INICIAR SESIÓNAVA DUVAL
“Next!” I groaned, peering at the resume. It's been three hours and no one was to my taste. They were either too big, too confident or not to my liking.
One came in and I read his name out.
“Enzo.” I assessed his profile and strangely it was outstanding. Military experience, ten recommendations and tank?
I glanced up, sizing him. His hair was dark and his eyebrows thick. He had dark circles that added to his beauty.
“What can you do?” I asked.
“Anything you want,” he replied, flexing his muscles.
“Anything?”
“Yes.”
The edge of my lips twitched a little, then I spoke almost in a whisper.
“Can you fuck me? Like well enough?” He looked a little bit taken aback, before he smiled, maybe playing along. Maybe not.
“If you want that…”
“You can leave!” I interrupted rolling my eyes.
I had interviewed at least twenty people in three hours and they all sucked. I looked at the list on the table. Five more then I'm done for the day.
“Tell them I'll be taking a short break,” I told my father's secretary.
I searched through the files looking for anyone that would at least catch my eye.
Fifteen recommendations. Twelve… eight… one?
I picked up a file and read through it. It had only one recommendation, no experience and no special ability.
“Ethan Nikolai Cole,” I muttered, staring at his face. His eyes were dark as though it stared at me piercing through my soul. A sharp jawline and jet black hair.
How could someone so handsome have only one recommendation?
“VAR?”
I had heard the name once, but it was only in passing. All I knew about the organization was that it was too powerful and if they recommended this Nikolai, then he was top-notch.
“Tell them to come in, my break's over,” I instructed, bubbling with excitement at meeting this strange man.
The next recruit came in, he had a patch on one eye and a scar on the other.
“Jace? Show me what you have,” I said leaning on my seat.
I wanted less talking and more action. Father's secretary played the right role since she was well versed in martial arts. I stared in awe as Jace picked her up and smashed her back on the ground. But he was too full of himself not to notice the knife she struck at his hips. He screamed, but she wasn't done. With her knee struck at his dick, he fell to the floor whining in pain.
“So much for viking,” I scoffed, calling in the next person.
His special ability was his swiftness so we moved from the office to father's security's playground. Secretary Lee shot heavy balls at him and he passed.
“What's your name?”
“Simon.”
“I like your hair,” I said, flashing him a winsome smile. Before he could speak, a ball hit his head.
“Next!”
I focused on my phone scrolling through endless messages while Secretary Lee did the job. Nothing seemed interesting, and the news of my attack had already died down due to my father's influence.
“Only one recommendation, Ethan Nikolai Cole,” Lee said and I shot my head up immediately when I heard his name.
My eyes ran through his body, he dressed like he was in the mafia and those eyes… it overshadowed my gaze.
“What can you do?” I asked, standing from my seat. I motioned for everyone to leave — to let me handle this man that caught my attention.
“What I'm being paid for,” he replied, his voice making my stomach flutter. It sounded a little familiar except I couldn't place it.
Was he the one who saved me? I thought, but shrugged it off. This man looked calmer than that beast who with one hand raised my attacker up and called it fun.
There were no similarities between Ethan and my mystery man. It was too easy to differentiate and of course, people's voices sounded alike sometimes.
“What are you being paid for?” I retorted moving closer to him.
“I'll have to see the contract first.” He smirked, twirling his pistol. I wasn't going to hire him just because he looked like a Greek god.
Father wanted me to get a bodyguard because I was a target for criminals, and hiring someone because his voice made my heart skip too many beats in a second seemed rather absurd.
“Why do you want to be my bodyguard?” I asked, refusing to be caught in his charm.
Ethan stared at his pistol for a while, admiring the cool texture of the body. The gun had an imprint on it, but it was difficult to see.
Suddenly, he turned the gun, pointing it at me. He cocked it, a mischievous grin plastered on his stupidly handsome face.
“For the money, Miss Ava. I'll kill for money.”
He pulled the trigger and let it go.
I squeezed my eyes shut, wondering if he too was part of the people that wanted me dead. After what seemed like a minute I opened them.
Spinning round, I saw a dead guard on the floor, crimson red staining the ground like a spilled wine, only it was blood.
I didn't know where my father found this man, but he looked dangerous. No, he was highly and openly grey. He knew the game and played it well — it seemed like we were just pawns for his little game of fun.
I breathed in and let it out carelessly.
For a minute, I thought he wanted to kill me, but he was only pointing out his goal.
Ethan Cole could do anything for money and VAR personally recommended him. I glanced up at him, and smiled. He wasn't a bodyguard, he was a full blown killer.
“You're hired!”
I brought out a hand and he shook it. I stared at him till he left the training ground.
I hope I wasn't making a huge mistake hiring a man this dangerous.
“Lee, did you do a background check on him?” I asked when she came in.
She nodded.
“And?”
“I found nothing, not even a birth certificate. His slate is clean,” she replied.
I gulped knowing exactly what I had gotten into.
AVA AND NIKOLAI Nikolai pulled her close, kicking the door to her room shut. With the leaves fluttering outside and the house perfectly empty, this was the best time to have him all to herself. Ava had been busy — working since the crack of dawn, but now… she was his tonight. Every night. Ava chuckled, holding him close to her. She could feel his chest pressing against hers. The steady beating of his heart made her more needy than ever.“Father's out with some friends… so, what do you want to do?” she asked, smiling from ear to ear. Spending half the day with her father was the most overwhelming thing, but someone needed to learn how to operate the family business. That person was her. Nikolai's hand slid down to her slender waist, he stroked it gently, a light gasp leaving her lips. Damn it, she'd forgotten how sweet he could be. Like a fucking candy, only more addictive.He bent over to her ear, whispering in a tone so low, she clenched her pussy. “To make you scream.”
WINNIE AND ZERO The steam rising around her body seemed to calm whatever fire that was ignited in her. She let the droplets from the shower pour down on her, racing to her toes. Today's mission had been another success, and with the way things were going, the organization might just promote them. Winnie hummed softly, rubbing her hair carefully. There was nothing better than a hot shower after a bloody kill. Nikolai was still pissed about the amount of evidence she left at the scene, but to be fair, there was not much room to think especially when her enemies were so brutal. She muttered, “I should step out now, everyone's downstairs celebrating—” and she didn't want to miss it. Carefully, she stepped out of the bathroom, a towel carefully wrapped around her chest. She slipped it off and began drying herself. She was so immersed in cleaning — or the thought of the party — that she didn't notice the door click open. A footstep, then another. The stranger rubbed hi
ETHAN COLE We had all been holding our breath or maybe that was what it felt like. A long silence stretched through the room. Our bodies had slowly adapted to the thick smell of blood in the air. Maybe it was relief, or reflection, but the silence spoke volumes. I stared at Seth's unmoving body — my teammate, the one who had betrayed us. For a very brief moment, I thought he'd rise up, or that his fingers would twitch. But the more the quietness hung in the air, the clearer it became that we were now true enemies of VAR. Invading Serena's fortress and killing one of the most valued agents? Yeah, we were going to be on the run for a very long time. I swerved, facing my teammates. They all stared at me as though waiting for my command. Tucking my pistol in my belt, I ran my fingers through my hair. “Should we say this is a victory?” I asked, the corner of my lips tilting. Winnie wiped the sweat from her face, then shrugged, probably too tired to even comprehend
ETHAN COLEMy eyes levelled against my target, arms swung the blade like it was part of me — like this was the last time on earth. It would be if I let it. Rage has never felt so good. It fueled me up, made me want to take this bastard's head even more. The blade pushed deep into one of the men's throat, before slashing it, blood all over the weapon. What a mess. I saw him. My target. The reason our plan went downhill. I lunged at him, raising the weapon to strike.This wouldn't end with him dead. VAR would continue to hunt us down, but for now — for now I wanted this bastard gone. Seth easily dodged, using the wall as a wedge. He cracked up, shoulders jerked uncontrollably. Our gaze met. Bloodied face, a maniacal stare tearing into the depths of my soul. He spat, his breathing growing ragged. “I trusted you.” I cocked my head to the side, then let out a heavy sigh. “Everyone chose their sides. Same way you did!” I swung the blade, slicing through the air. He ducke
AVA DUVAL Sweat dripped from my scalp trickling down to my lips. The salty and dirty feeling left a disturbing taste in my mouth. I tried to control my breathing. My heart slammed against my ribs, pounding so loudly I could barely hear anything… Too loud to decipher my emotions at the moment. Everything was happening so fast. Faster than I could anticipate. Amidst the chaos, I could hear the ticking sound of the bomb. Each tick made my jaw tense. I bit hard on my tongue, a metallic taste resting on my tongue. I tried to speak — to say something reassuring, but my tongue was tied. My throat had locked the words away, and only air rolled from my mouth. Lily was coming. That was what they had said, but each time I glanced at the door, only the enemies trooped in. How many more minutes till I die? I didn't know, my eyes were blurred by tears, and a pounding headache that slammed against my skull. Was I wrong? Wrong for trusting Ethan… wrong for getting involved in something so
ETHAN COLE I sat firmly on the bodies sprawled across the floor, wiping my pistol with a white cloth. Grunts echoed from beneath me, but that… that didn't matter. The stench of blood filled the room mixed with the hideous smell coming from the drainage. Ava was still tied to a chair, our eyes somehow not breaking contact.I breathed in, then let it out carelessly. “The plan…” I started, searching for the right words to use. We did have a plan before. A detailed one to be exact, but tonight, that changed. There was no plan. “Let me guess, it was a bust,” she said, finally breaking away her gaze. I rubbed the back of my neck, nodding like a ten year old who just got caught. Ava let out a sigh, relaxing into the hardwood of the chair. “As expected. For a bunch of assassins, y'all suck,” she spat. The corner of her lips tilted, and I was sure it was a smile, so I smiled back. Only a little. There were still bigger fish to fry. “I'm in contact with Winnie, they're curren







