CHAPTER FIVE: A car accident

Esmeralda's POV

"What the hell just happened?" One of the men yelled out in rage and ran to the already dead man. The hole in his forehead was definitely drilled by a bullet,but no sound of gunshot was heard.

The remaining three men had a mix of terror and confusion etched on their faces as they examined the body.

"How did this happen? Who did this?" One of them berated no one in particular,his eyes darting around to locate the culprit,but there was no one in the street, except for us.

They began to eye each other suspiciously, thinking the culprit was amongst them. One of them brought out a gun from nowhere and pointed it at the rest. "Which one of you is responsible?" He queried.

"What are you doing,Pedro? Have you gone insane? We all saw what happened" One of them yelled in rage.

"The bullet came from the front and we were behind him" the second man chipped in,his voice shaking. "If you want to suspect anyone,it should be that woman. Who knows? Maybe she's one of the spies from her rival gang."

"That's true" the first man added in support. The three of them turned to me with the third man pointing the gun at me, making me shudder in fear.

"I didn't do anything" I quickly defended myself, clenching my fist to stop my hands from shivering. "I swear I didn't kill him."

"But your cohort did" the first man retorted. I was fed up with the accusation.

"Which cohort? I came here alone" I shot back.

"I don't believe you. You must be a spy sent by Lucas" the second man lashed out at me.

Who the hell was Lucas? They were all acting up, in response to their fears,without even taking a second to think. From the knowledge and level of experience I had gained as a heiress to a fortune coveted by many rivals,the bullet was either from a gun with a silencer,or a sniper. Cold sweat trickled down my spine as I thought of the second assumption; it was the most dangerous.

"We should kill her to avenge our man" the third man chipped in.

"Yes,then we dump her body at Lucas's doorstep" the second man suggested.

We all felt a palpable sense of unease in our heart. No one wanted to die,but we didn't know who the attacker was. The mindless actions of the men added to my uneasiness.

The drowsiness I felt earlier today kicked in and I almost passed out,but then,the first man,who had a gun in his grasp,fell to the ground,his blood splattering all over the place.

That was it;The rest of us didn't need to be told before we fled for our lives. We all sprinted away in different directions. Within a few seconds,I found myself running down an alley,my heart racing and my lungs burning,but I couldn't dare to think of halting for even a millisecond or my life would be taken.

At first,I felt I had no reason to live,but when I recalled the heart shattering situation I had to go through earlier today,I felt my urge for revenge reignite. I ran as fast as I could, ignoring the horrible pains in my legs.

After running for what felt like almost an hour,I reached a dead end.

"Oh,shit!" I cursed in frustration. Somehow,I could feel a sense of dread looming over me,but I couldn't comprehend it.

I took several steps backward and ran towards the open space in the opposite direction. The darkness was eerie,but I refused to stop and ran all the way through until I saw a flicker of light.

I ran towards it with a flicker of hope rising in my heart. I smiled excitedly the moment I got to the spot where the moonlight was reflecting on.

My smile faded away as soon as I saw the figure of a man lying on the floor,his face looking out the window. Curiousity took over and I strained my neck,only to be stunned by another discovery - the man had a sniper in his hands.

Could he be the man who murdered the thugs? I had no time to thing about it.

Escaping so as not to get caught,was my next course of action. The man moved a bit,and without realizing it,I gasped in fear. It seemed the man heard, because he tilted his head to spot,his gaze scrutinizing.

His eyes narrowed as if trying to identify me. A moment passed before a triumphant smile appeared on his lips.

"I found you. You really gave me a hard time,but you ended up coming to me yourself" the man uttered,his deep voice low and filled with excitement.

"Who are you and what do you want from me?" I asked with trepidation in my heart. Only an assassin could dress like that.

He got up and approached me slowly. "You've offended some people,who now wants you gone. Cooperate with me,and I promise to give you a swift death."

His scornful voice made me feel a rush of adrenaline charge through my body. I abruptly turned and bolted right back to where I came from. I stopped at the exit of the building and gasped for air.

I didn't have enough time to breathe as I heard the clicking sound of boots getting near. I took a deep breath and continued running, paying no attention to my surroundings. I caught a glimpse of the main road and ran towards it at high speed.

The pedestrian sign on the traffic light had already turned red,but when I noticed,it was too late. I couldn't stop myself immediately.

By the time I came to an abrupt halt,I had reached the middle of the road. Fear froze me in place as the screeching tyres of a car rung in my eardrums. The flashing light of the car blinded me. I saw my life flashed before me,and instantly I was flung away by the huge impact of the hit.

As I laid on the floor,my whole body was numbed with pain. I felt blood trickle down my forehead as I slowly turned my head to see the silhouette of a man walking towards me.