Silent strike
“That dress doesn't you, and I don’t mind taking it off you to awe your full glory.”
Kaia’s eyes narrowed as she read the note.
A slow, knowing smirk curved her lips, though her heart thudded with a mix of thrill and caution. Her gaze dropped to the address below:
“Golden’s Paradise.”
A five-star hotel, just a street away from Imperial Haven.
The location was perfect, the timing, precise.
Kaia exhaled sharply before grabbing a glass of water.
After taking a small sip, she rose to her feet.
Gracefully, she headed toward the exit, swaying her waist with each step.
As expected, the target followed.
By the time she reached the parking lot, he was already there, standing just a pace behind her.
“You’re even more beautiful up close.” His voice dripped with predatory charm.
His eyes roamed her body openly, lingering over her curves and cleavage with a perverse fascination.
Kaia felt a spark of irritation ignite within her.
“Kaia’s wellbeing is at stake.” She reminded herself inwardly.
She lifted her chin, cutting through his gaze. “Are you just going to stare at me, or are we actually going somewhere?”
“Yes… yes, let’s go. Tonight will be… unforgettable.” He opened the car door for her with exaggerated politeness, licking his lips as if savoring the thought of her.
Kaia ignored his stare. Tonight, he wouldn’t leave alive.
They arrived at Golden Paradise and entered his suite.
He disappeared into the bathroom, the faint sound of running water echoed behind the door.
Then came a knock.
“Room service,” a soft female voice called.
Kaia opened the door just enough to take the small bag. The attendant left immediately, leaving her alone. Her pulse quickened as she opened the bag.
Inside it was a pistol.
Her breath caught, but she forced herself calm, her fingers trembled as she checked it.
A silencer was attached to the pistol.
She had never fired a gun, but years of thriller shows gave her a rough understanding.
The gun was already cocked, ready to fire.
Sliding the bag under the bed, Kaia began a desperate search for the suitcase.
She locked the bathroom door to keep him contained while she rummaged the room.
Mattress lifted, couch overturned, wardrobes rifled—panic clawed at her chest. Then her foot struck something hollow.
A tile.
She lowered herself to the floor and knocked, confirming the hollow echo.
Carefully, she lifted the title, revealing an underground room.
“Sweetie, I’ll be with you in a second!” The target’s called from the bathroom, completely oblivious to his end.
Kaia’s pulse thundered. She held her breath, forcing her voice calm. “Okay, love. I’m waiting.”
The underground room was a forbidden treasure trove—illegal drugs displayed with dangerous elegance. Sachets and Ziploc bags rested at the rare end of the room. The substance within them glowed under the fluorescent bulb hung just above them.
Her eyes immediately found the black suitcase, perched neatly against the wall like a dark jewel.
Without wasting a second, she grabbed it.
Confirming the contents: three green packets, distinct from the rest, and beside them, was the golden flash drive.
“Good,” she whispered, locking the suitcase.
Relief barely touched her when…..
A hand gripped her wrist, another slammed across her face, leaving a sharp sting.
Kaia crumpled, pain flaring, and for a brief second, terror surged through her.
She lifted her eyes and met the target’s.
“How did he get out?” Her heart pounded, each beat echoing like a sentence in her ears.
“You want to leave before the fun starts?” A sinister grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
Kaia staggered to her feet.
“Very well then,” she said, struggling to maintain her poise.
She took a step forward.
A towel clung to his waist; his chest gleamed under the suite lights.
Kaia tightened her grip on the pistol bag, her fingers trembling slightly.
He shot his hand forward and grabbed her neck, crushing the air from her lungs, his other hand tracing her cheek in cruel mockery.
“No one comes this far and survives.”
Kaia’s mind raced
“We’ll see about that.” A small grin touched her lips.
She shot her knee upward, into his groin
“Bitch!!” He groaned, releasing her, pain twisting his face.
Kaia didn’t hesitate. She pulled out the pistol and aimed it at his head. Her fingers trembled as they pressed the trigger.
The gun fired silently. The target collapsed. He fell with a dull thud, blood pooling beneath him.
Kaia quickly checked his pulse.
“He is dead.” She muttered.
Her heart skipped a beat. Her first murder.
She didn’t let the thought settle, she placed the gun back into the bag and grabbed the suitcase. Back at the room, she grabbed her purse.
She looked through the pinhole of the exit door, carefully observing the entrance.
“Shit!”
Five bodyguards stood like statues.
“I need to distract them.” She muttered.
Her gaze drifted to a wall clock across the room
10 PM.
Her heart hammered against her chest.
Just then an idea sprang her mind.
She walked over to the landline and called reception requesting for alcohol.
Minutes later, the doorbell rang.
A female attendant appeared with a tray.
Kaia acted quickly.
As the door slammed shut, she covered the woman’s mouth and snapped her neck— a skill she learnt during her past gigs.
The woman fell unconscious on the couch.
Kaia stripped the woman of her uniform and donned in on herself.
Sliding the suitcase and pistol into the tray, she moved with quickly.
The guards didn’t flinched.
She passed them as if one of their own.
Outside, she hailed a taxi and raced to the airport.
In the restroom, she shed the uniform, blending seamlessly with the boarding crowd.
By 10:15 PM, she was at the gate. Her name was called, and she moved forward.
A notification pinged on her phone:
“Hand over the suitcase and the pistol bag to the man beside you.”
She glanced sideways. A man in a security uniform stood beside her, his expression calm.
