Chapter 2

~Skai

“Let him in,” I heard a calm, restrained voice said from inside.

“You may come in, sir.” The lady smiled, pursing her lips as she spoke. Her eyes roaming over me, seductively. She stepped aside as I walked past her and entered.

“Enzo”, I took him in, a man in a custom-tailored suit looked up, his brown hair neatly styled. His calm notion and knowledge about my name registered that he was my employer.

“Nice meeting you, sir.” I bowed.

“I've heard a lot about you.” He settled in the nearest chair.

“I’m here as per your request, Mr Bernard.” My eyes glinted with a smile, trying to make a good impression.

“That’s my son, Juliano; he’s the one you'd work for.” He pointed to the man sitting, his gaze low with a hard expression, letting out an eerie vibe.

“You have had attempted assassinations against your life; doesn’t that bother you?” His father faced him, looking stern, his voice laced with concern.

Juliano’s expression was candid and unwavering. My heart dropped at Juliano's attitude towards me. It'd be difficult working with someone that didn't like me.

His eyes flashed with something I couldn't quite decipher — interest laced with irritation, if I were to make a guess.

“He doesn’t even seem bigger than I am. If you were choosing someone for me, wouldn’t you take someone with a bigger build?” His voice dripped with mockery. I looked down at myself, a part of me I'd buried swimming to the surface.

Almost immediately after he talked, the young lady at the counter barged in.

“Please forgive my intrusion.” Her mouth opened with uneven and ragged breaths, panting. Her nicely packed hair losing its elegance.

Everyone watched in her direction.

“The…men…they, they escaped somewhere in the building.” Her voice broke as she placed her hand on her chest.

“What are you saying?” Juliano's face squeezed like a sponge. His expression faded immediately, morphing into anxiety.

“The men that entered the building?” My eyes flew wide. I thought the men took care of them.

“Please stay here, Mister Bernard.” My hands demonstrated, bolting towards the door. The problem wasn’t about making them leave; it was finding where they are in the building.

“How do we find them in the building?” The husky man in black asked, a security guard like the rest of them, hands on his waist.

“Shut all exits,” I heard another said into a telecom. I snatched the telecom.

“All stations report to the entrance. The CEO is making me leave.” My pitch was high and commanding; whoever those men were, they were professionally trained to intercept transmissions. That was exactly what I needed.

Their target is headed for the entrance, as they thought they’d find a way to get there too, without people’s notice.

“You, you, stay low, go downstairs; I’ll be in the CEO’s office.” I acted like a head of security, pointing to the two men in uniform.

My assumptions were right; one of them was walking to the exit, as informed by the security men. Walking stealthily and calmly, holding my breath time after time.

Looking through my peripheral vision, I could see his dark figure approaching the doors. I was already closing in on him; I tapped his shoulder, making him turn towards me, taking him by surprise. I kicked him in the balls; he let out a loud groan.

“Who do you work for?” I growled, gripping his collar. Juliano strolled into the hallway.

“What's going on?” His brows curved in question, acting clueless.

“No, no.” I held on to the masked man. Quite distracted by Juliano, he grabbed what seemed to be a knife, jabbing right at me.

I used the cross technique, halted and snatched the knife from his mind. Using my feet to push his knees backwards, crippling him.

I faced Juliano, “You don't need to be scared, sir.”

Impulsively, I felt a chill down my spine.

The next second, I saw a flying piece of metal. Before I could process whatever it was, the metal pierced through my back.

“Oh God!” Juliano exclaimed as I fumbled to my knees, the blade hanging out.

“I’m…fine,” I muttered, holding him as my support to come back up, the man already sprawled on the ground.

“Please take him to the hospital,” Juliano said to the security man, his voice weighed down by slight fear, frozen at the sight of damp clothing on me.

“I’m okay, call the corps.” I winced, trying to hold the pain. They had lost the two men before; what is the probability they wouldn’t lose him again?

“Call the ambulance.” He told the security man.

He left with no words.

“You’re hurt.” Juliano placed his hand on my shoulder as I crouched down, the pain lingering in my abdomen. My heartbeat increased. I braced up my voice.

“It’s not deep. Can you help me with the knife?” He stared at me with panic.

“No! You need a hospital…a doctor!”

“Why would you risk your life like that?” He helped me up, winding my arm around his neck.

“It’s my job,” I answered sharply, the knife causing more damage in a still position.

“Someone else can help me” I fell to the floor in his office, blood melting into my clothes like glue.

“I’ll call the ambulance instead,” he pulled out his phone.

It was futile. The moment he pressed his phone to dial, I took hold of the metal blade sticking out, carefully taking a piece of my wrap in my mouth and pulling it out.

“What are you doing?!” He yelled, his phone fell to the ground. I had removed the knife, taking the wrap out of my mouth.

“I can't wait for the ambulance; it’s not a serious wound.” The pain was still there, despite removing the knife. I propped it to the side, long and wrung of fresh blood, red as coral.

He stared at me, fear and awe flickering through his gaze.

“Can I get some tissues?” I winced, snapping him out of his reverie. My blood was everywhere around me, streaming down my back - hot and sticky. I just wanted to get in the bathroom and clean myself up.

He moved to his drawer.

I took out my suit; my white shirt was drowned in fresh blood.

“Le… Let me help you with that.” He crouched beside me, taking the tissue to my back with shaky hands.

“I can do it alone; the security men will take my work from here. I can handle it"

It wasn’t different from anything I had done in the past. I've been in a worse situations - just less bloody.

“The ambulance will be here soon.”

“It’s not that serious,” My back hit the ground. My eyes half closed - heavy as a towel drowned in water. The ground looked like it was catching up with me.

Everything went pitch black.