Laced

Laced - Chapter 52 (A Chink in the Armor)

Disclaimer: This was written over 10 years ago, and the author no longer agrees with many of the concepts found in this story. Some of the content will be cringey and/or problematic. Please remember this is entirely fictional and does not represent the author's beliefs.

Twitter: dazzleizzy

Copyright © 2012-2023

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Niall's POV

There was another knock on my door, and I rolled my eyes, annoyed. I already ignored the first knock, hoping she would think I was asleep and leave me alone for a bit, but as Amber always had been, she remained persistent.

I kicked my legs over the side of my bed, getting up. "Amber, I said not now! I just need a few hours to myself!" I yelled, hoping it would make her go away.

I'd spent the entire day yesterday and today avoiding her as much as possible, so I knew why she was worried. But I really couldn't bring myself to look her in the eyes after what I'd done behind her back.

The knock came again, and I let out an annoyed sound as I approached the door. "Seriously, Amber, you can't give me even five minutes to myself-"

When I open the door, I'm cut off mid-sentence. "Caleb?"

He looked at me with worried eyes, the expression on his face anxious. "We have a problem. There's been a security breach."

--

We immediately rushed to the security room, where all the camera screens were and the security head was based. When we entered, the head of security immediately stood up and made his way over to us.

"What's going on?" Caleb asks, crossing his arms.

"We've detected abnormal movement in the woods east of the mansion, but on the inside of the gates. So far, nothing major happened, but we're currently trying to find the location of the trespasser and close in on them."

I give him a quick nod. "When did this happen?"

"The sensors originally detected movement around six twenty-seven p.m. but we dismissed it, thinking it was just an animal."

"And you dismissed it without confirmation?" Caleb interrogates angrily.

The head of security guards hesitates. "Yes, Sir, but-"

Caleb cuts him off by raising his hand. "I don't need your fucking excuses. Go on."

He does immediately as Caleb commands, and continues to inform us on the situation.

"Yes, Sir. Anyway, we picked up more movement about an hour later, and this time we've confirmed it to be a human trespasser. I've sent out the security team to track and locate them."

"Anything so far?" Caleb continues sternly.

Somehow, when I look over to Caleb, he's a completely different person. My first impression of him was that he was irresponsibly insouciant, especially after he allowed everyone freedom to do whatever shit they wanted to. I wondered how an extremely serious Zayn had even put him in charge. But now, Caleb was dead serious, a furious expression on his face. He reminded me a lot of someone, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Yes. They've found traces of body heat in the path that the person must have passed through using infrared heat sensors. As of right now, we're still trying to find them."

I clear my throat, and finally decide to speak up. "And what would you suggest we do now?"

He turns to me, exhaling in exhaustion. "Well, I'd put the entire mansion on lock down. Everyone locked down, all the doors locked. We need to secure everything, but I need your permission to do so." He looks at Caleb.