CONDEMNATION ✓

Chapter 23

Within thirty minutes, you were dressed and out of the mansion. Careful of your movements as you wandered through the wooded area outside Halcyon Hall. They hid the cars about half a mile out back, stored and undiscovered by most since they couldn't exactly park all the cars outside what the public believed to be an old abandoned college. The walk was hasty, treading through dead leaves that covered the forest floor and watching your step of uprooted branches. 

Your fingers curled into the hem of your black leather jacket and tugged it closed, trying to shield yourself from the nipping wind that licked at your exposed skin. Of course, you'd pick a nearly freezing night to go rogue. After a few stumbles and grumbled curses, you finally came upon the storage center. You knew you had limited time; you weren't arrogant enough to think R wouldn't figure out you were gone or what you were up to; it was just a matter of time. 

You spotted a lone sledgehammer tilted up beside the old structure; you set the duffle bag you had packed onto the cold ground. Taking it into your hands, you moved to the double doors secured via a thick padlock. Raising it above your head, you swung it down and popped the lock with a horrendous bang that echoed across the desolate trees. You flinched at the sound, quickly surveying the area from over your shoulder. You dropped the hammer and tossed the shattered lock to the ground. You'd text Jungkook later and tell him it needed to be replaced. 

Rushing inside, you hit the key fob since you weren't sure which keys went to what car. You just snagged a set from the lockbox in the main house. It was a gamble. There were six cars lined up in the building, three on each wall. Silently you hoped that the 1971 Chevelle SS, clad in black with a white racing stripe down its center, would go off as your thumb pressed into the alarm.  Sadly, it was the black Hyundai Palisade that beeped instead. You rolled your eyes. 'Damn SUVs,' but you didn't have time to be picky. 

Jogging to the SUV, you ripped the door open, jumped into the driver's seat, and tossed your duffle bag into the passenger seat. You slammed the key into the ignition and let the car roar to life. You pulled out of the garage and drove carefully down the dirt path until it led to the main road and letting your foot turn to lead on the gas peddle. You were determined to fix this. 

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It took about forty-five minutes for you to arrive outside Mr. Mayers's residence. It was past two in the morning, and the lights within the beautiful white mansion were off, the land quiet. You pulled the car around the block, parking it far enough away that it was out of view of the mansion but close enough to book it back to the car after you were finished. You were sure to park it close to the curb where a thick bush rested, obscuring it from surveillance cameras that littered this upscale neighborhood. 

Reaching into your duffle bag, you grabbed your Springfield pistol and screwed on the .45 silencer. You made sure it was snug in place, and the safety was off. You tucked it inside your jacket and pulled your hair back. You tied your blue locks into a tight, small bun that rested askew on your head. Jumping out of the car, you used your slender frame to slip between blind spots before making your way to the security gate and digging your feet into the soft soil of the bed of roses you stood in. You pushed off and let your fingers grip the top of the wall before yanking yourself up and rolling over the stone bridge. 

You stuck the landing as you crouched close to the ground. Your eyes darted about wildly as you kept an open eye for security. You knew it was a possibility they were there as you heard them mention the night of the party; then again, they could have just been an added measure for that night. Realistically he could have tightened measures after the botched stunt you pulled. 

You saw the clear coast, and your eyes began to roll over the cascading white walls of Jacob's pristine mansion. Since you had scouted the building inside, you could pinpoint key rooms from the outer view. You took a long look at Jacob's room to see the drapes pulled, but no light shining from within. Your eyes wandered to the office windows to see the same. You stalked toward the building, careful of every step you took and every disembodied sound made. 

You were going to fix this mess even if it killed you; then again, you were too cocky to assume it would. You managed to get to the building without hassle; now it was about getting inside without alerting outside or in. You scaled the wall carefully as you wandered past the windows on the lower floor. 

This place had a fucking greenhouse? Lucky for you, though, it was open air. Mess walls encased the decorative and likely rare plants within. Pulling out a pocket knife, you sliced through the mess to create a small hole that allowed your frame to slip into. You pushed a few plants from your way as you slithered inside. 

It was empty; why wouldn't it be at two in the morning? A door connected the greenhouse to the main part of the mansion, and after making sure the coast was clear, you wandered closer. Your steps light as they tap against the tile floor below you. You made quick work of the lock in silence before hearing the soft tick as the lock turned and the door slowly pulled open to grant you access. 

You moved into a small storage room connected to the kitchen, the door opened a crack, and you could see a light coming from the other side. Fuck. Backing yourself up, you moved to a blacked-out space and tried to peer between the cracks to see if anyone was inside. You could hear the muffled voices of two people as they sat in the kitchen. You listened in. 

"Do you think we'll be out of a job soon?" A worried woman's voice asked. The sounds of clinking plates as they rattled in a bath of soapy water made their way to your ear. 

"I have no clue. But the media hasn't been kind to him, that's for sure. I heard this morning multiple lawsuits have already been filed against him." Another voice responded with a heavy sigh. 

Wait... Did the article you sent to a local news station air?! You'd been locked in your room most of the day and half of the night you weren't aware. This was good news. R surely had to have known about this by now. For a moment, you doubted your actions. Was there a point of you doing this now if Mr.Mayers reputation was successfully ruined due to your assignment? Then job done. 

No. Your assignment wasn't to ruin his life but to end it. You took in a breath and inched closer to the door. You slipped your pistol from your jacket and readied it in your hands. You prepared yourself to charge into the kitchen and swiftly put an end to the life of the two kitchen staff when another idea popped into your pretty blue-haired head. This one seemed better than your reckless attempt to redeem your reputation. Holstering the gun, you remained still, waiting.