- 5 4 -

"Anton?" I called out after knocking on his office door several times but got no answer, so I went in, only to shake my head with a smile.

Walking over to the desk, I lightly ran my fingers in my brother's hair who was currently knocked out on his desk, one side of his face squished against a bunch of papers.

Thinking I should capture this adorable moment to threaten him later, I quickly snapped a photo of him and smiled in satisfaction.

He hummed, shifting a bit when I pulled away and let him get up while I sat in the seat in front of the desk with my leg crossed over the other.

I had to wait five minutes until he yawned, lifting his face from the desk and rubbed it with his hands. He opened his eyes and suddenly jumped when he saw me.

"What the fuck!" He exclaimed dramatically, putting a hand on his heart and breathing deeply, but not before throwing me a glare.

"Idiot." I mumbled when he pinned me with his sharp gaze.

"When did you come home?" He asked arranging his papers when I caught sight of one that was hanging off the desk partially and I pushed it back up, my eyes briefly scanning its contents when my blood ran cold.

Anton obviously noticed my frozen state and glanced at the paper in my hand, his eyes widening in the slightest when he snatched it from me and put it in the pile, stuffing them in his side drawer.

I shook my head, clearing my throat and tried to calm down my racing heart when he looked at me worriedly.

"You called for me?" I asked sitting straighter when he scanned my face before nodding slowly.

"Yes we uh... I have two jobs for you. First, I need you to intercept someone." He said putting a blue folder file in front of me. I opened it and raised my eyebrows.

"Lincoln Dubois." I said his name out loud, noting the man who had apparently a lot of tattoos and owned a night club somewhere in the city.

"Yes. He has links to the man we caught yesterday, thank you for that by the way, I had fun torturing him." He said when I rolled my eyes playfully.

"When do you need him?" I asked reading through the file, frowning when I saw he stole chocolates from a supermarket for himself.

Seriously?

"Right now." He said and I instantly looked up at him.

"Now? Like, now now?" I asked and he nodded, tapping his fingers on the table impatiently.

"Well?" He asked when I sighed, throwing the folder back on the desk.

"Alright. Give me a time and a place. I'll be there. And the second job?" I said and got up from my seat when he sighed.

"I need a sniper. The best one." He said and I instantly shook my head.

"No." I said when he pursed his lips together.

"We'll talk about this later. For now, you need to be at his club at 11 pm. Alex will accompany you." He said and I nodded, watching his tired state.

"Get some sleep till then. It's still 9 p.m." I said and he sighed, raking his hand through his hair.

"Will do. I feel like a fucking zombie." He muttered when I chuckled.

"Ant, you are a zombie. And a real ugly one at that." I said and heard his dissatisfied grunt as I walked out of the office.

"Fuck you! I'm beautiful!" He yelled as I closed the door.

"I love you too! And no you're not!" I yelled back before skipping towards my room and preparing for my mission ahead.

I walked into my closet, looking for night club-worthy clothes when the perfect dress caught my eye.

I took it out and set it on the bed before taking a relaxing bath and adding sensual scents in it to make myself more appealing.

Walking back out, I painted my nails and straightened my hair before putting on some make up.

I did a nude smoky eye and red lips with winged eyeliner to give myself a bold and sexy look.

By the time I was done, it was ten so I quickly wore my red dress with spaghetti straps. It ended well above my knees and hugged my curves perfectly, also revealing a bit of my chest.

I slipped on my high heels, smiling at myself in the mirror.

Grabbing my clutch, I put my dagger in a reliable and safe place, putting my family ring on before making my way out. Making my way down the stairs, I heard a whistle and saw Zephyr coming up.

"Damn girl, where you headed off to?" He asked when I smiled at him.

"Thank you, to a mission. Is Alex down?" I asked and he nodded before giving me a thumbs up as I went out, where my brother stood talking to a guard with his hands in his pockets.

"Alexander." I said approaching him and saw him turn towards me, scanning my outfit before pursing his lips.

He did not like it.

"Heather. This is Owen. Owen, my younger sister, Heather." Alex introduced me to the dirty-blonde haired guy who was nearly as tall as Alex.

"Ms. Elias, a pleasure to meet you." He said as we shook hands.

"Call me Heather, please." I said and turned to Alex.

"Are we leaving?" I asked him and he nodded.

"Yes. You have everything?" He asked and I nodded.

"Good. Owen is your personal guard from now onwards, he'll be accompanying us." He said and opened the door for me.

"Alright, thanks." I said sitting in and Alex followed with two other security cars with us.

"How far is this club?" I asked after early fifteen minutes when Alex looked at me from his phone.

"Ten more minutes. You know everything about the guy?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yup. How old is he again?" I asked him.

"He's 26, rich, spoiled and a man whore." He said and I nodded.

"So like you then?" I said cheekily and saw him glare at me.

"Alright, alright jeez, I'm sorry. No need to get angry." I said patting his arm when he rolled his eyes.

We reached a glitzy club soon after and when I was about to get off, Alex's hand on my arm stopped me.

"Thea." He called when I was about to open the door.

"Yes?"

"This guy is dangerous and works directly for him. He's in his inner circle and there might be a chance he might recognize you." He said when I shook my head.

"It's alright Alex, I'll be fine." I reassured him and saw him think for a few moments before he nodded and kissed my forehead.

"Stay safe darling. I love you." He said and I smiled, pecking his cheek.

"Love you too you big teddy bear." I said cheekily when he rolled his eyes playfully but smiled anyway at the end.

"I'll come after a while to avoid suspicion." He said and I nodded, getting out of the car like the diva I was, I saw people looking over and sauntered off towards the entrance.

"Name?" The bouncer asked eyeing me up and down when I smirked.

"Elias." I said and saw the bouncers eyes widen before he averted his gaze from mine, briefly glancing at the ring on my hand before letting me in without any questions.

Perks of being an Elias.

The place was crowded, to say the least. The smell of weed and alcohol lingered in the air as music blasted through the speakers, people grinding onto each other and a few strippers dancing on poles.

I noticed Owen lingering close by and when our eyes met, he gave me a subtle nod as I tapped onto the ear piece n my ear discreetly.

"Where is he?" I asked when a few moments later Nikolai spoke up.

"VIP section, you'll find him to your right near the bar." He said and I hummed, walking over to the place Nik told me and I walked through the mass of sweaty drunks and upstairs to the VIP section.

Setting myself on a barstool, I ordered a drink for myself and sipped it casually, feeling people's eyes on me and a burning stare aimed at my face.

It wasn't even a few minutes when a man came and sat down next to me, and I saw his inked hands from when he grabbed his drink.

"And who might you be, beautiful?" He spoke when I turned to look at him, grinning when our eyes met.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I said pretending to be confused when he stepped closer to me.

"No, but I have a feeling you're about to. Lincoln Dubois, owner of this club." He said kissing my hand when I smiled at him, although was disgusted inside.

"Oh, so you're him. I've been wondering who all the girls were talking about when they kept talking about a Lincoln." I said and he grinned, looking me up and down not so discreetly.

"That would be me." He said gesturing to himself.

"Would you like to join me for a drink?" He asked and I pretended to think before nodding.

"Sure." I said and got up, taking his outstretched arm and following him towards a reserved table in the back.

When we reached the table, I saw another man with his back to us, but looked somewhat familiar.

Have I seen this back before?

"Sorry for the delay Mr. Angelo, I found myself some company. I hope you don't mind that I brought her along." He said and immediately my eyes bulged out of my head as the man turned around and our eyes met.

His showed a mixture of shock and confusion but he masked it quickly while I cleared my throat and smiled.

What the hell is he doing here?!

"This is- I never got your name sweetheart." Lincoln said and I snapped out of my daze and forced a smile onto my face, pressing myself into him a bit.

"Jenna." I said when he licked his lips and smirked.

"Jenna, suits you perfect." He said grinning and made me sit right next to him on the couch opposite Roman's.

I could feel his stare burning through my face but I didn't dare look his way out of nervousness.

Now what?

A waiter came soon and brought us our drinks and as I was lifted mine to my lips and took a sip, my eyes met Roman's green ones that stared at me with such intensity I had to look away.

I nearly flinched when I felt a hand on my thigh but masked my shock with a grin when Lincoln looked at me.

"She's a beauty, ain't she?" Lincoln said to Roman while looking at me and I tried my best not to puke and instead smiled.

I heard Roman hum in response, briefly glancing at his white knuckles due to his grip on his drink.

I gulped when I felt Lincoln's hand going higher up my thigh and immediately covered it with mine, grinning at him seductively.

"I'll be back, I need to refresh my make up." I said and ignored his lusty stare as I got up and went to the bathroom quickly.

When I entered, I breathed a sigh of relief and put my hand on my chest to calm myself down.

"Calm down, Thea. It's going to be alright." I said closing my eyes and breathing deeply and when I opened them I shrieked in surprise when he immediately covered my mouth with his large hand.

"Not a sound angel." He whispered and I nodded slowly when he removed his hand slowly, his other hand on my waist.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He seethed, glaring at me.

"I-I had mission. What are you doing here?" I asked narrowing my eyes.

"Business." He said searching my face for something before he pulled away.

"Stop staring at me. It'll make him suspicious." I said when he rolled his eyes.

"He was touching you." He stated when I crossed my arms over my chest.

"So?"

"I didn't like it. I don't like it." He gritted out wen I sighed.

"Just-... Just don't do anything stupid." I said when he scoffed.

"Stupid? Really?" He said annoyed when I walked towards the door and turned to him.

"Yes. Don't ruin this for me. This guy is important." I said with a strained voice and he noticed it too the way his eyes softened and he nodded once, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Come out a few minutes later." I said and left the bathroom, taking a deep breath before walking back to Lincoln who grinned when I returned.

"Took you long enough." He said and I smiled at him, pretending to look around.

"Where'd your friend go?" I asked casually when he raised his brow in question.

"Why do you want to know? Are you interested in him?" He asked leaning towards me but I shook my head, also leaning towards him and playing with the collar of his dress shirt.

"Not really, I was just asking anyway." I said and he grinned.

"Good. He went to the restroom. Just give us a few more minutes to close a deal and then we'll go somewhere more... private." He said and I smiled shyly.

"Sounds good to me." I said as he trailed his fingers up and down my bare arm, making me shiver in disgust when a throat was cleared in front of us.

We both looked up and saw Roman looking at us with a clenched jaw.

"Mr. Angelo, please sit down." Lincoln said and they started talking about business while I waited impatiently for them to be done.

My eyes scanned the area bored and when they landed on someone I thought I knew, and I had to look twice at the side profile of the person who was talking on their phone.

My eyes widened, my breath catching in my throat as I struggled to breathe.

"Jenna?" I heard someone call me and I looked in Lincoln's eyes.

"Are you alright? You seem a little pale." He said and tried to touch my face but I forced a smile before he could touch me.

"Oh? Oh y-yes, I was just thinking of something... Are you done? I'm getting really bored now." I said twirling a lock of my hair around my fingers and biting my lip which seemed to do the trick.

"Of course, I just need to call a friend of mine here to entertain Mr. Angelo then we can be on our way." He said and immediately my eyes widened.

I briefly glanced at Roman panicked who frowned looking at my state, while I panicked at if the friend he was talking about was him.

"No!" I said suddenly and both men looked at me confused.

"I-I meant, I really must get going. I-I just remembered something I had to do. I'm sorry, but I'd love to meet you again someday." I said and got up immediately only for Lincoln to grab my arm harshly and pull me towards him.

"No, you're not going anywhere sweetheart." He said, lust clouding his eyes when I gulped, trying to pull away from his grip.

"Let. Her. Go." I heard a harsh yet calm voice and both of us looked at Roman who was standing now, in front of us.

"My apologies Mr. Angelo, I just have to deal with this little girl here who thinks she can outsmart me." He said as I tried to pull away from his grip, warning Roman with my eyes to not do anything.

"W-what do you mean?" I said and he smirked.

"You thought I wouldn't find out, Jenna? Or should I say, Heather Elias?" He said and my eyes widened immediately.

I suddenly kneed him between his legs and he fell onto the sofa with a groan and I pulled out my dagger and pressed it to his throat.

"Then you'll know why I'm here." I warned but he only chuckled as I restrained him.

"Oh I know, and so does he. He's found you little birdie, and he won't rest till he has you." He rasped when I pressed the blade tighter to his throat, blood oozing when I remembered I wasn't supposed to kill him.

I leaned down to his ear, kissing the collar of his shirt with glossy eyes before speaking, my voice strained.

"Anton sends his best." I said when the man's eyes widened and I dug my dagger into his stomach, watching blood ooze out of his mouth.

I pulled it out, wiping it with his shirt before I heard a gunshot and a bullet whizzed over my head.

I was swiftly pulled towards Roman who shielded me and I pulled his gun out of his waistband before he could, shooting toward the men who were heading towards us with guns in their hands.

I managed to shoot a guy in the shoulder and the other on his leg. I shot another in the stomach when Roman snatched his gun back from me, shooting four more men dead as even more surrounded us.

As they circled us like predators Roman pressed me closer to him as I looked around panicked and grabbed Roman's free hand tightly.

Suddenly the the sound of gunshots rang in my ears and the men fell down one by one.

Roman took this chance to kill the remaining few and grabbed my hand, pulling me with him as both of us ran away from that area.

I looked for the source of the gunshots and saw Alex with his gun shooting all the men along with Owen by his side.

He caught my eye and looked at me worried before he saw Roman and relaxed a bit, punching a guy square in the face.

There was chaos everywhere as my heartbeat slowed down and I felt like I couldn't breathe when my eyes met familiar brown ones, making my blood freeze over.

His lips turned into an evil smirk as I staggered back a few steps, his eyes boring into mine but I was soon pulled by Roman out of the club as he led me towards his car.

"Heather? Baby look at me, calm down, everything's fine, I'm here." I heard Roman say and felt his arms wrap around me. I didn't even notice I was shaking violently and crying until he held me.

"Heather? Heather!" I heard Alex's shouts and held tighter to Roman as footsteps came towards us as I was pulled into my brother's chest suddenly.

"Hush darling, it's okay, I'm here." He kissed my head repeatedly before pulling away, he held my shoulders and looked into my red eyes.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" He asked scanning me worried when a sob broke out of me and he looked back into my eyes worried, his eyes widening with realization when he saw the fear that had taken over me.

"Heather." He said in a warning tone, his voice cold and devoid of emotion while I tried to breathe properly.

"Alex I- I saw, I saw him!" I yelled and he staggered back a step.

"He was there Alex, he was fucking there and he saw me!" I yelled again as fear passed my brother's face, but he wasn't afraid for himself.

He was afraid for me.

He suddenly pulled me back into his chest as I cried and gave out orders to his men before pulling me into his car and holding me close, but I couldn't calm down no matter what he did.

"Roman get your ass here and calm her down!" Alex yelled through the window.

Not even moments later I was in a different car, in Roman's lap while he ran his hands through my hair and whispered sweet nothings in my ear while I hiccupped and shook uncontrollably, wrapped in his blazer that smelled just like him.

"I won't let anyone get to you. I promise baby." He whispered, kissing my forehead as I held onto him for dear life.

My brother watched from the front seat, his eyes meeting Roman's through the rear view mirror in a silent threat while Roman's words rang in my ears, calming me down.

" I won't let anyone get to you. I promise baby."