Verity blew out a breath impatiently as she flopped down into a seat at the back of the bus. She hated bus journeys. She flung her bag on the seat next to her and leant her head against the window. Except for the driver and a blonde haired man sitting on one of the side seats the bus was empty. The man looked in his late thirties with very short, blonde hair. His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses. He wore a blue-grey shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and dark trousers, with a shoulder bag lying on the seat next to him.

Verity studied him for a while as he was quite handsome, in a rugged kind of way. He seemed oblivious to the blonde girl’s scrutiny and kept facing forward, looking out of the window opposite. Verity shrugged to herself and closed her eyes.

Suddenly the bus swerved, skidding across the road so it blocked both lanes. Verity was thrown forwards and her mouth met painfully with the seat in front. She tasted blood on her lips as she picked herself up. There was the sound of shattering glass and gunshots and Verity threw her arms above her head to protect herself from the small shards raining down on her.

There was a short pause and Verity turned slowly to look at the shattered window next to her. Outside stood a man dressed all in black. He wore a long sleeved top and black jeans. His face was hidden behind dark glasses and his hair was dark brown. But what stood out most about his appearance was the dark, cold looking gun that was pointed at Verity’s head. She froze.

“Get out of the bus.” His voice was as harsh and cold as his appearance. Before verity could react at all however, another voice rang out from the front of the bus.

“VERITY”

Whipping her head around Verity saw the blonde haired man she had watched earlier running up the bus towards her. He stopped three seats in front of her. He had lost his glasses to reveal dark blue eyes and he too, was holding a gun. His gun, however, was pointed through the window at the man in black.

“My name is Jack Rider,” He said taking a step forward. His eyes never left the man in black. “I’m a federal agent. I’m here to protect you.”

“Get out of the bus or I’ll shoot you.”

Verity turned to watch the man in black.

“Verity,” Jack said again, his tone urgent but reassuring.

Verity’s eyes flickered from one to the other. She was shaking but her mind was clear. She stood and turned towards the window. Her next move had to be just right or she would be dead. She took a small shuffle forwards.

“VERITY!” Jack’s voice was more urgent and Verity closed her eyes. She took a deep breath…and didn’t move. She could feel two pairs of eyes on her.

Suddenly she dropped to the floor and rolled under the seat in front, somehow managing it smoothly. As she reached the other side she heard a shot. She lifted her head slowly to see Jack lowering his gun and turning to face her. She jumped to her feet, twirling round on the spot to look out of the window. The man in black lay on the road, blood seeping from a small round hole in his forehead.

“Come on.”

Shaking her head to clear it Verity slipped out from between the seats. Jack placed a hand on her elbow.

“RUN”