Chapter 4 Kracusian Kingston

TWO WEEKS LATER

"Congratulations, Doctor Kracus, on another successful surgery," Nurse Pattie said, beaming with pride as they left the operating room after a six-hour long surgery. "The patient will be able to hear again thanks to your hard work."

"Thank you, Pattie," Kracus replied, stopping in front of the sink to remove his gloves. He disposed of them properly in the bin before turning to face her.

Pattie couldn't help but admire the man before her. She had only worked with Kracus for two months, but in that short time, she had come to realize that he was exceptional in every way. He was a genius doctor and a philanthropist, known for his exceptional skills in the operating room and his charitable donations.

Just the previous week, Kracus had channeled a significant amount of funds to help children diagnosed with cancer, covering their treatments and medication. He was a role model-a man to admire and look up to, and even more so, a man to swoon over.

As if his intelligence and kindness weren't enough, Kracus also had impeccable good looks. His fair skin, sharp jawline, piercing eyes, and masculine aura set him apart from the crowd. His black hair was impeccably groomed, styled in such a way that a lock would fall over his face, which Pattie found incredibly attractive. His deep, expressive gray eyes were mesmerizing, hinting at a mysterious and enigmatic personality.

Despite his prestige, pride, and authority, Pattie could sometimes see a hint of pain in his eyes, which would vanish as quickly as it appeared. Kracus was an unpredictable man, shrouded in rumors and secrets. It was rumored that he still owned the Kingston Hotels Group, but it was mostly unfounded. The company had belonged to his family for generations, but after the death of his father, former CEO Hales Kingston, Kracus sold his shares to Alexo Graham who became the new CEO.

For Pattie, it was an honor to work with a man like Kracus, even if it meant he had to give up his share of the hotels. She couldn't imagine choosing to be a doctor over commanding chains of hotels, but Kracus had, and that made him all the more impressive in her eyes.

"You're off tomorrow, right, Doctor?" Pattie asked, washing her own hands.

"Yes, I do need my rest," Kracus replied, rubbing his hands with sanitizer.

Just then, the door opened, and another nurse, Nurse Urra, stepped in. "Dr. Kracus, your friends are downstairs in the waiting room. They said to let you know that they're here," she announced.

"Tell them I'll be right out," Kracus said with a nod. Nurse Urra smiled and left, closing the door behind her.

"Don't forget to submit all the records for the month to me. I'll be here on Monday for my next shift, and I hope everything will be ready by then," Kracus said, turning to face Pattie.

"Yes, Doctor, everything will be ready," Pattie assured him.

"Great, I'll be heading out now," Kracus said before leaving the bathroom and going to his office. He changed out of his scrubs and into his regular clothes, a crisp blue shirt and black pants before grabbing his phone and leaving his office.

Dr. Kracus felt a sense of peace as he made his way to the waiting room where his bodyguards, Bose and Clinton, awaited his arrival.

"Good evening, gentlemen. I hope I didn't keep you waiting," Kracus greeted with a smile as he approached his bodyguards. They were more than just friends to him; they were his trusted protectors, lethal, efficient and dangerous in the face of danger.

"Not at all, sir." Bose and Clinton stood up, paying their respects to their boss as he approached. Bose stepped forward, taking the doctor's briefcase from him. "Shall we?"

They stepped out of the hospital. The rain was coming down in light drizzles, and the air was crisp. Clinton opened an umbrella and positioned it over Kracus' head.

"Not the car. Let's stay out and discuss for a while before heading home." Kracus opposed entering into the luxurious vehicle, even though the rain was getting heavier. Bose nodded and placed the briefcase in the vehicle before shutting the door.

"Bose, you told me earlier today that you had something serious you wanted to urgently tell me. So, what's it all about?" Kracus asked, curious. The only thing that was urgent in his life at the moment was making it to the hospital on time after an emergency call or operating on a patient fast enough to save their life.

"I'm not really sure about this boss, but I think we've been tailed for the past few days," Bose answered.

Kracus raised a brow. "On second thought, let's get in the car."

Both of them nodded. They led him to the special edition of the Mercedes Benz G-Class. The car was very luxurious and it comprises of bulletproof vest and glass. As Clinton opened the door for the doctor, Bose shadowed his back closely, using his body as a shield to protect against unseen threats.

"Now, repeat what you said earlier," Kracus said after they were seated at the power-adjustable rear bench seat.

"I think someone has been on our tail, sir," Bose repeated.

A possible threat to his safety was nothing new to Kracus but definitely not what he expected. He hadn't had any dramatic events in his life for some time. Since he paid the Mevials News Media to publish several articles on him giving up his shares and right of ownership of the company, and swore his executives to secrecy, his life have been an almost simple one. Work, eat, a little me-time, a little fun time, and sleep. Rinse and repeat.

"Are you sure about this, Bose?" Kracus asked, looking from Bose to Clinton.

Bose hesitated. "No, I'm not. It's just a hunch I have. I haven't been able to grasp any physical evidence, and I've searched really."

Kracus gave that thought. Bose and Clinton have been with him for four years. He wasn't one to dismiss a hunch, especially when it came from either of them. "What do you think, Clinton?"

"I think Bose is just being paranoid, boss. I would have picked up a tail if we had one, but I didn't." A small smile played on the tough guy's face. "Maybe it's because we haven't had any action in a while, and it's making Bose edgy."

"That's not it," Bose protested.

"Or, perhaps, it's because his girlfriend left him. He hasn't exactly been himself since that happened five months ago."

Bose glared at him. "You are full of shit, Clinton."

Clinton smirked and gave him the middle finger.

Kracus leaned back on his car seat and shook his head as he watched the two of them banter. Those two might be elite soldiers and best friends, but most times they came off like ten-year olds with their childish exchanges.

"I think Clinton is right," Kracus announced. They stopped playing around and stared at him, turning serious once again. "Not the girlfriend part, but the inactivity part. Before working for me, you two had missions all the time. There was always one dangerous task after another, but now, you gotta live in my house, guarding my regular, boring life. So, yeah, I think you are probably edgy. But let's not laugh it off and be more cautious of our environment, shall we?"

"Yes, sir," they responded. Clinton went ahead to say, "Well, truth be told, it hasn't been all that regular. Walter did send an assassin to kill you six months ago. The second attempt in thirteen months."

Kracus hadn't forgotten that. The Homers Group was a major rival of Kingston Hotels Group, led by Carter Walter, the sixty-five-year-old founder and CEO. The man would do anything to wipe Kracus off the surface of this earth, not just because it would benefit his company but also for a more personal reason. All the man's attempts at his life had been smooth, his assassins never leaving any evidence, which was why the man wasn't in jail.

"It was him, but we have no evidence to prove it," Bose said, his eyes darkening in anger. "If only the boss would give the orders to have the man assassinated, he would be a dead man."

"We don't get blood on our hands, Bose." Kracus repeated the mantra he had been ringing on their ears for the past ten years. They live in a dark world, but he lived by that code. No staining the hands unless it was necessary or unavoidable.

"I'll kill that motherfucker for no fee at all, sir, and I'll do it with a big smile on my face," Boss huffed and stared out of the tinted, tempered glass of the window.

"I know you would, Bose. I know you would." A smile feathered Kracus' lips.

-:-

Tesiera was done dressing. It was her usual all black leather outfit, a few straps and holders attached to her leather pants so she could keep her weapons there. And now she was tying up her fiery hair in a ponytail.

He was home now. This was the right moment to strike, and she was preparing for it.

Two rifle guns, one each in her back pockets. Her leather jacket was long enough to cover them. An electric taser in one of her front pockets, and a small can of pepper spray in the other. She had two holders strapped to her upper thighs, and there were also two guns in there. Another two holders were just above her knees, also containing two pistols.

Underneath the hem of her trousers was a knife-sheath, and in there was one of her favorite knives. She had a whole collection of knives ranging from daggers, bushcraft knives, boot knives, seal knives, and bowie knives; you just name a knife and she'd have it and show you a hundred ways she could use it to end your life.

But this one was her favorite; she'd be delighted to use it to slit that bastard neurosurgeon.

"This fucker is going to hell tonight." Venus smirked as she watched Tesiera strap up her weapons. She knew Tesiera never went out without a weapon, but she was suiting up with almost ten now, just for one mission.

He was really going to go to hell tonight.

Venus. That's all everybody knew her as, 'cause she didn't have any known surname. In fact, no one knew where she came from. She suddenly showed up at Big Cat's house one evening over fifteen years ago, and he'd been training her ever since. Teisiera first met her when she was thirteen, and Venus beat her in hand combat. But, fifteen years and numerous duels later, Tesiera could easily best her on some difficult fights.

Venus was currently a member of Big Cat's Mafia Soldiers and on her way to most likely being the first female Captain he has ever had. Tesiera liked her because of her strength and her beauty. She had brown hair and hazel eyes, and her ebony skin was inked with numerous tattoos-bizarre and so odd that no one could really grasp its concept.

And she liked to smoke.

"So, what's your plan? How are you going to end him?" Venus asked and took a puff of her joint.

"I'm going to sneak into his house, it'll be well after midnight by the time I arrive there. And then I'll kill him," Tesiera answered, still working on her hair.

"Do you think it will be that simple?"

No, Tesiera didn't think it would be that simple. She had shadowed the man for two weeks and could easily say that his two bodyguards were highly skilled just like the files had said. Tesiera was never one to underestimate her enemies, so she planned kill the surgeon before both men could sense what was going on. She had spent the last two weeks digesting every bit of information Big Cat gave her, tracking down Kracus and following him. She will succeed tonight.

"I'll kill him tonight," she said with conviction. The job should be done in less than an hour. She'd torture him so bad that he'd beg her to end him while squeaking like a girl. She'd make sure of that.

Venus chuckled, taking another drag. "What about his two bodyguards? They live in that mansion, right?"

"I have everything planned out. Unless they sleep in the same fucking bed with him, they'll not be aware of my presence until it is too late. "Tesiera shrugged.

Venus believed her. If anyone could sneak into a heavily guarded mansion and assassinate its owner effortlessly, it would be Tesiera. She took another drag from her joint, and as she exhaled, she said, "Finally, after twenty years, you'll avenge your father's death, huh? I'm so glad to hear that. "She was always cautious when approaching the topic of Teisiera's father's death; she knew how much Teisiera hated talking about it or hearing anyone talk about it.

Teisiera nodded curtly. She picked up her final gun, checking its magazine before slipping it into the holster and strapping it on. She then picked up her favorite knife, running her thumb over the cold, sharp blade before tucking it back into the sheath at her ankle. After that, she turned and walked out of her apartment.

The countdown to Kracus' final moments begin now.