Bullets shattered the glass of the windows.
He rushed up to the first man and attacked him with his knives. Bullets rushed past him, and he used the big guy’s body as a shield, moving his way deeper into the apartment.
Withdrawing his knives, he cut the second man’s throat, and then the guy he’d seen abusing the woman from above, he cut the bastard’s balls off, then sliced the guy’s throat, blood spraying out onto Xavier’s shirt.
Turning around in the space, he saw glass everywhere, and all the men were down.
“Xavier, get out of there.”
“The girl?” He looked at the broken glass table.
“They slit her throat, Xavier.”
He saw the blood pooling beneath her.
He was too late.
Once again, he’d failed.
“You can answer to Boss.”
****
Alesha woke up with a start.
Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she frowned as she heard the noise again. Something was moving downstairs.
The sound of banging and glass breaking drew her out from the bed. Wearing a pair of pajamas, she was in no way suited to deal with a potential intruder. Xavier said she would be safe here. Grabbing the baseball bat that she took with her to every place she stayed, she opened her bedroom door.
This was the first time an intruder had invaded her home.
Xavier’s home.
Not her home.
She only worked here. Just a housekeeper. The woman he kept to keep his life in line and perfectly neat. She cooked, cleaned, and ran the errands he asked for.
She was nothing more than a woman that blended into his life like a piece of furniture. Alesha was a couch.
Pain slashed through her at the thought of how little she meant to him. Not that she was supposed to mean anything to him. He was her boss. Nothing more, nothing less.
Getting to the stairs, she winced as they creaked beneath her weight.
When no one jumped out of her and she figured she was safe, she took the steps slowly, bracing herself against what she might face.
What if it was like out of a horror movie and they were wearing a scary mask and wielding a knife that would slash her into a thousand pieces? Or this was only a dream and she was about to be torn to bits by a man with knives for fingers? Note to self, never ever watch old seventies and eighties horror films before bed. She hated scary movies so much, but once they were playing, she needed to know what happened next.
Get a grip.
Once she cleared the stairs, she squeezed the bat tighter.
She’d never been good at baseball.
Stepping down the hall, she walked into the dining room where she saw a large shadow. She screamed and swung the bat, hitting something. The intruder didn’t stop though. Lifting the bat, she drew it back about to hit him again when he caught the bat and pulled it from her grip.
Before she knew what was happening, the intruder tugged her into his arms, holding her still. She screamed and fought with all of her might, but whoever had her knew what they were doing.
She couldn’t go anywhere.