PAMPERED BY MY THREE BROTHERS: THE RETURN OF THE NEGLECTED HEIRESS-Chapter 1824: Slater’s dilemma

BANG!

For a second, time stopped until another round was heard in the small room. Those guarding the path started shooting the men in uniform. And by men in uniform just like them, that included Slater.

"Shit!" Slater, quick to react, slid away the second the first shot was heard. In the next second, more gunshots rang out, so he took shelter behind a counter.

He flinched as some bullets managed to hit his cover. He didn’t fire back.

’Damn!’ he hissed, waiting until the gunshots finished. But they didn’t. In under a minute, all the bullets were coming directly at him. Fortunately, this counter was thick enough to protect him; otherwise, his body would’ve been riddled.

’What are they—why are they only firing here?!’ he panicked, sensing there was only one left. Him.

Since the men guarding the path had shot Nathalie’s men, Slater was quick to assume these guys were probably on their side. Just like him, they were blending in. However, with the ongoing battle somewhere in the mansion, he assumed they were also making their move.

The only question was, whose group were they from?

Mint’s? Hugo’s? Zoren’s? Penny’s?

As the men kept shooting in his direction, taking him as the last remaining soldier of Nathalie, Slater panicked. He could hear footsteps despite the deafening gunshots.

"It’s me!" he shouted. "Stop shooting, it’s me!" novelbuddy-cσ๓

But his voice barely reached them. Clenching his teeth, he grabbed his rifle and pointed it at the ceiling.

"It’s... ME!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Slater fired five continuous shots at the ceiling, enough to signal to the others he had no intention of fighting back. Sure enough, the soldiers firing at him stopped. However, they didn’t lower their guards or their weapons.

Once the noise subsided a bit, Slater’s voice was heard again.

"It’s me!!" he harrumphed. "Are you trying to kill one of our own?!"

The soldiers furrowed their brows, looking at each other. One of their own? Their group wasn’t that big, nor was it small, but it was enough for them to recognize each other. But then again, there were other teams in this operation.

"Show yourself!" one soldier shouted. "And drop your gun! Throw it away where I can see it!"

Slater hissed, but he did as he was told. He unstrapped his rifle and tossed it away. The rifle glided on the floor until it was within the soldier’s line of sight. Following that was a handgun, its handle hitting the rifle. Then a few more weapons, including a knife that was already in this uniform when he took it.

"I’m getting up—DO NOT SHOOT!" he yelled, emphasizing every word.

The soldiers didn’t answer, but even before they saw Slater, one of the hostages spoke. Despite her pitiful state, she muttered,

"Please... do not... hurt him," she coughed. "He’s helping us."

The soldier gazed at the beaten little girl, who was on the stretcher with a few like her. His brows rose, shifting his eyes to where Slater was. This time, Slater already stood. Both his hands were raised on either side of him.

"Do not shoot," Slater breathed out. "It’s me."

The soldiers studied him, but somehow, they couldn’t recognize him. Seeing the doubt in their eyes, Slater carefully brushed the hair from his forehead to the back.

"It’s me!" Slater yelled, pointing at his face.

The soldiers didn’t answer until the one in the back finally spoke. "Slater?"

Upon hearing that, everyone turned to the voice. Slater knitted his brows, eyes on a middle-aged man pulling down the bandana that was covering half of his face.

"You are Slater Bennet, right?" he asked. "I know him. Don’t shoot him. He’s Charles Bennet’s son. Better lower those guns."

Hearing that, the rest of the soldiers lowered their guns.

Now, Slater was confused. "You are..."

"I’m your father’s friend," he said. "Just call me Angelo."

Slater wasn’t sure who this Angelo guy was, but what he was sure of now was...

Of all the groups he could bump into, it seemed he had bumped into the only group he had been avoiding from the start, and preferably till the end.

An awkward laugh escaped Slater. "You guys... are with my dad?"

"Yes," Angelo nodded, marching toward Slater. When he stopped across the now broken counter, he studied Slater’s face. His face brightened as he laughed. "It really is you—HAHA! My daughter is a fan of yours, and now, I’m grateful she is. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have recognized you!"

"..." Slater gulped and then perked up. He beamed at him. "By the way, these guys are prisoners. Can you take them to safety? They’re in a terrible state, so it’s best if they are treated immediately."

With that, he waved and quickly strode off to pick up his weapons. "Since the misunderstanding is cleared up, I’m going back in there..."

CLICK CLACK!

Slater was bent over and had barely grabbed his rifle when he heard a rifle being cocked. He froze, and for a second, he was half-expecting to be gunned down. There were already too many betrayals that he wouldn’t be surprised if this was also one of them.

"I apologize, boy," Angelo remarked, pointing the gun at Slater’s back. "But I promised your father to take his children out of this place."

He paused and added, "And he said that his children were a bit stubborn, so he told me that even if I have to force you out and shoot your leg—except his daughter and Hugo Bennet—then I was given permission to."

Hearing this, Slater’s face twisted, and he looked back at Angelo in disbelief.

"Seriously?" he gasped. "He said that?"

Angelo nodded. "Even as a boss, he can be quite intense."

Damn!

"Heh..." Slater laughed nervously, straightening his back as he faced Angelo. "You will really shoot me?"

"Your father will shoot me if he finds out I let his children back into the danger zone. So, it’s either your leg or mine."

"We can’t talk about this?"

"I wish I could, but your father will not even let me open my mouth." Angelo shook his head. "Just try to talk to your father after I finish my job, alright?"

But that wasn’t the problem.

The problem was, Charles didn’t even know Slater was here! But it seemed it was about time to let Charles in on his children’s little secret.

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