chapter twenty - Stacey is mine!

James and Susan lounged on the plush couch in their villa's movie room. The room had a soft glow of dimmed lights, and the sweet scent of freshly popped popcorn. They were enjoying an evening alone, watching a classic rom-com and laughing together. Susan's head rested on Jame's shoulder, her hand entwined with his own as they shared a bowl of popcorn. 

The sudden ring of James' phone shattered the cozy atmosphere. He let out a groan, reluctant to answer, but the phone just kept buzzing and ringing.

"Why not check who is calling first love? Then you can decide whether or not to take the call."

James let out a sigh. "It had better be something important to interrupt my time with you."

He pulled out his phone from his pocket, and tapped on the screen which had gone off. the name that was displayed made him sit up too quickly, startling Susan. 

"Who is it?" 

"The detective handling Stacey's case. He said he's call when there's news." James said already getting up. He kissed Susan's forehead before moving away to make the call. "I'll just be a minute honey." 

Susan nodded, returning her attention to the movie. James placed the call, walking out of the movie room for some privacy and quiet.

"Detective, you called." 

"Yes sir. We've got a break in the case."

James' expression turned serious. "What is bit detective?"

"The assailant finally confessed. He's given us a name – Victor Thomas."

James' eyes narrowed as he contemplated the name. It meant nothing to him, but the surname… he knew that Stacey had just recently won a high-profile case against a defendant with a similar name. 

He signaled to one of the house keepers who was just passing by. "Tell Stacey to meet me in the movie room, now!" James ordered, his voice low and urgent.

The detective filled him in on the rest of their findings as he went back to Susan. He was relaying what the detective had told him when Stacey and Adrian walked in, a look of concern on Stacey's face.

"Dad, what's going on?"

James' expression was grim. "It's about the attack, Stacey. The man who tried to kill you confessed. He was hired by someone named Victor Thomas. Does the name ring a bell?"

Stacey's eyes widened in shock. "Victor Thomas? That's… that's the son to the man who just got convicted two weeks ago."

James nodded. "I thought the name was familiar… it looks like he's pissed that you sent his father to jail."

Stacey shuddered as she processed the information. She had known that Victor Thomas was angry, and in grief, but she had never thought he'd resort to violence. And so publicly… what was he thinking?

Her eyes shifted to Adrian who was just beside her. If he had not been there that day, she'd probably have been badly injured by that man, or worse, dead. She tried to read his face, but he wore a blank expression. 

"So, what do you want to do about it, Love?" Susan asked.

"I'll have to take legal actions against him, mum."

"The police are already on their way to get him arrested." James supplied. "He'll be sorry he messed with my daughter." James shifted his attention to Adrian who has just been listening quietly. "How is your hand?"

"Almost completely healed, sir."

James nodded, "that's good. Thank you for doing a good job so far. Please, continue to keep her safe."

"Yes sir."

Stacey smiled. With Adrian beside her, she felt like safe. He didn't say much, only spoke when spoken to, but his presence always filled any room he stepped into. She didn't realize she was staring at him until her mother made a statement.

"Stacey dear, Fred will be here in a couple of minutes. Said he's been trying to reach you to no avail."

Stacey saw something like anger flash through Adrian's eyes, but it was so brief, she believed it was just her imagination. She immediately turned to her mother who was now focused on the screen.

"Why?" Stacey asked exasperatedly.

"I don't know. Maybe ask him when he gets here." Susan replied dismissively.

"Are you two still at each others necks? I thought things were begining to look up?"

"Well, dad… Frederick is just…"

"Give the young man a chance, will you?"

Stacey managed not to respond with a hiss. "Okay.. let me go change into something more appropriate."

"Better." Susan chimed, relaxing into James' side. 

"Adrian, you can take a break when Frederick gets here. Stacey will be in good hands."

"Yes sir."

Stacey plodded out of the room. She wasn't against seeing Frederick because she didn't like him… actually, the reason she was so opposed to being alone with him was because she was begining to feel too attracted to him. She had blamed him for the kiss for weeks, but that was all just a cover. She'd rather force herself to believe she hated it, rather than accept the truth - she wanted more! But then again, there was now Adrian whom she couldn't stop thinking about… maybe it was because he was always shadowing her, or maybe his piercing golden brown eyes had her spelled, but she found herself fantasizing about her bodyguard. 

"You know your father would never let that happen!" A voice in her head warned as she slipped out of her dress and walked into the shower. 

She let out a tired sigh. Why did my life have to be so complicated?!

Adrian made his way to his room, his mind a jumble of thoughts. He changed into a pair of black pants and a dark hoodie, his eyes fixed on the clock on his wall. He waited until the villa was quiet, the only sound being the distant hum of the security cameras.

Under the cover of darkness, Adrian snuck out of his room, his movements silent and swift. He avoided the main hallways, taking a detour through the garden instead. The night air was cool and crisp, and the silence deafening. 

He made his way to the perimeter of the villa, his eyes fixed on the gate in the distance. The guards were posted at regular intervals, their flashlights casting eerie shadows on the ground. Adrian waited until they were distracted by a noise in the distance, then he made a run for the gate. 

He slipped out of the villa unnoticed, his heart pounding in his chest. Adrian's eyes were fixed on the horizon, his mind focused on the mission ahead. He knew what he had to do, and he was ready to see it through.

Adrian made his way through the deserted streets, his eyes fixed on the GPS coordinates he had memorized earlier. The address led him to a secluded mansion on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by a high wall.

He approached the gate, his senses on high alert. Long before the detective called to inform Mr. Brown about the identity of the man behind the attack, Adrian knew exactly who he was. It only took him twenty-four hours to find out where he lived. The only reason he had delayed this mission was because he couldn't leave Stacey unattended to. But thanks to Frederick who was sleeping over, he had the night off. 

Adrian scaled the wall with ease, his hands and feet finding holds in the darkness. He landed silently on the other side, his eyes scanning the grounds for any signs of movement.

The mansion loomed before him, its windows dark and foreboding. There were four guards on the outside; the first was at the gate, one paraded the length of the premises, one was at the door, and the last one was taking a phone call, few feet from where Adrian stood. He did his maths and decided in what order to take them out. He carried a rifle that had a silencer just in case. 

Adrian snuck up behind the man, and put a hand around his nose, choking him out. The man struggled against Adrian, but his hold was strong and impossible to break free from. After a few seconds, his body fell limp to the ground. 

Adrian's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched as he approached the second guard. One by one, he took out the rest of the guards.

His mission there was simple - everyone related to Victor Thomas would be buried in that house.

No one messed with Stacey Brown under his watch! She was his!

After confirming that there were no more guards, he opened the gate and walked back to his car. He got out the galon of gasoline he'd got and stalked back to the house. His eyes burned with fury as the attack flashed in his mind again. He was going to burn the house to the ground… and when he was done with Victor's family, even the police station was not goin to be safe enough for Victor and the bastard he sent!