Nero
"Wake up." A voice whispered in my head and my eyes immediately snapped open just in time to hear the sound of my bedroom curtain shifting.
The sound was very slight, but I had always been a light sleeper. My heart first sped up, then slowed down as I calculated the danger I was in. There was only one intruder and the man was coming from my left side. My gun was inside my bed side drawer on the right and it would take me too long to reach it.
Long enough for the assassin to kill me.
I evened out my breath and waited, counting in my head.
Three... Two... One.
The masked man appeared in my vision, aiming his gun at my chest. I moved before he could fire, sweeping my legs through the air and knocking him to the ground. A surprised grunt escaped his mouth as he dropped to the ground.
I wasted no time in leaping for my gun, but the man recovered faster than I had expected, crashing into me from behind and taking me down to the ground.
Damn it.
He raised his gun again. This time around, I rolled away before the silent bullet could lodge into me. Quick as lightning, I delivered two jabs to the man's stomach. He staggered away, gun clattering to the ground and disappearing in the dark.
A low furious growl escaped his mouth as he lost hold of his gun.
Neither of us bothered going for the gun. Instead, the man rushed toward me, fists ready. I dodged his first blow, grabbed his arm and yanked him forward, sending the both of us toppling into the bed.
I wrapped my arm around his neck from behind, holding him down. "Who sent you?"
"What do you take me for?" Came his deep reply.
Within a moment, he had escaped from my hold, and smashed his elbow into my stomach. Pain bloomed, but I ignored it, knowing that any second of distraction could end with a bullet in my skull.
By now, I had no doubt my men would have realized something was wrong. I just needed to stall this bastard long enough for my men to get here, then I could torture the truth out of him.
As if we had the same thought, I saw his attention shift toward the balcony leading off my room. My eyes narrowed as it became clear he planned to escape. Not on my fucking watch.
He moved at the same time I did, racing for the balcony while I leaped and kicked him in the back. He landed on the ground with a heavy thud, then pulled out a dagger and came for me, slashing the weapon through the air and forcing me to retreat. As soon as I was backed into a corner, mind racing on how to disarm him, he grabbed my dresser and flung it down between us.
Just as the door flew open, revealing my men with their guns drawn, the assailant dashed off to the balcony. I didn't move as my men went after him, firing in his direction. By the time I finally made my way to the balcony, there was no sign of the man.
"Boss, he's gone." My bodyguard said, staring at me wide eyed.
"What do you mean he's gone?" I bit out. "He can't possibly have disappeared."
"We have men scouring the compound as we speak." Another of my men said. "If he's here, we will find him."
"How the hell did he get in?" I asked the question that mattered. There had been several attempts on my life, but none of them had gotten this close.
None of them had gotten into my damn bedroom for God's sake. If I had woken up even a second later, I'd be dead by now. The thought had my fingers curling into fists at my sides.
"We're going through the footage at the moment to try and understand how he got in without tripping off any security alarms boss," he replied, looking nervous.
"When you find him, take him to the cellar. Nobody should touch him until I get a good look at him." I informed them. "And one more thing, I need a new security detail."
My personal bodyguard stepped forward, brows drawn. "I don't understand, boss. I'm still here. This was a terrible incident, but I promise that it will not repeat itself. I'll position outside your door and_"
His whining was cut short by the entrance of another of my men. "We searched the grounds, the assassin was nowhere to be seen, but we found a bag that we think belongs to him. We found weapons inside, but there was no identification or any other way to tell who sent him. There were also track marks leading off from the side gate."
"So he's gone?" I asked.
The man nodded. "We're going to run the car plates through the systems and try to find him."
I had no doubt that any investigation would turn out useless. The man was long gone. My jaw ground together.
"Increase security around the house and station someone at every major and minor entrance." I instructed. "Also, I need a new security detail by morning."
"Boss, but_"
Without another word, I snatched a gun from one of the men, turned and fired at the man who had just spoken. A bodyguard who had let a man get into my room and almost kill me was useless and didn't deserve to live.
I tossed the gun away. "Clean up this mess."
"Yes boss."