The First Attack
896 Words
I was still trying to process the word boss when the first alarm went off. A sharp sound cut through the quiet of the mansion and everyone in the room reacted instantly. The older man who had been speaking with Adrian straightened.
One of the guards near the door reached inside his jacket. Another voice came through a small radio on the table.
“Movement at the east gate”
I froze. “What's happening?” No one answered me and even Adrian didn't look surprised either. Instead he walked calmly toward the large window overlooking the front grounds.
“Camera,” he said. The older man tapped something on the tablet he was holding. A security feed appeared on the screen mounted on the wall.
I turned toward it. At first I didn't understand what I was seeing. Two black SUVs had crashed through the outer gate.
and men were jumping out. Not guards or visitors but men wearing dark clothing and masks and they were carrying guns.
My breathing almost stopped. “Those men….”
“Stay behind me,” Adrian said quietly. He sounded the same way someone might sound discussing the weather. Both men around him move faster now.
“Lockdown the house” the older man ordered into the radio.Heavy metal shutters slid down over the tall windows with a deep mechanical thud. My heart began racing faster.
“This can’t be happening.”
Outside, the masked men spread across the courtyard. One of them raised his weapon and fired. The sharp c***k of gunfire echoed across the estate.
I flinched and my ears rang but Adrian didn’t move. Another guard rushed into the room. “Boss, they breached the front courtyard.”
“How many?” Adrian asked.
“Six. Maybe eight.”
Adrian nodded once. “Handle it.”
The guard hesitated. “What about the girl?”
Adrian glanced at me briefly. “She stays here.”
The guard nodded and rushed out again.
More gunshots rang outside but closer this time. My legs felt unsteady. “This is insane,” I whispered and turned toward
Adrian. “You said this place was safe.”
“It usually is.”
Usually? Another burst of gunfire echoed across the estate.
Then shouting and running footsteps. I felt a panic rising in my chest. “Those men out there, are they here for you?”
Adrian didn’t answer immediately. His eyes remained on the security screen.Watching carefully and calculating. Then finally said, “No,“They’re here for you.”
“What?” Before I could say anything else, a loud crash shook the whole building..Somewhere deeper in the house, glass shattered.
The older man cursed under his breath. “They got through the side entrance.”
Adrian’s expression hardened slightly.He picked up the radio.
“I’ll handle it.”
“Boss…”
“I said I’ll handle it.” He handed the radio back and turned toward the hallway.
I grabbed his arm without thinking. “Wait.” and he stopped.
I realized what I had just done and quickly let go.
“You can’t just walk out there.” I said with a concerned tone.
“Why not?”
“They have guns.”
“So do my men.”
“That doesn’t make it safe.” Adrian studied my face for a moment.
“You’re worried.”
I blinked. “Of course I’m worried people are shooting at your house.”
“Yes,” he said. “But you’re worried about me.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. Adrian’s expression softened just slightly but not enough to call it warmth.
Just… acknowledgement. “Stay here,” he said and he walked out of the room.
Two of his men followed him down the hallway.The sound of gunfire grew louder. I stood frozen in the middle of the room with my heart beating so fast I could hear it in my ears.
Another guard rushed past the doorway, then another. More shouting echoed from somewhere in the mansion.
And then….A single gunshot rang out much closer than the others and the whole house went suddenly quiet. Footsteps approached slowly down the hallway. Heavy and unhurried.
Adrian appeared in the doorway again. He looked exactly the same.Calm, and composed bjt there was blood on his sleeve. My eyes widened. “Are you hurt”
“I’m fine.”
My voice came out shaky. “Whose blood is that?”
Adrian didn’t answer. Behind him, two guards dragged a man into the room. The attacker’s mask had been ripped off. His face was bruised and bleeding then one of the guards forced him to his knees.
I stared. The man looked terrified. His eyes moved from Adrian… to me then he laughed weakly. “So you’re the girl.”
I felt a chill crawl up my spine. “What are you talking about?”
But the man ignored me. He looked at Adrian instead. “You’re too late.”
Adrian’s voice dropped slightly. “Too late for what?”
The man smiled through the blood on his lips. “They already know where she is.”
My stomach twisted “Who knows?”
The man’s eyes locked on mine and the smile slowly widened.
“The people who have been looking for you your entire life.”
- Writer
