Boxes & Smoke

Box 5

Alexei

Midnight had fallen. Weeks have passed since the ambush. He had completely recovered from his wounds and was back to another work.

When someone disturbs Carver's sleep, one may find themselves on the cross of his scope. He didn't get himself to prepare for bed yet. He's waiting for something by the window. Carver's eyes darted through the skies as he crossed his sweatered arms.

At any time he might lose his patience and bring himself to bed. The one he's waiting for is taking too slow. He wanted to get over this. If Sarah has a rivalry for his attention, that would be sleep.

The hedges in the safe house were gray under the sky. And to Carver's peripheral, he saw a shadow pass through the sides with a swift and silent swoosh. His eyes focused through it, but nothing happened. He gave out a deep breath as he walked outside his room.

That's Travis' signal. An indication of a gathering between a Lacroix.

Carver stepped outside and the guards had been watching on their posts as they held their rifles. Others were playing card games and drinking coffee. By the look of their faces, no one had slept a wink yet. They didn't see him. Or maybe someone had but they couldn't care less.

Carver remembered the skilled assassins of the Schleifer: Mori and Bree. The names were not new to him. Every assassin of his caliber had known them. But to Carver, they were no threat to his life. They may realize who he is, but before that could happen they would find a bullet in their head.

In truth, he also doesn't know their faces. High-ranking assassins like them weren't allowed to show themselves. As possible they should conceal their identity or create a fake one. Only the ones who lead the Lacroix organization were the few who had met Carver in person. Maybe if one would pass by a street and stand beside him, they wouldn't realize that he's Carver of the Lacroix.

The name Alexei must've been forgotten by the few others. He has multiple identities, and at times he would realize that Alexei is dead and Carver is the one who existed for 22 years.

Carver entered his room again. He opened the glass windows and jumped outside. The swift swoosh of the shadow passed against his vision again. He followed the directions.

He climbed through the hedges with the feet of a killer. He counted every step and watched his surroundings. Some of the guards had their guns slung onto their shoulders as they walked in front of the garden's pavilion. There were five of them. Six on the rooftop. And a lot more hidden in sight. As for Mori and Bree's location Carver thought that they might've been deployed by Paisley's father to guard the routes leading to the safe house.

Carver hid at the back of a large flower pot. His hand clasped on the knife's handle. He waited for the guard approaching in his direction. His hand picked a stone. He threw it in the opposite direction to where the guard was facing. When the man had taken the bait, in a swift motion of his feet Carver was nowhere to be found on the spot.

He's starting to believe that the known Schleifer mafia has rigid security. The rest of his journey was just escaping through the eyes of the guards. The hidden laser beams on the premises were also not his problem, he had completely avoided each one of them. And as for the CCTV cameras and alarm that could ring if it had detected strange behavior inside were also taken care of by Travis. That man works in the shadows. Carver didn't need to worry about a single thing rather than Mori and Bree if ever they'd suddenly come back.