I woke up with a pounding headache, probably from lack of sleep. Becky had kept me up all night, if you catch my drift.
"Damn," I cursed, rubbing my temples. "This is your fault," I grumbled at Becky, who was already eating in the dining area.
I joined her and asked the maid if Tre had arrived, but they said there was no news about them. I had sent Tre to pick up Cinque from the airport. Cinque had finished her mission and vacation and needed to come back to help Sette with the weapon they were creating, even though the materials hadn't arrived yet.
"F!" one of the guards shouted. "F, Tre and Cinque are trapped at the first tunnel on the way here. Snipers are everywhere, and the car's tire has been shot."
"Take me there," I said, but Becky stood up too.
"I'm coming with you," she insisted, but I refused.
"You'll stay here and look after the house. I'll get back to you as soon as possible." I kissed her forehead and left.
I hopped on my Neiman Marcus Limited Edition Fighter and raced to the first tunnel as fast as I could. It took over half an hour before I finally arrived, and I saw Tre shielding Cinque.
"Can you move? I can't see anything, damn it!" Cinque exclaimed, scanning the area. They hadn't noticed that I had already arrived. "Over that tree. There's one. Shoot," Cinque ordered, and Tre did as she said. One man fell, and she smirked.
I smiled when I realized that even after spending so many months on vacation, Cinque hadn't changed.
"Another one to your right," she instructed, and Tre shot, causing another man to fall.
I furrowed my brows when I noticed that Cinque wasn't the one holding the sniper rifle, even though it was her area of expertise. I saw her gripping her arms tightly, blood staining her clothes.
"There's another one in that tree," she said.
"Tre, Cinque!" I called their names, and they looked at me.
Tre gestured for me to stay down because there were snipers everywhere, but it was too late. I was shot in the shoulder, causing me to kneel in pain. I stayed down and sat beside Cinque.
"Damn it, F. You missed me that much, and you forgot that there were snipers everywhere?" she jeered and pointed out another man hiding in the bush. It took hours before we finished killing all the snipers and made our way back to the manor.
Becky was furious when she saw the blood on my shoulders, and she immediately fetched the medical kit. However, Cinque snatched it away and thanked her. Perhaps she thought Becky was one of the maids since she didn't look at her face.
"Go to your room," I told Becky. "I'll tell you everything later." I smiled at her, and she nodded.
Cinque tended to my wounds while reporting everything to me. Her vacation had actually been a secret mission. I had asked her to find Becky's dad because there was a possibility he was hiding his wife.
"He's starting over, trying to regain the influence he lost. However, no investors believed in him, so he sold his daughter to a guy he didn't know," Cinque started, causing my fists to clench. "His son didn't know about it, and he told him that his sister was in another country, already married. The wife never returned. He's dead now," she said.
"Did you kill him?" I asked.
"Of course not," she replied. "He died of a heart attack."
I wondered if Becky wanted to hear the news or not. After what they did to her, I guessed not.
"The woman who brought the medical kit, is she the daughter?" Cinque asked, knowing the answer.
"Hm," I nodded. "What about her?" I asked.
"Someone's looking for her," she said. "She claimed to be Becky's mother-in-law. She told people that Becky murdered her son."
"Where is she?" I asked, clenching my fists.
"She's in the nearby subdivision. Should we eliminate her, F?" she asked, and I shook my head.
"Silence her, cut her tongue. If she dies, too bad. If she survives, good for her," I said and left.
I entered Becky's room and found her reading a book. She wore her glasses, and when she turned to me, she removed them. It felt like déjà vu. Back when we were in college, I would return to our dorm, and she would be there, silently reading a book. She had lost her glasses once due to an abduction, but now, as I looked at her, I felt relieved. You no longer have to go through those things, Becky. I'm here for you.
"Are you going to keep staring at me, or are you going to come inside?" Becky asked, chuckling.
That's when I realized I had been staring at her for almost three minutes. I went inside and locked the door. I sat on the edge of her bed since there were no chairs in the room except for the one in her study area.
"What happened? Why are you wounded?" she asked, walking toward me. She looked at my wound and kissed the bandage. "Does it hurt?" she asked, worry in her eyes.
I shook my head. "I'm fine. I forgot about the snipers. I got shot, but it's not deep." I explained.
Becky nodded and sat beside me. She reached for my uninjured hand and kissed the back of it.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't there to protect you," she said. "Tomorrow, I'll ask Sei to get me a gun for self-defense, in case I'm the only one here."
"No," I refused. "Inside the manor, you're safe. You don't need a gun, Becky."
Becky smiled bitterly and accepted my decision. As much as I wanted to give her what she wanted, I was afraid. I knew that if she had the skills, her pride wouldn't let her stay at home and be just a housewife.
"Anyway, Cinque is so amazing," she chuckled. "But I've decided not to interfere with your decision. It's up to you whether you want to go to her room or whatever. As long as I have your heart, I won't doubt you."
"Thank you," I said and kissed her forehead.
Thank you for understanding me, Becky. I don't know what I did to deserve you. Once everything is okay and settled, I'll be a better partner to you.
Just wait, and I'll marry you.