Chapter-5 Saving the damsel in distress

"Mr. Volkov," Aaliyah looked at him, flabbergasted, not knowing what to say, and Volkov looked at her face, patiently waiting for her answer, his face being the only center of focus for her.

It was already worse that she was crushing on him, and now he has to appear in front of her again and again.

"I am sure it isn’t harder than pole dancing in front of everyone," Volkov added with a casual smirk, and Aaliyah's face immediately turned red.

‘Eeeeehh, he saw me dancing and twerking like that? This is so embarrassing!’ Aaliyah bit the inside of her cheeks.

When one part of her mind wanted to hide six feet under because of embarrassment, the other part wanted to ask him how her dance was, and the battle between both parts was making her more flushed.

How should she explain herself now? There was no explanation for this. In his eyes, she was already a delinquent, and now if she said she was indeed doing everything he mentioned earlier, her already ruined image would worsen, no?

"The thing is, my aunt -" Aaliyah started, but before she could say another word, a gunshot echoed in the club, followed by everyone's scream, and Aaliyah looked towards the inside of the club with wide eyes.

What the hell? She didn’t mistake it, right? It was a gunshot, just like that night a month ago. Could it be that there is a gang fight about to happen here? Aaliyah’s mind ran wild with possibilities.

Hearing the gunshot, even Volkov tensed a little.

Who was stupid enough to be playing with a gun here? Could it be from the meeting room? But if that were the case, Shane would’ve handled everything. Volkov thought, but when he cracked the door and saw armed men running in the corridor, he knew something was off.

These men didn’t belong to his or that dragon gang.

He knew he needed to leave right now, but with his student right in front of him, who could land in potential danger because of him, Volkov didn't know what to do.

As much as he liked teasing her, something like this could traumatize her for life, and that’s the last thing he wanted.

However, he didn't have to think for long. Before he could mention they needed to save their lives and run to a safe place, Aaliyah held his hand before pulling him out of the storeroom towards the back door.

"There! There he is!" One of the men shouted, and Volkov immediately knew those men were there for him.

"What are you doing, Mr. Volkov? You cannot kill him with your glare. This isn’t the time to test such useless things. Let's hurry," Aaliyah hissed at Volkov as she hurried out of the door with Volkov's hand still in hers.

Survival at its best. That's what Aaliyah knew and was doing right now. This was something that her dad taught her. Most of the time, she relies on Ashton, her aunt, or her family to protect her, but it was the times like these she had to learn and improve her skills.

Aaliyah kept running until she herself didn't know where they were going. They stopped once they were out of their breath and looked around, taking a deep breath when they didn’t see anyone.

“Are you okay, Aaliyah?” Volkov gazed at her red face, and she gulped with tears in her eyes before nodding slowly.

She was grateful that they outran them, but it looked like today wasn't their day.

As they turned around, they met a few people from the same gang smirking at them.

"Tired of running?" One of them said as he looked Aaliyah up and down.

"You. You are the one who beat my brother in the club, right? He told me about a girl. Black crop top, brown boots, biker jacket, long hair, and especially, big ass and chest. It has to be you. It's a good thing I got you here, no?" One of the men said, and Aaliyah gritted her teeth.

"You shouldn't have hit him," he repeated.

"Well, he shouldn't have tried to harass me," Aaliyah seethed, making Volkov’s eyes turn cold, and the man raised his brows before he ran toward her to hurt her.

“I’ll show you what exactly he should’ve done to a b*tch like you,” the man growled as he ran.

Volkov didn't want to fight. He didn't want her to know about his family background or fear him, but he was left with no choice now.

He took a step ahead, and before the man could reach Aaliyah, he kicked his hand before kicking his abdomen, making him fly away from Aaliyah.

Wow. Aaliyah gazed at the flying man, shocked, before she looked at Volkov with a bewildered and amazed expression.

The way he kicked that man appeared so professional. It was as if he was a martial arts champion.

“Are you alright?” Volkov asked softly, and Aaliyah nodded before hardening her gaze. Though Mr. Volkov was her teacher and probably knew a few moves here and there, she didn’t want to be a burden to him.

Without wasting a second, she picked up the knife and threw it towards a man, aiming at his thighs as that man screamed in pain.

"A bunch of cowards," Aaliyah spat before the fight finally broke off, and Aaliyah practically jumped into it like an angry tigress, ready to tear everyone off.

However, she wasn't as skilled in hiding her skills as she thought she would be, and unlike Volkov, who was barely getting hit in the face, Aaliyah received quite some punches, making her groan in pain.

It was becoming unbearable for her. Not that she was receiving punches, or she was fighting these hooligans, but that she had to try so hard to maintain her image as she promised her father to not excessively show off herself.

Groaning in pain as she didn't want to bother herself anymore, she finally took the gun from one man and hit everyone in the thighs, rendering them unable to move.

"Stop it, will you?" She seethed through her teeth, the corner of her lips bleeding as she looked at them with an animosity that the guys had never felt from a girl before, not to mention she was probably 18-19 years old.

The sound of the gunshots and her words were shocking to Volkov, and he turned around to see if his student was okay, but as he looked at her, he didn't know if he should be more shocked about gunshots or about Aaliyah using a gun.

As Volkov was distracted by Aaliyah, he didn't see the man sneaking up to him until he was too close. The man screamed and hit Volkov with a knife, and Volkov, who saw him at the last minute, barely dodged it as it hit his biceps, making Volkov wince.

Volkov was about to turn around and kick the guy away from him, but before he could move an inch, he felt a swoosh of air and saw the man lying on the ground, groaning in pain, and Aaliyah looking at him with dark blazing eyes.

"Do you still want to fight?" Aaliyah growled when she noticed the men weren't moving anymore.

"Let's go, Mr. Volkov. We need to get you treated." Aaliyah didn't even look at Volkov, and Volkov was questioning his whole life and observation skills at the moment.

Was she the same girl who would avoid eye contact whenever he was around? Was she the same lively girl who would flush from embarrassment every time he grabbed her chin?

And if yes, why the hell was he never able to see that?

He has never thought that the girl who caught his gaze and attention had this side to her too.

"What kind of girl do you like?" Volkov remembered his friend Shane asking him.

"Someone who would be on par with skills like mine. Someone who is efficient in saving me. A mixture of a shy and powerful girl? Someone who would be more good at mind games than me," Volkov had answered confidently.

"Are you sure you are describing someone who exists?" Shane had asked him, and Volkov had smirked in return.

"I am not sure, but it will surely keep Benjamin and Nathan off my back for some time," Volkov had joked, but right now, as he looked at a mere eighteen years old girl, who was pulling him out of the alley to somewhere safe, he didn't know if he was actually joking at that time.

Aaliyah was nowhere near his skills, but it didn’t mean she didn’t know her moves.

The curiosity was killing him. He was sure he had never seen her in any illegal activities. Sure, she was a delinquent, a prankster, and a scared cat, but she didn’t look like the type to get involved in illegal stuff.

He would have known if she was a part of a gang.

Or maybe he was looking too much into things, and she just works out regularly.

"Aaliyah, stop," Volkov finally said, and as if it turned off some kind of switch inside her, she looked at him with wide eyes, something he was too familiar with.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Volkov? I just want to help you a little. Thank you for saving my life just now. I know you got into this fight because of me. And I am sorry about that. So please let me help you, will you?" Aaliyah looked at him with an uneasy expression before she realized she was still holding his hand.

Leaving his hand with a jerk, she looked away, her cheeks turning red, and seeing the unadulterated expression on her face, Volkov didn't know what was truth or lie anymore.

"Aaliyah, you are also wounded. My house is much nearer than yours, and I am sure your parents won't appreciate you looking like this. Are you okay with coming there?" Volkov left the matter alone, and Aaliyah widened her eyes more, if that was possible, at the mention of her parents.

"My mother. She is going to kill me. I need to call my aunt and tell her I am safe and sound. She must be looking for me everywhere," Aaliyah murmured before taking out her phone. Luckily her phone didn't die on her.

"Hello, aunt. I am sorry. I know you are worried. No, it's okay. It wasn't your fault. Yes, I am safe. I met my teacher there, and he made sure I was safe. He protected me. You don't need to worry about that. Aunt Lily! Don't you dare! No, he is new. Mom doesn’t know him. Yes, I will," Aaliyah practically growled on the phone before she looked at Mr. Volkov, and smiled helplessly, apologizing for her loud voice.

"I am hanging. I will tell mom you were the one who brought me there without my consent and forced me to dance on stage. Yes, it's a threat. And you know I can do it. Okay, I am going," Aaliyah sighed in relief before she looked at Mr. Volkov, who just looked at her with raised brows.

Interesting. That was the only thing going inside his head, and he literally had to shake his head to take his mind off his student.

One thing was for sure: he was going to ask Shane to look into the girl. She is more complicated than she looks. The mere judgment he had passed when he first saw her wasn’t enough. He needs some deep facts.

After hailing a taxi, Aaliyah and Volkov reached his house.

As Volkov opened the door, the first thing he saw was his cat sitting near the door like a security guard.

"I forgot she doesn't like girls," Volkov said casually, walking inside, and Aaliyah looked at him, mouth agape.

“Let me find her cage,” He mumbled, half-heartedly.

Seriously? He is remembering it only now? Aaliyah looked at the cat. However, her scowl immediately eased when the cat walked to her and mewed softly, jumping at her, making her hold the cat close to her chest.

"Aren't you a cute little one?" Aaliyah rubbed her finger on the cat's head, and it was Volkov's turn to look at his cat with amazement.

"Let's get you treated first. Smile, get off her," Volkov ordered, and the cat mewed in displeasure, making Aaliyah giggle, and Volkov could only roll his eyes at that.

It looks like his cat approves of Aaliyah, just like her master.