“Everything okay boss?” Jackson asked.
“I’m not sure yet.” I watched a girl and young boy move through the house. Most of the time this house was left alone outside of the staff I hired to maintain it. It was in the suburbs and break-ins were hardly ever an issue. I didn’t keep much security at the house unless I planned on being there.
I watched the pair move around the house without a care in the world. The girl seemed to be scoping it out. It was summer but she had on a hoodie and leggings. However, she must have felt comfortable because she removed the hood and turned to face the young boy. I switched to a different camera to get a better view of her light brown face. She had on large sunglasses so I couldn’t see her eyes. Her jet-black hair was pulled into a ponytail at the top of her head.
I tried to think if I’d seen her before but came up blank. Most people weren’t stupid enough to try me like this. She didn’t look like a threat, but in my line of work I knew I could never be too sure.
Sitting back, I pressed my lips together and my trigger finger itched. It had been a minute since I’d had to punish someone for something outside of the job.
____
I made sure to let my guys know to keep quiet when I opened the front door to my mansion. It was a four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom, two garage, two-story house. On my block were only three other houses and there was enough space between us that I had privacy. The high shrubs surrounding the property helped too.
With my gun in hand, I stepped behind Luke and Jackson. I knew where the woman was already and planned to head her way.
“Keep an eye on the boy. Don’t hurt him,” I told them when we got into the living room. He was laid out on my couch asleep. Looking at him, I noted he couldn’t have been older than twelve.
“Do you want one of us to come with you?” Luke asked when I turned for my bedroom, where the girl was.
I shook my head. “Nah. Stay here.” The master bedroom was across the hall from the living room. While I was sure there was no reason for me to have backup, I still kept alert.
I made a quick sweep of my bedroom, making sure nothing looked out of place. I had kept eyes on the girl on the drive here, but it never hurt to be on guard.
I could hear the shower running and it grew louder the closer I got to my ensuite bathroom. Steam filled the room and heat hit my face soon as I stepped over the threshold.
Through the foggy glass I could briefly see the girl washing her hair—her head thrown back and hands massaging her scalp. My eyes swept over the bathroom floor. Her clothes were scattered in a pile on the floor along with a purple backpack.
Walking over to it, I kneeled, keeping my eyes on the shower and picked up the bookbag. I searched through the contents inside, mostly clothes and toiletries. Buried at the bottom was a wallet. Grabbing it, I opened it and was happy to see an ID inside.
My eyes widened when I noticed the name on the license. Flickering my eyes up toward the shower, the corners of my mouth lifted. With my gun still in hand, I dropped the bag and stood before dragging my tongue over my top teeth and stepping around the small mess.
Cashlynn finally must have sensed me because her eyes snapped open and her head whipped in my direction. She pushed the glass door open and looked shocked to see me.
“Fuck!” she cursed. Her eyes went to the gun at my side then darted behind me. A frantic look switched onto her face.
“Don’t move,” I warned her.
Not listening, she reached for something and launched it at me.
“Shit!” I gritted when it hit me in the face. Water flicked in my direction as she rushed me, throwing hits. My gun fell from my hand, causing me to curse under my breath.
Cashlynn was like a wild animal, throwing hits my way left and right.
“Stop!” I bellowed, finally gaining my bearings and grabbing her wrists.
“Let me go! Where’s my brother?” she shouted, attempting to wiggle free.
She was shorter than me, stopping at my chest. Water and soap dripped down her body, covering my arms and floor.
“Settle the fuck down before I shoot you,” I warned her.
Her eyes lit up mockingly, then narrowed. “I’d like to see you try.” She shot her head up and pain radiated through the bottom half of my face when she slammed the top of her head into my chin. I groaned and my knees gave out when her knee connected with my dick.
“Muthafucka!” I let her go. She rushed to grab her things and attempted to run. I could taste blood filling my mouth. It took me a second to recover, ignoring the slight pains from her attack.
“No you don’t.” I snatched her by her hair and pulled her back. My blood ran hot with fury.
“The fuck!” she shouted.
