Chapter Twenty-nine Daniel
Chapter Twenty-nine
Daniel
I can’t tear my eyes away from the body, the blood already pooling around him, staining the concrete dark red. My heart's pounding in my chest, but my face is a mask—cold, unreadable.
This is what happens when you’re the boss. You make sure things are handled, even when they go sideways.
Even when you were the one who almost got shot in his head.
I shift my gaze to Hayden, whose face is pale but alert, his hand tightening around his weapon.
The panic in the air is almost palpable. The men don’t know what to think.
Most of them are going to want answers, but I’m not giving them any yet.
I can’t, because I have no clue what just happened here either. Neither do I know who this man is who tried to kill me.
The only thing that matters to me right now is the fact that the bastard’s dead.
Thank fucking God we got snipers here.
Whoever it was who shot in time, that man is getting a fucking fat reward.
“Stay alert, everyone,” I bark, louder this time, scanning the area. My instincts are firing on all cylinders, and something tells me this is just the beginning.
I tap my in-ear monitor, talking to the men who couldn’t hear me. “Snipers, keep your eyes on every damn corner. We’re not letting anyone else slip through.”
Hayden moves closer, his footsteps barely audible against the tension in the air. “What the hell just happened?” he asks, voice steady but with an edge of confusion.
I don’t answer right away, my mind racing through the possibilities.
Who the hell was that man? And how the hell did he get this close without anyone noticing?
I told them to check everyone. Nikolai was the only one who realized, and only after that man raised his gun just a few meters away from me.
I glance over at Yuri’s men, all eyes on me, waiting for the next move. Every one of them is ready to fall into action at a moment’s notice, but they’re all looking for reassurance that this won’t spiral out of control.
But I don’t have any of those answers yet.
“We’re not done here,” I mutter, looking down at the stranger one last time, my gut tightening. “Check every crate. Double-check everything.”
I turn back to Hayden. His eyes narrow, sensing the shift in my mood. He knows better than to ask too many questions now.
“Where’s Yuri?” I demand, my voice low and controlled.
“I haven’t seen him,” Nikolai says, glancing around. “But I’ll go find him.”
I don’t have time for more of this. “Find him, now. And make sure to tell him what just happened.” My words are clipped, my jaw clenched. I move forward, my focus solely on the next step.
My hands are itching for action, but I won’t make a move until I know exactly what’s going on. No more surprises. No more mistakes.
The longer I stand there, the more I feel the weight of this—this... breach of security.
Whoever the hell that man was, he didn’t just stumble onto this pier. And if it was a setup, if someone here is playing a game with me... things are about to get ugly.
I’m about to think it’s all Yuri’s work, but if I assume something huge like this right in front of everyone, in front of his men, especially Nikolai… There’d be more than just one dead person tonight.
I don’t want to start a war. Not yet, at least. Not as long as I don’t know who is behind all this.
“Julian.” I demand.
He immediately steps forward, willing to follow my order. “Yes, boss?”
“Get this man in one of the trucks. Find out who he is, what he does”, I tell him. To my surprise, he nods and goes to work immediately, some of my other men helping him.
He’s usually never that cooperative. Then again, he knows when to obey. And tonight, after all that happened, he’s aware that provoking me isn’t a good idea.
Thank fuck he understands what danger we’re all in now.
Soon after, Hayden joins me with Yuri. I look at the boss, but don’t speak.
If I’d tell him what I’m thinking of him right now, this wouldn’t end well. I’m done with drama for tonight.
“Let’s get the trucks ready and leave this place”, I tell him. He nods. “That’s probably for the best.”
All of our men get all the shit ready, and while I’m halfway lost in thoughts, I can’t help but keep wondering.
Who the fuck is behind all this?
Whoever sent this guy knew he was gonna die anyway. Is a man’s life worth nothing?
Even if he would’ve succeeded and if he would’ve killed me, both this man and the guy who sent him knew there would be no way for him to escape death.
Good for me, I did escape death. He couldn’t. Too bad.
It reminds me of what Jennifer and I talked about, not too long after we first met.
You can’t save someone if death has already got his grip on them.
Death fucking lost his grip on me, I guess. Because I stared death right in the eye as his grip changed on to another person within a second.
It only takes ten minutes for everyone until everything is packed up. Once the ship leaves, some of our and Volkov’s trucks leave, too.
After another five minutes, I can finally leave this fucking place, too.
As Hayden and I walk towards my SUV, I sigh deeply. He looks at me in concern.
“Let me drive”, he suddenly says.
I shoot him a look. “What? Since when do you call the shots?”
“You just almost got your head blown off. Sit down and breathe, goddamn.”
I scoff but toss him the keys immediately. “Fine.”
He grins as we climb in. “You can thank me later. At least you’ve got someone waiting for you at home.”
I smirk, but it’s only a distraction from the thunder roaming inside of me. “Jealous?”
“Hell yeah. It’s been months since I had pussy.”
I chuckle. “Try two years.”
Hayden’s head snaps toward me. “Two years? You’re messing with me. I thought you got freaky already.”
My smirk is slow. “Not yet, man.”
His eyes glint as he turns the keys. “Dude, you’re losing your edge.”
I lean back, smirk fading as my gaze hardens. “Patience, Hayden. Always patience. Pussy is like alcohol.”
“Tastes good?”, he wonders jokingly.
“Better with time”, I grin.
Hayden scoffs. “Hell, no.”
I sigh as we slide into silence, both of us sinking into our own thoughts as we drive through the streets of Chicago.
It’s beautiful at night. Usually, I’d enjoy the view. But tonight, all I want is to take a shower, fall into my bed and sleep. Preferably for 20 hours straight.
The thought of almost dying still lingers in the back of my mind for the whole drive to the mansion.
I hesitate, my fingers resting on my thigh.
“Hayden.”
He looks at me, ignoring the fact that the traffic light turned green again. “Yes, Dan?”
“Can I trust you?”
“With my life,” he says without hesitation. “You have my full loyalty. Always. As your right hand—and your friend.”
I look at him. We usually have a always-joking kind of friendship. But tonight, after both of us realized how fast life can change, it feels different. Raw. Real.
I swallow hard, my voice low.
“…I love you, dude.”
“Yeah, I know. Love you too, man.”
I grin. “The traffic light is green, you know.”
Hayden laughs at me before he starts driving. “You killed the mood.”
I grin, sinking back into my seat. “That’s right. I’m the killer here. Nobody else gets to kill me.”