Damaged Goods

Chapter 21- Breaking and Entering

Alright, readers- I'm so sorry it's taken so long to upload! My kids and I have both been sick and I'm preparing to have spine surgery (wish me luck!) but all is well now so it shouldn't take so long now. I want to thank muhshayl for your wonderful comment! As a new writer I'm ecstatic to hear I'm writing one of your favorites! No pressure right?!

I planned on making this one super long chapter but decided I needed to separate it into two pieces so here ya go! Enjoy!

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Marcus sat crouched outside of Mason's mansion contemplating the best action to take in breaking in safely. He was seriously outnumbered and knew this would be a complete bloodbath, but at the moment had the element of surprise on his side. Unfortunately for him, once his cover was blown his odds of survival would be drastically reduced, so he would need to act fast.

His hands instinctively went to his gun as a large SUV pulled up to the front gate, not far from where he hid. It was time for the shift change; time to put his plan in motion. Carefully, he crawled toward the car, mindful of the rear view mirrors and sprawled onto his stomach to army crawl underneath the car. If he had any chance of getting to Mason, this would be it. He remembered the property was vast; too large to run across without being spotted by the security cameras, so if he could pull this off would be the best way to get inside.

Marcus rolled over onto his back and observed the undercarriage of the robust vehicle carefully for anything stable enough to hold onto. The driver was thankfully too caught up blabbering with the gate-keeper to notice the drag marks in the gravel from Marcus's boots or the pounding of his heart in his chest he could've sworn sounded louder than the car itself.

"Ready for another long night?" the gate-keeper asked playfully.

The driver of the car laughed humorlessly before sarcastically replying, "Oh you know it, Bill. I can't get enough of walkin' around in circles outside this damn place. Jake got called in over at the warehouse so it's just me and Henry tonight."

"Well don't work too hard. I'm off in five so I'll see you again tomorrow."

As they finished their 'goodbyes,' Marcus found a good place on the axel to grab a hold of. It was hard enough to do on a normal day, but with all the weapons he had strapped to him, he found it nearly impossible. The muscles in his arms and legs immediately began to protest, straining and shaking from exertion. He anticipated it would be hard, but as the large car began to move down the driveway into the estate, he began to second-guess whether or not he'd make it down the driveway, much less all the way to Mason. Hell, digging his way sounded like a better idea right now.

Numerous times he found his grip slip; either from strain or sweaty hands, and had to quickly recover by frantically grabbing for something to hold his weight. Each time the metal would clang and rattle and Marcus knew the men inside the car must've heard as it eventually came to a halt.

Perspiration covered every inch of his body, rolling into his eyes and the dirt sticking to his skin as he lowered himself back down to the ground.

"Sounds like a busted axel," a man from the front seat offered lamely. "I'll check it out. Radio in we're here to switch for the night."

The passenger door opened with a 'click,' and Marcus took the opportunity to wiggle himself out from underneath the car on the driver's side. He prayed the man was too busy on the radio to notice him through the mirror as he dove into the bushes nearby.

"Did you hear that?" one of the men asked hastily.

He rolled a window down in the backseat and poked his head out, scanning across the lawn. For the second time tonight, his hand grabbed at his gun. The bushes didn't provide much cover and he didn't want to expose himself so soon to the brigade by killing someone, but he would if he didn't have another option.

"Probably that damn possum again. He's chewed up most of the wiring on the cameras and drives the dogs nuts. Now get your head back in the car, you look like a dog yourself."

His cover had been sufficient enough to hide him for now, but he couldn't just sit in the bushes all night. He waited for sounds of tires crunching on the gravel towards the last few yards to the house before he dared to move. The guards coming off duty would be coming out any second now to switch places with the new men.

Marcus had two options. The first was to strike while they were all gathered in one spot. It would ensure he didn't get caught off guard by one of them surprising him; but it would also double the number of threats he would have to face, much less all at the same time. The second options was much more appealing to Marcus; wait for the switch and take the new guys out one by one after the old shift left. It still wasn't something he looked forward to dealing with, but if he was ever going to give Aria a normal life it had to be done.

The front door swung open and seven armed men stepped out. Marcus was too far away to hear what they were saying, but could see them talking animatedly to one another and making wild hand gestures. They didn't waste much time before switching with their replacements, obviously ready to get home now that they were done for the night.

Marcus closed his eyes as the vehicle began to drive towards him and out the gate, hoping the manicured shrubbery could hide him one last time. Luckily the men were still laughing and carrying on about something or another. While that was what he needed, he couldn't help but reprimand himself. So far, he had shown no sign of talent or precision. He'd been getting lucky and he would never defeat all these men on pure luck alone. Nate would beat seven shades of shit out of him for going in like an amateur.

All of the new guards except for two went inside, while the remaining two began patrolling outside the walls of the house in opposite directions.

They would be the first to go.

Marcus checked the perimeter before sprinting towards the safety of the walls of the house. There was no possibility the guards would have had time to make it to the control room to see him on the monitors, so he plastered himself against the wall and crept behind one of the men's retreating figures.

Silently he sped up and approached the man until mere feet stood between the two. He reached down his leg and pulled out the Bowie knife and closed the remaining distance. One hand came out to cover the guard's mouth, silencing him, while the other brought the knife up to the man's throat. His voice was deathly quiet as he spoke to the unsuspecting man.

"I shouldn't have to warn you not to fucking move or make a sound. Quietly, I want you to tell me where Mason is when I remove my hand, got it?"

The man squeezed his eyes shut as if trying not to burst into tears and slowly shook his head. As Marcus cautiously began to move his hand, the guard sucked in a large breath of air and Marcus knew he planned on screaming for help.

The blade sliced through the man's jugular before he could utter a sound and Marcus gently lowered him to the ground, disappointed he didn't get his answer but relieved he had shut him up soon enough. He drug him over to the wall where he placed him out of sight of the other workers and stole his radio before putting his knife back and proceeding to the remaining man.

Rounding the corner of the house, Marcus was caught off guard to see the man already making his way that direction, assuming he would have more time. The two stood in an old-fashioned standoff at the back of the house, both daring the other to act first. The guard's eyes snapped down to his belt for a split-second, a clear warning to Marcus he was going to act. Marcus's hand shot down to his silenced G-18 pistol, and with lightning fast reflexes, brought it up and fired. The automatic put one between the eyes and another in the man's heart before he released the trigger, not giving him a chance to even unclip the gun from the holster.

Thinking he had succeeded, he released a shaky breath and put his gun back away when a voice out from one of the overhead windows shouting they had an intruder. Marcus knew his luck had officially ran out; his cover was blown. He pulled the pin on a smoke grenade, preparing for the hell that was about to break loose now that his cover was blown.

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Not edited- vote, fan, comment please! It's great motivation!

XOXO- Carly