In your shadows || Sierra six

CHAPTER 9

I moved swiftly through the house, my senses sharp despite the fact that I was only dressed in a shirt, pajama pants, and socks. The cold floor beneath my feet grounded me, kept me focused. With each step, the sound of the music grew fainter, replaced by the tense silence of the night. I was calm, almost eerily so, my mind clear as I moved toward the source of the noise.

A grunting sound echoed from the other side of the living room, and I honed in on it, my grip tightening on the kitchen knife. But before I could reach the source, a man appeared out of the shadows, striking me on the head. Pain flared, but I didn't hesitate. I spun around and punched him square in the face, the force of the blow sending him stumbling back. Without missing a beat, I swung the knife, slashing his arm. He grunted in pain and dropped to his knees. I took the opportunity to finish him off with a swift kick to the face, knocking him out cold.

Breathing heavily, I quickly ran to find Six. As I reached him, I saw another man lying unconscious on the floor, and Six standing over him, looking unscathed.

"Are you alright?" I asked, my voice steady despite the adrenaline still coursing through my veins.

"Yes, are you?" he replied, his eyes scanning me for any signs of injury.

"I'm good," I assured him. But I noticed his gaze drop to the knife in my hand, now slick with blood, and then to the unconscious body on the floor. His eyes flicked back to me, clearly questioning how I had managed to take down an intruder on my own.

"How did you do that?" he asked, suspicion edging into his voice.

"I took some self-defense lessons," I lied smoothly, but I could tell he wasn't buying it. He saw right through me.

"I'm going to call someone to remove the bodies," he said after a moment, his tone careful. "You may want to go check on Claire."

I nodded, grateful for the excuse to leave. I quickly placed the knife on the kitchen table and walked straight to Claire's room. When I opened the door, I found her brushing her teeth, completely unaware of the danger that had just passed.

"Hey," she greeted me with a smile, toothpaste foaming around her teeth. She looked so innocent, so blissfully ignorant of the violence that had just unfolded in her home.

"Are you almost ready for bed?" I asked, trying to keep my voice light.

"Yes, I just need to finish brushing my teeth," she replied cheerfully.

"Okay, well, good night. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Kat," she said, giving me one last smile before I closed the door behind me.

As I walked away, I found myself hesitating, contemplating whether or not to go back to the kitchen. I didn't want to face Six again, didn't want him looking at me with that knowing gaze that said he could see through my facade. But I couldn't hide forever. With a sigh, I made my way to my room, closing the door behind me.

In the bathroom, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. There was blood on my thigh, not a lot, but enough to be noticeable. My mind raced—had Claire seen it? Had she noticed? I hoped not. I wanted to keep her as far away from violence as possible, to shield her from the darkness that I knew all too well.

I quickly changed out of my clothes and decided to take a shower. As the hot water cascaded over me, I couldn't help but think about Yelena. Memories of our time in the Red Room flooded my mind. We had been unstoppable together, a force that Dreykov had always sought to break. He used to tell me that Yelena was a distraction, that she made me weak. And in some ways, he was right. Yelena was a distraction, but she was also a reminder of the outside world, of the freedom I longed for. She was my most precious treasure, and that's why Dreykov made sure to punish her for it.