Chapter 171: Chapter 171
“Consider yourself escaped hell today, soldier, ” Terrence Clayton sneered at Larry Hill. He was puffing on his tobacco as he waited for the captives to be brought to him in his basement. He was seated on his throne-like chair with his right leg crossed atop his left knee. Then he dialed a number as soon as he saw Lucien Michaelson coming. But his face frowned when he saw a woman with the young Michaelson, also a captive.
“Who’s this?” Terrence asked with disgust in his tone, glaring at Larry.
But before Larry could respond, Terrence waved his hand to dismiss him because a voice was heard from the phone he was holding, the one he dialed a number earlier.
“Finally! I get to call the great and mighty King of the Gambling world, Don Leon!”
Terrence's tone could be mistaken as cheerful and enthusiastic speaking with the person on the other line, but his face was sneering and sporting mockery as he glared at Lucien.
Brianna feigned scared like everyone would expect from a woman, as she noticed Terrence thought she was a girl with Lucien for a social company. She was glad the call came at a good timing because had it been a minute delayed, Terrence Clayton might hear his men say she was Lucien’s bodyguard. It would have changed the mood.
Brianna was sure Terrence would have doubted her presence because he would have known Leandro Michaelson would never send a person to guard his grandson with the least ability. Terrence may not need to see whatever Brianna was able to do in order to convince him that she is an elite and excellent in what she does and break Brianna’s plans to make use of the element of surprise by disguise.
“West area all in position,” Blake’s team declared. Audible to everyone in the team on-site and in the control rooms.
“North area, on standby,” Tristan Oliver was next to announce.
Another team leader stated that the south area was waiting for further commands. The only one left and having a bit of conflict was the east team. It was the main entrance, after all. They needed a doubled cautiosness not to get caught and put their young Master and Boss b in greater danger.
The sun was still up in the sky but already on its way to set. Most attacks would be made in the dark, but Brianna did not want to wait for it. One reason was the doubt it would create for Terrence Clayton to buy the truck driver’s alibi of being late. Another reason was that she was pissed to find out about the illegal operations being done in the warehouse, considering the poor kids were being the victims of all Terrence Clayton’s greed for money and power.
She was furious when Jack told her about everything over that short conversation over the phone earlier, but Jack knew Brianna’s heart and mind about those kids being slaughtered. He knew Brianna would be pissed to death if she found out about it even a day later and not from him when she knew he was already aware of it.
Brianna looked around stealthily.
Terrence was talking to the old Michaelson with his eyes only focused on Lucien. Terrence's eyes were full of hate but also busy listening to the man he was talking to on the other line.
“I will send a person to get your sign over the documents I have prepared. I will keep your dear grandson with me until I am satisfied,” Terrence confidently stated.
He felt like he could ask Leandro Michaelson for anything, and he won’t have anything to worry about being rejected or declined. He had known over time how this old man would protect his family, especially his only grandson. Clayton was already rejoicing when he found out Levi Michaelson was never interested in the world Leandro had successfully and undeafeatedly established, but the grandson seemed to be too close to the grandpa. It made a wild impression that Lucien would take Don Leon’s place once he decided to step down.
Brianna mentally counted the number of people in the basement with them. There were only four aside from the team leader she saw at the warehouse when she went to rescue Lucien. A total of six men, including Terrence. But the man was too far from where Lucien and Brianna were told to stay as soon as they arrived on the underground floor through a concealed door under the stairs going up the second floor of the villa. She needed to be closer to attack the man without bloodshed as she originally had planned.
“We need to get closer or make him come close to us,” Brianna murmured with her head down. Only Lucien was closest to her, so the others around did not hear her words. Or maybe they did, but they did not get the clear words of what she said.
Lucien was staring at Terrence Clayton the whole time ever since they got in the same room with him. He seemed to want to speak with the man, but as a phone call came, Lucien waited patiently. Now that he was done talking over the phone and expressing he was aware of who the man he spoke to was, Lucien did not hide his fury.
“I wonder what future this country has once you become the president. Which I believe you are so desperate to become,” Lucien mocked Terrence. He deliberately made his tone sound so full of ridicule to offend the man and make him cross the distance between them.
And it worked!
Lucien’s words infuriated Terrence so greatly. He was provoked that a young man was rudely speaking to him. He was not used to such arrogance. Not his men nor his children, no one around him ever dares to do such an impertinent attitude towards him. It made Terrence hate the Michaelsons even more. Recalling how many times he had tried to deploy team after team to get a hold of Leandro Michaelson, wasting resources because they all failed until today, it seemed to mark a huge dot on his patience, and he wanted to release his anger one way or another.
Terrence Clayton wanted to express his displeasure personally. Not by words alone but by his fists. So he took a deep puff on his tobacco, placed it on his crystal ashtray, then stood from his royal seat to walk elegantly to where Lucien was standing against the wall.
“All on standby and waiting for your signal,” Jack announced with his voice audible and clear for everyone concerned.
“I will take him down,” Brianna whispered, seeing Terrence’s feet getting closer to them.
Brianna quickly estimated the distance Terrence was about to cross with the speed and measure of steps from one foot to the other.
Before Lucien could even respond to her words, he was startled to feel her turn on her back, and with her hands leaning on Lucien’s shoulder to her side, she was walking her feet on the wall next to their spot. She surprised everyone in the room, including Lucien, as she jumped and landed behind Terrence Clayton and took the man, an arm wrangling his neck.
“Tell your men to put their weapons down if you don’t want to die here, right now,” Brianna fiercely ordered. Her hold on his neck was firm and tight. Everyone around could see his face turning red as his blood seemed to have gathered in his head. “Or maybe, you shouldn’t, so I can just pull the trigger of my gun somewhere close to a fatal point and let you bleed for a while, then revive you to suffer again,” Brianna menacingly stated.
Terrence Clayton used to be among the brave and mighty soldiers, but he has aged, and with life luxury, he did not bother keeping his health more than avoiding the crucial illnesses. No matter if his brain knew what to do to defend and get free from his attacker’s hold, his body did not have the power to execute them. He looked around to see if any of his men were aiming at his attacker.
None!
Everyone was stunned!
They did not know this woman, but she was the first person they saw attacking the man they had always looked up to as the ferocious Devil, untouchable and unbeatable. But now, he was suffocating in the hold of a slim woman. Unable to free himself and fight back.
When Terrence his men in astonished mien and frozen on their feet, his original thought to not shoot changed. Now he wanted them to shoot at his attacker no matter if he got shot in the process.
But all he could do was wave a hand as the other was tightly gripping the woman’s wrist, trying to break free. His throat was suppressed from making a clear sound of words as the woman’s hold would get tighter the more he struggled. He was also cautious not to provoke her to pull the trigger on the gun she was pointing at his right side, close to the kidney.