Liam, worn out from the day's events, slumped on a bench in the empty hospital corridor. Night had crept in, leaving the space deserted, the sterile tang of disinfectant hanging in the air, adding to the chilling silence.Suddenly, darkness swallowed the corridor as the lights flickered. The floor's glow-in-the-dark markers offered a faint guide, while the wind's mournful howl outside seemed to carry the echoes of pain and rage.Unmoved, Liam remained seated, his eyes piercing through the blackness with the intensity of a predator stalking its prey.Soft footsteps, barely perceptible against the whispering wind, approached from the corridor's end. There were three figures.Liam's sharp ears did not miss a beat. He quickly sized up the newcomers. How many and how dangerous?Were they there with bad intentions to take him out?Had enemy spies slipped into Drunham City?Liam stayed put, his presence as undetectable as a shadow.At the corridor's end, three silhouettes clad in bl
Crack!Laim effortlessly broke the wrist of the man in black, who was gripping a dagger!"Ah!"The pain was immediate and intense. He let out a stifled scream, muffled by the mask he wore, which prevented the sound from traveling far.However, the eyes that peered out from the mask betrayed his excruciating pain.At that same moment, the dagger the assassin held dropped, but Liam was faster. In no time, he snatched the dagger from the air and hurled it backward!Swoosh!The dagger flew, a silver flash cutting through the air, its lethal intent as chilling as ice. It went straight through the throat of another assassin, blood spurting out as the blade impaled his windpipe before clattering to the ground behind.Bang!The assassin fell before he could even grasp what had happened, his eyes still wide with a murderous rage that would never be fulfilled. He hit the ground with a heavy thud.Dead before he hit the floor.The last assassin in black saw his ally on the ground, bloo
Pain contorted the assassin's face, and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. His mask hid his expression, but the spasms racking his body left no doubt about his agony.Liam stood at the third-floor window, gazing down with icy detachment at the two figures sprawled below. Without hesitation, he vaulted from the window, plummeting three stories to the ground.For anyone else, such a fall would be fatal or crippling. However, Liam landed easily, the ground thudding under his feet and the tiles fracturing beneath his weight.He approached the downed assassin, his face set in a grim mask of authority. Towering over the survivor, he demanded, "You're quite skilled. You've been trained, haven't you? Talk. Who do you work for? What's your business here?"The injured assassin squinted up at Liam, his face obscured by the shadows, and gasped, "I don't know what you're talking about!"Liam's boot came down hard on the man's chest. A slight press and a sickening snap of ribs breaki
The moment the shadowy figure leaped onto the car, it tore out of the hospital's parking lot.Liam remained rooted to the spot, a surge of murderous rage boiling up within him.He cast a calculated, complicated look at the would-be assassins then lying motionless at his feet, his face twisted in disgust.Those guys were pros, no doubt. What the hell were they doing in a hospital, trying to barge into Celena's room? Liam was left wondering whether they were after him or Celena and her kid.Knowing the getaway car was long gone, Liam glanced at the two bodies in black, whipped out his cell, and called Calum, his voice like ice. "We had three pros show up at the hospital. Get over here and clean this mess up, pronto.""And get Howard on the line. Tell him to lock down the hospital, check the nearby cams, and keep an eye out for any sketchy characters around Drunham City lately!""Professional assassins? At the hospital?""Boss! You and the missus okay?"Calum's voice shook, a cock
Liam, seeing Celena's pale face, caressed her cheek softly, adjusted her head with care, and tucked her in before leaving the hospital room once more. The night deepened, and with the power back on, the hallway was quiet again. Outside, Calum stood guard, his face etched with seriousness, while Howard, looking both worried and tense, was at his side. As Liam emerged, Calum approached him quickly, his voice laced with concern, "Commander, are the missus and Jovie okay? Did they get scared?" Liam shook his head, then turned to Howard, "Everything settled?" Howard stepped up, bowing respectfully, "Mr. Cole, all is in order. Plus, we found something on those three assassins." He handed over a clear plastic bag, inside were three bloodied photographs. Liam's gaze turned steely as he looked at them, a fierce anger flaring within him. The bastards were after not just him, but Celena and Jovie too, his family! Gripping the bag with the bloodied photos, Liam's voice was icy, "Any other
"I realized we were busted and to keep our cover, I had to take out number eleven before I hightailed it back here. Plus, the hospital's swarming with cops now. They're onto us, and going back in there won't be a walk in the park."The man in black, listening from above, radiated an icy menace. His eyes, visible beneath his mask, were filled with a dark fury as he snapped back, "An expert? What are you talking about? Do you think I'm an idiot? The boss's targets were nobodies: a leftover from the Cole family in Drunham City, the Stone family's rejects, and some little six-year-old kid. None of them can put up a fight. And you're saying there was an expert?""Are you trying to tell me that the Cole family's loser is some kind of expert? Or maybe it's the Stone family's weakling? Or are you saying that little girl is the expert?"The man dressed in black was not pleased, his eyes fixed on the two before him, a deadly glare in his gaze."Sir! A real killer king-level showed up at the
The following morning, Liam was up early, bringing breakfast back for Celena and her daughter Jovie. As they were eating, his phone broke the morning silence—it was Howard.Howard's voice came through with a formal tone, "Mr. Cole, we've found something. There was a fire at an abandoned villa on the outskirts of Drunham City last night. Two bodies were inside, and there was evidence of arson—lots of gasoline. It might be connected to the assassination attempt from last night.""I got it. I'm on my way," Liam replied curtly, ending the call.Celena, who was just accepting a piece of plain white bread from Liam, looked at him, her expression a mix of confusion and concern. "What is it? Is something wrong?""It's nothing serious, just some friends need me to handle a few things," Liam said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.She nodded, not probing further. Liam quickly wrapped up the breakfast, gave a few parting words, and then was out the door, driving toward the villa that Ho
Arms crossed, the officer watched Liam's phone charade with a skeptical eye, a mocking laugh escaping her lips. "Oh, please, who are you kidding? You've got Mr. Mosier's number? I've seen plenty of your kind. Go on, keep up the act. I'll wait. I'm curious to see if Mr. Mosier will bother coming out for you."The female officer's voice was icy as she looked Liam over with a mix of scorn and revulsion. Liam's black casual clothes reminded him of the paparazzi that hounded celebrities for those small-time media outlets. "You journalists have no respect for the rules anymore," she sneered. "You'll do anything for a scoop, right?" Have you forgotten where you are? This is a crime scene. If you mess up the evidence, do you have any idea how much you could screw up our case?""Listen up," she warned, "since you're ignoring my advice, I'm giving you five minutes to think about your actions. Either stop this nonsense or, after five minutes, if Mr. Mosier hasn't shown up, I'm arresting you for