Ice Queen (Part Seven)

Kai

We've been walking in silence for way too long, and it's driving me insane. The cold doesn't help—it cuts right through my thin t-shirt. Giving Caden my hoodie feels dumber by the second.

Ellen hasn't said a word since she told us where her son was. Her face is hard to read, but I can see her determination in the way she moves. Vlad, as usual, looks like he's ready to kill anyone who so much as glances our way. How can one person exude so much intensity? It's like standing next to a storm cloud.

I glance around, taking in the frost-covered streets. Something about this place tugs at me. I know this route. I've been here before—but not like this. Not when everything looked so dead and frozen.

Then it hits me. The docks. These are the same docks where I found out I'm a defekt.

The memory rushes back like a tidal wave. That night. The fear. The confusion. The anger. I clench my fists, trying to push it down, but it's hard to ignore the tightening in my chest.

I quicken my pace, glancing at Vlad. "How much farther?"

"Not far," he says, his voice curt. He doesn't even look at me.

I nod, trying to keep my nerves in check.

…

"We're here," Ellen finally says as a warehouse comes into view. A beat-up van is parked outside, its windows fogged over.

"What's the plan?" I ask, glancing at Vlad.

"I go in, talk to them, get her son back. You and Ellen stay here," he explains, his tone leaving no room for debate.

Yeah, no way that's happening.

"How about I go talk to them?" I suggest, knowing full well he'll shut it down.

"No, you stay with Ellen, I'll go." He says already annoyed with me.

And we're going back and forth on who will be going.

"What if they'll attack?" Ellen spoke after a long moment. "We'll be better off together."

"No, both of you are new to this, I can't risk you." He argued.

Ellen lifted her hand, displaying a hand that's almost covered in ice,"Trust me, i barely have power to control it. I'll be fine."

Vlad glanced at her, totally lost for words.

"So it's a deal, the three of us are going." I say turning on my heel and heading towards the warehouse.

To my surprise, they follow me. Ellen walks on my right, Vlad beside her. We look like her bodyguards—and honestly, we look fabulous.

…

We step into the warehouse. The air is thick and stale, the faint hum of the van in the back echoing through the space. Three men stand in a loose formation near the center, one of them wearing a blue beanie that hides most of his hair. A second van sits further back, its doors closed. Who brings two vans for a deal?

"I see you brought reinforcements. Should we expect trouble?" the man in the beanie says, his voice dripping with false calm.

"Depends," Vlad replies, his tone ice-cold. "Where's the child?"

"That depends too, my friend. Where's the money?" Beanie answers with a sly grin, his hands still tucked into his jacket pockets.

"Tch, here," Vlad says, reaching into his pocket and flicking a coin into the air with practiced ease. It spins, catching the dim light before landing back in his palm. "This is worth at least four times what she owed you," he adds coolly. "Now, where is the child?"

"Uff, that's too bad," Beanie chuckles, his smirk widening. "Because the interest has grown to five times what she owed us."

"Really?" Vlad's tone drops even colder, his steps deliberate as he moves closer. His face betrays nothing but simmering anger, and the tension in the room spikes.

"Hey, I suggest you calm down, big guy." The thug on Beanie's left pulls a gun, leveling it at Vlad. His movements are sharp, but his grip betrays just a hint of hesitation.

Without a word, Vlad makes a subtle hand signal—a flick of his fingers toward me.

I don't hesitate. Adrenaline surges through me as I launch forward, aiming for the guy with the gun.

I move swiftly, just as Eugene taught me. Grabbing the thug's wrist, I yank his aim skyward. The shot rings out, harmlessly punching a hole in the roof. Before he can react, I twist his arm, forcing the gun down toward his foot. The second shot fires, and he howls in pain, collapsing to the ground as the weapon clatters away.

I'm already turning to Beanie, ready to tackle him, but I stop dead in my tracks. Both he and the guy next to him are frozen solid, their faces locked in expressions of shock. Ice encases them from head to toe—dead.

Ellen steps forward, her hand still raised, frost trailing from her fingers. Her voice is colder than the air around us. "Where is my son?"