The ambiance in the room billowed with Sia’s harsh breath and surprise gasps. She aimed for the lamplight on her nightstand but before she was done fumbling with the switch to see the intruder’s face, he already pared the knife from his neck and escaped through the balcony.
Fear crinkled Sia’s face and her eyes darkened with anger.
Fur clambered on her lap and kept on with her endless barks. Heavy breaths slipped from Sia’s nose and ajar mouth.
“Who was that!?” She yelled, her eyes rolling around in the room calculatedly for more threats.
She pranced off the bed and aimed for the knife as she hobbled to the switch to flip on the chandelier.
When the room beams with light, Sia glanced around cautiously but dread numbed her mind.
When she spotted the doors of her balcony open, Sia concluded the intruder snaked in from there.
Over the years, she always kept her doors open to let in fresh air but nothing has ever happened.
No one has penetrated into her room but tonight someone aimed for her life.
She carried Fur and hurried downstairs, calling on Michelle’s name.
All the servants woke from their slumber on hearing Sia’s outcry.
They all assembled in the living room where Sia paced back and forth like someone who just lost her mind.
Michelle rushed toward her, worry constricted her heart.
“What’s wrong, Mrs. Monson?” She asked, taking in the blood that tainted Sia’s negligee and her tousled hair.
Sia’s breath ragged. She couldn’t form a seamless sentence as a suffocating sense of dread beclouded her.
“Someone…some…” Tears bubbled in her chest. Michelle sent two servants to check on the Gateman but they back and informed Michelle the Gateman was drugged.
“There has been an intruder!” Michelle muttered. She dragged her gaze to Sia. “What did he do to you, Mrs. Monson?” She asked.
Sia speared her hand through her hair, snorting. “He.. he wanted to smother me.” She said in between tears. “Who could that be?” She asked.
Michelle crossed the distance between them and launched Sia in her arms, sliding her fingers through Sia’s hair.
“Calm down first.” She cajoled. Sia came down from her high and took shallow breaths. “Were you able to see his face?’ She asked but Sia shook her head ‘no’.
“He masqueraded himself. I couldn’t see anything before he escaped through the balcony.” She gushed while pacing around.
“I think we should hire more security, Mrs. Monson.” Michelle suggested and Sia gave her a nod.
Her mind roved in thoughts. “Who else would want me dead?” She mused aloud. As her mind fixed the pieces of puzzle together she arrived at a solid conclusion.
“Silas Monson!” She growled.
Sia snapped her fingers and informed one of the servants to get her phone from her room.
When the servant returned, she placed Silas’s number on a speed dial.
“So you’re taking brave steps, really Silas Monson?” She barked into the phone.
“What!? Silas asked, puzzled.
“Don’t act like you don’t know. But be ready to answer the query at James’ house by dawn.” She said evasively and hung up.
Michelle gripped Sia’s hand and informed her to call an emergency meeting.
Sia placed James on a call and demanded for an emergency meeting by dawn. After dropping the call with James, she called Estrella.
“Jesus! How could he?” Estrella barked into the phone after Sia narrated her ordeal.
“He wants me dead.” Sia gushed, biting her lip to rein on her tears.
“I’m going to be there tomorrow. I’ll come to your house.” Estrella said. They made small talk before Sia hung up.
The thick ambiance suffocated her and she crawled to the kitchen to grab some frosty drink to calm her wrecking nerves.
After a while, she dozed off on the couch.
**
?Somewhere In E Bloxham St, Tallahassee. ?
Painful grunts escaped Raymond’s lips as he staggered out of the elevator. Blood dribbled from the hand he wrapped around his throat.
As he scrambled to his apartment door, the blood dropped on the white marble tiles, forming a trail but he doesn’t give a shit about the breadcrumbs he leaves on the floor.
Everyone in the apartment complex fears his cologne much less approaching him ’cause of the blood that tainted the floor.
When he assembled on his door, he dipped his hand in his pocket, fumbling for his key.
A bunch of expletives left his mouth ’cause getting ahold of the key seemed hard. When his finger finally slipped into the key holder, he shoved it out of his pocket and into the door.
With two flips of the key, the lock opens and Raymond turned the knob and slipped into the dark room.
He advanced to the switch and flipped it on, the jasmine-colored light casted rays in the hallway.
Raymond’s eyes are beginning to feel hazy as he has lost blood but he staggered to his bedroom for something that can staunch the blood. As he walked by his living room, he spotted a figure that stood by his floor-to-ceiling windows, looking at the tranquil street.
He paused as he took in the figure, wondering who it was but only one person has access to his room.
Ma’am Hera.
As the answer dawned on Raymond, he twitched his lips and greeted her.
“Good evening, ma’am Hera.” His voice wavered and grunts of anguish rolled off his lips.
“I wasn’t really expecting you.” He added. He already knows the reason Hera is in his condo tonight.
Hera flipped around and flicked a sharp, dirty grin at him. She broke into slow strides, advancing toward Raymond.
With his hand wrapped around his neck, he went on his knees as a sign of respect to his owner.
Hera paused in front of him and trailed her eyes down to meet his. The dirty grin on her face widened. Hoisting a hand, she speared it into his head forcefully and a whimper rumbled in Raymond’s chest.
“Tell me you have good news.” She croaked, her fist tightened in Raymond’s dark hair.
In between painful whimpers, Raymond choked out.
“It wasn’t a success, ma’am Hera.” He sucked a long string of air. “She stabbed me but thankfully…it wasn’t too deep.” He stuttered, his blood sprinkled on the floor, forming a puddle.
Hera went down to her haunches and tugged the hand Raymond wrapped tightly around his neck.
She pushed out her tongue and ran it along the bloody wound, making Raymond wince. Hera pushes her tongue inside and lets the blood mingle with her saliva.
Raymond watched her intently, but Hera took him by surprise. Raymond slammed his eyes close when the blood mixed with spittle pummeled his face and eyes.
Angrily, he gnashed his teeth and his bones poked his jaw.
“You were instructed to end her no matter what. But you failed the…second time.” Hera hummed, her fingers digging into the wound on Raymond’s neck.
He barely restrained the wails coiling in his chest, hence a soundless outcry slipped from his mouth.
“You know, failing a mission twice attracts punishment, Raymond. Maybe you have forgotten.” Hera said. This time her blood-soaked fingers ran across Raymond’s lips. She pushed her fingers inside his mouth, forcing him to lick it clean.
“How does it taste, boy?” She asked, enjoying the angry writhes of Raymond.
“Bitter.” He croaked, taking gulping breaths.
“Perfect. You know my punishment attracts more blood than this.” She uttered and rose to her feet.
Taking two backward strides, she simpered at Raymond.
“But no boy. I’ll skip the punishment this time. Consider it my prerogative of mercy.” She muttered. Her voice sent a shudder down Raymond’s body.
Out stretching her hand, Raymond took it as a cue to entwine his on it. He did as such and Hera helped him to his feet but not without sending a warning glare at him.
While on his feet, she spits the last chilly words before zooming off, “you’ve a mission, Raymond. Prove your worth this time around.”
Hearing his apartment door shut close, all the coiled breath Raymond didn’t know he withheld gushed from his nose.
Just then he aimed for his phone and called his personal nurse to help address his wound.