Chapter 96 What's this?

Chapter 96 What's this?
Michael. 

My driver speeds recklessly through the road, overtaking cars and vans, not even stopping at the red light. 

To hell with all those! 

What matters now is getting to the headquarters in a breath. 

I was just having a beautiful morning, one I've not had in ages, until that call disrupted me. I'm surprised it's Alicia, and hearing the word 'attack' from her set my body ablaze. 

It has to be the new enemy! 

Just as I exit Laura's house, I alert all the dons and pahkans of the Allied Faction, and I'm sure they're on their way. 

Time stretches, anger sears through me while Bones and I fill up our guns with bullets. 

We're not certain what we'll encounter there, but it's better to be prepared for an attack. 

"Fucking bloody shadows!" Bones curses beside me, loading bullets into his gun. "When's that fucker ever gonna show his dead face?" 

He's talking about our shadow enemy, clearly as pissed as I am. 

Half of all the money we contribute together for the progress of the faction is right there at the headquarters, and knowing it was under attack not long ago makes me worry about them. 

How did this bloody ass shadow enemy of ours find out where the headquarters is? 

It's actually tucked away from prying eyes and hearing ears, and for years, we've operated there secretly with no one realizing it. 

And all of a freaking sudden, the enemy struck, how? 

We pull up before the hidden warehouse, tucked inside the woods. 

I hold my gun tight as I climb out of the car. 

Other vehicles pull up too. Konstantin, Matteo, Antonio, and the rest pull out, their faces streaked with anger. 

"Michael? What the hell is happening?" Antonio marches toward me, asking. Of course, he has his gun ready in his hand. 

"Alicia said they were attacked!" I growl, putting my hat over my head. 

Antonio curses as we march into the warehouse. 

Blood paints every wall, every corner. Brains splattered like maps on the floor. 

The air reeks of the potent coppery tang of blood, turning my belly along with the anger I feel. 

Corpses lie on every corner, some are our men, while the rest are clothed in black biker gear. 

"Bloody motherfuckers! They should've left one alive!" Kostantin barks, smashing his boot into one of our dead enemies. 

"I swear to feast on this bloody ass motherfucker whenever we catch him. I'm gonna rip his heart out!" Matteo hisses, closing the eyes of one of our dead security guys. 

I heave heavily. "Someone check the vault! I need to find Alicia." I order. 

Footsteps resound, and then I hear a door opening while I hasten to the secretary's office, where I presume Alicia will be. 

The door falls from the hinges when I tug it open and lands on the floor with a thud. 

I dart my eyes around, taking in the ruin until I see her, Alicia. 

She's behind her desk. 

I hasten to where she is, assessing her as I call her out. 

"Ally, hey."

She has a wound on her left leg with several cuts and bruises. 

Alicia groans while I tap gently at her cheeks.

"Mike..." she rasply calls out, her lashes fluttering.

"Hey, hang on." 

I drop my gun beside her, reach into my shirt, beneath my suit and coat, and rip out a piece. 

Reaching for her leg, I pluck out the shards of wood stuck there and tie the piece on the wound to staunch the blood. 

She cries out, her hands flailing. 

"It's okay, Ally." 

I clean the dust off her face and haul her up into my arms. 

Then I head outside. 

Antonio rushes forward, worry contorting his face when he sees Alicia. 

"Is she alright?" He asks. 

"Fairly. I need to take her to a doctor." 

Before I can leave, Bones comes out of the vault, his anger deepening. 

I just knew immediately something had gone wrong. 

"Huh?" Konstantin hisses questioningly. 

"The vault is empty. All the cash is gone." Bones announces, shocking us all. 

"That's some fucking ten million dollars in there. How the hell did they breach the vault?" Matteo asks. 

"The real question is, how did they know that's where the vault is?" I say, my words silencing them. 

"Could they have an inside help?" Asks Konstantin. 

"We're not certain...but..." 

"Are you people aware that seven of our security guys are missing?" Antonio's question halts our thought process. 

Eyes scan around, mind reeling. 

There were thirty of them here, and only twenty-three are accounted for. 

The seven? 

"Taken hostage. The same pattern is repeating itself. This shadow, or whoever he is, is stealing our men!" Matteo barks. 

Silence momentarily sweeps through us, but a while later, Alicia's cries break it. 

"Oh, so much pain. So much pain!" 

She starts to squirm in my arms, and that alerts me. 

I turn to the others, announcing. 

"I'm taking her home!" Turning Bones, I command. "Call the doctor. Tell him to come to the villa; his service is needed." 

Bones quickly starts dialing the doctor, but walks ahead of us to hold the back passenger door open for us. 

At that, we move with Alicia squirming in my arms. 

___

In less than thirty minutes, we arrive at my villa, and my men are on high alert, given the situation of things in the underworld now. 

The dark sky crests over the asphalt as I carry Alicia into the house, calling out to the doctor who hastens into the parlor with his work tools. 

"Help her, doc." I hum, looking over at Alicia, who's squirming on the chair. 

The doctor takes charge, looking over Alicia's wounds even as her cries ring through the house. 

Damn! She must be in so much pain. 

If I had known it'd be like this, I'd have ensured more guards garrisoned the headquarters, fuck. 

"It's okay, Alicia. Just let me handle it, and you'll be fine in a jiffy." The doc says, hoping to reassure her, but Alicia isn't having it. 

Her cries thunder louder, same as her squirming over the couch. 

"It hurts...my body hurts....so much." 

"Just let me..." Pleads the doctor, looking to get a hold of her wounded leg, but Alicia's not allowing it. 

"Why not give her a tranquilizer?" I suggest, my heart drumming. I wouldn't want us to lose the newest member to the faction. Aside from that, Alicia has shown great diligence since being appointed as our secretary. 

"I need to see the wound first and confirm." The doctor demands, his voice rising above Alicia's tantrums. 

I reach her stead, dropping to my haunches. "Hey, Alicia..." I coo, my hand resting on her cheek, silently coaxing her to look me in the eyes. She does, her wet lashes fanning over her cheeks. "Just calm down and let him..." 

Alicia doesn't let me finish the statement. She just breaks into hot tears and speedily wraps me in a tight hug. 

That has me confused. My mind reels, trying to make sense of it all. 

Is this her showing she's calmed down enough to let Illya treat her? 

"M-Michael?" My body freezes immediately at the sound of Laura's voice. 

As if electrified, I disentangle myself from Alicia's embrace as a sudden cold washes over me. 

Slowly, I shoot to my feet and whirl around to face her- Laura. 

Her face is scrawled with confusion until her eyes land on Alicia, then embers begin to crackle in the depths of her gray eyes. 

"What is this!?" Laura hisses, her tone infused with spite. 

Tbc.