AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“See you around, Heather.” She snorts.
“It was a quiet night. Nobody in, nobody out. Don’t know what you’re going to see.” Her head still hasn’t lifted from the book she’s reading.Smart lady.She’s lived a life on the dark side.
Or watched enough movies to know when to keep her mouth shut. Either way, I like her. She’s got spunk.
Walking along the corridor of the first floor, I go to the back stairwell that will lead up closest to Vega’s room. But he’s not my target. Not yet. Probably not tonight. DB3 is. I want Vega fucking terrified when he wakes up in the morning and realizes his entire posse is dead. I’ve been collecting phones all night and have every intention of answering each of them when he calls.
He thinks he can hunt me down? Hunt my girl down? He is in for the surprise of a lifetime. I’ll never allow that to happen. There is nothing I won’t do to ensure Magnolia’s safety from predators like this animal.
Taking the stairs two or three at a time, my long legs have me on the sixth floor in no time. Quietly opening the door, I casually walk down the hallway like I belong here, fiddling with my key card and looking at room numbers while keeping my head down.
Passing Vega’s room, I can hear him and the women in there. My fists ball. I’d like nothing more than to smash his face into dust, but I must wait. Because acting out of fear is what will give him away. He’ll threaten me, bluster, and measure dick sizes. When he realizes that’s futile, he’ll attempt to negotiate, barter a deal where he promises to leave me alone, but then, one day, show back up and try again. And once he knows that’s not going to happen, he’ll resort to bribery. He’ll do anything not to die like his father did before him.
What he’ll fail to comprehend is that all he had to do, to begin with, was forget what happened that day and never come after me. I had no reason to seek him out; he should have left the past where it belonged. In the past.
Now, his own stupidity is going to get him killed. The kid is barely in his twenties, and his first act as some new top dog in the drug trade is to exact his father’s revenge without having enough knowledge about his opponent.
Arriving at DB3’s door, I remain to the side and listen for sound. I can make out the TV, as well as the shower running. Slipping the card in the slot, the door opens without issue. I step inside, keeping my back to the wall until the soft snick of the door closing and the lock engaging is heard. Sliding the door chain in place, I shake my head at the man’s arrogance. Mistakes like this are how people die. It’s whyhe’sabout to die.
Doing a quick sweep of the room, I remove his weapons, tossing them, along with his phone, into his duffel bag before slipping on a pair of brass knuckles and pulling out my favorite knife. A blade my own father gave me as a boy. The handle is chipped, the wood worn from frequent use.
Concealed by the wall of the bathroom, I brace my feet shoulder-width apart as the shower turns off. I don’t believe this idiot has a gun with him since I packed three away, plus two knives, but I’ve learned to prepare for anything. I have no interest in using a gun—bullets penetrate plaster, and that’s how innocent bystanders die. I’m not in the business of killing people who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A billow of steam precedes the man out the door, and I inhale deeply, calming the pounding of my heart, waiting for my target to appear. He’s humming out a tune from Mamma Mia, and I can’t fight the eye roll. This is the guy Vega trusts with his life? He deserves to die on principle alone.
His foot pops out, and before he can understand what’s happening, I give a quick jab to the temple with my brass, and he’s lights out on the floor in a crumpled heap.
Dropping the knuckles and knife on the bed, I drag his immobile body to the lone chair in the room. Ripping the sashes off the wall meant for the curtains, I use them as rope and tie the man up. Draping his towel back over his lap, I grab the bucket of fresh ice, pop the cap off the water bottle on the desk, and pour some in. I wait a few minutes for it to get cold before throwing the freezing concoction at his mostly naked body.
The icy cold wakes him up as he splutters and curses. Donning the brass knuckles again, I sit on the edge of the bed in front of him and watch as he realizes what’s happening.
His eyes flare when he sees my face, recognition reflecting back at me. He tamps it down pretty quickly, but he knows me. Because he’s here to help kill me.
“You know who I am; can probably guess why I’m here. So, tell me, why are you here? What’s Vega’s plan?” His eyes harden into a glare, and I can tell it’s going to be a long night. “We can do this the hard way if that’s what you want.” No change. “Have it your way.”
Heading back to the bathroom, I grab one of the facecloths and saunter back into the room. He’s looking for a way to escape; he won’t find one. Death is his only option tonight.
“Last chance,” I offer. He sits stonily mute. Balling up the fabric, I force his mouth open and shove it in. Before he can try to extract it, I bury my blade in his thigh.
His scream becomes muffled as the sharp edge hits bone, digging in and making it difficult to extract. A sick grin spreads across my face. This is about to suck for him.
“I’m going to ask you a question. Nod for yes, shake for no. A non-answer will result in more holes in your body, and I’m telling you now, yanking this blade out is going to hurt like a motherfucker. It’s in the bone.” He doesn’t respond, so I wiggle the blade a little. Tears spring to his eyes. “Nod if you understand.” This time he does.
“Is Vega here to kill me?”
A nod.
“He plan to kill my girl?”
Another nod.
“Any other men here?”
Third nod.
“Other than the two that were in the bar?”
His eyebrows draw together before shaking his head no. Obviously, he had no idea I was surveilling them all night.
