AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I wasn't the one making the assignments on this mission. I could have easily been paired with Lock. Hell, it was a lot easier to get Lock to mingle in crowds. People wanted to be near Lachlan King, the famous billionaire. Everybody wanted a piece of him, which made it simple and not at all suspicious for him to be at a charity function.
As we proceeded down the hall, there were three exit options. One led to the kitchens, not somewhere Disick would probably head in the dark. One led to the other end of the hallway where the bathrooms were now busy with people rearranging themselves after the surprise lights out. Disick took off in the dark, so more than likely he was headed somewhere other than the loo.
No one moved like that in the dark unless they were trying to make some kind of escape, which meant he’d gone down to the last exit. From our schematic study earlier in the day, we knew it led to a set of stairs.
“He’s headed downstairs. Nowhere else to go,” Gabe muttered through clenched teeth.
I pursed my lips. "See? Was that so hard? All you had to do was talk to me."
He cut me a glare, and I narrowed my gaze back at him. The two of us were essentially oil and water. Really was a shame because I couldn't even enjoy admiring his good looks when he acted like a twat.
The two of us rushed down the hallway. And as we marched, Gabe's voice was low. "Saff, cut the cameras in the main hall. We’ll use the downstairs loo for holding him."
"Copy."
King's voice came on the line then. "Do you have eyes on him?"
As Gabe was busy trying the locks on the doors, I responded. "No, we don't. But we're on his tail. Amelia, Lock, just to be safe, double-check the front exits."
Amelia muttered, “Copy.”
Lock said, “Roger.”
Finally, the door that Gabe was working on nudged open, leading into a darker tunnel of some sort. I frowned even as Gabe hesitated, saying, "What the fuck is this?"
"Please tell me your Spidey sense gave you a reason to select this door from all the others?"
He sighed as he looked around and assessed the other doors in the hallway. "Well, that one is clearly a broom closet, and that one looks like a door to an office. There’s a name placard on it.” It did, in fact, have the name John Huxley on it. “And then there is this one. A little too ornate for an office, but not storage.”
"Awesome. Dark creepy hallway for the win. You really think I'm going first in there?"
He smirked at me. "All right, fine, no ladies first this time. I'll go."
Stepping past the threshold, he reached toward his back, palming his weapon before pulling it out of the holster.
This mission was meant to be recon and grab. Simple. Easy. Get the details off his phone, clone it, and snatch him up.
Why did things never go as easy as they were supposed to?
Saff's voice was muffled now. Garbled. "I'm losing you two. What's happening?"
"Gabe is dragging me down a deep dark hallway. If I die, you’ll know he murdered me."
I could almost feel Gabe's eyeroll even though I couldn't see his face.
Saff started to talk again but it cut out.
"Shit. Coms are down. Where do you think this is leading us?" I asked.
The hall grew dimmer and dimmer and eventually, the floor changed from white marble to a darker stone or concrete maybe. The blend was smooth but delineated by some kind of logo or crest on the ground. In the circle, an eagle was holding an animal in its talons with a sword blade dripping blood beneath pointing up toward the eagle.
As the light from the hall darkened, Gabe clutched my hand in his. A shot of electricity zinged up my arm at the unexpected contact, and I quickly bit off a sharp gasp.
This was entirely unexpected. Gabe visibly made an effort to never touch me. Ever. Our relationship wasn't built on hugs, side kisses, or handshakes. Hell, he could barely spare anything nice to say to me, let alone a hug.
Even when we met socially at Saff's, it was always a head nod, and he'd mutter, "Smith," or, “Monarch.” That was all I was deemed worthy of having from the man.
Whatever.
