You come alive [Part 2]

“What were you thinking?

These four words carried some ounce of testiness in them.

Therefore, it was not rather unusual to hear the underlying tone of disapproval, especially from the revered and cool-headed, Premier Kontonicolas. The mysterious man only knew one thing, and that was none other than completing his mission.

He was highly-respected by the constituents of Templonuevo Cartel because he never showed compassion toward a schlemiel. He was known to finish a task smoothly, and his own squad was aware of their captain’s vision.

Luckily, the middle-aged second-in-command was able to catch Revolution Templonuevo’s attention because of his tenacity. It was not Premier’s intention to be the apple of the eye of the kingpin. After all, the completion of each assignment that he was given meant the whole world to him.

He was born into this kind of environment, and he had no complaints.

He thought it was useless to try, and defy his fate.

Premier had this mindset that accepting things as they were would constitute less stress and aggravation. He already had his fair share of debacles in the past, and he never wanted a repeat of everything.

However, his personal goals remained unclear to all.

Drixie Washington, one of the members of Premier’s special squad, bowed down her head in shame. She openly disobeyed a direct order from her superior, and she was not planning to deny her fault. She might be a woman, but she would not dare use that as an excuse to get away from any punishment.

She was already thankful enough for having been chosen to serve under Premier’s command, yet the guilt which had been resulted by starkly ignoring her captain’s order was starting to be a pain in the ass, too.

Drixie was an orphan—a notorious thief in the streets of New York.

One day, she found a decrepit-looking prospect who seemed to be oblivious of his surroundings. She initially thought that he looked too calm and collected, but there was no time to be worrying over that judgment. The man could be the ideal victim; she knew that he would be helpless once she had activated her superb senses and reflexes.

He looked filthy rich, but powerless.

When the guy sat down on a Newport resin park bench, he also put his bag down. It made Drixie grin like a Cheshire cat. The odds were definitely in her favor today, huh?

She could not imagine just how fortunate she was at that very moment. If only there was a laptop inside that bag—or money cash, she could finally catch a break for a week or two. She was getting tired of taking advantage of other people’s fortune, but to her, the grating need to be on a survival mode was a lot stronger than what others called ‘conscience’. It did not apply to her.

First of all, she never asked to be born into this messy manner of living.

Second to that, fuck her parents.

If they could not raise a child, they should have used multiple types of protection. That way, she would never witness and experience first-hand how unfair the world was for the likes of her. That way, she would never find herself becoming a thief at the age of five because her stomach could not just stop rumbling. That way, she would never have to take her sins deeper.

Drixie had her eyes set on Premier Kontonicolas on that very fateful day, and instead of taking something away from that man, it was the other way around.

She lost something on that day, but for some incongruous reason, she rather felt saved.

After taking the bag away with her, she ran for her life as if she depended on it. It was actually her first time to apply her zigzag tactic to mislead her pursuers. For someone who was deliberately committing a crime, she felt genuinely happy. The particular experience had sent jolts of excitement down her spine, and she could not help, but giggle like the kid she was.

There was only one thing left to do after sending her victim on a wild goose chase.

Drixie should return to the warehouse. The said place was not abandoned, instead—it was her official hideout together with the leader of the thieves, Momo.

Momo was of legal age, and he could transform any item brought to him into money. The bag she was carrying felt heavy, so she joyfully assumed that it contained a laptop. She was told that valuable items cost plenty of money; she could not count beyond ten anyway, so it did not matter anyway.

Drixie came to a halt when she reached the 9th Street in the East Village of Manhattan.

She was far enough, she figured.

She would not mind a minute to catch a breath.

Carefully scanning her surroundings with her eyes narrowed like a hawk, she brought the bag to her chest, and hugged it tightly. All she could think about was: she would be able to eat three meals a day starting tomorrow because of the current blessing which had been showered upon her.

Hiding behind a huge bin on a narrow pathway between two buildings, she tried to calm her breathing.

“Should you really be resting?

To her shock, the bag fell out of her hand.

Her eyes widened in horror when she recognized the face of the man.

How?

“I-I am innocent,” Drixie blurted out all of a sudden. She got extremely nervous because getting caught meant she would have to receive a beating from Momo as well. She was not ready for that, and she was not expecting that the man would suddenly materialize in front of her.

Actually, he was behind her.

She could not quite grasp the idea of failing this time.

“What is your name, kid?

She blinked twice, and answered absentmindedly. “Drixie.

“Is being a thief all you can do?

Her mouth opened and closed like that of a fish.

“Come with me.

Drixie’s career of being a thief ended on that day.

With the anticipation that she was turning over a new leaf, what truly awaited her was the world of assassination.

Thanks to Premier Kontonicolas, she was now a trained sniper, accepting contract killing here and there.

“Dahlia Garza is a good friend, my lord. I am fully aware that when a mission is combined with any emotion, it becomes a distraction. I am afraid that I was not thoroughly suited to fulfill the work.

The look on Premier’s eyes was deadly—as if what she did was tremendously unforgivable.

“Did I give out incorrect instructions?” Premier asked calmly.

She shook her head regretfully, “No.

What was the big deal anyway? Daphne was still a Garza, so this was still a win-win situation.

Drixie could not find in herself to rat on Dahlia. She never had a friend who was as honest and firm as her. She really wanted to keep their friendship, and in the field she was in, she knew that it was purely unacceptable—but still, she took a gamble.

“This type of mistake is equivalent to a death sentence, and you are aware that things would have gone differently if you are facing the Commander. You will not be entitled to a chance to redeem yourself.

Drixie refused to meet his superior’s gaze. She did not have the right to.

She was too afraid right now.

“Your friendship with that Garza will not liberate you from his judgment.

Drixie bit her lower lip, her head still down. “I shall face the grave repercussions no matter what, my lord.

“Fool,” Premier mumbled under his breath.

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