Chapter 1: Inside The Game

" Mi Corazón , is the baby mine ?" One of the cutest men I've ever seen in my short existence asked with he's right hand grabbing my neck in the most soft and careful way ever and his fingers tracing over my whole body making me shiver in ways one could only imagine.

"Is that even a question? We both know he spent the most time of the past month with me," another voice interrupted bringing me back to my senses. "I highly doubt your little eggplant was capable of that!" The voice continued and as I looked up I saw him, the other man with a gun as he stepped out the darkness. 

There were two men standing in front of me but they look exactly the same and how do I even tell either who fucks me better and who's baby this even is.

I know y'all may be wondering how did I end up in such situation, to answer that I'd have to trace back to the very beginning the day this all started and mind you my story is steamy as hell and definitely not for the faint of heart..

90 DAYS AGO..

The file said ninety days but I intended to finish in just twenty-one... I stared at the photography clipped to the inside cover, memorizing the face for the third time and the file reads.

ALEXANDER BLACKWOOD.

Twenty-nine.

Billionaire.

Heir to Blackwood International.

Public Reputation: Disciplined, intelligent, untouchable..

Private reputation: worse..

I quickly turned to the next page.

ADRIAN BLACKWOOD.

Twenty-nine.

Alexander's identical twin.

Head of the Blackwood family's unofficial empire.

Violent. Unpredictable. Dangerous.

I immediately closed the file and stared to my side as my reflection stared back at me from the tinted car window.

I am Caelan Vay. Twenty-four of age, I'm an executive security specialist and a former military consultant, excellent references, perfect education, employment history and Identity if only any of these were to be real.

My thumb brushed the corner of the file and at the bottom of the final page, right beneath the mission objective was a very clear line printed in red ..

DO NOT KILL EITHER TARGET.

"What?" I thought to myself. "This is unusual.." and it was truly very unusual because as for long I could remember I've been given targets before, names, photographs, schedules and exit routes but I had never been given given a target with a warning not to kill them.

Just then, my phone phone vibrated with a single encrypted message.

NINETY DAYS.

Then another appeared.

BREAK THE BROTHERS.

I quickly typed a one word response 

"Understood..."

And I should have just stopped right there and carry on with the mission but I somehow summoned the courage to add: WHY KEEP THEM ALIVE?..

The message showed it was read but there was not a single response, I smiled faintly as I stared at the phone.. "Typical VANTAGE. Gives me an impossible assignment and refuse to explain why." I murmured to myself.

Just then, the driver slowed down. "We're here." He annoced.

I looked through the windshield, and the Blackwood Manor emerged behind the iron gates but I wasn't bothered admiring all that.. I went straight up counting the cameras.

One was right above the eastern gate, two hidden beneath the stone archway and three covering the driveway.

There were also four visible guards and probably six more concealed, I noted the blind spot beside the western hedge.

"Emergency exit? Unknown," I said to myself. "I'd find it, I always did."

Just then, the gates opened and the car rolled forward. I picked up my briefcase. "One last things," I said.

"Yes?" The driver asked glancing at me through the mirror.

"Who was the assassin?" I asked

"I wasn't told," he replied, he's expression highly unchanged.

The car came to a stopped and I stepped out. The front doors opened before I could even reach them and inside waited a man in black suit.

"Mr. Very? The man spoke..

"Yes!" I replied...

"I'm Mr.Blackwood's head of security." He explained. I immediately extended my hand and he shook it with a very firm grip.

"Your credentials have been verified." He continued. "Mr. Blackwood is waiting for you."

"Good!" I repli d.

The man gestured towards the entrance and I stepped inside but immediately stopped on my tracks, not because of the mansion nor of the armed guards positioned discreetly around the foyer.

But because of the man standing alone at the far end of the room. It was Alexander Blackwood.

He was just standing there all mighty. He was reading a report and I noticed there were no bodyguards, no visible weapon I still tried to scan for a sign that truly someone had tried to kill him less than twenty-four hours ago.

He looked bored even. Honestly speaking I was expecting arrogance perhaps maybe anger instead the man standing over here just looked like a man reviewing quarterly earnings.

Just then, his eyes lifted and they met mine and if I'm being honest, the photos were doing no justice this eyes 

"You're late," Alexander said as he closed the report.

I quietly glanced at the grandfather clock. 2:57 pm. And my appointment was at three, I looked back at Alexander.

"I'm three minutes early." I said.

"Are you?" He asked, his expression unchanging.

I absolutely knew not was wrong with me but I almost smiled before coming back to my senses.

"If you wanted me at 2:57, you should have put 2:57 on the invitation," I replied staring straight at him as he walked forward

How eyes flickered before he spoke. " You're confident."

"I'm usually accurate," I corrected. "There's a difference." 

"Not in my line of work," he added. Just then another voice almost completely similar to the one before me, drifted down from the staircase.

"He's cute!" The voice said. I immediately looked up and another man stood against the railing.

He had the same black hair, same sharp features, same eyes but the resemblance ended just there. Alexander was stillness whereas this man was movement.

He wore a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, one hand resting casually against the railing. And his smile was almost lazy. Almost. Adrian Blackwood. I had studied his photographs, but photographs hadn't captured the danger.

Adrian's gaze dropped straight to my hands, not my face, my hands and I noticed immediately.

"You're the new security consultant?" He asked pushing away from the railing.

"That's what they tell me," I replied.

Adrian descended the stairs. " And do you always look for exits when u enter a room.

That one question completely shook me but I didn't let it show out as my eyes remained strictly on him, how did he know what I was thinking?. "I was looking at the architecture." I replied.

Adrian stopped two steps away. "Of course," he replied, his smile widened. "But the architecture doesn't have an exit behind it either 

I glanced towards the door in a confused manner. Adrian laughed softly but Alexander didn't. I immediately filed the observation away. Alexander is the type who watches the faces and Adrian watches and study behaviours. 

"These twins were more perceptive that VANTAGE habmd suggested," I thought to myself. Just then, Alexander extended a folder.

"Your contract.." he said.

"You've already signed?" I asked as I accepted it. "I don't sign anything before reading it"

"I assume your employer had done that for you," he replied.

I ignored him at first and just went ahead to opened the folder. "Then you assumed wrong." I said.

Adrian chuckled and Alexander gave him a dead stare for a second before turning back at me.

"Come!" He said, and I immediately followed down the hall to a room. The security room was hidden behind a biometric door.

He placed his plan against the scanner and the lock released he stepped inside and I followed right behind him.

Banks of monitors displayed every section of the estate.

"Your job is to identify weaknesses," He said.

"How much access do I have?" I asked studying the screens

"All of it." He replied.

I stopped and quickly turned to him. "All of it?" I asked again.

Alexander nonned. "Security feeds, personal records, entry logs, and internal communications."

"Youre giving a stranger access to your entire security network?" I asked.

"You're not a stranger Cale," he replied.

For some weird reason his statement sounded unreal. "We met approximately four minutes ago," I explained raising an eyebrow.

"Your background says otherwise," Alexander replied in the most dominating tune.

I immediately went still and Alexander noticed instantly. "Is there a problem, Mr. Vey?"

"No." I replied.

But he stepped even closer to me and my heart immediately began to race.

"Good." His voice lowered as he whispered to my ear, he's breath making my body vibrate for some reason.. "Because if someone is going to betray me, I'd rather know exactly where they're standing,"

Alexander just pulled back, smiled and walked away and I just stood there shaking watching him leave.

"Maybe this mission wouldn't be as easy as just twenty-ome days." I murmured.

By midnight I had already mapped most of the estate and I was just about to shut down my terminal when one of the security feeds caught movement. It was Adrian and he was leaving the eastern corridor alone.

I quickly checked my time and it was 12:18 am.

"Interesting.." I said to myself before deciding to follow him 

I followed closely. I watched him leave through a private gate and cross the grounds towards a waiting vehicle and then someone stepped out. A woman, and they spoke for less than five minutes. I couldn't hear a single thing they were saying but I did manage to get my phone and took some photos.

Then Adrian handed the woman a small envelope before she left. I just hid there and remained in the shadow.. I didn't need to fool her.

The next morning, Alexander was drinking coffee when I entered the dining room.

"Mr. Blackwood," I called and Alexander immediately looked up.

"Something happened?" He asked.

"I saw Adrian leave the estate last night."

The cup stopped halfway to Alexander's mouth. "Did you now?"

"Yes!" I replied 

"Where did he go?" 

"I don't know.."

"Who did he meet?" Alexander ask again.

"I don't know..."

He studied me for a second. I just ignored him calmly poured myself coffee 

After several seconds, Alexander asked: "Anything else?" 

"No!" I replied, a lie by omission my personal speciality.

Alexander said nothing next but I could see the question settle behind his eyes. Why did Adrian Leave? Perfect exactly where I want him.

Later that afternoon, Adrian found me in the library.

"My brother asked about me," he said not asking.

I slowly looked up from my tablet.

"He did?" I asked.

"Don't....!" He voiced 

"Don't what??" I asked again.

"Pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.

I smiled and replied. "Your brother does asks a lot of questions you know."

"What did he ask?" He said leaning against the desk.

I paused for a second before replying. "Where you'd been."

Adrian smile immediately disappeared only for a second but I saw it and it was perfect my mission was progressing.

"You know what? He added. "Don't worry forget I came by anyways.. and just so you know you smell really nice," he said before leaving the room.

That night, I locked my bedroom door . I removed a second phone from beneath the false bottom of my suitcase and the screen illuminated my face.

VANTAGE SECURE CHANNEL

I typed: BLACKWOOD INFILTRATION COMPLETE.

A response appeared almost immediately.

STATUS?

I stared at the screen for a while then typed:

INITIAL FRACTURE ACHIEVED.

Three dots appeared, then disappeared, appeared again. Finally:

DO NOT PROCEED.

I frowned and another message arrived.

Remain inside the Blackwood estate.

I stared at it in confusion because this wasn't part of the mission.

I typed: Why?

The message showed as delivered but no response followed so I waited. Ten seconds passed and then twenty.

Just then, my phone vibrated and one final message appeared.

: And Cale?

My fingers immediately tightened around the phone. Lucian almost never used my name during missions.

I typed: Yes?

The reply appeared: Do not let either brother leave the estate without you.

Then another message appeared: Because they are not the only people watching you.

The last message sent shivers down my spine and the lights in my room suddenly sent out.