Sometimes, hiding in plain sight is far more effective than doing your best to stay out of view. You’d be surprised how quickly the mind ignores a person dressed plainly in favour of the one skulking in the shadows.

-Excerpt from ‘Stealth and Security’ by Sulan Blackshell

Before Rose realised what had happened, Trent vanished. For a moment she had no idea where he had disappeared to, but then she noticed a new guard approaching the group.

Where had he got that uniform? Every time he did something he managed to confuse her even further, but none of the other guards or the governor even spared him a second glance.

“What the hell was that sound?” yelled the governor, making the guards closest to him wince at the sheer volume. “I want the bastard found and dragged in front of my feet. Now!”

The moment he finished shouting the guards spread out, some even sprinting towards the gardens to find the perpetrator. Unfortunately for them he was in their midst.

They would never find Trent while looking in the wrong place. All the guards had gone now, but there were still two maids and a butler hovering beside the puffy-faced man.

Looking at the smartly dressed butler, Rose felt a sense of worry. His eyes were sharp and hawk-like and for some reason she got a feeling of incredible danger when she looked at him.

Despite that, she wasn’t worried. There was little chance that even the personal security of an official here would be able to overpower Trent.

A window beside one of the maids exploded, showering everyone with glass and making the governor scream and leap into the air. He landed in the arms of his butler, being carried like a princess.

He leapt back to his feet, coughing once and looking embarrassed. The butler simply wiped his shirt as though this was a regular occurrence.

Rose looked at the maid on the left, who had fallen to the ground and was clutching her face while crying in pain. The other maid was bent over and fussing over her.

Looking closer she saw blood dripping from a cut on the girl’s face. Some of the glass from the window had sliced into her as it shattered.

She felt sorry for the unfortunate maid but continued to watch with rapt interest as the scene unfolded. Right now she wanted to learn from her captain. It was a little heartless, but she was sure the girl would be fine after a few days in bed.

The butler started talking to the girl who was tending to the injured maid. Afterwards, the pair lifted her up and carried her inside the mansion.

Seeing that he had been left alone, the governor also turned to head back inside. However, before he could make it through the door, one of his guards ran up and lifted him off his feet.

Trent, clad in the uniform of the guards, clamped a hand over the chubby fellow’s mouth and dragged him towards the bush where Rose was hiding. The entire process had taken less than two minutes.

She was surprised at the ease with which her captain was able to infiltrate such a secure group and kidnap their leader without any fuss. It made her realise that most people were far less observant than they believed.

Or perhaps Trent was just that sneaky. The governor thrashed and even through Trent’s hand she could hear him screaming and shouting. That wasn’t good—if he made too much noise the guards would return and discover them.

Trent punched him in the head and he fell still. Rose gawked. That was… an interesting way to solve the problem. At the very least it would buy them some time.

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Tossing the limp man beside her, Trent pulled a cloth rag from his pocket and tied it around the governor’s mouth. Once it was secure, he slapped him until his eyes opened.

He was quite violent when he needed to be. Rose didn’t blame him. For her captain, nothing was more important than finding the cure to his lifelong injury. Some backwater governor mattered little in the grand scheme of things.

As soon as his eyes opened and he saw the pair of them, the man began to scream once more like his life depended on it. It did.

Not in the way he believed though. Trent pulled out a pistol and pushed it right against the guy’s eyes. “Shut the hell up or I’ll put a bullet in your head. If you can do that, I’ll take off the gag and we can have a little chat. Don’t even think about shouting for that nasty butler or your guards. The moment I hear anything but an answer to my questions, you’ll be dead.”

Rose half expected the guy to yell regardless of the warning, but Trent’s manner of intimidation was effective. When he took off the gag the governor didn’t make a peep.

“Good man. If you cooperate with us then we can all get out of here safe, sound, and satisfied. Now, I hear you’ve been bothering one of my good friends. Proposing to her and pestering her with unwanted offers of romance while she’s trying to run her gallery. Ring a bell?” he asked.

The man coughed and looked a little embarrassed. Like a kid caught stealing sweets. What was with this reaction? He could at least boldly admit his love instead of looking like a soppy drunk.

“Perhaps,” he coughed. “But she smiled at me when I visited her shop! That’s practically an invitation to ask a woman out on a date-”

Trent slapped him and shoved the pistol into his head hard enough to draw a trickle of blood. “None of that. Don’t be a creep. Listen to me closely,” he snarled. “I want you to forget Yasmin exists. Don’t dream about her, wish she was yours or even look her way. Don’t go near her shop and most importantly, don’t dare to try and get someone else to meddle on your behalf. Understood?”

The governor nodded rapidly, eyes widening in fear as he realised that his life was truly at stake. An acrid smell tingled her nostrils.

Looking down, she realised the man had pissed himself out of fear. Rose threw him a look of disgust. He at least had the decency to look ashamed of himself.

“Fantastic,” said Trent, pulling the pistol away and loosening his grip on the governor’s neck. Immediately, the man went to stand up.

Trent grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt and pulled him back down the ground, before whirling the barrel of the pistol back towards him. “One more thing,” he said with a malicious grin. “Take off your nightgown.”

The governor’s face paled as he looked at his captor’s devious expression. Having one’s life threatened was one thing, but his decency and innocence was another. He opened his mouth to scream.

Trent slapped him with the pistol, silencing any attempt at yelling for help before it could begin. “What the hell are you thinking, you freak?” he said with a glare. “I just like the look of the fabric, that’s all. I don’t want anything to do with your flabby body.”

“Now, hand over the gown and then you’re free to go. Provided you remember our promise. I have good friends here in Clissolt who’ll be sure to tell me if you do anything untoward,” he warned before pocketing the gun and holding out his hand expectantly.

Sighing and grimacing, the governor started to disrobe. It took him a while to shuffle out of the billowing gown, revealing a pudgy and soft body that made it seem as if the man hadn’t exercised a day in his life.

Rose felt a little sick, but Trent was grinning like a madman. Thankfully, the governor had on some undergarments so everyone present was spared that particular sight.

The man looked towards Trent after handing him the gown with expectation. Trent waved towards the house and the man raced off without looking back.

Once he’d disappeared, her captain put the gown into his storage artifact and chuckled to himself. She gave him a disapproving look. That nonsense with the nightgown wasn’t part of the plan.

Then again, he’d achieved their goal with minimal fuss. Her plan of sneaking onto the second floor and searching for the governor’s room would’ve been a lot slower, though less risky.

However, sometimes one needed to take risks in order to advance. That was a core lesson that Rose had learned during her months at sea.

The times where her life was in danger or she pushed herself beyond her existing limits were the moments her skills saw explosive growth.

“Right, let’s get the hell out of here. I’m hungry,” said Trent, standing up and looking around.

There were no guards nearby so she followed suit as they melded into the shadows and started to make their way back to the town. It didn’t take long to escape the grounds of the estate and they only had to avoid three pairs of roving guards.

It seemed they had been called back to the house after the governor returned, now that there was no longer a need to search for the intruders. Only if he was suicidal would that guy try to send the guards after them.

Then again, many people were only able to think straight in high pressure moments. As soon as the impending threat to his life was gone, who knew what crazy actions that man would take?