Chapter 1
I gripped the straps of my duffel bag hard, knuckles turning white as I stared at the sea of body swarming the airport grounds.
The damn place seemed particularly busy at 1pm on a Sunday and I got jostled around as people came and went but I remained where I was. I got a few odd looks thrown my way from people who thought it was weird for a girl to stand still in the midst of a busy crowd and that, coupled with the exhaustion deep in my bones and the sweat rolling down my back had me growing more pissed off by the minute.
According to Kannen, my
new guardian and his men were supposed to have approached me the minute I stepped down from the plane so where the heck were they now? I mean, sure they probably couldn't pick me out in a crowd. My five foot three frame made that part really difficult but real a greater part of me hopes that director Pierre Torrez had decided he didn't want the bother of accommodating a troubled teenage girl fresh out of therapy anymore. Wishful thinking, but hey, a girl can dream right?
My phone vibrated in the pocket of my jacket and I pulled it out, only to find yet another message from the man I probably owe my sanity to.
KANNEN: call me when you get there. Keep your head down and be smart. Don't forget what I told you.
I had to roll my eyes at that. How could I possibly forget that I had a shit ton of international organizations hunting for my damn head?
“Alexis Walker?” a middle age man with warm eyes and kind features approached me.
I gave him a tight nod “yeah that would be me...um hi.”
“hello. My name is James and your transportation is right this way. if you follow me...”
He turned and strolled off, not even waiting to see if I was following him.
What an asshole, I thought as I moved after him, trying not to lose him in the sea of unfamiliar faces. Dude didnt even help me with my damn luggage. He led me across the grounds until we came near a parking lot and stopped in front of a black Escalade with twinted Windows. Two large, buff dudes leaned against each side, wearing casual clothes and trying to look like every day civilians but judging by their tense postures and way their eyes darted around I'd say they were anything but.
James helped me load the duffel bag and backpack which contained all my wordly possessions into the trunk then the car pulled away from the airport. My chaperone made no effort to strike up any conversation with me, but that suited me perfectly well as I needed the silence the psychoanalyze things to within an inch of my mental capacity.
Up till now I still had no fucking clue as to why one of the heads of Nicon would want me to live in his house. Kannen gave me sweet fuck all when I bugged him about it a million times. I'd had no choice but to agree when he gave me the terms of agreement and when he assured me several times that I wasn't walking into the den of a person who would sell me or shit like that. But despite that I did enough social media stalking that I certainly had enough knowledge about this absolute shit show I was about diving into.
With any luck, daddy Torrez wouldn't turn out to be another sick, pervy psyco that derived pleasure in turning little girls into monsters. Though given his position at the top of the most powerful business empire in the world, I suspected he'd be much worse. I was pulled out of my chilling thoughts when the car stopped moving. A large black wrought iron gate loomed in front of us and the driver leaned out the window to type in the code into a keypad that hung beside it. At first I thought we were already there, but I was surprised when we continue down the main road instead of a driveway. James must have seen the confusion on my face because he gaves a slight smile and explained to me
“ Director Pierre and the other heads have their family estate within a gated community.”
Oh, right. Of course they do. Can't have any lesser beings wandering into their multimillion dollar grounds by accident. What a fucking joke. I glanced out the window, noticing that we just passed the first gate leading to an enormous mansion.
“That house belongs to the Knight family” James pointed out helpfully. Though how he could stand to call that overkill monstrosity a house without breaking a sweat was beyond me.
“And that one belongs to the Reign family”
“Are we moving up a slope?' I asked suddenly, taking note of the way each gate seemed a little higher than the last, though that could have just been my sleep deprived mind talking. James gave me an impressed look
“Yes, as a matter of facts we are. The Nicon community was built on a little hill overlooking the cliff side”
“So....basically we're living on a cliff?” I asked nervously
“Yes, but don't worry the Torrez family estate is still two houses away from it–ah, here we are now.”
The car had veered off the main road onto a smaller drive leading to another set of gates, this one probably steel, painted a deep matte black. The driver once again leaned out and typed another code into the keypad beside the intercom. I sped a couple of heavily armed guys alert and inconspicuous scattered at different posts along the fence.
The gate opened, closing automatically once we drove through. Call me paranoid or something, but the way the gate close after us felt final....like I just sealed my fate. I shook off that sense of foreboding and tried to think positively. Kannen had sworn on his life that no harm would come to me while I was here.
It's just another year Lexi, I said to myself, then you'll be able to get the fuck out of here and do your own thing.
Soon enough the car came to another halt, this time right in front of the house–sorry, mansion.
I refused to disrespect it by calling it anything else.
It was three stories high and wide enough to cover half of a small city. The large windows glinted as they reflected in the afternoon sun and the overall effect was heavenly. I didn't realize that I had been gaping until I saw my awestruck expression in the car window and then I quickly shut my mouth. I mean, it wasn't the first time I seen a mansion given the fact that I pulled countless heists in them, but this one was....damn. They even had a fountain with a little stone cherub spewing water! I mean for fucks sake people. By the time I was done gaping, James had taken my stuff out of the car and passed it to a maid who disappeared behind the huge oak front doors.
“Come along, miss Walker, Mr and Mrs Torrez would like to see you.” James said and led me into the house. I took a deep breath and expelled it. Here goes nothing I guess.
