Chapter 203: Chapter 203: The Art of the Bait
Alexander stood in front of the porcelain bowl, relieving himself while every nerve in his body remained coiled like a high-tension spring. When he finished, he zipped up his jeans and took his time, washing his hands rattling the paper towel dispenser, and stalling as much as possible. He was baiting whoever was watching, leaving himself exposed in the room just long enough to see if they would bite.
He dried his hands, pulled out his phone, and snapped a quick picture of the lavish, marble-tiled restroom. He opened his chat with his cousin Amy and fired off the image.
Look at this incredible place, Alexander texted. I’m going to secure a spot just like this very soon so you and the family can move in with me.
He lingered for another thirty seconds, posing casually in front of the mirror as if he didn’t have a care in the world. But the silence remained unbroken. No heavy footsteps, no clicking of tongues, no rustle of tactical gear outside the door.
Maybe I am just losing my mind, thought Alexander, shaking his head. The TMC pods must have left my paranoia dialed up to eleven.
He reached out and turned the brass handle, pushing the heavy restroom door open. But the moment he stepped across the threshold, a heavy shadow lunged out from his blind spot.
"Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me..." muttered Alexander, his eyes narrowing. They came.
Before he could take another step, five armed operators clad in sleek, sterile black gear swarmed the narrow corridor, their submachine guns raised and locked onto his chest.
"Agent 815, raise your hands and place them slowly behind your head" commanded the lead operative, his voice flat and robotic through a throat mic. "If you cooperate with our directives, we will transport you back to your regional headquarters unharmed. If you choose to resist, we have strict authorization to terminate you on the spot."
"If you bastards already know I’m operating under TMC clearance, what the hell are you attacking me for?" asked Alexander, his hands beginning to rise.
"Orders are orders" replied the leader coldly.
Alexander’s hands reached the back of his neck, but the exact millisecond his fingers laced together, his weight shifted. Using the momentum of his rising arms, he whipped his body around in a brutal spinning heel kick. The heel of his boot connected with a sickening crack against the lead operative’s temple, sending the man crashing into the drywall.
In the exact same fluid motion of the spin, Alexander’s hand dipped beneath the hem of his shirt, ripping out a compact semi-automatic pistol. He hadn’t left the driveway empty-handed; while checking the two dead hitmen outside earlier, he had palmed one of their discarded sidearms and tucked it away without Victoria or Aria ever noticing.
"Shit! He’s armed...!!" shouted one of the operators, his finger tightening on his trigger.
But Alexander was already moving at the terrifying speed of the simulation. He dropped low, his weapon barking in rapid successions.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four precise shots echoed down the enclosed hallway. Four bodies collapsed to the floor, each taking a high-caliber round to the center of their visors. Alexander pivoted, leveling the barrel at the dazed leader who was struggling to stand after the kick, and pulled the trigger one last time.
The corridor fell quiet, the heavy stench of cordite hanging in the air as Alexander stood over the five neutralized operators, his breathing controlled.
Alexander stood still over the bodies, waiting for the heavy thud of reinforcement boots to rush down the hall. But nobody came. The silence in the luxury building was deafening. He dropped to one knee stripping a compact tactical rifle from the dead leader, along with a few spare magazines and extra boxes of 9mm ammunition for his scavenged pistol.
Moving in a low, disciplined combat glide, he used the corners of the walls for cover as he approached the main lobby. He peered around the final pillar, his rifle leveled, but the entire reception area was barren. The assassins were gone.
"Damn it!" Alexander muttered, slamming his fist against the drywall.
He had taken too long playing it safe in the bathroom. He had walked out of the ambush in one piece, but Victoria and Aria were missing.
Alexander pushed through the corridor, scanning the empty lobby. There was no sign of a struggle, no blood, just empty space. He didn’t dare touch the elevator buttons—taking a slow-moving metal box during an active security breach was a suicide mission—so he bolted toward the heavy fire door of the emergency stairwell. He bounded down the concrete steps three at a time, his eyes tracking every landing, but the entire path was deserted. They had vanished into thin air.
"Shit!"
Alexander whipped out his phone, his thumb tapping the screen as he dialed Marcus’s encrypted direct line. The call connected instantly, but before Alexander could open his mouth, a loud, high-pitched moan echoed through the speaker.
"Ooh, yes! Shove it in all the way! Split my ass wide open, Marcus...!!!" a woman’s voice screamed over the receiver, accompanied by the wet, rhythmic slapping of skin.
"Sorry, old friend, I’m a little occupied right now" said Marcus, his voice thick and slightly out of breath. "I’ll call you back later."
"Dammit, Marcus, listen to me!" Alexander roared, sprinting back toward the main driveway. "They just kidnapped Victoria Kingsley! Shit has hit the fan!"
"You fucking moron, what are you doing?!" The Women shouted. In the background, a loud smack echoed, followed by the sound of a annoyed woman yelping in protest. "Holy shit... her?! Shit, shit, shit! Alex, where the hell are you right now?"
"At her apartment building" said Alexander, climbing into the driver’s seat of the Shelby. "Where do I meet you? Can you contact her father right now?"
"No, I don’t have his direct number" said Marcus, the sound of rustling clothes filling the line as he clearly scrambled out of bed. "It’s not exactly like the King of this goddamn city hands out his personal digits to random agents, you know."
"Wait... I know where to find him" said Alexander, turning the ignition and causing the supercharger to scream to life. "Meet me at the Kingsley Tower. The last time I went in there, I had an escort, but I just have to pray to hell the front gate guards still remember my face... Shit!"
