Chapter 10 Midnight Intrusion
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Finished
That night, as usual, Kiara went through her late–night workout–boxing and push–ups. After a shower, she flopped onto her bed and lazily scrolled through the Skyhaven group chat.
Nothing new–just the same chatter about the record–breaking heat wave and the ongoing Joplor being out of contact.
She skimmed for a few minutes, then, feeling drowsy, set her phone aside. Sofi, calming music played from her speaker as she closed her eyes.
Since c
ecoming back from the apocalypse. Kiara had slept lightly. The faintest noise could yank her back to full alertness.
Which was why, the moment she heard the faint scrape and rustle at her front door, her eyes snapped open.
She held her breath, listening.
Not her imagination–someone was definitely trying to pick the lock.
Her face hardened. From her storage space, she pulled out a Swiss Army knife, pressing herself flat against the wall by the entryway. Ear to the wall, she caught muffled voices outside.
Judging from the muffled voices, there were at least three of them.
“Damn, this woman’s got one hell of a lock,” a rough voice grumbled.
A chuckle followed, one she recognized instantly. “All the more reason. It means she’s got money. I’ve seen her place–three locks on the front door, tight security. Keep it down; don’t wake that bitch. She’s bad news.”
Travis. No surprise there.
Another man gave a dismissive snort. “Bad news or not, she’s still a woman. You telling me the three of us can’t handle a
woman?”
Travis laughed, his tone thick with something ugly. “Handle her? I go first. I found her, so nobody’s cutting in.”
The trio were letting their imagination run wild; as they kept working, the metallic clicks from the lock came faster.
Kiara’s stomach churned at their foul insinuations.
Her first instinct was to pull her gun and end it right there–but it wasn’t total chaos out there too much attention–and probably land her in a cell.
yet. Firing a shot would draw
Kiara’s brows drew together, her attention locked on the sounds outside. Her thoughts rifled through the supplies in her makeshift medical bay inside the storage until her fingers closed around a tranquilizer gun.
Good. No need to end up in prison tonight.
The doorknob suddenly twisted downward.
One of the men crouched low, pushing the door open. Excitement flashed across his face as he stepped inside. “We’re in— bring the tools-”
He never finished. A sharp, burning pain ripped through his gui
He looked down in shock to see the gleam of steel twisting into him. The blade yanked free without warning.
Hot blood poured from the wound like water from a burst pipe.
His vision blurred from the blood lost, the room tilting. He swayed once, then dropped like a felled tree.
Travis and the other man sensed something was wrong. Their smirks vanished at the same moment, and they both looked toward the doorway. Kiara stood there, dressed head to toe in black, a cold aura rolling off her like a winter storm. The knife in her hand still dripped red.
Travis liked to think he’d seen it all, but the sight made his pulse hitch.
The man beside him was worse off–his knees nearly buckled, his voice cracking. “Sh–she… she killed him.”
Chapter 10 Midnight Intrusion
Kiara stepped over the threshold. A sick jolt ran through Travis..
Finished
He had murdered someone previously. That look in her eyes—he knew it. It was the look of someone who wouldn’t stop until you were dead.
Instinct took over. He reached for the knife at his belt.
But he wasn’t fast enough.
Before his blade could reach Kiara’s neck, the tranquilizer gun slammed into it.
Thud! He staggered, eyes rolling back, and dropped face–first to the floor.
Kiara didn’t waste a heartbeat. She swung the gun toward the man cowering in the corner, her head tilting slightly. “You want to try your luck too!”
“No–no,” he stammered, shaking his head so hard it looked like it might snap. The pool of blood on the floor and the icy. unfeeling look in Kiara’s eyes seit tremors racing down his legs. His face had gone chalk–white, and he couldn’t stop the frantic motion of denial.
Her right hand gripped the tranquilizer gun tight, but her gaze shifted to the tools scattered across the floor.
Well, they’d come prepared.
She stepped closer, nudging a coil of rope on the floor with her toe. Tie them up.”
The man didn’t dare argue. He scrambled forward, wrapping the rope around Travis and the other man, who was bleeding heavily, cinching the knots as tightly as his shaking hands allowed.
The floor was slick with blood, the air thick with the sharp, metallic tang of it. Kiara’s nose wrinkled. “Clean it up.”
He thought about protesting, but the tranquilizer gun in one of her hands–and the blood–stained knife in the other–killed the idea instantly.
That man knew he probably wouldn’t leave here alive, but people always cling to a shred of hope.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he nodded and hurried into Travis’s place. Moments later, he returned with a mop and towels, diligently scrubbing the floor and removing all the bloodstains
When he finished, he pleaded, “Please… I was wrong. I never should’ve come after you; please spare me. I’ve got a family- kids. I can’t die here:
Kiara’s only reply was a short, cutting laugh
No matter how pitiful he sounded, Kiara felt no sympathy.
She knew exactly why he was apologizing–because she held the weapons and the upper hand.
If she’d been defenseless tonight, the roles would be reversed,
Her gaze stayed cold as she turned toward the pile of tools. With a sharp kick, she sent the bag spilling open–and froze when she saw a black video camera inside.
Her brow furrowed. “Why the camera?”
The man, still crouched on the floor, fumbled for words, stammering and hesitating
Kaara lifted the tranquilizer gun. “Want to see who’s faster?”
A visible shiver ran through him. Whatever defiance he had left vanished, and the truth came tumbling out
“Doug and I we’re gamblers Lost everything last month. Travis told us you sold three buildings worth billions a couple months ago. We were desperate. The debt collectors were on us, so we thought we’d take the risk. I swear I wasn’t planning anything else. Honest!”
Kiara was shocked. She hadn’t realized Travis had dug so deeply into her finances.
In her previous life, when Travis had managed to take over this entire building, Kiara had already suspected he was a capable
Chapter 10 Midnight Intrusion
man. But she hadn’t expected he’d gone so far as to dig up the full extent of her wealth.
Her fingers tightened around the knife. “And the camera?”
Finished
Sweat trickled down his temple. He took several deep breaths before blurting. “That was Travis. He planned to… violate you. Record it. Use the footage to blackmail you.”
He glanced up at her cautiously.
Her face had darkened to something dangerous. He quickly dropped his gaze again. “I swear, I never had that in mind. Please… just let me go. I won’t dare try anything again.”
He bowed repeatedly for a long time.
If she hadn’t overheard their whispered plans earlier, she might have believed him.
匪
But even if that were true, she had no plans to let him walk away. In her eyes, there wasn’t a shred of innocence in him.
In her previous life, he’d been one of the men running with Travis, leaving a trail of victims behind them.
Kiara pressed the trigger.
Thwip! The dart sank into his skin. His body went rigid for a heartbeat before he toppled sideways, out cold.
