Chapter 23 #2
“You have access to Liot’s security cameras?
” I whisper-ask, my dad nods, his light brown hair impeccably styled.
I swear my father always dresses to impress.
And not much is needed. Josh is a small version of him and they both have the irreprehensible Kane’s charm.
They’re perfect looking, proportion-wise.
“Why didn’t you tell us that before?” I ask, my father smiles.
“Some things are better left unsaid until the right moment arrives,” my father says and I’m about to ask him if he’s keeping anything else to himself, but there’s fast movement on the boys' side. They’re jogging in the opposite direction the guards are coming from.
“They’re flanking you, they know you’re there, code hawk,” Code hawk?
“What the hell is Code Hawk?” Maya whispers and Karl touches the microphone’s red button.
“Get them out, sir,” Karl says and I look at Liot’s cameras. They’re trying to surround them.
“I leave no one behind. Give me your pistol,” Dominik says directing himself to Rian.
Rian unsurely hands it to him. Dominik hands him a rifle hanging on his shoulders.
“We’re going to kill the guards who are flanking us, then you’re going to wait as Josh and I will kill everyone inside the mansion and make a run for it while you cover us,” Dominik orders and Josh grabs one of his rifles and gives it to Dominik.
In baby steps, they’re learning to live with one another, and I’m smiling at the screen.
I’m smiling and smiling before the shooting begins.
I close my eyes for one second, and only open them when the shooting stops. Dominik is lost. He’s not there as a person, he’s only seeing allies and targets, I can tell it by the way he analyses the space.
“Josh,” Dominik calls, his face almost doesn’t move, his eyes or expression don’t change.
He nudges his head towards the house and starts jogging.
It’s scary how fast the others stop seeing and hearing them, us included.
Liot’s cameras don’t spot them. All we see is the occasional glance at one another from Dominik and Josh, Josh more often.
Only then do I notice Dominik is farther away from the forest and approaching the house, while Josh stands by the tree line.
“What is he doing? Dominik is going to die!” I almost scream nervously, my hands trembling, my knees giving in, so I sit down. I sit down and do the only thing I can, I watch.
“He’s not going to die. He’s protecting your brother. He’s used to working solo,” Karl says looking at me with a friendly expression. I thank him, unsure of what to say and hold Maya’s arm. It is warm, and unlike Sammy’s, not shaking.
“Josh is going to be fine. If anyone can make it through hell and back it’s him,” I assure Sammy holding her arm as well, until my arms are locked with both of them.
I look at Josh’s camera hoping not to see it fall.
Josh is the one to make it, but I don’t know if this is doable even for him.
I assured Sammy and she’s slightly calmer yet I’m not.
I hold my breath when Dominik opens what seems to be the back door, noiselessly.
I thank God and pray he isn’t found. He enters a closet and puts a silencer on the end of his gun, refilling it as well.
When he walks out there’s movement to his right, before I even see anyone there’s a shot, and something or most likely someone falls to the ground.
I don’t see it, I just heard the “bang” on the wooden floor.
Several shots are taken later and shooting erupts from everywhere, but no one hits Dominik.
The ground floor is empty of living souls when Dominik’s camera almost seems to fall to the ground.
There’s no sound until I hear footsteps downstairs.
“Josh, get inside the damned building, man down,” I say taking control over the situation. My father hadn’t realised what happened yet, or preferred Dominik dead over Josh. I’d prefer if none of them die today.
“I’m fine,” Dominik says and gets back on his feet. “I fainted,” he says and I thank whoever is up there for the timing, and Dominik for holding on. “Tell Josh to back off, Love,” Dominik whispers and my father holds the microphone.
“Retreat Josh, Dominik is fine. Get ready to carry Aiden. They’ll be there in no time,” everyone is counting on Dominik, I’m counting on Dominik. He’s not nearly 100% and we’re asking him to make a risky operation where everyone relies on him, and him only.
“What was your idea?” I ask my father and he doesn’t look at me or acknowledge I talked to him in any form. “He’s not ready, Dad!”
“Stop whining and watch. Dominik assured me he could do this,” Dominik assured him? What has he done?
After a sequence of shots Dominik manages to clear the house.
“Liot isn’t here, Vance,” Dominik says and turns back to the room Aiden is in.
“Tell Josh to come in, and hurry, something isn’t right,” I agree, it looks like they’re almost giving Aiden to them.
There were guards of course, many, but none of them seemed to be Liot’s trusted few.
“I agree. Get out of there as soon as possible. I’ll check on Liot’s location-”
There’s shooting, but it doesn’t seem to come from the computers.
“What was that?” Sammy asks jumping on her chair.
“What was that, Vance?” Dominik asks and my father checks our condominium’s cameras. One of Liot’s trusted is here.
“Can’t talk, get back to Cilinm, we’re under attack,” my father says and I wonder who’s the informer.
Only Vance, Karl and a handful of guards knew about the whole operation.
“Hide,” my father says but I don’t, instead I steal Karl’s spare gun and walk outside after I hear from the cameras one of the attackers saying the target is Vance Kane.
I text Dominik “Get the hell out of there,” when I understand what they’re doing. They’re trying to kill my father to make me suffer, and make Dominik watch me in pain. And they’re not getting that gratification.
“Karl knock him out and follow me,” I say and before my father gets to say anything Karl hits him. “Stay in there and don’t make a sound. If someone comes in, shoot them Maya.”
“How do I know it’s not you?” Maya asks grabbing my father’s gun, he’s not using it anyway. I needed to keep him safe, and he would never hide with me in possible danger. I had no choice.