"How the hell did you predict the first shot?"
Alex shrugged. "Instincts?"
Chloe looked at him, bewildered. He was just acting like a regular guy who doesn't give a shit after dodging two bullets. She blinked a few times, then shook her head.
'This isn't the time.' She thought to herself. 'We need to get out of here alive first.'
Her phone was already in her hand, dialing fast.
"Dispatch, this is Detective Decker, badge 7682, I need backup at Fairmont Steakhouse on Melrose. Shots fired. Possible sniper. I repeat, sniper. Proceed with caution."
As the operator confirmed units were en route, Chloe quickly shot a group text to Lucy:
Chloe: Get out. Sniper. Don't come near. Stay low. No guns = no help. Call it in.
Lucy: Jesus. We're already outside. Taking cover. Be careful.
Alex sat against the bar now, one knee drawn up, eyes fixed on the shattered window. He didn't look rattled. His breathing was even. Too even. He was staring at his phone, scrolling rapidly.
"Nothing," he muttered. "No texts. No alerts. No pings from the security team."
Chloe glanced at him. "Maybe they're just pinned down."
Alex shook his head. "No. These guys are trained to communicate even if they're on fire. Silence means one of two things: they've been neutralized or they've changed teams."
Chloe's mouth tightened. "Why the hell would your own team flip?"
"I don't know." He looked back at the window. "But someone's spending a lot to kill me."
Before she could reply, the deep, guttural screech of tires outside made them both tense. A black SUV skidded to a stop directly in front of the restaurant, engine growling. A second one stopped right behind it.
Doors flew open.
Three men in tactical black got out of the first vehicle, assault rifles drawn, moving in tight formation. Another four came from the second SUV, all armed like some SWAT team.
Alex and Chloe crawled and hid behind the counter as soon as they heard the cars.
Chloe took a peek before hiding back. "Shit."
Her hand went toward her waist, where her gun was supposed to be by instinct, but there was nothing. She was off-duty after all. And with the new rules in motion, the cops in her department aren't allowed to carry firearms off-duty.
"No gun?" He asked.
"No. Off-duty. You?" She asked.
"No. I don't need a gun, so I don't carry one," He replied as he grabbed the wine bottle from the floor. It was still intact despite rolling down this far.
"You serious? There are people out there trying to kill you, possibly me too, and you want to drink?" Chloe whispered angrily.
He smirked. "We have no guns. The cops will arrive in what, like 5 or 10 minutes. And those guys outside will do their job and disappear. So, why not have a drink? We will die here anyway."
Chloe looked at him as if he were insane. But he was also right. There's no way to fight against them. They might start shooting any second now. They were fucked.
Alex opened the bottle and took a sip before handing the bottle to Chloe.
She looked at the bottles, then at him. A million thoughts passed through her mind.
'It's over.'
'What would Trixie say?'
'I'm gonna die in a steakhouse without even having finished my dinner.'
'What about Trixie?'
'I'm sure Dan got it covered.'
Then her mind stopped. She didn't realize she was holding her breath. She grabbed the bottle, took a gulp of wine, and looked at Alex.
"This is it, huh?" She asked.
"No. Not if I can help it. Let's not lose hope," Alex said as he gave her a wink.
Chloe couldn't help but smile.
The men outside started shouting. A voice cut through the tension.
"Wilson! Step out! Hands up! You come now, we don't kill everyone else!"
"Well, that's my cue." He was about to get out, but she dragged him back.
"You insane? They will kill you the moment you show your face," She whispered angrily.
"Oh, I know. And you think they will let you all live? If anything, they will just burn this place down, and we'll be dead anyway. Besides, I got a plan."
Chloe looked at him with doubt. "What plan?"
"Get out now, Wilson. I'll count to 5," One of them yelled.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard ya. Just give me a minute. I'm sure you can do that much for a guy you are going to kill," Alex yelled back. "I need to mentally prepare myself for death. Let me fix my suit and hair. Don't want my face on the newspaper with messed up hair."
"Hahaha! This guy is insane," That same guy laughed. "Fine. 1 minute. Fix your hair and shoes too. And I promise, I won't shoot you in your face."
'Since these bastards attacked out in the open, I can take a wild guess that the cameras are deactivated around the area. So, I'm gonna fuck 'em up.' Alex then looked at Chloe.
"What are you planning?" She asked in a low voice.
"Well, they're gonna kill everyone either way. So, I'll go out there. I'll kill them all. Pretty solid plan, right?" Alex explained his insane and unbelievable plan.
"You really are insane and drunk," Chloe said with a sigh.
"Well," He looked at his wrist watch. "Still got 30 seconds. And since you don't believe me and think I'll die out there, care to fulfill the wish of a dying man?"
"Wish?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah. Care to kiss me goodbye? Or maybe flash your boobs. I'll die a happy man," He smirked.
Chloe looked at him with wide eyes. "You are unbelievable. Fine." She knew that he was buying them time and would die in a few seconds. The least she could do for this guy was to give him a kiss. "Close your eyes."
Alex closed his eyes, waiting.
Chloe moved closer to him and placed her lips on his. Her heart raced, but her mind was calm. Her hand held his neck, pulling him closer, letting her soft lips explore his. Alex didn't respond at first, but he started kissing her back after a few seconds.
She tasted like wine and salt. He felt her warmth, and it made his heart race. And she was so soft, gentle, and real. His senses were filled with her taste, smell, and touch. He wanted more of this sensation.
His hand found its way into her hair, pulling her closer. Her body pressed against him as their lips melted together. It was warm, tender, and passionate. The kiss became more intense with every passing second, and both of them forgot the situation they were in.
Chloe didn't know how long they stayed like that, but when they pulled apart, both of them were panting heavily. Their eyes met, and Alex saw something in her eyes. Sadness. No fear.
"Time's up, Wilson," The voice outside echoed through the room.
Chloe's eyes were still fixed on him, tears welling up in them.
"Don't..." She whispered, her voice shaky.
"If I survive this, I want to see those boobs," He chuckled and grabbed the wine bottle and stood up. He looked back at her with a warm smile. There was no tension or fear in his eyes or expression.
"That's a promise," Chloe whispered.
This is it.
The moment of Alex Wilson's death, which she thought she was going to witness.
But...
What happened next was something beyond her imagination.
Alex took a deep breath, eyes narrowing as he took out a pair of gloves, put them on, and stood up slowly. He then climbed onto the counter. Broken glass crunched under his shoes. His wine bottle in hand, he stood tall in plain sight of the gunmen. (He bought the car and it came with one of those fancy gloves. He kept it in his pocket.)
Seven men.
Three with M4s, braced in staggered formation near the SUVs.
Three with compact SMGs, scanning the windows for movement.
One at the back, handgun lazily hanging by his side, likely the one giving orders.
They all turned toward Alex the moment he stood.
"Finally," said the one with the handgun, grinning like a wolf. "The man of the hour."
Alex took a long sip from the bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"I'm feeling generous tonight," he said, his voice carrying easily through the night air. "So I'll give you five seconds to drop your weapons and lie face down. Surrender. Or, I kill you all. Choose."
The leader stared.
Then barked a laugh.
The others joined in, weapons half-lowered in disbelief.
"You hear this guy?" one of them said. "He's standing on a damn counter, holding a bottle, and he thinks he's the Punisher. Fucker living in his own made comic world. Hahaha."
"Ah! A fan of my work. Ok. I'll kill you painlessly," Alex pointed the bottle at him and then began counting.
"Five."
The laughter didn't stop. One of the men even leaned against the SUV, slapping the hood.
"Four."
"Hey, movie boy," called the SMG guy on the left. "You forgot to take your meds?"
"Three."
The man with the M4 closest to the window raised his weapon again.
"Two."
Alex's pupils shrank to pinpricks. His heart didn't race. His breath didn't quicken.
"One."
He hurled the wine bottle.
Glass exploded as it smashed into the M4 guy's face. The man reeled back, screaming as blood and wine soaked his mask and eyes.
Before anyone could react, Alex was already in motion.
He dashed in at insane speed, grabbed the shattered bottle from the floor, and jammed the jagged end into the guy's throat, slicing it out.
As blood sprayed all over the floor, Alex's hand was already holding the M4, and before the others could even lift their weapons, he was already aiming.
Six headshots. Clean. Perfect.
The first two dropped before they even realized their friend was down. The third was turning to run, but his head snapped back as the bullet tore through his skull. The fourth tried to scream something, maybe an order, maybe a plea, but his mouth filled with blood before he could get it out. The fifth and sixth were down before their brains registered the threat. One hit the SUV, slumping forward like a puppet with cut strings. The last fell backward, arms flailing, gun tumbling from his grip.
Silence fell.
Chloe crouched behind the counter, frozen. She had watched it all... eyes wide, breath caught in her throat. She didn't understand what she had just seen.
'What the...?!'
That wasn't just instinct. That wasn't luck.
That was training. That was precision. That was something else entirely.
Alex threw the gun on the floor and took a deep breath.
"Told you to surrender."
He walked over to the guy with the handgun and checked his pocket. He found a cell phone with a single number. He dialed it.
Chloe walked out from the cover, and the remaining civilians ran, creating another wave of chaos. Alex took this chance to disappear from there. He could still sense danger and staying with Chloe or anyone else would put them in danger. So, he decided to act alone.
...
[In an alley, a few blocks from the restaurant]
Alex held the phone to his ears.
"Is it done?" A male voice came from the other side of the call.
"Not exactly," Alex replied.
There was a moment of silence.
"What do you mean 'not exactly'?" The voice asked angrily.
"Your guys are dead. I'm still alive. What else do you want me to say? Also, your choice of a contractor was pretty shitty. They couldn't even kill me, and now you're gonna have to pay double."
"How?" The voice sounded confused. "And what makes you think you're getting out of this alive? My men are going to hunt you down and kill you before morning."
Alex sighed. "I don't get it. Why come after me? What did I do to you? If you are going to kill me, at least give some explanation first."
"You really don't remember anything, do you?"
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"Your parents killed my entire family. Now, I'll kill you and everyone close to you."
"Wow! Wow! Wow! That is quite an accusation. Care to elaborate?" Alex was confused as hell.
"I guess I can fulfill a dying man's wish. Your parents were the heads of the Wilson Family. The most influential family in the city. The Wilson Family was a powerful crime family that controlled the underground for years. They ran a huge weapon-smuggling business and controlled the whole underworld for decades. Your father, Michael Wilson, and my father, James O'Connell, were rivals. Both of them were vying for control over the underworld. There's one rule we never break. We don't go after the families of our rivals. But your father broke it, and killed my entire family. Blew up my house. My mother, my sisters, my brother, even my goddamn pet dog. Now, I'm going to do the same to you. I'm going to kill everyone you love and care about."
Alex was speechless. He didn't know how to react to this. Mafia? Gangsters? Underworld? What the fuck was that guy even talking about. His parents were bastards who left their son with a shit load of debt and he had to work his ass off to pay the debts. So, if they were that big of a Mafia, then why did they leave him like that?
"You still there?" The man on the other side of the call asked.
"Yeah. Still here. So, if you know my father, then tell me where they are or what happened to them?" Alex asked.
"They disappeared. All these years, I was searching for them, but who would have thought that they had a kid? They hid you well. It's a shame I couldn't find you earlier. Now it's too late."
"And how did you find me?" Alex asked again.
"That's not important now. What's important is that you are going to die soon and those bitches won't be there to save your ass like before. Hahahahaha! Alex Wilson, who would have thought that you'd actually sneak out of New York without informing anyone, just to buy a car? Poor Rachel... She won't be able to save your ass now."
'Huh?! Rachel? Save my ass? Wait a minute! Don't tell me she's a freaking mafia with nymphomaniac and submissive trait! Is this why she's so good with cops and government officials? Even back in Tokyo, she got the permit so easily, and I was able to buy that hotel, just like that. I thought it was the money, but... And now, the Titan Project is also going smoothly without any problems. She always does everything perfectly. Shit! A mafia... A very sexy mafia with high sex drive... I love her.' Alex tried to calm his nerves. Too many questions assaulted his mind. But he was glad to have Rachel by his side all this time. And the good news is he never felt any danger from her. So, all is fine.
Alex chuckled. "Well, I'm still alive. But if you really want to kill me, give me your address. I'll come to you. Let's end this tonight, yeah?"
Alex moved the phone away from his ear instinctively as the scream pierced through the speaker.
Then silence.
No voice.
No breath.
Just a faint, wet gurgle, and the dull thud of a body hitting the floor.
He stood in the alley, holding the phone like it might come to life and bite him.
"…Hello?" he tried.
Nothing.
No reply. Just dead air.
Then, a faint noise... footsteps. Approaching wherever the other guy had been. Alex pressed the phone harder to his ear, narrowing his eyes, trying to pick up anything.
Then a new voice. Low. Calm. Female.
"You alright, boss?" Came Rachel's voice.
"Rachel?" Alex replied.
"Yes, boss," She answered.
"You hid so many things from me... You do know the consequences of hiding things from me, right? I almost got killed here," Alex said with a sly smile.
"Are you going to spank me again?" Rachel's sultry voice came from the other side.
"Oh, no. This time, the punishment will be severe. You better prepare yourself after cleaning up this mess. I don't want my name or any rumors out there. Got it?" Alex asked.
"Yes, boss."
With that, the call was cut.
Alex leaned back on the wall and took a deep breath. Mafia, gangsters, underworld... What a mess. Not to mention, the reason behind his parents' disappearance. Now, Chloe would ask him questions and try to chase this case. Then there are two other girls who were with her... If his name came out in the media right now, it'd affect his reputation. Hopefully, Rachel got some connection. She's his best hope.
"Haaa..." He let out another sigh. "Well, I don't sense any danger now. Time to meet up with the detective."
(As for CCTV around the place. Those assassins deactivated them before the attack. But there are still some eyewitnesses. The civilians in the restaurant.)
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AN: Truth be told, I was kinda skeptical about Rachel's role. I wanted to give her some important role other than just a fuck buddy assistant. Oh, and there will be more surprises about his parents, way later in the story. Right now, I want to properly add mini arcs for the new series while continuing with the filming.
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AN: Alright. That's it for this week. See ya all on Sunday. And thanks for helping me stay at the top ranking. Rank 5 ain't that bad. Damn these tl ffs posting 20-30 chs/week. I can't compete with them. Well, it is what it is. Thank you all.