𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐚 | ✎

𝐱𝐢𝐢

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𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐱
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"Aspen can you see everything?" I speak into the ear com. We're at Maxwell's party that started about 30 minutes ago. We came earlier to prepare for everything and set up the decoy's. Aspen's in the camera room, being our eyes and watching everything from a distance. Hayes, Aziel, and I are at different corners of the ballroom observing everyone. Maxwell is doing what a host does and acting like everything is normal. He said he was going to try to not be distracted and still try to raise funds for the cancer patients, which I admire.

"Yup," She answers. "I can see all the entrances and exits, hallways, kitchen, and the ballroom."

I take a champagne glass from a waiter walking around with a tray full of them. "Do you see anything yet?"

"Nope, it's pretty quiet," She responds.

"I assume they'll attack later when the party is at it's peak and everyone's distracted." Hayes says through his ear com.

I walk around the ballroom trying to enjoy the party for at least the first hour until things get busier.

After an hour we decide to send the fake Maxwell walking around the hallways of the building. Maybe the assassin wants to attack Maxwell when he's alone. Aspen keeps an eye on where the fake Maxwell is going through the cameras.

I walk over to Hayes and Aziel while we wait. "It's been really quiet. Everything seems normal. I don't like it." I say.

"I know." Aziel nods his head.

"Maybe the attacker will try to pull something more discreet." Hayes muses. I hum in thought.

"Well, to beating cancer's ass." Aziel raises his champagne glass and we clink our glasses with his.

"If I were an assassin that needed to eliminate a threat how would I do it..." I trail off in thought.

"Definitely something lowkey, I'd want to have enough time to escape before things went to shit." Aziel says.

"Right, but if I were the guy hiring the assassin, I'd want something that would make sure he was dead for good." Hayes contradicts.

"So something discreet but also confirm that'll he'll die-"

"Guys the decoy has been walking around the hallways for more than forty minutes. He even went into the bathroom and nothing happened. This is weird." Aspen interrupts me.

"Yeah we know." Hayes replies.

"What if we're wrong and it's not Andrey," I start, "If it was Andrey why would he get an anonymous tip that someone wanted to kill him?"

"Some people like to play with their food before they eat." Hayes looks at me.

"Yeah, and what else would Dmitri and his friends be talking about when they were saying Andrey wanted someone dead?" Aziel muses.

"I don't know, but with the kind of business he's in, I wouldn't be surprised if he had a lot of people he'd need dead." Aspen's voice comes through the ear com.

Our conversation is interrupted by Maxwell when he starts talking into the microphone. Aziel walks away to get closer to Maxwell. "Hello friends, family, and partners! Thank you all so much for coming tonight. If you know me this fundraiser is something really important to me because of the cause. My mom died from cancer back when I was sixteen and it broke me.

"Ever since then I knew that, if I ever had the chance to, I'd want to help cancer foundations and research. And tonight that's what I'm doing. In the past I've donated to multiple cancer foundations and research companies. But tonight is the first event I'm holding to promote awareness for this cause. So thank you to all for coming and to those who have already donated money tonight. If you haven't already we've sent you a link to donate money, or you can put some money in this box over here to help donate.