Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 63

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

63.
Cough. A dry hack erupted from Anthony’s throat. Bloodshot veins spiderwebbed across his eyes. He shifted his grip, pressing the gun toward Liam’s thigh.
But the moment Anthony’s finger tightened on the trigger, Liam’s hand shot up and wrenched his arm. The barrel swung away in an instant.
Bang.
!
Hunter ducked as he stepped into the Kitchen, but the bullet grazed past his shoulder.
Anthony swung the gun like a club, bringing it down hard across Liam’s face.
Ugh.
Liam’s jaw snapped to the side. For a moment, his grip loosened. Anthony gasped for air, desperate.
But it was only a heartbeat of hope. Liam’s hands were already closing around his throat again.
Hunter steadied himself and ducked behind the Island Table, then thrust his upper body forward with his gun trained on Liam.
“Let him go. You kill a Federal Agent and you make an enemy of the entire United States.”
Hunter wheezed the warning through ragged breaths. Liam’s mouth twisted into a cold smile.
“If I let go, that bullet goes through my heart, doesn’t it? Seems to me making an enemy of the United States is the better option.”
“Who are you? Name and affiliation. Now.”
“Stand down. You don’t want to lose your partner.”
“Anthony!”
Hunter called out the name. Anthony’s thrashing began to fade. Soon his limbs went slack.
Liam’s voice dropped to something ice-cold.
“Your friend’s running out of time, isn’t he? You’d better decide fast. Him or me.”
Hunter’s jaw clenched at the sound of Anthony’s name in Liam’s mouth. His eyes narrowed to steel.
“Lower the gun. Step back.”
Hunter lowered the weapon slowly.
“Kick it over here.”
He obeyed, his boot sending the gun spinning. It skidded across the floor and stopped at Liam’s feet.
Liam kicked the gun out through the Cabin door. It fell with a heavy thud into the grass beyond.
Then he eased his grip incrementally. Anthony’s body crumpled to the floor.
“Anthony!”
In that moment, Liam turned and bolted toward the forest, while Hunter rushed toward Anthony.
“Hun, ter…….”
Barely moving his lips, Anthony hurled his gun to Hunter.
Hunter caught it mid-air and dropped low in one motion, left hand steadying the barrel, right finger finding the trigger.
Through the corner of his vision, he saw Liam’s back disappearing into the Birch Forest. He fired.
Crack.
!
Liam’s body lurched to a stop. Birds erupted from the undergrowth, wings beating in a sudden frenzy.
He clutched his side and dropped into a crouch. Then he scrambled behind the trees.
Hunter fired again and again. Crack. Crack. The shots shattered the deep silence of the woods.
…….
But Liam had already vanished from sight. Hunter lowered the gun and rushed to Anthony.
He cradled Anthony in one arm, but the man’s eyes remained closed.
“Anthony!”
Hunter pressed two fingers to his partner’s neck. The pulse was still there, steady and alive.
“Damn.”
Relief flooded through him. He slumped against the sink, his entire body drenched in sweat.
***
Crunch-crunch.
The sound of footsteps crushing fallen leaves thundered through the forest. With each step closer, her heart froze.
She wanted to look back, but the moment she turned her head, she felt certain rough hands would clamp down on her neck.
All Hee-ju could do was run—faster, and farther.
“Hah, hah.”
The taste of blood filled her mouth. Sweat streamed down her face, blurring her vision.
Her body was reaching its limit. Her legs felt like sandbags, and her stride was slowing with each step.
“West. West.”
If she could just keep heading west, someone might help her. The problem was she’d long since lost her sense of direction.
Where was she?
As Hee-ju turned to look around—
Crack.
!
A bullet grazed her ear. She watched in slow motion as it buried itself in a white birch.
Her heart dropped. Terror flooded every nerve. Her legs trembled.
In that moment of pure fear, she realized Liam wasn’t beside her anymore.
“Watch your shots! The boss said to keep the woman alive!”
“Damn it, she’s too fast! How is she moving like that?”
As Hee-ju veered right to avoid one man, she spotted another coming from the opposite direction. She pivoted sharply—straight into a downslope.
“Ahhh—”
A short scream escaped as she slid down the embankment. Branches tore at her skin.
No time for pain. She scrambled to her feet and splashed through the shallow water ahead.
Splash-splash.
Behind her, men crashed through the stream. Hee-ju clawed her way up the opposite bank on all fours.
Hands grabbed her leg. She glanced back to see a bearded man grinning down at her.
“Got you—”
“Get off!”
Hee-ju drove her other heel directly into his head. Caught off guard, the man tumbled down the slope.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Out of the way, you idiot!”
A short-haired man tried to dodge the tumbling body and lost his footing. Curses erupted from below.
Hee-ju caught her breath and pushed herself up—
Hands seized her neck from behind.
!
Her heart plummeted. A vice-grip of fingers clamped down on the back of her neck, and she froze.
Slowly, she raised her eyes. A tall man looked down at her with a slight raise of his brow. A long scar ran from his cheekbone down to his collarbone.
“You’ve been more trouble than expected.”
The man’s eyes were cold. There was an aura of menace about him—nothing like the thugs who’d been chasing her.
“Ha… ha… Andrei.”
The other men finally caught up and gathered around. The name—Andrei—crystallized in Hee-ju’s mind.
“Take her.”
“Yes.”
The short-haired man stepped forward. Andrei released his grip, and the other man seized Hee-ju’s arm.
Hee-ju bit down hard on his forearm.
“Ah!”
The man yelped in pain and instinctively wrapped his arm around his wound.
Hee-ju shoved his shoulder and ran.
“Stop!”
But she didn’t make it far before the bearded man caught her again.
He spun her around by the shoulders, and several buttons from her shirt scattered. The moment she tried to speak—
Crack.
His palm came down across her cheek.
!
Sparks erupted in her vision. Hee-ju hit the ground hard.
…….
It struck her distantly that it had been a long time since anyone had struck her. Perhaps the first time ever.
It hurt. Her cheek burned. Her jaw throbbed. Worse still, the physical pain amplified the fear crawling through her.
She curled her body tight and covered her face with both hands.
The bearded man grabbed a fistful of her hair. Her neck snapped back with the force.
“Behave yourself, or you die. Got it?”
Hee-ju looked up at him with terror painted across her face. The bearded man’s lips twisted into a sneer.
The power imbalance was absolute. She couldn’t beat him. Fighting someone she couldn’t beat was stupid.
Spit.
Hee-ju spat directly in his face. He snarled.
“You want to die.”
While he reached up to wipe his face, his grip on her hair loosened. This time, Hee-ju bit down on his forearm.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
The bearded man reflexively kicked her away. The blow landed—she wasn’t sure where.
Her back screamed. Or was it her head? No—everything hurt. She curled up again.
Some things, no matter how foolish, couldn’t be compromised on.
She wasn’t going to be dragged off by these animals without a fight. She needed them to know that she could take a piece of any of them.
The other men laughed at the bearded man’s misery.
“Serves you right.”
“Shut up!”
Eyes wild with rage, the bearded man brought his hand down hard across her neck. Hee-ju’s body went limp, and darkness swallowed her whole.
***
“Ah.”
Liam took a deep breath and pressed his right hand hard against his side. A burning pain shot through him.
Blood seeped out with every movement—the raw, immediate agony of a blade twisted in the wound.
“Should have killed him.”
He’d spared the man to avoid complications. This was why mercy was a luxury he couldn’t afford.
Liam’s face remained impassive as he quickened his pace. Hee-ju had run in this direction. With luck, he could catch her.
He glanced back briefly—no sign of the CIA following. He moved quickly between the birches.
Then gunfire erupted ahead.
…….
Liam stopped in his tracks, listening to the fading echoes.
His expression emptied. The shots hadn’t come from behind him—they’d come from ahead.
“Hee-ju…….”
He whispered her name blankly. The next instant, he bolted down the forest path. The effort tore at his wound, blood pouring freely, but he didn’t slow.
His vision began to narrow. Cold sweat dripped down his face. He had to find her before his body gave out.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————