Chapter 109: In the Midst of Chaos

Chapter 109: In the Midst of Chaos
Chad was tense as he sped back to the clubhouse. As they neared, it was obvious that something was happening. Men were all around the place. There were a few unfamiliar faces. Men were tearing each other down. More horribly, there were Reaper men fighting among themselves.
Chad looked around with his calculative gaze, trying to come up with the best strategy in that situation. He spotted Zalen in the distance. He was blocking a kick when he turned and saw Chad. His muscles flexed as he exerted force and the man in front of him was pushed backward, losing his balance and fell.
“What happened?” Chad asked when Zalen approached. A man was coming at them but Chad successfully blocked him. “The enemy attacked us while you were away. They were here for Cecilia,” Zalen explained in the midst of the chaos while they were defending against the men charging at them.
Stacy was doing the same. They defended as they pushed their way through the crowd into the clubhouse. “I thought we had everything figured out. What happened to the backup team?” Chad asked as he grabbed the wrist of a man charging at him with a knife. He frowned as he looked at the man in front of him. That was one of the members from the backup team. His grip on his wrist tightened, causing the knife to fall to the ground with a cling. The man winced in pain.
“There are traitors. Gus had his men planted in our base months ago. Now, our forces are divided into two. Most of the men from the backup team turned to Gus,” Zalen explained as he intercepted a stick from the man attacking him and elbowed the man hard, causing him to wince in pain. While he was unfocused, Zalen kicked his leg from under him, causing him to fall head-first onto the ground.
“Why?” Chad asked. The question seemed to be directed at Zalen from the flow of their conversation but he was glaring at the man in front of him. His iron grip still tightly clasped on his wrist. The man screamed in pain. “Gus is a better leader. He promised us better lives beyond what we have now if we could help him unify this town,” the man hissed through his gritted teeth.
Chad’s expression hardened. Tension settled around him as he tightened his grip and the man’s scream cut through the corridors of the clubhouse. With a final toss of mercy, he flung the man to the side. He hit the wall as he clasped his wrist in pain.
“Where’s Hank?” Chad’s voice was low with a calm sense of danger. “He broke through the confinement of his room when the attack happened. We’re still trying to locate him,” Zalen reported. Stacy’s eyes widened as she remembered something.
“Where is Nelly?” She asked. Zalen only shook his head. All around them was chaos. They had to shout to be heard over the noise and every second, an attack could come from any direction.
Stacy placed her hand on Chad’s arm. “I’m going to look for her,” she told him, conveying her assurance through the calm touch. Chad grabbed her arm quickly. “No! It’s too dangerous,” his voice laced with worry. Stacy saw a man attacking him from the back and pulled him to the side while she used the momentum to deliver a kick to the man. He fell to the floor with a thud.
“I got this,” she met Chad’s eyes calmly as she said, “you take care as well. Remember what you said.” Chad’s eyes flicked to the man on the floor and back to her, as if he was still deciding if he should stop her from leaving his side. Stacy suddenly grabbed his shirt and pulled him down just to stand on the tip of her toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll see you later.” That was the last thing she said as she disappeared in the crowd of fighting men.
Chad was still staring after she was gone, but an enemy’s sneak attack pulled his attention back to his surroundings. Right, he promised her. He would take good care of himself, and he would keep the situation under control. With a new determination, he continued pushing forward into the clubhouse.
Meanwhile, Stacy moved among the men with practiced ease. Her movements were precise and agile, allowing her to pass through the chaos quickly. She slipped through the crowd of seemingly berserk men throwing themselves at each other, and sneaked upstairs in the direction of Nelly’s room.
The moment she reached the second floor, a man rushed out from the dark. She recognized him. “Kenny?” She tried to recall his name. That was the man who insisted that there was an intruder in their room. His brows almost knitted together as he came face to face with her. “What are you doing here? It’s dangerous!”
He seemed to be really concerned for her safety. However, something felt off. Her instinct was telling her to not believe the man in front of her.
“What’s wrong?” He asked when she didn’t react. Suddenly, he moved. His movements were so quick, a normal person might not be able to react in time. Stacy’s reflexes caused her to catch his hand before he could drive the knife into her. Surprisingly, she felt as if this was the most natural situation she should be in. The chaos was nothing to her and she was able to react in time to their every movement as if she saw them in slow motion.
Kenny’s frown deepened. “You are good,” he said, “but you won’t get out of here alive.” With that said, he applied force as he forced the knife towards her. He was stronger than he looked. Not being able to stop him, she used her speed against him. In a swift motion, she turned to the side as she let go of his hand, causing him to lose his balance and fall forward.
She did the most natural thing her muscle memories led her to. The edge of her palm landed on a point at his neck. The next second, he was out cold on the floor.
“I’ll borrow this,” she said as she took the knife from him and proceeded down the corridor. The fight echoed from the grounds below but there was hardly anyone on the second floor. She inched forward carefully towards Nelly’s room.
The moment she reached her door, she tried to push it open. The door was locked from the inside. She calmed herself down and focused on her surroundings, trying hard to listen if there was any breathing person on the second floor with her.
Then, her eyes snapped open as she jerked into motion, delivering a kick to the knob.