Chapter 5

Nyx's Pov

Helena struck first, her weapon slicing across one man’s throat in a blur of movement. The second man reached for his gun, but I was faster. I lunged at him, driving my blade into his chest. His eyes widened in shock as he crumpled to the floor.

The third man tried to run, but Helena threw a knife she snatched from a dead guy, hitting him squarely in the back. He fell face-first, the bottle of whiskey shattering on his face.

We armed ourselves quickly, grabbing as many weapons as we could carry.

The chaos in the courtyard was our opportunity. Victor was too busy playing the role of executioner to notice us creeping behind the line of guards.

“Now.” Helena whispered.

We opened fire.

The sound of gunshots echoed through the compound, and screams erupted as guards and prisoners alike scrambled for cover. Helena was ruthless, her shots precise and deadly. I wasn’t as skilled, but my anger made up for it. Every pull of the trigger was a release, every fallen guard a step closer to freedom.

Victor roared in fury, his eyes locking onto me as I stepped into the courtyard.

“You!” He bellowed, drawing his gun, but I was ready for him.

“I told you I’d kill you one day.” I spat, raising my weapon.

He fired first, but his aim was off, the bullet grazed my shoulder, searing pain shooting through me but I didn't stop. I aimed for his chest and pulled the trigger, the bullet hit its mark. Victor staggered, his gun falling from his hand as he dropped to his knees. His face twisted in shock as blood spread across his shirt.

Helena moved to finish him off, but I stopped her.

“No!” I said, “This one’s mine.” I walked up to him, the gun steady in my hand.

“You don’t own me.” I said, my voice cold and unwavering. His lips parted, as if to say something, but I didn’t let him, so one final shot ended him. His body dropped to the ground like a rag doll, blood pooling all the way to my booted feet. I raised my head up, sighing in relief and using the back of my bloody hands to wipe the bloodstains off my face, though that barely helped.

It was done. I had really killed Victor.

The other guards scattered, their morale shattered without Victor to lead them.

“Let’s go.” Helena said, grabbing my arm.

We didn’t look back as we ran. The compound burned behind us, the flames consuming the horrors of that place.

By the time the sun rose, we were miles away. Helena and I didn’t speak, but we didn’t need to. We had survived our death, but there was no way that we were going to survive life, we barely had enough to eat.

So we became sort of like mercenaries, doing illegal stuff for money, that was how we lived. This was my last mission, kill Alden Black Lombardi and after this, I was free to live however I liked. But now? I wasn't sure how that was going to work.

“We are here, come out.” Alden muttered, stepping out of the car. It wasn't until he spoke that I realised we were in a huge mansion.

“Welcome to your new reality.” He said coldly, his voice like a blade cutting through the silence, “Whether you live or die here depends entirely on you.”

I stepped out of the car, my eyes widening in awe at the sheer size of the mansion. It was really huge I had to admit.

“Stop gawking and go in, we don't have all day.” Alden pushed me into the house as he walked behind me. It was dark, so very dark that if my eyes were normal, I would barely be able to see a thing, but due to the fact that I had spent so many months in that underground little prison, I could see in the darkness, my eyes were trained already.

We walked for a while, both of us not saying anything and I couldn't read the expression he had on his face. I frowned, I didn't like this… Normally, I was very perceptive when it came to reading people but this guy? I could barely read him, that wasn't good.

Our steps echoed in the huge mansion but then, Alden suddenly stopped, and I followed his lead, my eyes glancing around the place.

“There's someone here.” I whispered.