Chapter 52 The Mission
Anna's POV
I heard his footsteps rush toward me, and
before his hand could even reach me, I spun around.
My hand moved quicker than his thoughts. I yanked the gun from his belt in one smooth motion, cocked it, and pointed it straight at his chest.
He froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. Then slowly… his hands went up.
“Good,” I murmured. I gestured with the gun. “Turn around.”
He hesitated.
I tilted the gun slightly. That was all it took, he turned, facing the vehicle.
I smirked faintly behind him. “I wonder what Xavier is going to do when he finds out a woman took his driver’s gun this easily.”
He swallowed hard. “Please… he’ll kill me if he finds out.”
“Exactly,” I said. “So let’s not give him a reason to, shall we?”
I nudged the gun toward the car. “Be a gentleman and get back inside.”
Another hesitation. Then he obeyed, slid into the driver’s seat like his life depended on it.
I leaned slightly into the open door. “Your job is simple,” I said calmly. “You’re going to sit here and pretend I’m still in the car.”
He nodded quickly.
“I’ll be back before Xavier returns,” I continued. “I want Zack dead just as much as they do. And I hate being left behind.”
I tilted my head. “Can you do that for me?”
He shook his head nervously. “Just… just come back before he gets here,” he said. “Or I’m dead anyway.”
I gave him a tight smile. “Good answer.”
Then I stepped back. And turned toward the building.
The moment I crossed into the shadows of the industrial compound, everything shifted.
It was quiet; the kind of silence that felt staged… like something was waiting beneath it.
Why would Zack come here? The place looked abandoned.
I paused behind a stack of rusted metal containers, crouching slightly as I studied the area.
I saw men moving strategically; patrolling and watching angles. Guarding something—or someone.
I exhaled slowly. Then slipped deeper inside.
My senses sharpened as I navigated through the dim corridors, the faint smell of oil and metal hanging in the air.
Then out of nowhere, I started hearing gunshots echoing from above.
My head snapped up instantly.
Without wasting another second, I moved toward the staircase, my grip tightening around the gun.
The gunfire intensified as I approached. And when I reached the top, I saw Xavier’s men shooting at Zack’s men.
Bodies already on the ground with blood staining the concrete.
I leaned slightly behind the wall, peeking out.
My eyes moved quickly, searching for Zack. Where the hell was he?
But I sighted Xavier instead, right in the middle of it. Moving like death itself.
For a second, our eyes almost met, so I pulled back instantly.
My breath catching. I didn’t come here to watch him, I came to kill Zack, or at least watch him die.
I forced myself to look away and scan the room again. No single sign of Zack.
My jaw tightened. Was he even here? Or had Lucas been fed false information?
I exhaled sharply, frustration building. Then I turned, leaving the chaos behind.
I moved through a side passage, quieter, darker.
And that was when I saw one of Zack’s men's hiding: Pressed against the wall, breathing heavily.
He hadn’t seen me, so I raised the gun directly behind his head. “I won’t kill you,” I said coldly.
He froze, and turned slowly. Fear immediately flooding his face.
“If you tell me where Zack is.”
He swallowed hard. “I—I don’t know,” he stammered.
I stepped closer, gun still trained on him. “Wrong answer.”
“I swear!” he rushed out. “He left—he left minutes before your men got here!”
My brows furrowed. “Why?”
He hesitated.
I cocked the gun slightly.
That did it. “Someone tipped him off!” he blurted. “He knew Xavier was coming!”
My stomach dropped. Damn it. “Who?” I snapped.
“I don’t know!” he said quickly. “I swear I don’t—”
I didn’t wait, I brought the base of the gun down hard against his head. He collapsed instantly.
I exhaled sharply, clenched my jaw as frustration burned through me. No point staying here anymore.
I turned and headed back down the stairs. My grip still tight on the gun.
The building felt even quieter now. Like the chaos upstairs was contained.
I kept moving, watching my back. Then— My foot caught something and I stumbled hard, falling to the ground.
“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath, pushing myself up.
But before I could fully stand, I heard a voice behind me. “Who would have believed you’d be stupid enough to come here?”
My blood ran cold. My eyes widened immediately.
I spun around instantly, raising the gun— But I never got the chance to fire.
I saw as the shovel in his hand slammed into my face. Pain exploded through my skull.
My grip loosened, my vision blurred. And the last thing I felt or remember, was my body hitting the ground.