Remo stood over the lifeless body of the assassin, his mind swirling in disbelief and anger. The faint glow of the moon through the window cast long shadows in the room, deepening the sense of dread that had settled over him. He wiped the blood from his knuckles, the tallic taste of fear still lingering in the back of his throat. This wasn’t a random hit. This wasn’t a robbery gone wrong. This was a well-orchestrated attack.
Soone close to Abby... soone who knows everything. The assassin’s words echoed in his mind like a taunt. He had been set up, and he wasn’t sure who to trust anymore.
His hand shook as he reached for his phone, quickly dialing Tony’s number. Tony, his right-hand man, was the only person who could help him piece this together. The phone rang twice before Tony’s voice cut through the silence.
"Remo, what’s going on? It’s late," Tony asked, his voice laced with concern.
"I need you to get here. Now," Remo said, his voice sharp, trying to keep the edge of panic from seeping through. "There’s been an... incident."
Tony’s tone shifted instantly, becoming more serious. "What happened?"
Remo glanced down at the body on the floor, the blood slowly pooling beneath the assassin’s lifeless form. "An intruder. He’s dead. But before he went down, he said soone close to Abby sent him."
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Remo could practically hear Tony’s brain working through the possibilities. "I’ll be there in fifteen," Tony finally said, his voice steady but tense. "Stay put and don’t touch anything."
Remo hung up, his heart pounding in his chest. He hadn’t told Tony everything yet—that the assassin had staged the scene to implicate him in a murder plot. The reality of what had almost happened sent a shiver down his spine. If he hadn’t stayed ho tonight, the authorities would have found Abby dead and everything pointing to him. It would have been the perfect setup.
He ran a hand through his hair, glancing toward the bedroom where Abby still slept, unaware of how close she had co to danger. He had sent the bodyguards away a few days ago, thinking that giving her space would calm her paranoia. She had beco so frantic, so convinced that soone was out to get her, that Remo thought isolation might help. But in doing so, he had left them vulnerable. He cursed under his breath. It had been a mistake, and now they were paying for it.
Within minutes, Tony arrived, his broad fra filling the doorway as he stepped into the room. His eyes imdiately landed on the assassin’s body, then shifted to Remo, reading the tension in his expression.
"What the hell happened?" Tony asked, his voice low but urgent as he crouched beside the body, taking in the scene.
Remo quickly recounted the events—the break-in, the struggle, the assassin’s final words. Tony listened intently, his face grim as he processed everything.
"This was a professional job," Tony muttered, running a hand over his jaw. "This wasn’t just soone trying to scare you. This was supposed to end with you behind bars and Abby... dead."
Remo’s stomach twisted at the words. "I know. He was staging the whole thing to make it look like I killed her."
Tony stood up, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the room. "And this guy said soone close to Abby sent him?"
Remo nodded, his fists clenching at his sides. "That’s what he said. But he died before he could give a na."
Tony paced for a mont, the weight of the situation settling over them. "Whoever this is, they’ve been planning this for a long ti. They knew how to get close enough to know about Abby’s ntal state. They knew how to make it look like a dostic issue."
Remo swallowed hard, guilt gnawing at him. "I shouldn’t have sent the bodyguards away. She’s been paranoid, and I thought... I thought giving her space would help. But I played right into their hands."
Tony placed a hand on Remo’s shoulder. "You didn’t know. But now we do. The important thing is figuring out who’s behind this before they make another move."
Remo’s mind raced, replaying every interaction, every strange mont over the past few months. Abby’s growing paranoia, the whispers in her head... Soone had been feeding that fear, manipulating her, and now they had nearly used it to destroy them both.
"I have a feeling it’s soone in her family," Remo said, his voice hardening as the pieces began to click into place. "Soone who knows her past, knows what she’s been through. Soone who wants both of us out of the picture."
Tony frowned. "You think it’s her aunt?"
Remo hesitated, but it made sense. Margaret had always been bitter about Abby’s inheritance and her power in the family. She had been sidelined, cut off from the wealth and influence she craved. But would she really go this far?
"I don’t know," Remo admitted, rubbing his forehead. "But we need to find out."
*****
anwhile, across town, Margaret and Dominic were already celebrating what they believed to be a successful night. They sat in a private suite at a luxury hotel, drinking champagne and watching the city lights flicker below them. The plan had gone perfectly—or so they thought. By now, the assassin would have frad Remo, and soon enough, the police would be swarming their ho. Abby would be dead, and Remo would be taken down for her murder. It was flawless.
Margaret leaned back in her chair, a satisfied smile on her lips. "By morning, everything will be in motion," she said, raising her glass to Dominic. "Abby’s gone, Remo’s finished, and we’re free."
Dominic grinned, clinking his glass against hers. "I have to admit, I didn’t think it would go this smoothly. They didn’t even see it coming."
Margaret chuckled, her eyes gleaming with triumph. "I’ve been waiting for this for years. Abby thought she could keep everything—her inheritance, her power. But now, it’s all mine."
Dominic leaned in, his voice low. "And Remo? What if he doesn’t go down as easily as we think?"
Margaret shrugged, unconcerned. "By the ti the police are done with him, he’ll be behind bars for life. And if not, we’ll find another way to deal with him. One problem at a ti."
The two of them basked in their success, completely unaware that the assassin they had hired was now lying dead in Remo’s ho and that their carefully laid plan had unraveled.
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