Amissis Imperium

Taking Imperium Part 2

For Evan to sneak up on Algernon – no, he had the capabilities, but he should have been rusty after six years in prison. 

Evan had been wilting away in his cell, and I certainly didn't give him workout equipment to keep up his muscular form. Therefore...the likely conclusion is that there had to be an accomplice, but that was already a given, especially since the Hale family had a multitude of devout followers that I had needed to weed out.

I didn't know how many people were on his side at this point.

I narrowed my eyes down the hallway, expecting a mob of men to come rushing down it at any time. Keeping my guard up, my gaze lingered from one corner of the hallway to the next. I had anticipated that he would be sending someone down rather than himself...after all, I was armed with a gun and he most likely expected this.

"Listening..." I breathed out, doing my best to keep calm.

My heart was beating rapidly and I hadn't enjoyed the sudden uncontrollable nerves that accompanied the action.

"There is an associate of mine that is coming to your location," his grueling voice made me clench my hands tightly.

It hadn't just been his voice. It had been his entire attitude shift – once again, he was behaving as if he had already won.

"You should see him now."

There were footsteps that rounded a corner behind me, and I turned my head gently just in time to see a man that I wasn't familiar with. He was holding a collar in his hands, along with iron cuffs. "You are going to put those on and give him your weapon, which I know that you have hidden away," he ordered, and I could barely understand.

I kept staring at the man.

"You've always been sneaky with concealing your weapons, Natalie."

I had a hard time identifying this man in front of me, again, ignoring Evan's ramblings.

I knew everyone in the compound, I had loyal people watching the surveillance at all times. This must have meant that he had been in hiding for an indefinite amount of time or he had recently snuck in – regardless, there was a burning question that was on my mind:

"How did he enter my compound?"

I hadn't realized I had spoken my question out loud.

Evan chuckled dryly at my question.

"Your compound-?" He paused for a moment, the stranger a few feet away at this point. I glared at him in pure annoyance – this man shouldn't even be here right now. Evan's screechy voice kept coming from the device I was clenching tightly in my hand. "This has always been my compound – it has been my birthright."

I bit my tongue – the cynical 'congratulations' that I wanted to say to him was silent.

The man was now in front of me, almost expectantly waiting for me to start my surrender.

I held out my gun for him to take while he was holding himself with an air of victorious triumph. Algernon would make this man pay for this treason against me, and he was the best at his craft...the craft of torture.

"You are going to suffer a fate worse than death for this..." I informed the man, who gave me a smirk, not at all taking me serious. I could see he truly was a follower of Evan or his family, which further infuriated me that he got past my security.

He was holding out the restraints in front of me, the leather cuffs in one...and the collar rested in the other one.

I rolled my eyes, not amused at the task that I was being forced to do. I couldn't see a way out of this and with Algernon's life at risk, I wasn't about to put that in jeopardy only to save my own pride. For now, I would obey and follow his rules until I seized a moment to strike.