Chapter 128: Kidnapped successfully.

I sit in my car, watching the Hamilton brothers’ residence through the darkness.

Patience has never been my strongest virtue, but tonight, I’m willing to make an exception.

I’ve been waiting for nearly an hour, and I’m beginning to get irritated. My shoulder aches beneath the bandage.

Still, I don’t move.

Not until the Hamilton brothers finally emerge from the house. Two black SUVs pull out of the driveway, followed by another vehicle carrying their personal security. I watch them disappear down the road, counting the men who leave with them.

Almost half their guards.

Perfect.

A slow smile spreads across my face as I pick up my phone and send Fernando a quick message.

••They’re heading your way. Evacuate the premises immediately.••

His assignment is simple. Set fire to the Hamilton brothers’ most prized warehouse and make sure the brothers hear about it. The moment they believe their assets are in danger, they’ll rush to protect them and while they’re busy dealing with the fire, I’ll be dealing with their wife.

A fair exchange, if you ask me.

I put my phone away and look back at the house.

This is precisely why, in our line of work, you don’t allow yourself to develop weaknesses.

The Hamilton brothers have many things worth protecting. Money, territory, weapons, businesses, and the reputation they’ve spent years building but their greatest weakness is their wife.

I figured that out sometime last year, wasn’t difficult.

Pathetic, predictable and well Useful to me now.

I was simply waiting for the perfect opportunity to put that information to work...That perfect opportunity is tonight.

I can never be like them, I would never allow my wife to become my weakness.

And tonight is precisely why.....i know exactly how dangerous it is to care about someone in our world. I’ve built my entire life around making sure no one can use the people I love against me.

I check the time on my phone, then reach for the small distraction I’ve brought along. The guards are still scattered around the property, though several have moved closer to the main entrance. They’re alert, but not alert enough.

I toss the device toward a distant section of the grounds.

The resulting explosion tears through the quiet night. Shouts erupt almost immediately as several guards rush toward the noise while others scramble to determine where the threat came from. Within seconds, the attention that had been focused on the main house shifts toward the opposite side of the property.

I wait a few more seconds, watching the movement.

Then I open my car door and climb out.

Time to work.

I move quickly toward the house, keeping to the shadows until I reach a side entrance. The door gives way without much resistance, and I slip inside.

The interior is dimly lit and unnervingly quiet.

I pause to listen when I hear nothing. I move down the hallway, checking the rooms one by one. An empty study, a sitting room, a guest bedroom that smells faintly of expensive perfume.

Nothing.

I try another door, still empty.

My patience begins to wear thin.

Where the fuck is she?

I was assured that the Hamilton brothers’ wife was home tonight. My information has been reliable so far, and I have no intention of leaving without what I came for.

I move farther down the corridor, trying another door....Nothing but a wardrobe and an empty bed.

"Fucking hell," I mutter under my breath.

If I have to search this entire house, I might actually lose my mind.

I reach the final door at the end of the hallway and push it open.

Finally.

A petite figure lies asleep beneath the covers. I pause in the doorway, studying her for a moment.

I cross the room quietly and approach the bed. She doesn’t stir when I pull the covers aside, nor does she wake when I lean over her.

Good.

I have no desire to deal with a screaming, struggling banshee in the middle of an enemy’s house.

I take the cloth coverrd with the chloroform I brought from my pocket and press it over her nose and mouth.

She shifts faintly in her sleep and for one brief moment, I hold still, watching her face.

Then her body relaxes completely.

Bingo.

I remove the cloth and tuck it away, checking that she’s breathing before slipping one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back.

She’s lighter than I expected.

I lift her bridal style and turn toward the door.

The whole thing has been almost disappointingly easy.

I expected more resistance, more guards, more complications. They need to seriously improve their security.

What kind of protection allows a man to walk into a house, find its resident, and walk back out carrying her? Without any issues.

A bunch of incompetent wankers.

I make my way through the hallway and toward the side entrance, keeping my steps steady despite the ache in my shoulder. Every movement reminds me that I should probably be resting somewhere with a competent doctor.

Unfortunately, I have never been particularly good at following medical advice or anyone else’s advice, for that matter.

I could have sent my men to do this for me. I would have been simpler. Fernando could have organized the team, I could have remained somewhere comfortably nursing my still hurting shoulder while everyone else handled the dirty work.

But I like getting my hands dirty sometimes.

There’s a difference between a man who gives orders from behind a desk and a man who understands what it takes to carry them out.

My people follow me because they know I won’t ask them to face a danger I’m unwilling to face myself. I don’t expect blind loyalty from men who have never seen me take a risk.

Respect isn’t something you can demand simply because you’re Don.

You earn it and I have spent years earning mine.

By the time I reach the side entrance, the shouting outside has grown louder. The guards are still focused on the disturbance across the grounds, and none of them seem to have noticed my departure.

I step into the darkness and make my way toward my car. When I reach it, I open the rear door and carefully settle the unconscious woman across the back seat.

I check her breathing once more before closing the door.

Then I walk around to the driver’s side and slide behind the wheel. I start the engine and pull away from the property.

Let’s get this done and over with, shall we?