Previously:

Taemin, Kibum and Chanmi were captured by the enemy. It was revealed Hyejeong was the one behind Taemin leaving Jade Dragon.

Sehun and Jongin were attacked around the same time that happened. Sehun got out fine after a few days at the hospital, his brother is still in a coma. Minho had a fit of rage because of that and attacked Saber-tooth, the clan they supposed were responsible for that, although they later discovered they were wrong.

Chanmi was returned to her father two weeks ago and also brought back a flash-drive containing news about Taemin and Kibum. Minho now knows about Taemin's work for Goeun, in his rage he sent her, his parents-in-law and Chanmi away.

Jinri decided to take matters into her own hands and investigate who she supposes in the enemy. Minho was invited to a meeting with the Yeonghwan organization.

 

---

 

The mansion was silent, its inhabitants had all retired to their rooms hours ago and were probably deep asleep at that late hour of the night, at least the ones who managed to find enough peace of mind to sleep.

Obviously, Jonghyun wasn't one of them as he trashed around in bed, his mind running wild and body unable to find a comfortable position to rest.

He looked at his phone every now and then, expecting the device to go off at any moment, but was met with nothing but the a picture of his husband and daughter that he had set as home screen, every time he did.

 

He sighed, laying back down on the mattress, head sinking into the pillows as he closed his eyes, his mind tormented by the dark thoughts he'd been trying to fight off for the past two months.

 

Never in his whole career had he been confronted to such a frustration. Finding and sorting information was his specialty, nothing ever escaped him and yet, that situation where all he had were pieces of a big puzzle he couldn't seem to build, no matter where he looked, who he framed or to what extent he pushed his own boundaries, made him question whether he was really able to do anything to save Kibum and Taemin from whoever had taken them.

 

It puzzled him how the kidnappers had managed to cover their traces. They were obviously expert at wielding information, or worked with people who did, and that certainty only made him even surer of the suspicions he had. At least, comforted him in the idea that he wasn't so far off the target when he started looking into the supposed allies they had in that Miss Shin Hyejeong and her goons.

Even then however, he felt like he had hit rock bottom with the last information he had gathered and the past few days – just like the last couple of months – had him questioning his own capacities. Was he really able to help at finding his husband and brother-in-law? He wouldn't delude himself into thinking the intel he had gathered was enough to lead them anywhere and he was reduced, like everyone else, to go by mere assumptions on the very scarce clues they had.

 

The problem was, how were they supposed to know for sure who were their enemies with nothing but wild guesses? Because, despite everything, all they had were that, hazardous, unproven suspicions.

 

And they had all seen where that kind of tactic led and Jade Dragon was still facing the consequences of such ways through the cold war they were in with Saber-tooth, Kwon Kijoo's organization.

 

He knew Minho was desperate and Jonghyun couldn't say he didn't understand. He didn't know how he would be holding on if Kibum, on top of being held in some unknown place by individuals whom they knew nothing of, was also pregnant. Not to mention having his two proteges so openly attacked.

 

Still, after the confrontation with Kwon – which really, Jonghyun suspected had been used by Minho as a way to let out his frustration and intimidate the other clans –, the younger had been more calculated with his ways and Jonghyun was glad for it.

 

But their searches had also been as stagnant as they were from the start, which had long ago worn everyone's patience thin.

 

So, when a few days ago, Jinri had come to him, demanding he be honest with her about his view of things, he had had little restraint on letting the woman in to his own suspicions.

 

 

 

Three Days Ago

 

 

 

It was sometime in the afternoon, Minho and Onew had left to attend to some business while Jonghyun had been locked in his office all day – Minho had made sure to provide him the dispositions he needed to work without being disturbed –.

He had been double checking his sources and information, trying to find connections between every piece he had found so far, when a knock to the door pulled him out of his work.

 

“Yes?” he called.

 

The door was pushed open to reveal Jinri, who served him a small smile.

 

“Can we talk?” she asked.

 

“Of course.” Jonghyun said, closing the file on his desk and standing. “Please, come in.”

 

The woman did as told and closed the door behind her, before walking over to him and stopping just a few steps from his desk.

 

“Have a seat.” Jonghyun offered. “What is it you want to talk about?”

 

Jinri took in a small breath and sat on one of the chairs in front of the wooden table.

 

“I know things haven't been very easy lately, when it comes to finding clues.” she said, crossing her legs and resting her hands on the lap, a serious expression on her face. “But I know you are a better detective than this situation allows you to be. And one thing I learned is that gut feeling is most of the time what leads to the resolution of a problem, and I'm ready to trust your gut feeling, Jonghyun-sshi. So I'll go right to the point.”

 

Jonghyun cocked an eyebrow at the words, but waited for the woman to finish the exposing of her thoughts.

 

"Do you think there's any chance our allies have a hand in this?" she asked.

 

Jonghyun looked at her confusedly for a few seconds, not sure to whom she was referring to.

 

"We've looked into every other organization there is, even our affiliates, but two." The woman supplied at his silence. "Yeonghwan, because my brother refuses to for some reason... and Anubis, which have... seemingly been helping us."

 

Jonghyun didn't know whether to be surprised by her perspicacity or feeling like a fool to have thought he and Minho were the only ones to have noticed something was off with Anubis.

He wasn't going to comment on Minho's unwillingness to investigate Yeonghwan – having been told off and even threatened, all the times he had brought up the subject with the younger.

 

“What do you think Jonghyun-sshi?” she inquired. “Is there any chance that either of these organizations have anything to do with this mess?”

 

The detective let out a sigh, leaning back against his chair.

 

“As much as it sounds unlikely, I don't think Yeonghwan has anything to do with this.” he said.

 

In fact, what he had found so far had led him to believe that Yeonghwan wasn't involved with this at all.

 

Jinri gave a small nod. “Okay.”

 

She then straightened her back, serious expression still in place. “What about Anubis?”

 

Jonghyun hesitated for a few seconds. Although he'd left the possibility open for exploration, he still wasn't sure whether he should be sharing that information.

 

“So far, the leads they provided us with, have all proved to be useless.” Jinri said. “My nephew is still in a coma and because of Anubis' wrongful information about Saber-tooth being involved in the attacks on our family, many of us have perished in the confrontation we had with them. I'm sure you understand that, whatever you decide to share or not, I'm not giving up on this. I want this over with, as much as every one else.”

 

Jinri paused, to let the words sink in before she spoke again.

 

“So, I'm asking again, is there any chance Anubis is involved in this mess?”

 

Jonghyun sighed.

 

"I only have assumptions. No tangible proof of anything." He eluded.

 

"Yes or no, Jonghyun-sshi?"

 

"Yes." The man admitted, reaching out to the pen laying on the desk and staring at it between his fingers. "But as I said, I have no proof of anything. I'm looking into it, but so far I have come out with little to go by."

 

He hadn't met many members of Anubis aside from a few goons and their heiress. But it had been enough for him to get a bad feeling from them.

 

Jonghyun didn't really know what hadn't sat well with him when he had met the Anubis heiress. Hyejeong was... different. She had something that forced Jonghyun to be on his guard around her, to doubt her behavior and intentions. He guessed that was the gut feeling Jinri had talked about.

 

He'd had the assertion his suspicions weren't groundless, when Minho had come to him a few weeks ago, requesting he investigate her – and to keep quiet about it –.

Knowing the younger male also had his doubts despite the apparent trust he had on the woman, comforted him somehow. At least, he didn't have to hide his searches from the other anymore.

Minho hadn't shared what made him suspect anything, but Jonghyun had a feeling whatever it was – just like his matter with Yeonghwan –, wasn't his business to deal with. So he had just simply told Minho of his own suspicions and what he had found so far, which really... was nothing much.

 

“Tell me what you got.” Jinri demanded.

 

Jonghyun hesitated but upon the woman's insistence, went on to tell her what he had so far. Jinri listened intently and after he was done, she bore a thoughtful expression on her face.

 

“I thought Jung Yeonmi was dead?” she asked. “I really don't see Hyejeong making business with a dead person. Are you sure it was her?”

 

“It was her.” Jonghyun said. “But that's not the most disconcerting. It's the fact she was from Oroborus and that Taemin killed her for some reason. And Hyejeong's dead fiance... Park Wonsuk, from what I know, he was a double agent.”

 

Jinri huffed slightly. “No matter how you look at it, Hyejeong's name always seems to come up. Don't you think it's strange?”

 

Jonghyun tilted his head to the side, not sure if he understood where she was trying to get. Of course he had noticed Hyejeong's connection to all parties involved, but he was still trying to figure out how she really fit in the whole puzzle. He knew there was something he was missing.

 

“You should have a look at mother's old files. They're stored in her office, I'll give you the key to it. Maybe you can find something there...”

 

“How can you be sure?”

 

“Mother doesn't trust her own shadow, and Anubis is in the top list of people she doesn't trust. I'm sure she managed to keep tabs on everything Hyejeong and her family did. Who knows what you can find in her files... Besides, Taemin oppa was doing these killing jobs for her, I'm sure she has something on this.”

 

Jonghyun nodded. “I'll have a look at it. Thanks, Jinri.”

 

"Other than that, what if I can get a confirmation of Anubis' involvement?" Jinri asked, her expression impossible to read.

 

“Don't jump to conclusions, Jinri. These are just assumptions, we don't even know if it has anything to do with the kidnappings.”

 

“I know. But what if I can get a lead, anything...?”

 

Jonghyun frowned. "What are you planning Jinri?"

 

"Nothing you need to worry about." The woman answered with a small smile. "Just... I'm good at stuff like that. So, what if I can get them? Would it be enough to make my brother go after them?"

 

"Probably. But... this is too risky. If these people really took Taemin, Kibum and my daughter, they did so without leaving a trace. Even when they returned Chanmi, there was nothing even close to any evidence of their whereabouts... finding anything, even if we have the right people, might be way too complicated and dangerous to do on your own."

 

Jinri just served him an ambiguous smile.

 

"It's not like it would be a first for me. Just... make sure you don't tell my brother any of this. He will forbid me from doing it."

 

"Doing what exactly?"

 

But the woman didn't answer. Instead, she rose from her seat, bowed her head at him and left the office.

 

 

 

Today

 

 

 

Since then, Jinri hadn't approached him with anything anymore. In fact he hadn't seen her all day – not that she had been very present at the mansion since their conversation. Whatever she was doing or wherever she was, she hadn't come back from yet. And that made him restless, the last thing he wanted was for the woman to get hurt, or worse, because of whatever she was doing.

 

He had always been somewhat paranoid and the events of the last months had done nothing to help his wild mind, so to have Jinri disappear like that, without so much as a call – or text –, after their conversation had him more than just uneasy.

 

Somewhere, in the midst of his ruminating, sleep claimed his tired mind and when he woke up next, it was to the insistent ringing of his phone. Hurriedly, he brushed the sleep off his eyes and seized the buzzing device, checking the caller ID and feeling relief wash over him as he read Jinri's name.

 

Sweeping his finger across the green symbol on the screen, he pressed the smart-phone to his ear.

 

"Hello? Jinri? Where are you? Are you alright?"

 

"Jonghyun-sshi," she was speaking in a hushed voice. "I think I've found something."

 

"W... what?"

 

Jonghyun could feel his heart pacing in his chest.

 

"I don't know much yet, but I think I'm on to something. I'll call you when I find out more."

 

"Wait! Wait, Jinri, where are you right now?"

 

"A private property just in the outskirts of Incheon." The woman replied. "Don't tell my brother, I'm not sure of what I have yet. I need to go now."

 

And the call was cut off before Jonghyun could say anything more. He brought the phone to the front, staring stunned at the screen.

 

A private property just in the outskirts of Incheon... so close. At the idea that Kibum and Taemin were really being held there, Jonghyun could already feel his anger bubbling up. All these months of worrying and the two would have been held so close to them.

 

Still, he promptly censured the thoughts, reminding himself they had nothing concrete yet. For now, all he could do was hope for Jinri to be careful and not get herself caught. Even then however, he couldn't shake off the uneasiness he felt and he wondered whether it was really a good idea to keep this from Minho. In fact, he was beginning to believe telling the younger was actually the best thing to do.

 

And that was exactly what he would do, as soon as he had the opportunity to. He would also tell Minho the last things he had found and hopefully, the younger male wouldn't be too mad with the idea that Jonghyun had not only brought his baby sister into their 'secret' investigations but also let her go after “proofs” on her own.

 

Checking the hour, he dragged out a tired sigh and pushed himself up, knowing there was no use trying to go back to sleep, as everyone would be up in less than an hour. So he walked to the bathroom and proceeded to completing his morning routine before making his way out of the room.

 

As he entered the dinning room, he found Minho, Onew and Sehun having breakfast. He greeted them and took a seat across from the youngest in the room.

 

As they ate, a heavy silence loomed over them and Jonghyun wondered just how tense things would grow throughout the day. And all of that, before their dreaded meeting with Yeonghwan that evening.

 

“Has anyone seen Jinri?” Minho asked, as they finished their meal.

 

“Not since yesterday morning.” Onew informed.

 

Sehun shook his head and Minho sighed, before training his eyes to Jonghyun who remained silent. He studied the elder's features for a moment.

 

“Anything you want to share, Jonghyun?”

 

Said male clenched his jaw for a moment before looking at Minho right in the eyes.

 

“I do.” he then looked in turn at Onew and then at Sehun, before averting his gaze back to Minho. “But I think you would prefer to hear about it in private, since it concerns that little work you requested I do.”

 

A small frown appeared on Minho's features. “Well, if you're done eating, we can go to my office and discuss this.”

 

Jonghyun gave a single nod before he pushed himself to his feet, as did Minho. Before they left the room however, the younger addressed the other two males in the room.

 

“Onew, I'll be calling for you in a while.” he informed and then looked at his adoptive son. “Sehun, I want you to stay home for the day and keep an eye out for Jinri.”

 

Sehun seemed like he wanted to protest but revised himself as he slumped in his chair. “Okay.”

 

The walk to Minho's office was silent and as they entered the room, the younger made sure to close the door behind them. Jonghyun went to sit on the couch on the corner of the room, being soon followed by Minho who sat on the sofa in front of him.

 

“Did you discover anything?” the younger asked as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

 

“Yes,” the detective replied. “thanks to Jinri.”

 

Minho's expression darkened at the mention of his sister's name, but before he could say anything, Jonghyun demanded he listen to what he had to say and then proceeded to tell the younger what he had discovered so far.

 

“I was coming up empty-handed on anything suspicious about Anubis, no matter what I did.” he told the younger. “So... I tried looking at it the other way around.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Jonghyun ran a hand through his hair, knowing that the subject he was about to bring up, was bound to bring out some bad reaction from Minho.

 

“Well, my first question was, what if it was all about revenge? So, instead of looking at the presumed culprits, I searched for suspicious acts from the main victim... in this case, Taemin.”

 

A deeper frown lodged itself in between Minho's eyebrows.

 

“You know how his... how the work he was doing for your mother involved him... ending some people–”

 

“You can call them for what they are, Jonghyun. The murders my mother had him commit.”

 

Jonghyun grimaced, still not used to associating the Taemin he knew and the cold-blooded killer the feared Phantom was.

 

“I thought that maybe, if I could find a connection between any of these... murders and Anubis, maybe I could grasp something.” he sighed. “Turns out I was right... Taemin covered his tracks well, so I was turning in circles for a while... until a name popped up in my searches. Jung Yeonmi.”

 

Minho gaze hardened, as if he had just had a realization.

 

“I didn't know what to make of her, until Jinri recommended I look into your mother's files, which told me who Jung is and what role she plays in the whole scheme of the underworld, but didn't really explain how she fit in here. At least not as far as Anubis is concerned, apart from the mysterious business deal she had going on with Hyejeong. But for now, it doesn't matter, since her name opened way to new information.” Jonghyun said, before he truly paid attention to Minho and raised an eyebrow at the younger's thoughtful expression.

 

“You might want to rethink that.” the younger said, enhancing Jonghyun's confusion.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Jung Yeonmi's Hyejeong's biological mother.”

 

Jonghyun frowned.

 

Minho sighed. “Officially, Hyejeong was born in China and is fruit of her father's marriage to Takashi Mikasa. The heiress of a Japanese clan.”

 

“I know that.” Jonghyun informed.

 

“No one ever questioned Hyejeong's affiliation as it was well known Shin had a business partnership with the Takashi clan, that was sealed by that marriage.” Minho went on, undisturbed by Jonghyun's interruption. “Shin Myungsik and Takashi Mikasa lived in China for a few years after their wedding and when Shin came back to Korea with his newborn daughter, claiming his wife had died in labor, everyone bought it. But my father didn't, he found it was... way too convenient for Shin, as consequently was going to inherit his wife's part of her family's business. So father dug into it.

 

“He discovered that, in fact, Takashi Mikasa had died around the time Hyejeong was born, but he also discovered she had never even been pregnant. And that the real cause of her death was a very mysterious heart failure.” The taller male looked down as his hands, playing with his wedding ring as he went on with his story. “Turns out, her death wasn't as natural as it seemed. She was murdered. But the Takashi clan didn't question her death. After all, they had no reason to believe otherwise. If they were ever to discover the truth, I'm sure you can imagine how that would go for Shin...

 

“My father took the investigations farther, to know where Hyejeong came from. He discovered that Shin had had an affair with Jung Yeonmi, the youngest daughter of Oroborus' head, Jung Hwansu. A branch of Yeonghwan, and Anubis' biggest rival. Hyejeong is fruit of that affair. Jung Yeonmi, who also used to live in China, went missing right after giving birth and no one ever heard of her again. Father presumed Shin had had her killed, just like his wife, but since there was no way to prove that, he let it drop and chose to withhold what he'd learned of Hyejeong's origins, in order to use it as leverage against Anubis, did he ever need to.”

 

Jonghyun absorbed the information, the dots slowly connecting in his head. Some things started making sense.

 

“This information wasn't in your mother's archives.” he said after a moment. “How do you know of that?”

 

Minho looked at him with a tired expression. “There are things about my father, only I know about. Things he personally made sure, only I would ever have access to. This is one of them.”

 

There were a few seconds of contemplative silence.

 

“Why did Jung Yeonmi's name come up in your researches?” Minho asked.

 

Jonghyun pressed his lips in a tight line. “She's one of the people Taemin killed.”

 

“What?!”

 

Jonghyun grimaced slightly as he leaned back against the couch.

 

“As I told you, I took the liberty of going through your mother's archives and I discovered something very interesting... Apparently, Oroborus has been slowly building its power, by acquiring several smaller organizations. Not only that but, their relationship with Yeonghwan has been strained ever since they had their funding restrained. I think as an attempt from Yeonghwan to limit Oroborus' growth. Your mother feared they might have been planning a take over, not only on Yeonghwan, but on Jade Dragon as well. I'm sure you noticed how some smaller affiliates of Jade Dragon just suddenly disappeared over the course of the past months?”

 

Minho nodded. None of them had worried much about the fading of these smaller gangs, because they had never had much power and weren't relevant for Jade Dragon's own power and growth.

 

“There was enough reasons to believe that the mastermind behind it all was a woman, who was said to have come back from the dead. Jung Yeonmi. And apparently, she had a right hand man very well placed amongst Anubis' members, in order to gather intel on them and consequently, on Jade Dragon. A certain Park Wonsuk.”

 

“Hyejeong's fiance.”

 

Jonghyun nodded at Minho's words.

 

“That's what Taemin found out and reported to your mother.”

 

“So mother had him kill them?”

 

“Yes. But that only happened a two months after his first visit to them, when he eliminated a few well-placed goons that were at the time, the ones at the forefront of Oroborus' projects.”

 

Minho clenched his fists. “How am I only hearing of this now...”

 

“I think your mother wanted this to be kept secret as she assumed it was over... and since it happened before you took over...”

 

Jonghyun let his sentence hanging as Minho took in a deep breath, as if he were trying to calm himself.

 

“At first, I thought Oroborus could be behind it all,” the elder went on when he was sure Minho wasn't going to burst. “and that in the end Anubis had nothing to do with it... but there was no way Oroborus had managed to do all of this without external help. That got me thinking that maybe that business deal Jung was striking with Hyejeong was about that... and now that you mentioned who Jung Yeonmi was to Hyejeong... Anubis' involvement starts making much more sense.”

 

“Because Hyejeong is the one piece that sticks out and is involved in all parties.” Minho completed for him.

 

Jonghyun nodded.

 

“If Anubis is involved in Taemin's kidnapping, it could be all about revenge... Of course, only if we assume Hyejeong knew about her biological mother...” The detective shook his head. “There are still a few pieces that don't fit though... like is Shin Myungsik aware of what's going on? Or, also the fact Oroborus and Anubis are supposed to be enemies and that, Park Wonsuk was actually a spy. If we assume Hyejeong knew about her mother, it makes some sense for her to want revenge, but why would she even want to avenge her fiance? A traitor? Unless she was aware of who he actually was...

 

“We also can't exclude the chance that she's actually working with Oroborus... Not to forget the strange things that Taemin said before being taken, about how he was trying to avoid a war. We still don't know who he was actually fleeing and what rules he supposedly broke to attract the wrath of whoever it is that took him, or why they also took my husband and daughter...”

 

Minho ran a hand over his face, exhaustion transparent in his features, as if he hadn't slept in days.

 

“I think I can answer that.” he informed as he looked apologetically at Jonghyun. “I think they took Kibum and Chanmi as blackmail material for Taemin.”

 

That earned him a frown from the older male in front of him.

 

“Chanmi being a child, they used her as a messenger, but they probably took advantage of it, as a way to try and break Kibum as well. Knowing he would be scared for his daughter's safety, without knowing where she was taken or what they did to her. You said Taemin and Kibum's relationship was strained and that your husband was angry at mine...”

 

Jonghyun nodded. “He was furious... blamed him for the bad things that happened for the past years.”

 

The mafia head let out a sound akin to a growl.

 

“And I think that's exactly what the kidnappers wanted. They're trying to force Taemin to be more compliant to them by using his brother against him.”

 

“Because Taemin being pregnant and sick isn't leverage enough!?” the question was rhetorical, but the words still made Minho flinch slightly.

 

Most of the time, he tried to avoid thinking of his husband's true situation, trying to stick only to the fact Taemin was being held captive and that he had to find him. It was already hard enough with that alone, and every time he recalled the younger was not only being held away, but that their unborn child was also at risk, he could feel his stomach twist uncomfortably and a mix of anger and sadness invade him. That of course, if not retained well, always ended with him doing something foolish, like taking his anger out on the prisoners they captured.

 

Minho clenched his jaw and swallowed around the lump in his throat as he watched Jonghyun sigh for the umpteenth time as he pushed himself to his feet and started to pace back and forth in front of the couch.

 

“We only have a part of the puzzle and something tells me we are missing something big...”

 

Minho observed him for a moment before speaking again.

 

“Is that why you brought my sister into this?”

 

Although there was a hint of accusation in his tone, it lacked the fire Minho's words usually had. It was almost as if he was resigning, even if just slightly.

 

“Jinri knows you're looking for clues about Hyejeong.” the younger went on. “She even gave you leads on where to look. Can I assume she's playing a bigger role in this, than what she's supposed to?”

 

Jonghyun let out a dry chuckle as he stopped his pacing. “If it wasn't for your sister, I think I wouldn't have gotten this far with my discoveries... but I'm afraid she's taking too much risks right now.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I don't really know what she's up to. But she spoke about finding proof on Anubis to make a move. This morning, she called me, saying that she might have found something. She was somewhere in Incheon.”

 

Minho rose to his feet, a glare in his eyes. “She went there alone?!”

 

Jonghyun nodded, already expecting Minho to blow up at him. But there was nothing. Instead, the younger took long strides over to his desk and pressed a button on the phone on it.

 

There was a beep and then Onew's voice came through the speaker.

 

“What it is?”

 

“Come to my office and bring Chanyeol with you. Tell him to take his gear with him.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“What are you going to do?” Jonghyun asked as Minho set his clenched fists on the table and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, as if he were having a hard time keeping himself in control.

 

“I'm tracking her.” Minho informed. “At least so we know for sure where she is.”

 

“If you send people after her, you could get in the way of what she's planning.”

 

Minho sent a look his way that, Jonghyun knew, was the cause of many people cowering in fear.

 

“I know. I'm not sending anyone... yet.”

 

The shorter male just nodded and sat back on the couch.

 

“What else did she tell you?” the younger asked.

 

“Nothing. She just said she was in a private property in the outskirts of Incheon. She was in a hurry. Said she would would call when she knew more, but that she was on to something.”

 

Minho sighed deeply but said nothing else. A minute or two passed before there was a knock on the door.

 

“Come in.” the taller male called.

 

The door was pushed opened and in came Onew and Chanyeol, who carried a laptop under his left arm.

 

“Get installed Chanyeol.” Minho ordered. “I want you to pin Jinri's cell-phone and the GPS of her car. I want the list of whom she contacted, her location and the places she has been in since yesterday.”

 

Chanyeol was already turning the laptop on, as he sat on the chair in front of Minho's desk.

 

“The last part might be harder to do, boss.” he said. “But I'll see what I can do. What else are we looking for?”

 

“Just tell me if she moves.” Minho said before turning to Onew. “Prepare a few men. I want them ready to leave at any moment.”

 

Onew nodded as he tapped something into his phone.

 

“Will you tell me what's going on?”

 

“Jinri might have found something.” Minho told the elder. “Where's Sehun?”

 

“He went down to the training room.”

 

Minho nodded. “Okay, send Sungyeol to keep an eye on him. He isn't to know of, or get involved in anything that's going on right now.”

 

Once more, Onew started typing on his phone.

 

“Jonghyun, let's go to your office, we still need to discuss a few things. Onew, come with us, we'll update you on the situation.”

 

As they walked to the door, the taller of the three turned to Chanyeol.

 

“You beep us as soon as you find something. Jonghyun's office's on line 3.”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

Jinri counted the number of guards standing around the property, from her hidden spot inside of a white twingo, across the street. She knew the car she had chosen to borrow from the company was far from ideal in terms of performance if she needed to flee, but for now, all she needed was a good camouflage and the luxurious sports car she owned would have attracted unwanted attention to her.

 

As soon as she had left the hospital the previous day, she had gone to change vehicles and made her way to Hyejeong's place. She knew she wouldn't find the woman there, as the elder had flown off to Japan a few days prior to attend business with her Japanese family. But Jinri was also sure that Hyejeong hadn't left whatever she had been up to in South Korea, unattended for. So she had waited, until one of the Anubis' heiress' most trusted man had exited the building and took to following him.

 

She knew it was a long shot, but she was tired of sitting around and waiting for the next blow and, even if there were huge chances what she was doing was a waste of time and effort, at least she would be clearing some of her suspicions up.

 

Of course, when the man had driven them outside of Seoul, she had seen some of her hopes swell, whilst another part of her grew more worried what she was doing was useless.

That hadn't stopped her however, and when they had entered Incheon and crossed the whole city to finally enter a vast plain of secluded, private properties, she started thinking she hadn't been so wrong. Whatever Anubis was doing, be it related to the recent kidnappings or not, she was sure would be useful intel for them.

 

So she had waited, watched at the man entered the heavily guarded grounds and waited to see if anything happened. That had went on all night, until she had grown tired and started giving up again. That was when, around six in the morning, she watched a car pull up and enter the property.

 

Using her binoculars, she been able to distinguish a man's face, as the window was lowered enough for him to address one of the guards.

 

Upon identifying the man, she had been ran over by various emotions, first bewilderment at seeing Hyungsik alive, then the very short lived relief at the fact and at last, rage when she understood that he was alive and obviously very well acquainted with Anubis.

 

The deductions she made after that led to no good. Hyungsik was presumed dead when they started receiving body parts, with his personal items on them. Around the same time, some of their members had been disappearing, only to turn up dead a few days later, some lacking their own ears and fingers. Some times, even bigger limbs, like arms and legs. But Hyungsik, whose body had never been found was there, somewhere in that mansion, doing who knows what alongside Anubis.

 

Whether this had anything to do with Taemin's kidnapping, she didn't know, but she was sure it had everything to do with the last attacks on their clan.

 

That's when she had called Jonghyun. At least so he knew she was alright and on to something. Now, she was trying to find a way into the mansion, determined to discover more than just Hyungsik's not-so-miraculous resurrection and alliance with Anubis.

 

Two hours later and all she had managed to do was count four armed guards, two at each side of the large gates of the property. She knew there was bound to be way more inside beyond the huge metal doors and the prospects of her entering the place unnoticed and unharmed were very slim.

 

She knew would have to wait, the whole day even, until she was sure there was enough room for her to pass. She had counted the rounds the guards did, they changed every two hours during the night, now, she had to see what pattern they used during the day.

 

She also knew that if she stayed where she was any longer, she was bound to rise suspicions. She just had to find a way to get out and find a new hiding spot. A closer one to the property, if possible.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

Sehun hit the sandbag continuously, allowing himself to get his anger out as his fists met the slick leather surface.

He could feel Sungyeol's gaze on him and that only made him angrier, more frustrated. Although the older male said nothing when he entered the training room, Sehun didn't need to be told about what the elder was there for and he hadn't hesitated to tell the man off when he offered company for the training.

 

If Minho thought he could keep him sheltered and ignorant of everything that was going on, he was way beside himself.

 

One last hard punch to the sandbag had him stepping back in surprise as the leather container fell off its hanger and to the ground with a loud thud.

 

Sehun glared at the pitiful training gear laying on the floor, chest heaving after the physical effort he'd put.

 

“You okay there, buddy?” Sungyeol asked as he approached.

 

The younger didn't answer, instead he turned away and grabbed a towel to clean the sweat off his face.

 

“You did a number on the poor sandbag.” the elder went on, undeterred by the younger male's unresponsiveness.

 

Again, Sehun ignored him in favor of drinking water from a bottle and walking out of the room. He didn't bother turning around as he knew Sungyeol would be following him.

 

He was glad the elder didn't try to make more conversation after that, as he walked back to his room. Upon opening the door, he turned to look at the older male, an eyebrow raised in a silent question, to which Sungyeol smirked but rose his hands in front of him, in a sign of resignation before moving to stand by the door.

 

The nineteen year-old rolled his eyes and entered his bedroom, closing the door behind him with a sigh. He then went on to take a shower, all the while trying to make up a plan to get rid of Sungyeol's surveillance.

 

Minho wanted him home the whole day for some reason and whatever it was, Sehun didn't like it. He needed to discover what the elder was up to because even if his mentor didn't want him helping, he wouldn't just stand around and wait for something to happen. Minho had to understand that it was his sheltering of him and his brother that had put them both in the hospital two months prior.

 

Although he knew it was unfair to put the blame on the older male, a part of him insisted that if Minho hadn't sent him and Jongin to the company that day, in an attempt of keeping them from the problems at hand, they wouldn't have been attacked.

 

While he was in the hospital, Minho hadn't even shown up once and even to that day, refused to go visit his comatose brother. If that was the elder's definition of protecting and caring for them, Sehun didn't want any of it.

 

With yet another sigh, he leaned forward and rested his forehead against the cool wet wall of the shower-box as the lukewarm water ran down his back, wishing this mess to be over with. He wanted his brother to be awake, he wanted Taemin to be back and well, to have Minho stop acting like a tyrannic, over-protective father.

 

And he would have those. Even if for that, he had to go against his mentor's orders and act on his own.

 

Finishing his shower, he got dressed and seized his phone, typing in a text and sending it with a smile on his face. As walked out of the room, he made sure his expression was back to the frown he was always sporting lately as he marched with Sungyeol on his tail.

As they descended the stairs and reached the second-floor, Sehun stopped on his tracks as he watched as Minho, Onew and Jonghyun walked down the hall and entered his adoptive father's office, the door being shortly closed behind them.

At any other time, Sehun would have approached and made sure to eavesdrop on their conversation to discover what they were planing, but right then he made no such motion of that, as his new-found shadow was still standing a few feet behind him and would most probably disagree with such methods.

 

“Do you know what they're doing today?” he asked the elder instead as they continued their descent of the stairs.

 

“Nope. Not my problem.” Sungyeol replied. “I'm only here to keep you company.”

 

Sehun rolled his eyes. “I don't need a baby-sitter.”

 

Sungyeol chuckled. “Your father thinks otherwise.”

 

The younger clenched his jaw. “He's not my father.”

 

“Whatever you say young master.”

 

Sehun held back from commenting on the annoying title and went on his way. He walked to the kitchen and asked the cook to put something together for him to eat as he sat on one of the stools by the counter. Watching as Sungyeol ordered something for himself, he kept the smile off his lips as the older man fell into his trap.

 

A few minutes later, the cook placed a plate with sandwiches and a milkshake in front of both of them.

 

“Thanks.” both males chorused.

 

The cook nodded and went back to whatever he had been doing before as Sehun wordlessly started eating at his snack, as did Sungyeol.

The older of the two started making small talk with the cook, until his vision started getting hazy and his head heavy. Sungyeol blinked several times, trying to clear his sight, but as he did he only grew sleepier until his body completely shut down and he fell face first on the sandwich on his plate.

 

Sehun snorted.

 

“Did you put enough to knock down a horse, or what?” he asked the cook as the man approached and carefully extracted the plate of food from under the guard's head.

 

“I put in the amount you told me to.” the man answered. “Now, help me get him out of here, before anyone walks in.”

 

Sehun smirked but complied and the both of them sneaked Sungyeol's sleeping form to the back of the kitchen where the storage-room was and laid him down on a makeshift bed the cook had arranged for that.

 

“I still don't get how you knew this would work.” the elder said as they left the room.

 

“'Know thy enemy.' is what grandma always says.” Sehun smirked. “He's a glutton, I knew he wouldn't resist food.”

 

The cook snorted. When he'd received Sehun's text earlier, he had hesitated on doing as requested, knowing the boy was up to no good, but he had done it anyway, because he also knew Sehun would've found another way to get Sungyeol out of his path.

He knew that knocking the guard down with sedatives was the safest and best way to do it, other than any other off-the-book method the teen would've found, if he had refused.

 

“What are you going to do now?” he asked Sehun as they were back in the kitchen.

 

“Get to work.” the teen replied, seizing the half-eaten sandwich on his plate and biting onto it.

 

“Do I even want to know?” the cook asked as he watched the teen eat.

 

“I don't think so.” Sehun replied, around a mouthful, as he made his way to the kitchen door. “I owe you one, hyung!”

 

“Yeah, well, all I ask is for you to forget to mention you had my help for this when your father finds out.”

 

Sehun rolled his eyes, but said nothing as he sauntered away.

 

Sneaking into the armory, arming himself and getting to the garage without being seen had been the easy part of his plan after that. And as he hopped in his motorbike and managed to get off the property unseen – or so he hoped –, he made sure to park in a corner from where he would be able to see when Minho drove away – because he knew the elder was going to leave at some point – and not be seen himself, as he took to following his mentor.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

Minho, Jonghyun and Onew walked back into the younger of the three's office a little over two hours after they had left Chanyeol there. Having discussed all they needed to, regarding the events of the day.

 

“What have you got, Chanyeol?” Onew asked.

 

The taller male sighed and leaned back against his chair.

 

“Jinri hasn't moved since last night. Her car's in on of the company's stores, I contacted them and they said she took another one at around 5 p.m yesterday, a twingo, it seems. Since it wasn't for sale yet, they have nothing on it that can help track her. So I pinned her phone.”

 

“Did you find where she is exactly?” Minho asked.

 

“See the green dot?” Chanyeol asked, pointing at the screen of his computer, where the satellite image of a city was displayed and a dot on it kept blinking. “That's her phone. She's in Incheon. Or some place near it. It looks like a secluded residential area, from my researches, it's some traditional neighborhood that is barely even inhabited today.”

 

“Call her.” Minho commanded.

 

Jonghyun frowned. “You sure about that?”

 

“Call her Chanyeol.”

 

The taller male nodded and typed a few things on his computer before the dial tone of a phone echoed from the device's speakers. A few more tones and the call was picked up.

 

“I can't talk right now, Chan.” came Jinri's voice.

 

“What did you find?” Minho asked, ignoring her words.

 

There was a sigh at the other line.

 

“And here I thought Jonghyun-sshi was going to keep the secret.”

 

“Sorry about that.” Jonghyun said, although he didn't feel sorry at all. In fact, he was relieved to have shared the details with Minho and Onew.

 

“What do you have Jinri?” Minho insisted.

 

“Nothing much.” the woman replied. “But oppa... Hyungsik... he's alive.”

 

There was a moment of stunned silence.

 

“What?!” Onew, Chanyeol and Minho chorused.

 

“He's alive. I saw him enter the property just an hour ago.” the woman said. “I'm pretty sure he's working for Anubis.”

 

“Jinri, come back home.” Minho ordered.

 

“What? No, I'm on to something. Let me do this, oppa.”

 

“No, it's too risky. This isn't a work for one person. You come back and then we can work on a plan to infiltrate the place.”

 

“I'm already here. I can put my skills to good use, I'm just waiting for an opening.”

 

“Jinri, don't you dare enter that place.”

 

“I can do this, Minho. Trust me.”

 

“Jinri–”

 

“Listen, if I don't come back by tomorrow morning, you can do whatever you want. But please, give me at least that time frame.”

 

Minho clenched his jaw and exchanged a glance with Onew and Jonghyun, the two older males both showing their own divided opinions on the matter.

 

The taller male sighed. “Fine. But you stay in contact with us. Chanyeol will be with you the whole time. Send updates every few hours. I have something to attend to, but I'll be reachable at any moment.”

 

“Thanks oppa.” Jinri said before marking a short pause. “Chan, you still there?”

 

“Always, Princess.”

 

“Looks like you're stuck with me.”

 

The tall male chuckled. “I could imagine worse.”

 

Minho rolled his eyes at the exchange but said nothing, used to the light flirting between the two.

 

“I have a few men on standby. If you need back up, they're ready to leave.” he said instead.

 

“Okay.”

 

“Chanyeol, no one else is to know of the details of what you're doing.” Minho told the other. “The three of us will be at the company for the most part of the day. Call if anything happens.”

 

“Got it.”

 

“Be careful Jinri.” Minho warned his sister.

 

“You know me!” Jinri quipped.

 

“That's why I'm worried.” Minho mumbled under his breath as he made his way to the back of his desk and seized his brief-case, checked its contents and then walked out of the office, followed by his cousin and brother-in-law.

 

They made their way to the garage and hopped in a sedan, Minho pointedly refusing any as two guards walked up to them.

As they drove off the vicinity, neither noticed Sehun's motorbike following their vehicle at a safe distance and when they got to the company, the three men made their way inside and went over the plans they had started making at the mansion as Sehun sneaked in and put to use all the training he had undergone the past years to spy on the three.

 

The day dragged on like that, with the teen following them around and trying to grasp as much information he could to act, until the clock hit seven p.m.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

“We should get ready for the meeting with Yeonghwan.” Minho said as he rose from his chair and shrugged back into his suit jacket.

 

“I seriously can't believe we're still going.” Jonghyun said as he and Onew started straightening their own attires back. “Do I need to remind you they're the enemy?”

 

Minho sighed tiredly. “We went over this, Jonghyun.”

 

“Yeah, well, I still don't get it.”

 

Onew said nothing to add to the argument. He liked acting clueless most of the times, but he knew why Minho didn't seem as concerned about their meeting with Yeonghwan as he should be, at the perspective of walking straight into a possible trap set by the enemy.

He never said anything however, because he knew he wasn't supposed to be in on such details, so he let Minho act as he did, hoping that things would never go to the point where he would have to come forward with his knowledge to get his cousin out of some trouble. And he hoped that things would keep going as smoothly as always.

 

They walked out of the office and into the elevator as Jonghyun expressed his discontent with the situation one last time, just to make a point. When the lift came to a stop on the underground parking-lot, they walked out and into their car, Onew taking the wheel as Jonghyun and Minho hopped on the back.

 

The younger of the three took out his cell-phone and dialed Chanyeol to get an update on Jinri, the other telling him nothing had changed and that Jinri was still trying to find a safe way inside and Minho arguing that it was a loss of time before cutting off the communication and putting his cell-phone away.

 

The rest of the ride was made in silence as Jonghyun watched Minho's body language, trying to find anything that showed his nervousness or apprehension for the meeting they were headed to. Yet, all he found was impatience, exhaustion and something he could only pin as sadness.

The discovery was rather disturbing in the face of the things he'd seen Minho act upon the past couple of months.

Even though it was safe to say anyone could assume Minho to be at least, somehow shaken because of his husband's kidnapping, it was nothing but assumptions, because all Jade Dragon's big boss ever showed was sheer coldness and from time to time a burst of anger.

 

It was so rare for Minho to let his guard down, that perceiving such emotions that betrayed his actual state of mind – somewhat of a vulnerability –, left Jonghyun feeling like he was violating the younger's privacy. So he didn't comment and merely averted his gaze to the tainted window, choosing to watch the passing scenery instead.

 

As the car was brought to a stop in front of a five star hotel, they got off the vehicle and Onew passed the keys to a valet before the three of them walked towards the entrance of the hotel. Once inside, they were promptly escorted by an employee to the lift.

 

And Jonghyun noted, not without surprise, that the man seemed to know exactly who they were – at least who Minho and Onew were, he reasoned – as he didn't hesitate to greet them and take it upon himself to be their guide.

 

Inside the elevator, the man pressed the button for the third floor and the doors slid closed. The ride was no different than their car ride in its lack of conversation and Jonghyun almost sighed in relief when the lift stopped and the doors opened.

 

He scanned the place they found themselves in, it looked like a restaurant lounge, although the place was empty except for a table on the far back, where a man was sat with two guards of his own, standing at each of his sides.

 

Minho opened the way as he walked towards the table, not an ounce of hesitation in his step, as if the man that was sitting at the table there, was a friend and not his biggest rival – some even said, enemy.

 

Exchanging a look with Onew, Jonghyun followed suite and soon the three of them were standing just a few feet away from Yeonghwan's boss.

 

The man rose from his seat, greeting them with a courteous smile and polite handshakes. Minho doing the same as he introduced Jonghyun.

 

The private detective hide his astonishment behind his own polite facade. He had known Yeonghwan's head was young – he'd heard the rumors that ran about him forcefully taking the power from his father –, but he hadn't expected that. The man, Jang Woohyun, couldn't be older than Minho and if he was, there was no way they were more than just a few months apart.

 

“I've heard about you.” Woohyun addressed him as they all sat around the table, Minho facing the other mafia boss as Jonghyun sat to his left and Onew to his right. “You are quite known for your... investigating abilities.”

 

The detective just served the other a tight smile, the recalling of his supposedly impressive skills doing nothing but bring back to the surface his failures of the past couple of months.

 

“I imagine this situation is rather frustrating–”

 

“Quit beating around the bush Woohyun, why'd you call me here?” Minho interrupted the other, his gaze hard as he assessed the other.

 

Woohyun sighed slightly. “You're always so impatient.”

 

Minho just served the other an unimpressed gaze to which Woohyun sighed once more. He then gestured for his guards.

 

“You two can leave. Wait for my call outside.” he said.

 

Both males nodded and walked away, leaving through a door on the right side of the room. Once they were out of sight and earshot, Woohyun rested his elbows on the table.

 

The Yeonghwan boss' looked at the three men in front of him. “Are you sure you want these two here, for this?”

 

Minho sighed. “Whatever you say here, they'll know sooner or later, anyway.”

 

The older male seemed to consider the words.

 

“If you're so certain.” he said at last. “What you got so far?”

 

“Not much.” Minho said. “Just a bunch of sparse intel.”

 

Jonghyun threw him a look, wondering if the younger male was really going to share their information with the enemy.

 

“You know about Oroborus?” Woohyun asked.

 

Minho nodded.

 

“What about Anubis?”

 

“We have our suspicions.” Minho informed.

 

“I have reasons to believe Oroborus and Anubis are planing to merge.” the Yeonghwan boss said to that. “I also have reasons to believe they have infiltrated both of our organizations.”

 

Minho frowned, as did Onew and Jonghyun, suddenly alarmed at the situation.

 

“You better be able to back up what you're saying.” Minho said.

 

“How many of your men have disappeared mysteriously, only to turn up dead a few days later?” the other asked, although Minho was sure the older male knew the numbers. “Don't you find it strange that despite all the dispositions you've taken to ensure their security, nothing seems to work?”

 

“You're saying it could be an inside job?” Onew intervened.

 

“I'm saying that it is an inside job.” Woohyun replied before looking back at Minho. “I wish I would've come to you earlier with this, but you know me, I had to be sure of things first.”

 

Minho said nothing to that, instead he only clenched his jaw and leaned back against his chair.

 

“So we can assume you're sure of what you have now?” Jonghyun asked.

 

Woohyun mimicked Minho's posture.

 

“Indeed.” he said.

 

“How so?” Onew questioned.

 

“A couple of months ago, around the time of your confrontation with Saber-tooth, there was an attempt at my life.”

 

Minho expression darkened at the words.

 

“Imagine my surprise when we found evidence that pointed at a work from Jade Dragon.”

 

“Excuse me?!” Onew exclaimed, a frown on his features. “We wouldn't–”

 

“Onew.” Minho spoke, getting the older male's attention and shaking his head at him. “He knows.”

 

“In fact.” Woohyun asserted, before sighing. “It was a sloppy job, to say the least. Bad timing, bad methods and worse of all, wrong target.” The Yeonghwan boss huffed a humorless laugh. “Seriously, I didn't even need evidence to know it wasn't one of your men.”

 

“Then whose?” Jonghyun asked.

 

“He declared himself as being part of a certain organization named Horus.”

 

“Never heard of it before.” Minho declared.

 

“Because it doesn't exist. Not yet at least.”

 

Jonghyun connected the dots.

 

“Let me guess, Anubis and Oroborus' merging would result in Horus?”

 

“That's what we suppose. Unfortunately, the man only revealed that, before swallowing a poisonous substance he'd been keeping in his mouth.”

 

“Sounds like a bad action movie.” Onew muttered under his breath.

 

Woohyun chuckled. “Indeed.”

 

“I see how important this is, but I still don't get how this is going to help us in the current matters.” Minho said, his expression never changing from its usual scowl. “And why would they want to incriminate Jade Dragon?”

 

“Cause a war between our clans, maybe? It's still unclear, but that's the most plausible supposition.”

 

Minho exchanged a glance with Onew and Jonghyun, knowing the three of them were thinking of the same thing: Taemin's own claims about a war breaking out.

 

“We investigated that man, until there was nothing else to find.” Woohyun went on. “We discovered that he was once part of one of your affiliates that went bankrupt. But he had accomplices, people we discovered were part of our own smaller affiliates. So we conducted an internal investigation, and you cannot imagine how many traitors we uncovered. Of course, we made sure they don't know we know about them. I recommend you do the same with your people, Minho. We don't know who you can really trust amongst your men.”

 

As he said that, Woohyun sent a glance at both Onew and Jonghyun, who didn't know whether to be offended at the not-so-discreet accusation, or angry such thing even crossed Yeonghwan boss' mind.

 

Jonghyun was fed up with this. “What we don't know is whether we can trust you, Mr. Jang.”

 

Woohyun smiled and rose an eyebrow as he looked at Minho. Before he could say anything however, the door through which Woohyun's men had left was opened to reveal the two guards, holding a teenager by the back of collar. Both of his hands were tied together as they manhandled him inside the restaurant lounge.

 

“Look what we found snooping around boss.” One of them said.

 

A glare lodged itself in Minho's eyes as he pushed his chair back and stood up.

 

“What the hell are you doing here, Sehun?”

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

Jinri stopped in her tracks and squatted down, taking out her gun and making sure she was safely hidden on the shadow of the tree near tall brick wall.

Her day had went on with her exploring the property's surroundings, to find a blind spot that she could use to enter the place. She now found herself at the backside of the wall that surrounded the mansion, having deemed it the less watched area.

 

“Jinri, where you are right now?” Chanyeol's voice came through the ear-piece she had as she took a step towards the wall and flattened her back against brick surface, when steps echoed behind it.

 

“I've found an opening.” she informed, whispering.

 

“You're not seriously going to enter that place alone, are you?” Chanyeol asked. “Wait were you are, I'm sending back up.”

 

“No.” Jinri opposed, grimacing when her voice got a little too high. “No.” she repeated, back to whispering. “Don't send anyone yet. I'll tell you when to. I need to go now, Chan, I'll be in touch.”

 

“What? Jinri, you–”

 

The woman turned the communication off and rose to her feet. Once she was sure there was no one behind the wall, she took a few steps back and assessed its height. To think she would have to jump over that almost made her give up. But she reminded herself it was an opportunity she couldn't let pass.

 

She took in the tree she had been hiding under and took in a deep breath before putting her gun back in its holster on her waist and started climbing the tree. Once she was in the highest branch – the one that could actually hold her weight at least – she held in her breath before taking impulsion and jumping towards the wall.

She caught herself in-extremis and grimaced as her hands held her weight on the edge of the wall. With yet another deep breath, she swung her legs to the sides, until she had enough impulsion to hoist her body up with her arms and slang her legs over the edge of the wall.

Once on top, she laid on her stomach over it and observed the surroundings, finding it difficult to see anything in the darkness of the night. But she could very well distinguish the lights coming from the mansion and the flashlights of the guards.

As she had predicted, only two guards seemed to be patrolling that side of the wall and she was glad for it. She looked down and held in her breath as she let herself fall off the edge and to the ground of the property with a thud, biting at her tongue at the ache the impact sent through her body.

 

She didn't let it stop her however, as she quickly got to her feet and hid on the shadows once more, trying to find a way in the mansion without being noticed.

 

All her movements were brought to a stop however, when barking and the frantic noise of steps and shouted orders were heard.

 

Dogs. How the hell had she not noticed – or even considered – there were dogs guarding the damn property as well?

 

For a split second, she hoped the canines had been barking at something else, but her hopes were crushed when flashlights were suddenly aimed at her.

 

---

A/N: So... here's the update guys! I hope it was worth the wait >_< it's not beta-read though, I'm pretty sure my brain fried, so I'll work on proof reading another time. Anyway, do tell me what you think, your feedback is always appreciated!

Thank you for your lovely comments and for so many new subs!!

xoxo