Damn it.

I need to alert Anthony, but I don't even have my phone with me to call him with. I didn't think they could get this close.

Although, thinking about it now, I may have been complacent. It has been so long since the last attack. We haven't changed things up for a while.

Yes, I still have guards patrolling the perimeter, but they're useless if their movements are predictable.

My strength can be my downfall sometimes. I always insist on things being done a certain way at certain times, and that makes it easy for them to figure us out.

My best guess? They've been watching us for weeks or even months, and they know our routines by now. They know what times the guards change shift. They know what time I usually have breakfast and where. They probably even know what time Anthony takes his smoke break.

I'm lucky enough to not have sat in my usual spot for breakfast. I guess I have Alice to thank for that. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have spotted the guy.

He’s been acting like a gardener, mowing the lawn and pruning the bushes, but I thought he was looking this way too often. And then I saw him reaching into his jacket, touching something metallic that glinted in the sunlight.

A gun.

That fucker must know someone on the inside. Someone must’ve gotten him in, which means I’ll have to purge my staff again. It’s my least favorite thing to do—not just because it’s a pain in the ass that takes up a lot of time and effort, but mostly because I hate being reminded that it’s probably not a good idea to hire people whose pasts are tied to my enemies.

Yes, the enemies of my enemies are my friends. But what if my original enemies still hold some kind of power over my supposed friends and can make them do basically anything they want?

I lean in toward Alice, pulling her into my arms. I’m going to have to move fast, or this reckless plan just won’t work.

If I pull this off, we’ll both get to live to see another day. Otherwise, we’ll both be corpses within minutes.

“Seth, what’s wrong?” Alice asks.

I want to look into her eyes and lie to her, tell her everything’s going to be okay, but I can’t guarantee that. And I can’t take my focus off the guy who’s trying to kill us.

“Just follow my lead,” I say finally.

I’ll protect her with everything I’ve got, even if I have to give up my life to do that. I was the one who got her into this mess, after all. And I don’t think my life is all that great anyway, that I have to keep going at any cost. There are people who can continue my work if I can’t go on.

If I fail, if she gets shot and dies, I hope for two things. I hope she goes quickly and painlessly. And I hope I die with her, so I won’t have to live with the guilt.

Okay. It’s go time.

In one smooth, practiced move, I pull out my handgun from the holster inside my waistband. At the same time, I hold Alice with my free hand and drop us both down on the floor. When we fall, she gasps in surprise and grunts in pain. I try to minimize the impact of her body hitting the floor, but that kind of detail is hard to get right in a situation like this.

By the time I point my gun at the intruder, he has already started shooting. I hear the loud bang of his gun. The first bullet hits the dining table, making the wood explode and splinter.

I shoot back, but I miss.

I roll Alice down until she’s lying flat on the floor and cover her with my body. If the guy shoots, he’ll get me instead of her. This awkward position means there’s a higher risk of me getting shot, because I can’t move to a safer spot while protecting Alice.

He shoots again, and this time the bullet ricochets off the hard stone floor. We’re not hurt, but it’s only a matter of time now. We’re completely vulnerable. Even though we’re both on the floor, the big window gives him a clear sight of us.

I can see him clearly, too, but I can’t move as quickly, with Alice right under my body.

I just hope that the loud gunshots will alert my guards and I’ll soon have backup.

That will only work if my guards haven’t all switched sides, though. Obviously I have at least one double-crosser in the house. Who’s to say they’re not all compromised?

I decide to pay no attention to the shots he’s firing. It’s not like I can go anywhere to avoid them anyway; not without getting up and taking a bigger risk of getting shot.

Instead, I concentrate on getting a bullet lodged inside that motherfucker’s guts. I squint and squeeze the trigger. I watch and smile as he screams. His blood spreads, staining one leg of his pants red.

Then, another shot right at his hand, and he drops his gun. I didn’t fire this shot, though. I can’t get a shot that accurate from my position.

Through the window, I see Anthony and a couple other guys rush in. They grab the gun that the intruder has dropped on the grass and pull his hands back behind him, forcing his shoulders to bend back awkwardly. I hope it hurts.

“Are you okay?” I ask Alice.

She nods, but she doesn’t say anything. Poor thing, she’s shaking.

“It’s okay now. You’re safe.” I hear footsteps and look up to see Alejandra and Ana running into the dining room to see what the commotion is all about. I stroke Alice’s hair and stare straight into her blue eyes. “You’re safe now. Take a seat. Alejandra and Ana will take care of you.”

I get up. The window is all fucked up now. There’s a big hole where the glass used to be. I step through the window to get outside. It feels strange, but it’s not a feeling I can dwell on right now.

Fueled by fury and adrenaline, I charge toward the guy, who’s now kneeling on the grass, wincing in pain as blood continues to flow from his hand and thigh. Red-hot anger burns inside me, inciting me to put more holes in his body.

He fucking tried to kill Alice and me. Motherfucker deserves to die.

I knee him in the gut and watch his body contort in pain. His high-pitched wail sounds like music to my ears.

“Did you find out who let him in yet?” I ask my guards.

“It can only be one guy,” Anthony says without meeting my eyes.

Having worked with all my security team, day in and day out, he always feels responsible when something like this happens, even though I know he’s doing his best to cover all the holes in our security. At the same time, he still feels some kind of bond with these men and he takes it hard when one of them betrays him.

With a heavy sigh, Anthony says, “Ian. He must’ve been the one who let this guy in.”

I nod, keeping my eyes on the intruder. I can’t believe we almost died at the hands of this loser.

“He’s a good kid, Seth,” Anthony says. “But he still has family back home. Walter’s guys probably got ahold of his family and tortured them.”

I nod again. I already figured that out on my own. It’s the same old story, every single time.

It’s a tough situation, for sure. On one hand, Ian has betrayed us all, putting everyone in danger. On the other hand, if someone puts a gun to your father’s head and strips your sister naked, wouldn’t you do anything to save them?

I can’t put the entire blame on him. In a way, it’s my fault for not vetting my staff better. This is why I don’t like taking in guys whose families are still within reach of Walter’s crew. But sometimes, I make exceptions.

I know Ian. I like the kid. That’s why I hired him. But he can’t stay now. And I need to get rid of everyone who still has family back in their home country. I’d be putting everyone else in danger otherwise.

My body jolts when someone touches my chest. With all the tension in the air, I’m more jumpy than usual.

It’s Alice. She seems to have recovered from the shock. Now, she’s standing on the grass in front of me, pulling my suit jacket open by the lapels. She looks up at me with concern in her big doe eyes.

“You’re hurt,” she says.

I look down. There’s a red patch on my side and it grows bigger as the blood spreads.

I frown. That can’t be right. I don’t even feel any pain.

“I’ll call the doctor,” Anthony says. His voice sounds urgent.

I want to tell him to chill, but I see it too, even if the pain doesn’t register. I’ve been shot.