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He stepped from behind the safety of the door, eyes trained on the bathroom. And that’s when I struck.
Launching myself from my hiding spot, my arms wrapped around his neck, using my momentum to knock him off balance. His fists came down on my forearms, forcing me to let him go with a cry. He turned quickly, too fast for me to block the blow to my stomach. I bent over, gasping just as he grabbed my hair. He was stronger than I was. And fast. That was two strikes against my survival rating. But he was too big, cumbersome. I could use that against him.
I couldn’t see his face. A black mask obscured his features, making him look even more threatening than if he’d gone without. But I couldn’t worry about that now. I needed to get to the living room. To my purse.
Something flashed in his hand. A needle. I knew exactly what it was. His arm jerked forward, the needle jabbing the air where I’d been just moments before. I rolled across the floor towards the door, darting out into the living room. He followed, lumbering after me.
I stopped suddenly, my elbow lashing backward, colliding with his stomach. He bent over in surprise, a rough gasp escaping through his mask. I took the extra time to dive toward my purse. But just before I could open it, he was on me again. One arm latched around my throat as the other tried to get the needle closer. My head knocked back into his face, the satisfying crunch of bone filling my ears. His cries were cut short as I used that moment to shove him backward. The needle fell out of his grasp, clinking onto the carpet.
Dashing towards the couch, I ripped open my purse, yanking the gun from its depths. Clicking back the safety, I turned, training the barrel on the intruder. He was on the floor, one hand to his nose, the other gripping the needle he’d picked up from the floor.
“Who the hell are you?” I demanded. Adrenaline coursed through my veins.
He just laughed. “You can kill me if you want to, Sienna. But that won’t stop him.”
The voice sounded familiar. It took me a moment to place it.
“Vincent?”
He ripped the mask from his face, wincing as it brushed against his broken nose. Vincent stared up at me, smirking, blood trickling across his lips. “Guilty.”
“What—Why?” The gun shook in my hands. I’d known Vincent forever. What the hell was he doing? My eyes land on the needle in his hand. “You—”
“I work for the Snake, yes. He sends his regards, though I guess he’d meant it as a goodbye.”
My mouth opened and shut, leaving me speechless.
“Don’t look so surprised. I know you’ve heard that the Snake has been poaching from your family, Sienna. You just never took enough time to figure out who those men were. You assumed they were simply foot soldiers after more money.” Vincent snorted, wincing in pain. “You were wrong. We aren’t after money. The Snake promised us a whole lot more than that.”
I finally found my voice again. “Did you kill my father?” It would make sense. Vincent was our most trusted security guard, our driver when we needed him. He’d been with my father for years. He’d helped train me.
“Unfortunately. That wasn’t my proudest moment.” Something like guilt flicked across his face. “Your father was my friend. Once.”
“How could you?” I whispered. “How could you do that to us? You fucking trained me!”
“Yeah, a bit too well, if I say so myself,” Vincent replied, gingerly touching his nose. “Sienna, please don’t make this any more difficult than it needs to be. Put the gun down. If I don’t do this tonight, someone else will come for you later.”
“Let them fucking try,” I snarled, refusing to drop my weapon. “I’d love for them to come so I can kill every last one of those damn traitors.”
Vincent shook his head. “You were always stubborn, Sienna. But now isn’t the time for you to be bull-headed.”
“So, what? You want me to just let you kill me?” My voice rose with each word. I was losing control. I could feel it. But I hadn’t had time to process everything. There wasn’t time. “I don’t think so.”
Vincent’s hands slowly rose in a defensive position. “You don’t want to kill me.”
“I do if you’re trying to kill me. Drop the needle.”
His eyes caught mine, holding my gaze. “No.”
“Drop the fucking needle, Vincent. Or I swear to God, I’ll shoot.”
“Then shoot. I’ll be a dead man anyway if I return to the Snake without completing my mission.”
“Just drop the needle! I swear, if you do, I’ll keep you safe. We’ll send you across the country to one of the other families. You can go into hiding.”
Disappointment flashed across his eyes. “They have my daughter, Sienna. I can’t leave.”
I faltered. I didn’t even know he had a daughter. All this time, I’d never really known anything about Vincent or his family. Nothing about his life outside serving my father.
