Killer Empire

Chapter 41

THE AIR BUZZED and fizzled with tension, the electricity practically melting into Devora's bones as she raised her gun high, loaded with ammo. Nathan, ever the perfect support, walked just slightly in front of her, his own gun also poised and ready to fire whenever commanded. He had volunteered, rather wordlessly, to act as the lookout, hence his position in front.

Devora knew that she needed it, no matter what her pride told her otherwise. Nathan had been the one that had studied the structure of the safe house at the start of this very mission, so it only made sense that he would be the one leading the way.

Although fear was ringing loudly in her ears, Devora made sure not to show even a sliver of it. Fear was a weakness and had always been her weakness. Nonetheless, now she was a reformed soul and no longer the lost-in-the-headlights deer a year ago. There was no chance in hell she would allow herself to slip back either.

There was a little nagging voice at the back of her head, screaming that the slower she moved, the higher chance there was in Julius Cain lying dead with a bullet hole either straight through his forehead or lodged through his chest. After all, Candice still had the upper hand of surprise and that alone could work miracles in her favor.

"Nathan," Devora whispered softly, a force of habit from her missions. "I don't think Candice is still here in the hallways. From the looks of it, she probably came here alone. We have to move quickly."

Just as her sentence ended, Nathan halted in his steps. Looking down, Devora grimaced slightly when she caught sight of the dead man lying on the ground just a few feet away. Blood splattered all over the walls, depicting a brutal crime scene. There was a hole in his neck, fresh blood still oozing out like a free-flowing river.

At least that proved that they were on the right track. Candice had indeed just passed by. The man's dead body was still warm, having died not too long ago. That meant that Candice hadn't left for long.

"Candice, what have you done?" Nathan muttered, asking the question more to himself than to another person. Urgency filled his irises as he turned to Devora, his lips pressed into a taut, grim line. "You're right," he said. "We have to move. Quickly."

Time was fighting against them. Before the duo had even reached the heavy metal doors that hid Julius Cain, they could hear the sound of gunshots being fired, followed by grunts and curses. The sound of clashing weapons resonated through the walls.

Nathan wasted no time in rushing over, pushing the slightly-gaping door fully open before slipping in. The first sight that greeted him was the shower of bullets everywhere. The small deadly pieces of metal were lodged into the most awkward positions, littering the grounds they stood on and all over the walls. They were wedged into furniture, empty guns were thrown across the room as two figures fought in the center of the chaos.

With the lack of bullets in their empty guns, Candice and Cain had resorted to hand to hand combat. Although Candice was crowned as the undefeatable within the ring and outside on missions, she still wasn't enough to outmatch Julius Cain himself. Even when armed with a knife, the damage she could deal with Cain was no more than petty scratches on the skin, nothing foreign on Cain's body.

Dressed in a suit that looked so tight it would rip at any second, Julius Cain still moved with the near elegance of a dancer, dodging Candice's attacks with ease. He never made an attempt to counter-attack, merely avoiding the slashes, kicks, and punches she brutally threw at him.

"Candice! Stop it!" Devora screamed at the top of her lungs, bursting into the room with a huff.

Her voice successfully gathered both their attention but Cain's gaze lingered a fraction of a second longer than Candice's did. That was enough for her to fight back. Taking hold of the opportunity, she threw out her blade towards her opponent, making use of his diverted attention.