A security breach

A security breach
Daisy

"You're looking at me as if this is goodbye forever," Carlos said with a soft laugh, but I could not find any humour in it. Nothing about this situation felt funny.

Mum was already at the meeting point they had arranged, and Carlos was about to leave to meet her there.

I picked up his gun from the table and passed it to him.

"Thank you, Love," he said, pressing a kiss to my lips.

"Carlos, you have to come back to me alive," I told him, my voice catching.

"I always do. And I will make certain your mother stays safe as well. She will be taken away to safety the moment Sandro arrives."

"Please be careful. You made a promise to be there for our baby and for me. And do not forget about the holiday either. You have to come back and take me away with you, and..." I could feel the panic starting to rise in my chest.

"Just have faith in me, Gold. I have not forgotten a single promise I made. We will do everything together after tonight. Tell you what: once I leave, you can write down every single thing you want us to do. Every activity you list while I am gone, I will complete each one without question. So be sure to fill up that page," he said, tucking the weapon away and holding my face in his hands.

"This is not the first time I have done this, and it will go exactly as it always has. Straightforward and without danger," he said, trying to reassure me, so I wrapped my arms around him.

He returned my embrace, but it was short.

"Do not hold me like you will never get the chance again," he said, pulling back and crouching down to speak to my stomach.

"I will return soon," he murmured, kissing my belly before standing up and gently pinching my cheeks.

He had almost reached the door when he stopped and came back to where I stood.

"There is a button here," he said, pulling open a drawer and guiding my hand inside until my fingers brushed against the top. There was indeed a small button concealed there.

"Press it every five minutes. I will receive the notification and know that you are safe."

"If anyone should be pressing a button for safety, it is you. You are the one walking into danger tonight."

"Just press the button for me. That will give me peace of mind. All right?"

"All right," I said with a quiet laugh, watching him leave the room.

My heart hammered against my ribs. Fear for him consumed me, and I wished with everything I had that tonight would end quickly. I wanted Mum back and Carlos back in my arms.

I stood by the window, watching the street below until I saw Carlos step outside with Bella close behind him. She opened the car door for him, and he climbed inside. I watched her get into the driver's seat.

"Please stay safe," I whispered once more before climbing into bed.

I sat up against the pillows and checked my watch. I had to remember to press that button every five minutes to keep Carlos satisfied.



Carlos Blaze

"Boss," Bella said, and I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I am not certain if this will make sense, but I believe Andro should come with us. He could be useful in protecting you."

"Bella, I need Daisy protected more than I need protection myself. You never know what Sandro might be planning. I refuse to leave Daisy without someone watching over her," I replied.

"I see your point now, boss."

We continued driving in silence, the way I preferred it.

Around three minutes later, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw the notification confirming that Daisy had pressed the button.

We arrived at the location about twenty-five minutes later. I pushed open the car door and stepped out. The place was a small café in a remote area, and I knew it would not survive the night. The isolation made it ideal for what needed to happen.

"Bella," I called.

"Yes, boss?"

"Contact the owner. He should not worry about his café. I will purchase it from him, whatever price he asks."

"Understood, boss."

I walked into the café, fully aware that my men had already surrounded the building. Diane sat at a table at the far end. She was the only customer inside, as I had insisted she reserve the entire place for the night.

"You came," she said quietly as I approached and sat down across from her.

"You wanted to speak with me?" I began, pretending not to know what was really going on.

"Yes, I did. It concerns Daisy," she started.

"Daisy is doing wonderfully with me. You need not worry about her at all."

"That is exactly the problem. Her being with you. I do not want her with you."

"We have discussed this before. She stays with me because she loves me and because she is safe under my protection."

"Hello, Carlos!" Sandro burst through the door, and I suppressed the urge to sigh with relief. The sooner this ended, the sooner I could return home.

"Sandro? What are you doing here?" I asked, glancing at Diane to keep up the pretence.

"You did well, woman," Sandro said with a grin, and Diane immediately rose from her chair and stepped away from me.

My phone buzzed again, letting me know that Gold was still safe. I needed to finish things here and get back to her. In forty minutes, I could be home.

I dropped my head for a moment, and when I looked up, my expression was indifferent as my men flooded into the small café.

"Diane, you played your part perfectly," I said with a smirk.

"Take her home," I ordered, and Sandro burst out laughing.

"I suspected this from the very beginning," he said, laughing harder before stopping abruptly.

"But where is your Daisy? What do you call her? Gold, is it? Where is she?"

"My... Where is Daisy?" Diane asked, her voice sharp with alarm.

"Take her home," I ordered firmly, and my men dragged her out while she shouted, demanding to know where Daisy was.

Daisy was safe. She had pressed the button only a minute ago, so she had to be fine.

My home was heavily guarded, and Sandro's men could never breach it. My bedroom could only be opened with my fingerprint, and Daisy's as well, because I had activated the security mode before leaving. I had made certain of that before I stepped out the door.

Daisy was safe.

"I have nothing further to discuss with you," I said quietly, drawing my gun.

"For Lorden, I made his death quick and mostly painless. But you have been a greater annoyance, so I cannot promise the same courtesy for you." My finger found the trigger.

His men and my men stood ready, watching each other.

"You might want to reconsider pulling that trigger, Carlos Blaze," he cackled.

"Because the moment anything happens to me, my men will dispose of your precious Gold. I know how obsessed you are with security." He stepped closer to me.

"So I understand your home must be well protected, but I do not mind sacrificing my men to kill her. I sent enough of them." He chuckled.

"No matter how much your men resist the attack, mine will break through. It will take only five minutes for them to melt your door open with their equipment. It takes you twenty-five minutes to drive back home. It will take my men fifteen minutes to reach your Gold. She will be long dead and cold by the time you arrive." He laughed.

"I thought I could trust that woman, but I knew better than to trust her completely. I never trust anyone fully, you know that, Carlos," he said, stopping right in front of my gun.

"I am going to kill you," I swore.

"Go ahead. Try it," he said with a grin.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that they will violate her body after she is dead? They are mostly quick about it, though, so you would not mind, would you?"

"As long as I stay alive, she stays alive. As long as nobody leaves here and you make no contact with anyone, she stays alive."

At that moment, my wristwatch beeped. A security breach. My men at the gate were already under attack.

Daisy. I had to keep her alive. She had to survive. I could lose my own worthless, ruined life, but I could not lose hers or my child's. I would not survive that loss. No, I could not let myself dwell on that thought. Daisy would not die. I would give my own life to make certain of that.