"I can't lose you again.
I can't, not again.
I'm not strong enough."
C H A P T E R 1 2
L U C I A N A
For a few seconds, I didn't move. I stood as still as the body in front of me and try to breathe.
I was here to kill this man, but he's already dead.
How?
Forcing myself to move, I crouched down in front of the corpse and took off one glove and touched the body. It was not cold yet, meaning Karl Summit had not been dead for long.
Whoever killed him might still be here.
Putting on the glove I took off, I positioned the gun in front of me and searched the house. As I moved around, I looked at all the expensive showpieces, but I didn't have the time to admire it.
I made two complete rounds of the house before concluding that whoever killed Karl left after finishing his job.
I walked back to the living room and sat on the comfortable-looking couch.
I looked at the body again. There were no visible injuries which lead me to believe that Karl was poisoned.
There was a glass on the table with a something in it, I walked over to it and smelled the liquid.
Nothing. It had no distinct smell. If I wouldn't have suspected it, I would have thought it was water, and it may be but I'm not taking any chances by drinking it.
Did David know this was going to happen? Was he testing me? Was this done by someone else entirely? Or was Karl Summit simply suicidal?
I slipped out my phone from my pocket and called the first person I could think of. And he doesn't waste anytime on picking my call.
"Hello? Luciana?"
"I need help, where are you?"
"I'm at IAO, I just got back. What happened?"
"David gave me a mission, a rookie mission, but something is wrong and I need you."
"WHAT! David gave you a MISSION?! Doesn't he know you got hit by a truck less than a month ago? I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!" his voice boomed in my ear.
"You can do that later, but right now I need your help, I'll text you where to meet me. Please get here as fast as you can."
"You bet I will."
I sighed and leaned back on the couch. What was up with my life? Why can't I ever have one peaceful day?
Instead of sulking on the couch, I decide to look through my surroundings, just in case I found something useful. I got up and took a few deep breaths. Putting my gun back in my holster, I looked around me. It was just a normal living room, everything was in its place.
There were drawers in the table's side on which I found the glass, I had not taken notice of it earlier, when I was examining the liquid.
I pulled one drawer open and saw that there were a few papers in it. There were about the details of his company, so I didn't bother looking through them. Taking all the papers out and placing them on the floor, I saw that there was something under it.
Not caring about the papers, I roughly shoved it to one side and leaned over to see what was underneath it.
It was a small box. I pushed the lid up and pick one of the small metal things inside it. Before I even look at it, I know what it is.
A bullet.
The box is full of bullets.
It shouldn't seem odd, Karl was a successful businessman after all. It would be natural to have a gun for his own protection. In case someone hired an assassin to execute him, like someone did, it would be safer for him.
But how would a gun save him against poison?
Just as I was going to get up, I heard the front door.
I dropped the box and quickly took my gun out, positioning myself behind the couch.
Who could be here? According to the file, Karl had no living family.
I heard the door open, someone entered and shut the door behind them.
"Luce?"
I let out a relieved sigh and got up.
"I'm here." I said as I walked out from behind the couch.
Before I had another chance to say anything, I'm engulfed in a tight bear hug.
"I was so scared when you called, you didn't sound freaked out, but then again when do you ever?" he said with a little chuckle, kissing the top of my head.
I hugged him tighter and he responded by holding me even tighter.
"I don't know what I would have done if I lost you again. Never do that again." he said, making me feel guilty.
"You never lost me."
This was the first time we actually talked after I returned. It felt fantastic to be with him again.
"I wanted to tell you so many things but I never had the chance, you were away on missions and I was busy training the recruits." I said, still holding him, not ready to let go.
That surprised him. "Wait, you're training the recruits? Wow, how many things have I missed?"
I gave out a little laugh. "Yeah, surprising isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." he said with a sigh.
I looked up at him and asked. "What is it?"
He looked me straight in the eye and said. "It's just I've missed you so much. Why didn't you ever try to contact me or at the very least let me know you were alive?"
"I missed you more than I missed anyone else, but no matter how much it hurt to stay away from you, I couldn't tell you. Can we talk about this later?" I looked at him pleadingly.
"Okay, but we will talk about it. No changing the subject later, alright?"
I nodded at him and let him go. "Let's focus on the dead body in front of us for now."