Prologue

“Huh, huh, huh,”

The sound of the footsteps across the forest with the breaths that were barely visible. It was dark and murky, this time of the night but that did not stop Marina Kasun, who was the most wanted criminal and assassin by the Interpol and international security, from running away to get caught by them.

No, she has a bigger ambition that she wanted to achieve instead of being held in a prison where she knows that her destiny will be executed by death.

No, not this time, Marina mused as she was running through the woods in the Highlands that she was barely escaping now. She needed to get away and by that Marina meant she has to get out of this country.

Not only Mia Duncan and Liam Hunt, the pair of which her sworn enemies ever since she was 18 years old, ready to take on the world at that time, knew that she was alive, but she will also be thrown into prison.

“I cannot let them win, never,” Marina hissed as her body was going to be tired right now. She has to get away from here. They might be closing in with the blood that she was dripping all over the forest and ground.

So much for carrying out my revenge on Liam Hunt for being alive when he was supposed to be dead and Mia Duncan, her former friend, that was supposed to be killing Liam. But no, Marina only saw that they were together and they were a force to be reckoned with.

Even Marina has to get away from the two of them just so she can live long enough to plan another attack on them.

“Oh, come on,” she said as she was trying to get the service of her transportation. It has been arranged that Marina will be leaving Scotland at midnight. She knew that facing her former friend and target would eventually be her downfall. And now that she was fucking out in the woods, Marina does not know if she ever survives this cruel world.

She looked at the sky that was above her head. It was dark tonight but the stars were shining above her head, making her wondered if she was ever going to see those starry nights again. She sighed before she was focusing on the lights that were not coming from the stars, but rather from a huge helicopter that was flying above her head.

“So much for my revenge,” Marina whispered as she was looking at the light that was coming closer to her from the sky. The wind was making her hair flying around as it slapped across her face.

She was breathing hard when the wind was too strong for her to protect her face from the debris that was flying when the helicopter blades were buzzing her ears as Marina was closing her eyes. She did not know who was coming from the helicopter as her blood loss was making her dizzy right now.

“We got you now. You will be safe,” the shadow said as Marina was closing her eyes. Then, all of sudden from the blood loss as well as the wind that was blaring her eyes, Marina could not keep her eyes open and the last thing she knew, she was claimed by the darkness.

You might know who Marina Kasun was where she was the bad guy and there was a couple that was after her. But that was in the past. This time, it was to focus on her and her story since everyone believes she was evil.

But what if, she was not all bad after all?

*****

The sun was blinding as well as the rays were burning the eyelids that belonged to Marina. She groaned before she was trying to open her eyes. The last thing that she knew was that she was lying on the ground and she was being greeted by a shadow from a helicopter.

The blinding lights.

The dark forest.

If it makes it any better, Marina does not know what happened last night and where she had gone after that helicopter came for her but she knew that everything was out of her sight. She does not care if she was dying or maybe even dead for fuck sake.

Maybe it will be better that way, Marina thought before she was sighing before Marina turned and tossed on the ground. Or what she hoped was the ground but it was so soft that she cannot resist letting her hands wandered all over it.

This cannot be right. I am not on the ground? Marina mused before she was trying to get out of the sleep that was trying to claim her again. With much determination, she opened her eyes so suddenly that it hurt the back of her head.

Never doing that again, Marina mused before she needs to control these urges to open her eyes before the lights. It was blinding her to a degree as her eyes were hurting.

“Ugh!” She groaned as Marina was getting up from the bed. She looked around and it was not what she imagined it will be. It was a room, no doubt, much luxurious than the room that Marina ever owned when she was out in the world, making some damages and demises around the globe, and now, she was sitting on the most comfortable bed that Marina thought she was in heaven.

Maybe I was, she mused before she felt another body heat that was in close proximity of her body.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” a voice startled her as Marina turned to look at someone that she never expected to see. Her reclusive grandfather, Hank Kasun, was staring at her like Marina was a crazy person.

Maybe she was a crazy person as she was blinking her eyes at her grandfather that was rumored to be dead. But apparently, she was mistaken and that showed her rumors were not to be true or at least one believed in it.

Marina was thirsty for water but she has to control the urge for the water when her grandfather was calculating her under the blue orbs that she much inherited as well. Then, she was clearing her throat before taking her surroundings.

“Where are we?” She asked her grandfather as she tried to move out of bed but she winced. Marina turned to look at her side before she was frowning. It was bandaged and she thought she might feel some stitches on her sides.

Bye-bye bikinis, she mused before her grandfather was clearing his throat as he was having enough of his granddaughter struggled to get out of her bed.

“Well, we are out, off the grid,” Hank, her grandpa said as he was taking his seat beside Marina’s bed. He was drinking his tea, in which Marina knows that it tasted awful before he gestured some to her. She shook her head politely as she was thirsty for some water.

After that near-death experience, Marina concluded that she might as well tried to mend her relationship with her grandfather who was a recluse to a degree and she has not seen him in quite a long time.

“Can you pass me the water, please?” Marina asked him and she can see the shock that was on his face. Her grandfather never expects her to be good and polite since he was the one that trained her to be an assassin, but hey, after everything that was happening, Marina thought she will appreciate more in her life for now.

And that was starting with her grandpa, whether he liked it or not.

“Well, it would seem that you must have hit your head, granddaughter,” her grandpa said as she was arching her eyebrows.

“And why would you think that grandpa?” she asked, frowning before she was sipping on the cold water that has been given to her by her grandfather. The old man just smirked at her as Marina can see the wrinkles on his eyes. She gulped more of the water, waiting for her grandpa to say something to her face.

Such a weakling, her grandpa used to say to her when she showed any emotions at all. She gripped her glass even more.

“You never for one to be saying that because I trained you to be ruthless,” her grandpa said as she was looking at him. He stood up from his chair before he was making his way to the door. Her grandfather was looking at her with an unreadable expression. She hated it when he did that.

“Wash up, then come join for breakfast. It has been a long time since I am not alone at the dining table,” her grandfather said as he set his blue eyes on her.

Since Marina disobeyed him when she went after Mia Duncan and Liam Hunt. She sighed before nodding at him.

“Yes, sir,” she replied before she was slipping away from the bed as she winced when the pain of her stitches was still there but bearable. Her grandfather nodded before he left the room as she heard the faded footsteps from her room.

Marina sighed before she was looking at the jungle that was outside her room. Paphos, Cyprus. Who would have thought that she would end up here? And what will she uncover from the forest that has been taunting her since she woke up?

Like Marina can feel something was calling for her but she did not know what it was. Perhaps, later she will explore the forest to get some bearing of her new safe house and maybe, just maybe, live her life in isolation and forget this stupid revenge that was brewing inside her after all.