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“Yes, sir,” I reply with a mock salute, and Seer shakes his head in amusement and exasperation. I turn around to head toward the warehouse, my heart pounding in an unsteady rhythm against my rib cage.
“Hex,” Seer calls after me, his voice stopping me in my tracks. “Be careful, my brother.”
Seer’s parting advice is still ringing in my head as I take the last shot, zooming in on the open briefcase on the table between Rugal and the small man in the suit. I don’t know the lumpy white substance in the case, but I hope it’s enough to put Rugal away for a long time.
I hang my camera on my shoulder, slowly inching away from where I hid just outside the warehouse window. A sudden gust of wind slams one of the window shutters loudly against the sill. I freeze, almost choking on my breath, as Rugal’s head snaps in my direction.
“Who the fuck are you?” Rugal’s booming voice echoes out, urging me into action. I turn around and take to my heels.
“Get him!” The thumping sounds of heavy boots follow Rugal’s command, but I don’t dare to look back at my pursuers. I keep running with only one destination in mind.
Screeching to a halt, I gape in shock at the empty space where Seer’s motorcycle was parked a few minutes ago.
“What the fuck?”
I follow the tire tracks of Seer’s motorcycle until they disappear. I turn around just in time to dodge what would have been a fatal blow to the head from one of the guards. He lets out a loud grunt of pain as I smash my fist into his neck. I feel a thwack on my left shoulder from another guard. It won’t matter how hard I fight… I’m too outnumbered.
A heavy blow lands on my spine, knocking me to my knees. I stand up, but a gunshot hits my leg and sends me flying to the ground again. I let out an agonizing scream, cradling my injured leg. One man jacks my camera away and hauls me to my feet. He holds me against his chest, pinning my hands behind my back. The first man I hit walks over to me and lands a vengeful blow to my stomach. Doubling over in pain, I let out a muffled groan as the guard punches me in the face. He doesn’t stop at one punch. He keeps hitting me until I go numb from the pain.
All the while, I try to come up with reasons my sworn brother would abandon me.
Why the hell did Seer leave me for the dead?
* * *
My hands are shaking terribly, but I’m intent on opening the pill bottle. I jerk the cover off and tilt the bottle to my mouth, pouring in as much as possible. The pharmacist gasps loudly, her eyes wide open in horror. A dizzy wave hits me, causing me to stagger on my feet. I grab the counter to steady myself, grinding down on my teeth to contain the unbearable pain in my head. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, willing the painkillers to kick in fast.
I need to get back to Hex.
“Are you all right, sir?” the pharmacist at the counter asks, her voice barely penetrating through the haze in my head. “Do you need to go to a hospital? I’ll… I’ll call 911.”
I reach into my pocket and fish out a few hundred-dollar bills. She jumps in fright when I slam the money on the counter. “I’ll be on my way,” I say through gritted teeth. She nods rapidly, her hands in the air as if I held a gun to her head. On any other day, this scene would have been funny to me, except today, it feels like I might drop dread from the pain in my head.
Why did this have to happen while I was on a mission?
I need to get back to Hex. I need to get him out of there.
I turn around to leave, but I feel myself ramming blindly into a surface that I could swear wasn’t just there a few seconds ago. I grab my head and fall back against the counter with a loud groan as an excruciating pain explodes inside me.
I hear a sharp gasp of surprise and feel a hand clasp my right shoulder. “Are you all right?”
Maybe, it’s the soothing timbre of the voice or the gentle pressure of the hand on my shoulder, but the loud ringing in my head instantly quietens. It’s as if an angel has stood before me to ease my pain. I raise my head to look into the warmest eyes I’ve ever seen. A pair of luminous brown orbs, fixed on mine, seem to absorb all of my pain gradually. I’ve heard of healers that can take the pain of others away with a touch, but it’s the first time I’ve encountered one. Evanesce has a similar gift, but this is on a different level. I take in her beautiful face and body, only to wish I wasn’t in the middle of a crisis. What I wouldn’t do to come across this beauty again once my searing pain vacated my head, and my other head agrees. On a good day, I’d take a few seconds to appreciate the ageless beauty of the woman standing in front of me or maybe even strike up an exciting and warm conversation, but each second I spend away from the warehouse puts Hex in more danger.
“Are you all right, sir?” she asks again, frowning with an oddly impassive expression that doesn’t match the concern in her tone.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” I stutter, moving away from the counter. “I need to go.” I sidestep her and run toward the door.
“Hey, wait up!” I hear her call after me, but I don’t dare to look back.
I need to get to Hex.
The thought keeps throbbing in my head as I sprint down to the spot where I parked my bike. I’ve just climbed on my motorcycle when I feel a hand grasp my arm. The woman from the pharmacy is breathing hard as she looks at me. “I… I need to speak to you.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I can’t,” I say, shrugging her hand off me.
I speed away from the pharmacy and the warm brown-eyed woman, praying with all my might.Please, don’t let me be too late…
CHAPTERTHREE
