Contract Killer

She didn’t wait to see what would happen when he found out it was the man working for Rye that was unconscious.

Neeka slipped out the door and shut it as quickly as possible just as she heard the guard’s curse ring out. Either she was the best escape artist alive or Rye had some lousy guards. Most definitely the latter, but still, she was lucky enough to have gotten to where she was now.

The sound of the guard pounding on the door came through loud, echoing off the high walls. He’d contact his buddies through the walkie-talkies they all had, so she had to be quick and smart.

She had no idea where to go, taking several different turns down the long hallways, feeling like she was going lower and deeper into this compound. She kept looking over her shoulder, expecting to see someone right behind her. Panic filled her further when she heard male shouts ring out behind her, but still at a distance.

She pushed open one of the doors, this one not having a palm scanner on the wall. The elegant decorations soon became the sterile white. She knew this was the completely wrong place for her to be going, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to turn around, not when she could still hear the guards coming closer.

Neeka continued to run, her bare feet smacking the tile as she rounded more corners. She skidded to a stop when she saw three men in black fatigues down the hall in front of her. They immediately started shouting and charging toward her. She turned to go back the way she came. She gasped when two more men started coming from that way, as well.

She looked around, having only a short window of time before they reached her. She sprinted down a hallway that was empty, about to cry when she realized it was a dead end, but then she saw a large metal door to her right. That one was locked, and she was about to scream in frustration when she saw another one further down the hall.

She pulled on that one, expecting it to also be locked, but when it opened, she couldn’t help the relief that coursed through her. She slammed the door shut and leaned against it, the room so dark she couldn’t even see an inch in front of her.

She turned around and stepped back, hearing deep shouts on the other side and trying frantically to find some place to hide.

Neeka backed up.

It must have automatically locked when I shut it. But why was it open to begin with?

She continued to back up, but then her back met something hard and wide. She felt her eyes widen, and not wanting to turn around for fear of what she was pressed up against, which she could tell wasn’t a wall, she did just that.

Even though the room was completely dark, she could easily see the dim glow of two light blue eyes staring right at her. They seemed neon in the dark, with an almost iridescent hue to them. She slapped a hand over her mouth and backed away, but the owner of those eerie eyes moved closer, following her until finally light spilled into the room as the door behind her swung open.

She could finally see who was in the room with her, and she gasped in fear and shock.

Adaym.

“How the fuck did she get in here?” one man shouted from behind her.

“Who the hell left the door open?” another said.

“The doctor is going to have someone’s head.”

Pain slammed into her arm, and she looked down to see a syringe sticking out of her flesh. She looked back at Adaym, hearing his animalistic roar and seeing him charge forward.

The chain around his ankle stopped him from reaching them, but she could see the rage on his face.

She didn’t know if it was directed at her or the guards, but it didn’t matter because darkness claimed her seconds later.

Chapter

Nine

Gage walked into the rundown front lobby of the Dew Oaks Motel. An elderly man sat behind the counter, his bright orange hunting hat setting off the faded and hole-riddled overalls he wore.

“I need to know if a young girl came here about two weeks ago,” Gage said right off the bat, not about to prolong this. “She would have been with at least one man, maybe more.” He took out a photo of her and slid it forward.

The elderly man slowly looked up from his tattered hunting magazine and stared at him with beady black eyes. He glanced down at the photo and then back at his magazine. “I might have seen her. It’ll cost ya, though.”

Gage lifted a brow. No way was this old fuck trying to swindle him out of money like a back-alley hoodlum. “What will it take for you to tell me what I want to know and show me the check-in book?”