The Cantonesia Caper [Bauhinia Legacy Series, Book 4.0]

08 | Heist

"On my count, you'll start walking upstairs. Give me a minute to dismantle the second-floor security cameras." Elise and Amelia heard the furious and frantic clicking of keys, and Darling spoke again in seconds. "Go, and hurry! You have five minutes."

Amelia quickly glanced at Elise and began to sprint up the stairs. "Tread lightly," she advised. The stairs were not carpeted, so the clicking of their boots resonated in the narrow passageway.

Elise was slightly out of breath once the pair reached the top of the stairs. "No resting now," Amelia sighed as the two ducked behind a potted plant. "We have to tackle a couple of brutes first."

And tackle a couple of brutes they did.

The security guards were heavily built and obviously trained for combat. However, Amelia and Elise had more petite statures, giving them the upper hand regarding agility. Still, the duo proceeded with caution. There were three guards and only two of them.

Amelia looked at her pistol—the one Elise had handed to her. Maybe it was time to put that to good use.

The young woman silently aimed the black pistol at a sleeping guard's head, but her gaze faltered ever so slightly. It was appalling how much she'd changed in a decade.

I blame Ah Ba, Amelia thought resolutely. Exposing Governor Lau is for the greater good, so one kill will be worth it.

"What are you doing?" A horrified Elise looked at Amelia with wide eyes.

"I'm taking down one of them," Amelia whispered. "It'll be easier for us."

"No way." Elise glared at Amelia menacingly. "You will not kill my father's employees. They are innocent people with their own lives and families to provide for, understood?"

Amelia lowered the pistol. What difference does killing these guards make from killing Cindy Tian's bunny? If they're innocent, then their lives should be spared. If they aren't directly involved in a mission, they should be spared. Of course, there are exceptions, like when the innocent is a specified target or...

"Three minutes!" Darling warned the duo. Amelia shook her head. There would be more time for evaluating her moral conscience later.

"I'll take down the guard on the right, and you take the left. I'll also taser the sleeping guy," Amelia directed, and Elise nodded. They sprinted off to both sides of the corridor.

Amelia snuck up behind a guard, pepper spray at the ready. She swiped the guard's baton and gun into her sling bag of weapons using a sleight-of-hand trick. Then, Amelia tapped the man on the shoulder. The guard instinctively whirled around and reached for his baton and gun, but Amelia was quicker.

The guard stumbled back with a shout as the pepper spray entered his eyes. On the left, another guard convulsed with agony on the floor—Elise had successfully tasered him.

"Catch!" Elise threw the taser gun in Amelia's direction. The woman received it with her foot and kicked it into her hand. She tasered the guard she'd pepper-sprayed, just in case.

The sleeping guard had awoken and was advancing toward Amelia. "Watch your back!" Elise shouted frantically, and the man stopped.

"Miss L—" The security guard began to speak, but Amelia tasered him, and he dropped to the ground, writhing in pain.

Amelia gestured to the ballroom doors on the other end of the hallway and ran toward them. Elise followed her, not before casting a sympathetic backward glance at the three security guards.

"One minute!" Darling shouted into her earpiece. The pair picked up the pace, and Elise threw open the (surprisingly unlocked) double doors of the ballroom.