Wanted

Chapter 3

Sebastian and I keep our heads down as we navigate the house. He knows exactly where to go, and I know the layout, but things have changed since I left.

"Do you know where she'll be?" I ask.

Sebastian's eyes flash to the clock on the wall behind us.

"Well, it's 6:00 p.m., so she should be back in her bedroom." He murmurs in a low tone.

Coming from the guard break room, we are close to the kitchen and dining room. The kitchen will be busy for dinner, but we should be fine making it past the dining room.

I start to step forward just as a guard steps into the break room. Seeing me, he lifts his chin in greeting. Scars all over his face add to his threatening nature.

"How ya doin'? He asks in a thick Italian accent, the same as everyone here, myself included.

"Doing good, Mark," Sebastian says while disguising his voice.

"How about you?" I add on, trying to keep my head down.

"Mm, fine. Boss has me on extra rounds today. Everyone is on edge. There has been an intruder, and Seb, I guess, assisted in it, which is crazy. Never expected that from him." He says.

Sebastian hums in response. I take the opportunity to direct attention away from Sebastian.

"Man, that's crazy. Where are the extra rounds? I did not get that memo." I said with a low chuckle.

"Oh, they are mainly around the perimeter outside and upstairs." He says with a shrug.

Hmm, well played, Ruid. Our goal and escape having extra coverage. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't expect how ruthless I have become. I am not the same weakling I once was.

"Gotcha, well, we'll be on our way then," I say as Sebastian and I head for the door.

"Wait. You're not packing, bud." He says with a smirk on his face.

"It's a red alert. Gotta give the intruder and Sebastian Hell if they get loose." He chuckles.

I'm stunned. I don't know any of the combinations for these lockers. How am I supposed to get a gun without raising suspicion from this man?

"Damn, dude, I forgot my locker combination," I say in my most confident tone.

"Oh, that's no problem. Grab Sebastian's; he won't be needing it anymore." He moves to a desk at the far end of the room.

Opening a drawer, he shuffles through before finding what he's after. He returns with a key in hand, walking to a locker with the name Valentino written on the front. He takes the lock in hand before flipping it over, exposing the lock on the other side. He slips it in and opens the locker for us, exposing Sebastian's belongings inside.

"Have at it," he says before returning the key to its original place inside the desk and exiting the room toward the back door.

I hear Sebastian breathe a sigh of relief next to me.

"Thank God," he mutters next to me, grabbing his gun and holster quickly, strapping it to his hip before going through his locker and deciding what belongings to take.

We exit the guard quarters and beeline for the long hallway connecting to the kitchen and main hall; we move swiftly through the corridor. I am searching left and right as I look through the halls of Ruid's gaudy estate. To the naked eye, it's beautiful. It has tall ceilings and crystal chandeliers, natural light everywhere from the large Palladian windows overlooking the green, colorful gardens and the ocean cliffs. Ruids extravagant taste is showing everywhere, giving a sense of lavish comfort. But Sebastian and I know the truth: anyone who has worked here does. It's a false sense of security. Ruid's life is built upon the blood and suffering of those who work for him. They are paid well but are run into the ground.

Death is a regular occurrence on the estate. From guards to maids to guests of Ruid's arriving and never leaving. I thank God every day that I'm not stuck in that life as his apprentice; I probably would have ended up just like him. 

My moral compass isn't the greatest, but at least I have one. One that will point me in the right direction and not lead to the inevitable destruction of someone else's life. 

My only goal is to complete my family again, and I will do whatever it takes to achieve this goal.

In our guard uniforms, we know no one would suspect a thing, at least not at first glance. We rush to the stairs, being cautious we don't draw attention to ourselves. We crouch low on the stairs. Once on the second floor, Sebastian peaks down the hallway. "I counted 6 guards." He tells me.

Fuck, I look past him to see for myself. I see two stationed at Lilliana's bedroom door and four posted outside the other rooms on the floor. The second story is Lilliana's room, Serena's room, a guest room, a gym, and a theater. Only one needs to be guarded, but Ruid has everyone on edge.

"What's the plan?" Sebastian asks me.

"I guess we pick them off one by one," I tell him, both of us still crouched low on the steps.

Sebastian nods before stepping up the stairs; he keeps low to the floor and approaches the unsuspecting guard stationed at the gym door. He quickly reaches up and puts the man in a headlock, his arm tight around his neck, a hand placed firmly over his mouth and nose.

I spring into action and push the gym door open; Sebastian and I enter the room with the soon-to-be dead guard.

"One down," I whisper as Sebastian drops the guard's limp body to the floor.

He nods silently. I take the gun and holster he was wearing and strap them on my belt, stashing the knife he had on his hip. Being armed is vital to this mission for both of us.

We slip out of the gym and move on to the next room; we must do this as quickly as possible. The hall now has the remaining guards completely out in the open. There is no cover to hide behind, and we need to be sure we don't alert the guards upstairs or downstairs.

Sebastian quickly grabs the guard in front of the guest room door and knocks him out with the butt of his gun before snapping his neck. I move swiftly to the next guard, catching him off guard before he notices Sebastian. I kick his legs out from underneath him, and he promptly hits the floor; another guard notices the commotion and tries to intervene in the fight. Before he is even five paces away from me, Sebastian has him on the ground. In a flash, Sebastian kneed him square in the jaw, knocking him back, blood spraying from his mouth.

My opponent is briefly distracted by Sebastian looming behind him before I pull out my knife and pass it to him. We swap opponents; he grabs the guy I was fighting from behind, locks his arm around his head, and stabs him right at the base of the skull, severing his brain stem.

The guy Sebastian was fighting tried to get up and come at me, but I kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backward; before he could land on the ground, I pulled him towards me by the back of the neck before head butting him, he goes limp and falls at my feet. As an extra precaution, I promptly stomp his head in.

I take another knife from one of their bodies. Keeping it in my hand, I hold it out in front of me. Suddenly, we hear boots approaching us again, the last two guards finally trying to come to their rescue.

"Too late," I mutter under my breath before stepping forward slightly. They are running for us, trying to switch to the offensive.

Sebastian and I stand side by side, blades in hand. We stand like a wall, calm and collected. Waiting for them to try and strike. The first one to try goes directly for me, a knife in his hand. I smirk as he approaches and tries to begin his strike. I swiftly grab the wrist he's holding the knife in and plunge it into the side of his throat, making him stab himself.

I turn and smirk at Sebastian, noticing a sadistic glint in his eyes, something I'm sure is reflected in my own. I turn my back on the incoming opponent with no fear; Sebastian reaches out and grabs him like he's nothing, swiftly kneeing him in the forehead, and he hits the floor. He's not moving, and I'm sure he's dead, but Sebastian snaps his neck for good measure.

Once we check that the rest of the hall is clear, I head straight for Lilliana's room. Sebastian moves past the door, dragging a guard's body into the gym.
"You go ahead. I'm going to take care of this," he says, gesturing to the 5 bodies lying across the floor.

I nod before turning the knob to enter Lilliana's bedroom. I hesitate momentarily before I take a breath and walk in...