AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My heart racing, I took a deep whiff, shoving the memory aside.
Dahlia’s perfume immediately assaulted my senses, the combination of exotic spices and hints of jasmine and vanilla enticing the man I’d once become. He’d just broken free of his chains, crashing through the surface of all rationality. I pulled her against me, exhaling as she involuntarily moaned. Then I shoved the chloroform-covered cloth into my jacket pocket before sliding my arm under her legs.
Her eyes opened, the streetlight allowing me to see the shimmer sparkling from her unfocused irises. As I carried her to my car, I had a strange sense of foreboding that had nothing to do with my actions of kidnapping a woman in a prominent neighborhood. My sixth sense had never steered me wrong. The scenario felt plastic, caustic.
I struggled to open the passenger door, gingerly placing her inside, fighting with the seatbelt until I was able to strap her in. The dome light was able to provide me a better look at her angelic face. She was young, maybe twenty-three. The gorgeous woman had a beautiful complexion, her long dark lashes framing high cheekbones. I shifted my gaze toward her lips, my cock twitching. No wonder the other two had found her irresistible. While it was obvious that she was wearing a wig, that didn’t deter from her incredible beauty.
I’d never been mesmerized by a woman before, at least not to this degree. I found myself sliding her hair from her eyes then brushing the tips of my fingers down her cheek. She stirred, but only slightly, murmuring something I couldn’t understand.
“Just rest, our mysterious girl.”
I chuckled then proceeded to check her for any identification. As expected, she had nothing on her. There wasn’t a ring or a necklace of any kind either. Yes, she’d been very careful.
Easing out of the car, I closed the door. Then I reached for my Sig, removing the safety and scanning the perimeter. The sound of traffic in the distance was from travelers on the main road and nothing closer. However, my gut told me I wasn’t alone. After a few seconds of nothing, I headed toward the car she’d used, tugging the small flashlight from my pocket and shining it on her license plate.
While rental cars were no longer easy to spot, the single small sticker the rental company thought wouldn’t be easily detectable provided a glaring answer. Either she wasn’t from the area or had been smart enough not to use her own vehicle. Given the fact she’d traveled before, I would guess the former.
After opening the driver’s door and flashing the light, I marveled at what she didn’t have with her. No purse. No obvious signs of identification. No bag of any kind. Only a water bottle, the key still in the ignition. The girl was clever, careful enough she could pass for a pro. Except for her failures. No assassin failed not once but twice in their endeavors. They always had a backup plan let alone specked out their marks thoroughly. Alexander’s severe allergies couldn’t have been difficult to find.
I pressed the button to release the trunk.
Then the hair stood up on the back of my neck.
I snapped my head to the right, glaring down the darkened street. Within seconds, headlights appeared from two hundred yards away. While it could mean nothing, I closed the car door and eased my other hand around my weapon. As the vehicle started to move closer, I remained where I was, every muscle tense. I’d been in far too many situations where the only thing that had kept me alive was my instinct.
I’d never been wrong.
The approaching vehicle picked up speed on a twenty-five mile per hour residential road. Soon, I could hear the engine. As the car roared closer, I raised my weapon by a few inches. The driver was headed in this direction, missing a turn for the last side street. What I couldn’t afford to do was to make a mistake. If I did, it would be my last. There’d be no way to explain why an unconscious woman resided on my passenger seat.
I heard the gunning of the engine as the driver floored the pedal. Then I raised my gun, prepared to shoot. As with every situation of this nature, it all happened quickly, the streetlight capturing almost everything except the detail of the single person inside as he or she headed straight for me. The shot should be clean, but I second guessed my decision too little, too late.
Just before impact, I jumped backward, rolling over the hood of the rental car, tumbling over the other side. Jarred, I scrambled to get to my feet, racing into the middle of the street just as I heard the screech of tires, the fucker careening around the corner. I jogged a few steps then hissed.
Another threat, only this one was far too personal.
I looked from one side of the street to the other, my thoughts drifting back to the mysterious woman. It was obvious she was working with someone else, her backup plan almost infallible. Yet something remained stuck in the back of my mind. Things weren’t adding up. Maybe her failures had been discovered. If that was the case, Alexander had a mole inside his organization.
That I doubted.
I knew my mafia friend. He ruled with an iron fist. It would take a man with balls the size of watermelons to betray someone like Alexander.
Unless they’d been offered enough money to disappear permanently.
No, I didn’t like this at all.
I moved quickly toward my car, settling into the driver’s seat. Dahlia’s head was slumped over, her breathing easy. As I started the engine, I placed my weapon on the dashboard. Somehow, I doubted this was over. When she murmured, I knew I’d need to give her the sedative I’d brought with me. But that would come later. At this point, getting the hell out of here was imperative.
As I rolled onto the street, checking the rearview mirror, I debated the road I’d take heading to Dulles. Alexander’s jet was in standby mode, Brogan and Alexander likely already waiting at the private location that had been predesignated
I was almost out of the residential neighborhood when I noticed headlights in the distance. I slowed, hissing as I realized I’d been boxed in. While I couldn’t jump to conclusions, the same sixth sense remained. I rolled forward at barely five miles per hour. Then the approaching vehicle sped up. Goddamn it. The fucker was determined to take me out. That wasn’t going to happen. I certainly wasn’t going to die because of some game Dahlia was playing.
With both hands on the wheel, I pressed down on the accelerator. The fucker was heading right for me. Fuck. The game of chicken never ended well; however, I refused to back down, speeding up as I scanned from one side of the road to the other. There were far too many cars parked on the street. That would make whatever maneuvers I used dicey.
The opposing vehicle shifted, now only a few car lengths ahead. My brain went into CIA mode, all the training I’d received on defensive driving kicking in. I grabbed my weapon, prepared to fire when I noticed a flash coming from the other vehicle. The asshole was firing his weapon. The cracking sound as a single bullet crashed through my windshield was exaggerated, the shot barely missing. I careened to the right, fighting the inertia of the engine as I slammed on the brakes, stopping only millimeters away from a massive tree.
As the front right wheel dumped into a ditch, I threw my arm across the passenger seat, able to keep Dahlia secure. Just as soon as the car screeched to a halt, I threw open the door, jumping out and racing after the opposing vehicle. Aiming, I took a deep breath, holding it.
Then I fired a single bullet.
