Personal Demon (Otherworld 8)

"Oh, thank God," I said. "You guys are still here. I called Guy to say I needed to use the bathroom, and no one answered. I thought I'd been left behind."

"Nah, we're just finishing up. Guy was going to send Max to get you in a minute. I'll take you to him."

A dark form appeared behind Tony. Three slow, silent steps, and Karl was close enough to breathe down Tony's neck.

As he reached out, I gasped, eyes going wide. "Tony!"

Karl grabbed him by the back of the shirt and flung him into the wall with a crack that sent plaster flying. As Tony dropped, I hurried over to check his pulse. Karl grabbed my arm. With my free hand, I lifted Tony's eyelids, making sure they weren't dilated. I started for the door, but Karl swung me around, nearly flipping me off my feet, and dragged me back toward the club.

"What--?" I began.

"Shhh!" A quick glance and discreet sniff around, then he pulled me behind the coat check and toward the side closet. I was about to tell him the door was kept locked, but saw it was ajar, and realized this was where he'd been waiting.

He pulled me inside. As he closed the door, the room went dark, and his hand stayed on my wrist, gripping hard enough to make me wince.

"What the hell were you doing?" he whispered. "You almost gave me away."

"It was too late for Tony to react. But when he comes to, he'll tell the others that I tried to warn him, which will make it seem as if my disappearance wasn't voluntary."

"So you can go back and pick up where you left off? It's over, Hope. Your job is done, and you need to stop worrying about--"

"About whether they'll realize I'm a spy and change the plans you presumably overheard?"

He went quiet.

"My wrist?" I whispered.

He slackened his grip, and rubbed the spot with his thumb, then pulled me into the darkest section of the closet. I lifted onto my tiptoes to whisper in his ear, but still had to tug his shoulder to get him to bend.

"Can I ask why we're in here when the exit was twenty feet away?"

"I didn't want to exit."

"Then why call me--?" The answer hit. "You son-of-a-bitch."

I slipped my arm from his grasp. His hand went around my waist before I could step away.

I continued. "You want them separated, looking for me, don't you? I'm not in danger. You just wanted to sound the alarm--and use the excuse to blow my cover so we can leave Miami."

"I wanted them out of that room so I can get something in it. And, yes, I want you out of Miami."

"You told me I was in danger, and I trusted you."

A moment of uncomfortable silence, then, "They have plans in that room. Blueprints--"

"Which you could have gotten without blowing my cover."

At a sound from outside the room we both went silent. It was Guy and Rodriguez. They'd found Tony. I heard Guy phone Max and tell him Tony had been knocked out. He wanted Max to meet Rodriguez at the front door, then go after me while he tended to Tony.

Rodriguez helped Guy carry Tony away, still unconscious. Once we were sure they were gone, we slipped from the closet.

I followed Karl. I tried to focus on the task, but my nerves were frayed from almost two hours of watching Bianca die.

Why did I insist on trusting a man everyone warned couldn't be trusted? Maybe I did enjoy the chaos of my own suffering, and I was just too deluded to see it.

"Hope? I need you to stand guard here. Are you going to be able to do that?"

"Of course I can." I snapped the words, then rubbed my face. "Sorry. Yes, I'm fine and I can handle this."