Chapter 52: Assassin’s Affection!

Chapter 52: Assassin's Affection!

Looking straight into the glass, I worked to school my features, forcing my face into a neutral expression to calm down my beating heart. I stared at my own reflection and muttered one simple, undeniable truth out loud. Mary is absolutely going to kill me. A defeated smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, but deep down, I couldn't deny that I was genuinely touched by what she had shared. It also suddenly registered in my mind that the sudden kiss back there had been her first real one. Shaking my head, I let out a soft breath and walked straight out of the walk-in closet to join her in the main bedroom.

Tina was already sitting gracefully at her makeup table, expertly pulling her crimson hair up into a loose, slightly messy bun. She left a few stray strands hanging down perfectly to frame her face, instantly giving her the striking look of a classic femme fatale. Without turning around completely, she pointed a gloved finger toward the chest of drawers standing over to the right side of the room.

"Top drawer on the left side, can you grab the two thigh straps with the throwing knives in them for me, Rick."

I moved across the carpeting to do exactly what she asked, though I couldn't shake the strange feeling that this whole situation felt incredibly erotic in some dark, twisted way. I pulled open the top drawer and spotted the thin black straps. Each one held four six-inch blades forged from solid black steel. Looking closely, the weapon design reminded me far more of streamlined throwing stars than traditional daggers. The handles and the blades were forged from a single continuous piece of metal, but my Kung-Fu Grandmaster skill let me immediately comprehend exactly how to handle these professional killing tools.

Tina watched through the mirror as I pulled one of the black blades from its slot, effortlessly twirling the steel between my fingers as if I had been born with the weapon in my hand. A small smile touched her lips. My natural martial arts talent was undeniable, and she was clearly reminded how her mother had been forced to concede to my rapid mastery of physical skills.

"Bring the holsters over to me, Rick, and I will show you exactly how I wear them."

Sliding the steel blade securely back into its slot, I walked over and handed her the two black straps. She reached down and unzipped the upper sections of both thigh-high boots. The moment she did, the practical reason behind her clothing choice became glaringly obvious. The erotic, tight footwear was designed entirely to mask her hidden weapons.

Tina kept her golden eyes locked onto mine as she slowly fastened the two black straps firmly around her thighs, the material lightly pressing into her skin. Once the holsters were secure, she slowly zipped the heavy black vinyl of her boots back up and offered a sharp grin.

"Remember exactly where those blades are positioned so you don't accidentally cut your fingers later."

She looked genuinely happy right now. Ever since I stepped out of that closet, I hadn't pushed back or told her no a single time. To Tina, the future was already set; it was simply a matter of waiting for my inevitable victory over Woo on the mountain track. Standing up fully, she smoothed down the shiny crimson vinyl outfit, posing slightly before pointing to her overall appearance.

"Do you think Hana would actually approve of this look? I am technically keeping her usual spot warm tonight, after all."

"Sigh, she is probably going to want to buy the exact same outfit for herself the second she sees you wearing it."

Tina tilted her head toward the large television screen across from the bed. "Let's watch some TV together while we wait for the right time to leave."

She reached out, wrapping her black-gloved hand firmly around mine, and dragged me over to the white leather sofa. She slid into the seat directly to my left and picked up the remote, switching the display over to the latest entertainment talk show. After a few moments of silence, she turned her head back to look at me.

"I am still a noble woman of the Feng family. So until you completely eliminate the threat of Woo, I cannot fully belong to you. You need to actively want this to happen, Rick. But for now, I can give you whatever is left inside my heart. It might not seem like a lot to most people, but I do have genuine feelings left in there for you."

I didn't know the exact right words to respond to a heavy confession like that, so I simply gave her a serious, firm nod to confirm I understood. Seeing my silent acknowledgment, her radiant smile returned.

"Rick, don't forget the exact words you told me back in class. Married people do have sex. So do not go thinking our future marriage is going to be some completely loveless arrangement. It might be initiated based on a contract like most noble marriage deals, but just remember one thing: I chose you myself. I was not forced into this by anyone. If it is you, it means freedom. If it were any other man, it would be a curse. Do you truly understand my feelings now?"

"So it's a marriage of convenience, but with something deeper behind it?"

Tina felt a warm wave of emotion inside, her golden eyes softening as she stared back at me. "I am exactly like my mother, and you are exactly like my father. So yes, it is definitely going to be much more than that."

"Mary is absolutely going to kill me the second I tell her about this, sigh."

Tina let out a soft, melodic chuckle, leaning into my side. "Don't worry, Rick. She can't kill you at all. You are completely invincible, ufufu."

For the next two hours, the two of us simply sat together on the white leather couch, watching the screen like an old married couple who had been together for decades. She kept both hands wrapped around my arm, resting it closely against her chest. Neither of us tried to advance any further, sharing a silent, unspoken agreement not to cross the line just yet.

At 9:00 PM, both Tina and I came downstairs to finally head down to the garage for her sports car, only to bump straight into her mother. Lane Feng immediately took notice of the fact that Tina was actively holding my hand. She covered her lips with a delicate hand, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she looked over at me.

"Rick Lee, did you actually lower your guard and let yourself get tricked by her?"

I used my free right hand to scratch the back of my head, offering a sheepish grin. "Tina wants me to win this thing, so I am going to do my absolute best. I would be a completely ungrateful ass if I rejected her support right now, wouldn't I?"

"Then I will be cheering for you to win as well. I think you will be anything but disappointed in the final prize, fufu."

Before I could say anything else, Lane reached forward, took a firm grip on my right hand, and began pulling me along down the hallway. The sudden movement completely confused Tina, who was still holding onto my left hand, resulting in the two of them stretching me between them for a second.

"Rick, you have made this old woman incredibly happy with your determination. So let me give you something I was originally waiting to hand over much later. Come along, come along."

In complete confusion, both Tina and I were dragged deeper into the lower levels of the estate.

We stepped inside the vault room, finding ourselves standing in a pristine, climate-controlled arsenal loaded with enough tactical weapons, ammunition, and armor for a Special Operations Force to easily take over a small city. Lane walked over to a secure workbench, pulling out a heavy, matte-black case with a customized label reading [Rick Lee]. She set it down on the metal surface with a bright smile.

"Tina personally chose something special for you," Lane explained, resting her hands on the container. "We had the entire setup heavily customized to perfectly match your specific style of gunfighting and personal ergonomics. She wanted to present this to you after you beat the top contender on the track, but seeing the look in your eyes tonight, I think we can absolutely give it to you a little early. Right, my daughter?"

Tina’s cheeks flushed a bright red, but she gave a firm, silent nod. Lane then, acting like a flawless model on a daytime game show, flipped the heavy latches open to reveal two matching, matte-black heavy revolvers: a pair of custom Taurus Judge five-shot models chambered for both .45 Colt and .410 shotgun shells.

This particular weapon was a true man's gun, an absolute handheld powerhouse capable of chambering three-inch shotgun shells right into the cylinder. Beyond standard lead slugs and traditional .45 Colt ammunition, it was capable of cycling a massive variety of exotic, specialized loads. It operated like a modern-day wild-west showstopper—a handheld shotgun where nothing on earth could outperform its pure, devastating stopping power anywhere under thirty feet.

I carefully picked up the two monsters, visually verifying that both cylinders were completely empty before wrapping my fingers tightly around the grips to feel the heavy, balanced weight of the steel. Both women watched me with wide smiles as I handled the weapons, looking like a kid opening a new present I always wanted but never realized I actually needed. Relying on the deep physical muscle memory hardwired into my mind by my Kung-Fu Grandmaster skill, I effortlessly twirled the two massive revolvers around my trigger fingers. I brought them up into a clean, double-handed low-ready stance, the weight of the metal immediately feeling like a natural extension of my own arms.

That was when I noticed a specific detail etched cleanly into the matte-black surface of the steel. The words [Assassin's Affection] were laser-etched directly onto the left side of each barrel. Realizing that Tina must have harbored deep feelings for me for a long time to put that kind of personal touch on a weapon system, I looked up from the case.

"I am genuinely touched," I said, meeting her eyes.

Acting with the quiet care of a wife adjusting her husband’s tie before work, Tina stepped up to me. She smoothly slid my suit jacket off my shoulders, untied my standard twin shoulder holsters, and swapped them out for a customized leather rig specifically measured to fit my exact muscular build.

Once the heavy leather was secure, she helped me slide back into my grey jacket, gently patting down the fabric on my back to ensure the heavy revolvers remained completely concealed.

In a real tactical engagement, I knew I would still rely on my HK P30s for standard firing volume, keeping just one of these new heavy revolvers secured on my hip. But for tonight's run down the mountain, I decided I would carry the pair. Sorting through the specialized ammunition trays inside the black box, I loaded forty-five caliber rounds into the cylinder of the right-hand gun. For the left, I picked out a specialized shell labeled the Neutralizer—a non-lethal load packed with three heavy rubber slug balls designed to completely incapacitate an opponent without delivering a lethal penetrating wound.

The two women had packed the box with various other tactical accessories and ammo types, but I wasn't overly worried about getting into a massive firefight tonight, especially with Tina sitting right next to me. Unlike most people, she was a capable asset I never had to worry about protecting in a hot zone. After snapping the heavy case shut, I lifted the remaining gear, and the two of us finally headed out to the main garage level.

Walking into the underground bay, the three of us stopped in front of Tina's immaculate, high-performance grey BMW M2 Competition. I opened the rear door, carefully placing the heavy weapon case across the floorboards and securing it tightly so it wouldn't shift during high-speed cornering. Lane stood back, leaning against a support pillar as she watched the two of us prepare.

"I swear, looking at the two of you right now, it feels exactly like watching a young couple heading off to Prom or something, fufu."

"I didn't actually go to mine," I muttered, leaning against the BMW's door. "No date, it fell right on my birthday, and I ended up spending the entire night stuck in a hospital bed anyway, sigh."

Tina’s eyebrows furrowed tightly at my words, her expression darkening as she stepped around to the driver's side.

"Number 3 insisted on taking me to mine," Tina stated, her voice turning completely flat. "And that exact night was when I knew for a fact I never wanted him to win this challenge. The moment we got there, his eyes turned completely lecherous and disgusting. That is exactly why you need to thoroughly beat both of those men tonight, Rick. I don't want either of them anywhere near my life anymore. Now, get in. Let's go."

With Lane standing under the garage lights and waving us off, I slid into the driver's seat, fired up the high-performance turbocharged engine, and pulled the smooth ride out into the cool evening air...

Alex Renaldo, known to the local hierarchy as Number 3, was twenty-seven years old. He possessed bright blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and the symmetrical facial features of a professional male model. He ran a successful technology firm that manufactured specialized internal components for high-end computers. His parents were foreign immigrants who had achieved full citizenship years ago, which explained his traditional United Kingdom of America naming style and distinct appearance.

Naturally, I had already run a thorough background check on the guy prior to tonight. He wasn't technically a dangerous or evil man by standard definition, but his personality shifts over the last few years had left Tina completely disappointed in his character. After about five minutes of driving through the city streets, Tina turned her head toward me, breaking the silence inside the cabin.

"I went to that Prom with Number 3, Rick, but I have absolutely never done anything physical with him. The only thing he did was inappropriately touch my butt on the dance floor before I pulled away. You were my actual first kiss. So please, do not go thinking that I prefer him over you in any capacity."

I kept my eyes fixed firmly on the road ahead, a small smile playing on my lips because I could tell she still had more on her mind. Seeing my calm reaction, Tina let out a sharp breath, her voice sounding slightly irritated.

"Why are you sitting there smiling? Aren't you even a little bit jealous about it? Do you just not care at all?"

I slowed the BMW down for a red light, turning my head to look across the console. "Do you actually want to be with the guy? Do you hold any real romantic feelings for him, or do you want him to win the race tonight?"

"Don't be an idiot, Rick," she snapped back instantly. "Of course I don't. Were you not just standing inside that closet with me?"

My smile widened as I checked the intersection before accelerating. "So you went to a bad Prom with him, and I spent that exact same night sitting on a cold concrete bench in front of a Quick-Mart waiting to buy a beer. We both made some questionable choices in the past, right? But every single one of those choices eventually brought the two of us to this exact car tonight. So no, I don't have a single issue with the guy. I am just going to thoroughly beat him on the asphalt for you, make my way up to Woo, and take him down as well. Then, well... you already know what happens next."

Hearing me trail off right before referencing her marriage proposal, every ounce of lingering insecurity completely vanished from Tina's expression.

She leaned back into the leather seat and casually crossed her legs, the tight movement causing her glossy crimson vinyl outfit to emit a sharp, distinct sliding sound against the interior. For the remainder of the high-speed drive out toward the northeast side of the city, neither of us spoke, letting the heavy rhythms of a local rock station fill the space between us.

As we reached the summit of the mountain, I steered the BMW into the expansive asphalt rest stop. It looked like we were still ahead of schedule, the area only just beginning to fill up. Tina raised a black-gloved finger, pointing toward a clustered lineup of seven high-performance streetcars parked near the edge of the lot.

"Rick, those are my Fire Birds people over there. Can you park the car right next to them?"I tossed her a quick, theatrical nod as I spun the steering wheel. "Yes, um, young Miss Feng. This loyal servant will do exactly as you command."

Her satisfied smile immediately vanished. She slowly turned her head, her golden eyes narrowing as she locked onto my grinning face. "You are absolutely never going to stop this childish behavior, are you?"

"Hmm? Nope," I replied cheerfully, executing a flawless parallel park with the all-rounder vehicle. "Not until I officially put a wedding ring on that finger, ha-ha."

She let out a soft, exasperated huff and playfully punched my upper arm just as I cut the turbocharged engine. The moment I stepped out of the driver's side, the surrounding syndicate members immediately recognized the car. A wave of surprised murmurs rippled through the group when they noticed me in the driver's seat instead of her, but the tension quickly passed once they remembered my official role as her personal bodyguard. I walked around the sleek hood of the BMW, pulling the passenger door open with a smooth, professional flourish.

When Tina stepped out onto the gravel, rocking the shiny crimson and black crowd-stopper of a dress, the entire gathering went dead silent. Even the women in her crew froze in complete shock at the sheer boldness of her style tonight.

Tina didn't hesitate for a second. She wrapped her arm tightly around my left elbow, casually waving her small black clutch purse toward the rest of her syndicate members. Roughly three out of every four members in her specific inner circle were women, a direct result of Tina's powerful, magnetic personality naturally attracting intensely loyal female followers. Jenifer pushed her way through the front of the crowd, apparently having spent the last few hours handling the official logistical work for tonight's event.

She halted in her tracks, her eyes wide as she took in Tina’s wild vinyl outfit. A massive, knowing grin rapidly formed on her face. It didn't take her more than a second to deduce that I was the sole reason behind this completely shameless wardrobe choice.

Her eyes shifted directly to me. Under her highly perceptive gaze, I felt a sudden warmth rush up my neck, blushing slightly as I gave her a helpless shrug. She simply offered a slow nod in return, easily calculating what must have gone down behind closed doors since I had been stationed at the estate all night.

"Jenifer, has the Leader handed down any specific orders for tonight?" Tina asked, her tone instantly snapping back to business.

"No," Jenifer replied, shaking her head. "But he is officially leaving town later tonight. He has to head over to the Black State for an emergency meeting with some of our regional sub-leaders regarding our corporate businesses over there. Before he left, he only told me to take full charge of the local operations as needed."

Right at that exact moment, a sharp chime echoed from my pocket, alerting me that Scott Tang and Number 3 were currently pulling into the rest stop together. I glanced across the crowded parking lot, spotting Scott’s massive luxury limousine twisting up the final mountain bend and rolling into the staging area. Tina noticed the sudden shift in my gaze, her eyes following mine to the long black vehicle.

"Are Scott and Alex Renaldo close acquaintances?" I asked, analyzing the vehicle's arrival. "They are literally riding in the same car. I feel like some serious trouble is brewing right now."

Tina stared coldly at the approaching limousine, her arm tightening against mine. "They aren't exactly best friends, but their social circles overlap constantly. You can pretty much view them as kindred spirits who maintain a friendly working relationship. Number 3 handles a lot of business operations with the Song family, so it is incredibly easy for the two of them to bump into one another at local events."

Breaking down the social information, I figured they most likely met up and drank regularly at one of the Song family's high-end bars. My best guess was that Number 3 had been actively hunting for information on me, running directly into Scott to get a detailed background check on the new guy in Tina's life.

The heavy doors of the limousine swung open, and a total of seven people piled out into the cool mountain air. Scott stepped onto the asphalt first, flanked by his four current wives. Right behind them was a highly striking, sexy woman with long brown hair resting heavily in the arm of the next man to exit the vehicle. The guy was tall, handsome, and sported clean, short-blonde hair with deep blue eyes.

I instantly recognized the face of the woman. That was Ana Zi, the famous co-star from the recent Vampire Princes movie who had played the major villainous role right alongside Kate Kong.

Bob and Jack—the two elite bodyguards I had previously encountered during my birthday celebration and that chaotic bathroom incident at the corporate ball—moved fluidly to the front of the group, forming a protective barrier around the VIPs.

Both blonde men swept their eyes across the massive crowd gathered at the rest stop. It didn't take them long to pinpoint the Fire Birds' designated parking zone, their eyes locking onto the space where Tina was still aggressively holding onto my arm. Anticipating a confrontation, I reached down and calmly unbuttoned my grey suit jacket, ensuring my hands had unhindered access to my holstered weapons.

Tina caught the movement, a subtle smile touching her lips as she patted my arm reassuringly. She leaned in close, her breath warm against my ear as she whispered a warning, making the interaction look intensely intimate from across the lot just to completely infuriate Number 3.

"Rick, my Dragon, look around us right now. We are completely surrounded by my—no, soon to be our—Fire Birds. Anyone would be committing absolute suicide if they tried to pull a weapon or start a physical fight right in this spot, so do not let them bait you into reacting. Besides, you and Alex aren't even legally allowed to fight under the syndicate rules until Danny Shu officially issues a challenge to one of the three of you first."

I kept my jacket open, but I gave her a silent nod. I decided to listen to her tactical advice, letting her handle the social bullying while I maintained a defensive posture. There was no practical reason for me to fight every single battle myself when I had an elite asset standing right next to me. Tina and I remained leaning back casually against the smooth, grey paneling of her BMW, watching the large group march directly toward our position. The sudden movement immediately alerted the surrounding Fire Birds, who subtly shifted their stances to keep a hyper-focused eye on the suspicious newcomers.

Scott and Alex marched dead center in the lead, with the two bodyguards keeping a tight formation around the women behind them. The moment Alex’s blue eyes landed on Tina, he completely looked past my existence, offering her a warm, practiced model smile.

"Hello, Tina. It has been a couple of months since we last spoke, and I truly missed seeing you. I literally just got back from my overseas business trip, and the absolute first thing I did was come up here to find you."

"Ah, I see you are back already," Tina replied, her voice turning completely flat and corporate. "It honestly feels like a lifetime ago. Rick, this is Alex Renaldo. He is a friend of the family and a casual acquaintance of mine. He runs a small technology firm just north of Star City that manufactures internal computer components."

Acting Basic lets me put on a kind young master air about me, allowing me to maintain a completely calm, polite exterior despite the underlying friction. I stepped forward slightly, offering him a warm, welcoming greeting as if he were a lifelong family friend.

"Hello, Alex Renaldo. I am Rick Lee. Any friend of Tina's is automatically a friend of mine. One of these days, the two of us will definitely have to sit down and grab some coffee together."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Nichole and Nadia standing toward the back of Scott's group. Both of the twins were staring directly at Tina’s hand wrapped around my arm, their eyes scanning her wild choice of clothing. A cold sweat immediately broke out across the back of my neck. The intense visual pressure made me feel exactly like a guy who had just been caught red-handed cheating on his wives.

"Ah, oops," I muttered, quickly pulling my phone from my pocket as an excuse to break eye contact. "I have a highly important text message coming in right now. Please excuse me for just a moment, Mr. Renaldo."

Alex completely ignored my comment anyway, immediately turning back to Tina to ramble about his overseas trip, aggressively trying to force her into making future social plans with him. Me? I was currently typing at hyperspeed on my screen, desperately trying to manage the situation with my highly agitated twins before Nadia’s well-known jealousy resulted in a nasty surprise.

[Harem-Fan: Things have only developed in the last couple of hours, I absolutely promise! We only kissed one single time back at the estate, and there is a massive, completely justifiable plot reason behind it!]

I risked a quick glance over the top of my screen. Nichole was staring directly at me, a completely unamused, deadpan expression locked onto her face.

A second later, my phone vibrated in my palm.

[Nichole: Hmm. You do realize you are currently trying to beg for forgiveness from your already married women, right?]

Before I could reply to her text, another message popped up right underneath it, the digital text practically vibrating with hurt.

[Nadia: No! Why her, Ricky? Am I just not good enough for you anymore?]

Looking up again, Nadia looked exactly like a little girl whose absolute favorite toy had just been stolen and tossed directly into a dumpster. Her lower lip was trembling slightly, looking like she was going to burst into tears at any given second.

[Harem-Fan: Because I love the two of you more than anything! And no, damn it, Nadia, I will never, ever replace you. You mean the world to me.]

The moment the text sent, I watched the twins across the lot. Both of them looked down at their screens simultaneously, and a pair of identical, highly amused grins instantly broke across their faces. The entire breakdown had been a total setup; they were completely messing with my head.

[Nichole: Rick, just take a deep breath. We already guessed exactly what was happening based on the talk between Alex and Scott during the drive up here. If you genuinely like her, we don't mind at all. As long as the two of us can still officially marry you, we have absolutely no issue sharing the space.]

[Nadia: But you are definitely going to be late for class at school tomorrow to make me happy, Ricky! That is my exact condition for forgiving you. :P]

[Harem-Fan: Yes to absolutely both of you. Please do not tease me like that ever again, PHEW!]

Both women smoothly slipped their smartphones back into their purses to ensure the rest of the group didn't bust us. Just as I tucked my own device away, Scott’s rough voice cut through the air, directing his question straight at me.

"You look like you just received some incredibly bad news over that screen, Lee?"

"Yeah," I lied smoothly, letting out a heavy, solemn sigh. "An old childhood friend of mine just passed away unexpectedly, so I was feeling a bit down about the details."

Before the words could even fully leave my mouth, Tina suddenly reached out. She grabbed my chin with her gloved fingers, forcefully turning my face toward hers before I could even register the movement, and slammed her lips against mine in a deep, intensely passionate kiss right in front of the entire gathering.

Holy hell. She held the kiss for several long, agonizing seconds before finally pulling back, turning her sharp, golden gaze directly onto a completely stunned Alex.

"No," Tina stated, her voice dropping like a heavy iron portcullis. "The man I am going to marry is absolutely not you. It is Rick Lee."

Crap. Looking across the lot at the twins' shifting expressions, I realized I was going to have to work double-time to make Nadia happy before the first school bell rang tomorrow morning.