REBIRTH : Chasing The Limelight

Chapter 166: Lady, just stand still...

Before Ziva could even manage to grab Elara’s dress properly, the door on her own side suddenly opened too. A rough hand shot in immediately and grabbed her arm. In the next second, she was dragged out of the car aggressively.

Elara looked up at the man holding her. She stayed quiet as he pulled her outside though the heavy fabric of her gown nearly made her stumble when he finally let go of her arm.

Ziva quickly yanked herself free from the man gripping her and hurried back to Elara’s side. Her eyes swept over Elara from head to toe before she slowly looked ahead.

Five men stood ahead looking at them with a predatory expression.

"What do you want from us?" Ziva muttered sharply while glaring at them with cold eyes.

The man who had driven them there finally removed his cap, revealing a head so bald and shiny it looked like streetlights could reflect off it during a blackout.

Now that Elara could see his face clearly, her brows narrowed a little.

A long ugly scar stretched from the top of his scalp down to the side of his jaw looking so violent that it seemed as though someone had once tried to unzip his face and failed halfway.

His eyes slowly moved toward Ziva before settling on Elara. "I heard you might be quite difficult to handle," he said calmly.

Elara’s lips pressed together tightly. She was still trying to figure out who could possibly be behind this.

At first, Cassian came to her mind.

She still remembered the look he had given her that day at the bar after Adrian hit him. Even then, she had a feeling that he might try to cause her trouble someday.

But she dismissed the thought immediately now.

It couldn’t be him. Someone like him would not be able to use Adrian’s car this confidently.

Another name entered her mind.

Relanie.

The corner of Elara’s lips lifted a little.

No... it was not even a matter of suspicion anymore. She was almost certain it was her. Relanie had seen everything that happened tonight. From the hallway to the dance floor. And honestly, it would be stranger if she had not reacted at all.

As though confirming Elara’s thoughts, the bald man suddenly spoke again.

"Careful with the face," he muttered lazily while leaning against the car behind him. "She said scars, not burial."

She.

Elara repeated the word silently in her mind, her eyes narrowing. So it really was exactly who she thought. Because she could not think of any other woman she might have offended enough for something like this.

"Though honestly," the man added with a shrug, finally pushing himself away from the car, "a dead celebrity would probably trend longer."

The others ahead of him began moving closer too.

"Don’t come any closer," Ziva warned coldly.

One of the men paused and squinted around dramatically. "Help me find who’s talking," he said. "I can’t see past pocket size."

Ziva’s mouth snapped shut instantly as she glared at him furiously.

Another man sighed tiredly as if the entire job had become inconvenient for him. "You said scars only," he muttered while rubbing his stomach. "But looking at this glasses lady, can we at least break one of her legs leg? We’ve known her for less than five minutes and she’s already annoying me."

He clicked his tongue unhappily. "I skipped dinner for this. If I go home hungry and empty handed, I’ll cry."

Elara slowly stepped backward, pulling Ziva with her. But escape didn’t seem possible.

One of the men had already rushed forward impatiently, his fist swinging straight toward Elara’s face.

Elara jerked backward instantly. The punch cut through the air right in front of her nose with enough force to make her heart slam violently against her ribs.

"Gosto," one of the others laughed loudly. "We know women aren’t your thing, but at least give the poor lady a few more seconds to appreciate her face."

"Monsters! Get lost!" Ziva shouted, instantly moving in front of Elara. But before she could fully shield her, Elara grabbed her arm and pulled her back behind her.

"You should let her go," she said coldly, tightening her grip around Ziva’s wrist. "She’s not part of your sender’s target."

"And who made you the prophet of another man’s business?" one of them scoffed.

Before Elara could react, Ziva suddenly screamed beside her.

One of the men had already grabbed her and yanked her backward, pulling her away from Elara’s hold.

Elara immediately moved toward them, but before she could reach her, another fist slammed hard into her stomach. The force sent her stumbling backward instantly.

Shock flashed across her face as her stomach twisted violently from the impact. Nausea rushed through her body so suddenly that her vision almost blurred.

"How dare you!" Ziva yelled furiously. She twisted violently out of the man’s grip and rushed toward a heavy metal pipe lying nearby. Without hesitation, she grabbed it and swung it hard against the head of the man trying to catch her again.

The man cursed and staggered backward immediately.

Ziva didn’t stop. She immediately turned toward the man who had punched Elara and swung the pipe again. The metal crashed hard against the side of his neck.

The man’s face twisted painfully as he stumbled away.

"Who even are these people?!" She breathed heavily, quickly moving back toward Elara.

The expressions on the men’s faces had completely changed now.

Elara slowly straightened herself though her body remained slightly bent from the painful hit to her stomach.

One of the men rolled his neck lazily before speaking. "Lady, just stand still so we can professionally rearrange your face," he sighed. "That little stunt your friend pulled might turn you into roadside meat in the next few minutes."

As the men advanced again, Elara’s eyes quickly landed on an iron rod nearby. Forgetting the heaviness of her gown, she rushed toward it and grabbed it tightly.

She then moved back toward Ziva immediately raising the rod in front of them. "Come any closer," she said coldly, "and one of you will be explaining to your ancestors why your skull looks folded."

The men did not stop. In fact, they charged forward instantly before she could even finish speaking, as though they had been waiting for her attention to shift.

But Elara had already predicted that. So... she shoved Ziva fully behind her and swung the rod forward violently with all her strength, not caring about the impact that shot painfully through her arms.