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I lay a palm against my mouth to keep from screaming.
The door flies open, smashed in by a single kick of a boot. I slip in the water beneath me and fall to the floor. The bat clatters away, rolling toward the sink in the corner.
It’s him.
I look up into his silver eyes, the only bit of his face visible behind the black mask, and scream. I spin onto my knees to crawl away, but he’s on me fast, grabbing me by my wet hair and yanking me back. He twists me around and slams me down to the floor. My head smacks the hard tile and pain crashes through my spine as he mounts me and wraps his hands around my neck.
I expect to feel my lungs gasping for air, but he doesn’t choke me. He sits there with wide eyes, staring down into mine as if to memorize my fear. It won’t last. Any moment now he’ll flex his fingers and my trachea will crush beneath the weight.
This is it. This is how I die.
“Mercer…” I say.
His grip loosens. “How do you know my name?” he asks, tilting his head.
There’s confusion in his bright eyes, but I detect playful amusement dancing behind it all.
“He told me—”
“Who told you?” He leans in close enough for me to smell his stale breath behind the mask. “Who?” he repeats.
I quiver in his tight grasp. “Fox Fitzpatrick,” I answer.
His eyes twitch with pleasure — even more so than they were before choking the life out of me. “So, he is here?”
I nod.
“Oh…” His laughter, dark and cold, rattles my core. He draws me closer to his wild eyes. “I knew it… I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist this…” He grabs me and raises me off the floor, standing me in front of him like a human shield. “Fox! Take the shot! I dare you!”
I furrow my brow in confusion as Mercer pushes me forward toward the windows. He reaches up and rips the blinds open to look outside, keeping me in front of him. I scan the buildings across the street, spotting nothing in the darkness.
“Fox!” he shouts again, laughter shaking his throat. Mercer grips the back of my neck even tighter and pulls me backward as he steps to the door. “You can end this now, Fox! Just shoot her through the heart and you’ll hit me, too!”
I cringe, fear stalling my movement. Mercer tugs me along with him into the hallway, slowing down before we reach the living room.
Smith.I see him there, lying face down on the floor of the kitchen next to his toppled chair.
Mercer keeps me close, refusing to let me run away as he pushes us toward the windows.
“Fox!” Mercer shouts even louder as he reaches out and rips off a few more window blinds. “Come on, Fox. Don’t be a coward! Just one bullet.” He taps my chest hard enough to leave a bruise over my heart. “Right here.”
I stiffen, fearing the crack of a bullet.
Mercer growls in amusement as he keeps me pressed against him. “Guess the killer’s gone soft…” he whispers in my ear. He moves his hand down my chest and slips it into my robe to palm my bare breast. “But I can’t see why—”
The window shatters. The vase of flowers on the end table beside us cracks wide open, spilling roses and water all over the floor.
“Ooo!” Mercer jerks me with excitement. “He really didn’t like me doing that…” He tugs me backward with him toward the door. “Now that you’ve given yourself away… I’ll give you a choice, old friend. You can follow me down the stairs and shoot me once I reach the street… or you can take out the other guys just begging to run in here and have fun with your little sister. It’s up to you!”
Mercer shoves me forward and launches himself out the front door, hiding from the windows as he charges toward the elevator.
I rush into the kitchen and fall onto my knees next to Smith. “Oh, god — get up.” I push him over onto his back and wince at his blood-covered face. His skin is warm, alive. I check his neck for a pulse and feel the faint thumping against my fingers — although, I can’t be entirely sure it’s not just my own heart pounding.
“Wake up, Smith!” I tap his face with my palm, hard enough to open his eyes. He grunts and I breathe a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank god, you’re alive!”
The door flies open behind me. I turn to see a man standing there. He’s dressed all in black, wearing the same mask and tactical vest as Mercer. He slides a knife from his belt and lunges at me.
I scream.
