he caught sight of Lisa. She had obviously taken his comment to mean that she was going to be a good wife to him. Ian did not have time to confront that issue, but he told himself that he would address it later. Without waiting another minute, he left the event.

----

Somehow, Mina was on a running track with an obstacle course lined out in cones. Dom had not been able to verbally defend himself, and more of the men in physical therapy began to tease him for being outrun by Mina, who was comparably smaller, with a shorter leg span. At first, Mina did not want to run, but the mean words to Dom made her angry enough to want to put the speaker to shame. The man was not in rehabilitation, he had come specifically because he wanted to see her, which further irritated Mina.

Dom told the man that it took him between ten and fifteen seconds to unjam his seatbelt, and another five seconds to open the door and stand up. They agreed on giving Mina a twenty second head start, and the man had to catch up to her from a seated position.

With the word 'go' Mina pivoted and took off. Nineteen seconds later she could hear footsteps beginning to fall behind her. The man was close, but not close enough to reach out and grab her. Mina dashed in between the padding that served as the small alley she had dipped into and the man shouted a curse in frustration.