The Nameless Man With A Thousand Legacies

004 Bullet for the Bitch

Juliet was overcome with conflicting emotions.

On one hand, she had miraculously escaped fatal gunfire from the assassins. On the other, Jack held her firmly in his lap, with a romantic intimacy she had never experienced with a man before.

"Get your hands off me!" Juliet snapped at him, struggling like a fish out of water. He chuckled and let her go.

The young heiress's first inclination was to scamper out of the vehicle. However, Jack's piercing gaze and heavy hand on her shoulder rooted her in place.

"Stay inside no matter what," he told her, stepping out himself. "It's a bulletproof car. Don't be stupid again."

Juliet grabbed his arm, digging her nails into his muscular biceps.

"Are you crazy? You'll get killed in seconds walking in unarmed! My bodyguards signed up to die for me, but you have nothing to gain from being a martyr!"

He gave her a quick, confident grin. "Trust me, darling. Your hubby has this handled."

Before she could argue more, he slipped out of the Bentley and closed the door behind him.

The assassins, still dressed in police uniforms, immediately trained their weapons on him.

Jack counted fourteen of them. They were not street goons, but trained professionals.

This morning he had told his parents he was done counting the dead, and wanted to settle down with a partner. These men had killed innocents and tried to murder his future wife.

Juliet's disappearance had rattled her assassins for a minute, but now they had gathered their composure again.

"Who the fuck are you!" the leader barked, his gun aimed straight at Jack's chest. "Ask your mistress to come out of hiding right now!"

"He's nobody," one of his men scoffed. "Look at him. He's neither a bodyguard, nor a driver. Perhaps an errand boy."

Jack stretched his arms lazily above his head, his ripped muscles flexing under the gray T-shirt.

"You guys picked a bad time to disturb me. I was in the middle of a romantic moment with my fiancée."

One of the other assassins chuckled. "The fool is rambling nonsense. Let me silence him."

He didn't waste time and fired three shots in quick succession. "Die!"

Jack's body moved too fast, disappearing from his position. The bullets slammed harmlessly into the road again, sending puffs of dust into the air.

One moment he was standing far from his enemies. The next he was up close in a blur of motion.

"Where'd he go?"

"Look! He's right beside you!"

Jack had reappeared beside the shooter as if taking a stroll. His hand shot out in a casual flick, twisting the man's arm at an odd angle.

The shooter yelped as his gun clattered to the ground. Jack landed a palm strike to his chest. The man was lifted off his feet, crashing backward into two of his buddies.

Inside the Bentley, Juliet had her face pressed to the window, her beautiful features twisted in shock and fear.

"This can't be real. How is he fighting like that?"

The young heiress had mocked him as a homeless loser, calling him pathetic before an audience. Now he was defending her, moving unbelievably fast like an action movie hero.

Outside, more assassins opened fire on Jack. He ducked under the stream of bullets with blinding speed, his body bending in ways that made one of them stop shooting to stare.

"That's not possible. I can't even aim at him!"

Jack rose up in front of a shooter and delivered a sharp kick to the knee. The leg buckled with a sickening snap.

As the man fell, Jack grabbed him by the collar and threw him like a rag doll into the side of the overturned truck.

Now that he was up close, two of the goons rushed him from the front with tactical knives, while another tried to circle from behind.

Jack's thoughts and expressions were calm, almost bored.

He sidestepped the first one's knife jab, grabbed the arm, and used the man's own momentum to slam him into his partner.

As the two staggered back, Jack followed with two rapid strikes, an elbow to the jaw and a knee to the stomach. The men dropped like stones.

His movements were carefree and almost playful.

"Shoot him while he is distracted!"

The one who had snuck behind him fired his gun. Jack heard the shot and reacted instantly, dropping low and sweeping his leg in a wide arc.

The assassin's feet were knocked out from under him, and before he could hit the ground, Jack was above him, landing a fatal elbow drop. It happened within seconds.

Juliet's heart was in her throat. Every time a gun was pointed at Jack, she felt a strange twist in her chest.

This was the same guy who agreed to a marriage contract for cash and luxury. Now he was out there risking his life for her.

"Why is he doing this? He doesn't even know me."

Only one assassin remained standing, the leader who had been coordinating the attack. He looked nervous now, as Jack stood in the middle of the road without having broken a sweat.

Jack took a step towards him. The leader lunged for the nearest innocent spectator. Juliet's chauffeur.

He wrapped an arm around the elderly man's neck and pressed the gun to his temple.

"Juliet Forbes, call off your man!" he shouted towards the Bentley. "Or I'll put a bullet in your driver's head!"

"Stop hiding inside the bulletproof car while your people get knocked off! If you surrender, I won't kill you. I'll only take you hostage."

Jack crossed his arms, standing a safe distance away. Inwardly, he laughed at the assassin's stupidity.

Rich heiresses like Juliet will never trade themselves to rescue their aging servants.

To his surprise, the door of the Bentley opened slowly.

Juliet stepped out into the open, her hands raised above her head. Her long, dark hair moved slightly in the breeze, her expensive coat elegantly hugging her slender figure.

"Let him go, please," she begged. "Henry has been with the Forbes family for thirty-five years. I won't let him die for me. Take me hostage."

The old chauffeur's eyes widened in horror. "Miss Juliet, no! Get back in the car! My life has no value compared to yours!"

Jack was genuinely surprised. This wasn't the haughty, spoiled heiress who had looked down on him in the cafe. This was a woman willing to risk her life for her old driver.

Interesting.

The assassin leader cackled maniacally, realizing his simple plan had worked. He had never wanted to take Juliet hostage. His only objective was to kill her.

He shoved the chauffeur roughly to the side and swung his gun towards her.

"Stupid rich bitch," the assassin snarled, and pulled the trigger. "I have a bullet for you. Die!"

Juliet winced, expecting to be shot through. There was a bang followed by an explosion.

She opened her eyes wide to see the assassin's gun erupt in his hand.

The man screamed in agony, dropping to the ground as blood poured from his mangled arm and face. He twitched once and lay still.

Juliet gasped and staggered back, turning her head to look at Jack for answers. He stood there, completely calm, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

His right index finger, however, seemed to be smoking and blackened with soot.

Casually, like it was the most normal thing in the world, Jack brought the finger to his lips and blew on it, sending a small puff of smoke into the air.

Juliet stood frozen, her eyes searching for an explanation but falling short.

What just happened? How am I still alive, and the assassin dead?