Not In The Damn Job Description

(AURIANNA'S POV)

My hands grip the steering wheel so hard my knuckles ache. The tires screech as I take another sharp turn, the car engine growling like it's pissed at me for pushing it this hard. I don't give a damn. My eyes keep flicking between the road and the small screen on my dashboard, the blinking red dot guiding me to Zayne's location.

"Come on, Zayne," I mutter under my breath. "Please be okay."

My heart's pounding like a drum in my chest. I can feel the adrenaline thrumming under my skin-that familiar buzz right before shit hits the fan.

Every red light that stops me, feels like a personal attack, pissing me the fuck off because every passing second I waste could be putting that bastard's life in danger.

The red dot leads me to a narrow street lined with old apartment complexes. I pull up and slam the breaks, park my car, and kill the engine. My pulse doesn't stop racing. I grab my phone, my keys, shove both in my pocket, and step out into the cool night air.

The place looks quiet. Too quiet.

Didn't expect Zayne to come somewhere that looks like this one of those places people randomly go missing.

I head straight for the entrance, my phone lightning the way, the tracking app still open as it leads me up the stairwell. I skip the elevator, cause I might miss him if I take that, and start taking the stairs two at a time. My breathing's heavy, but controlled. Every floor I pass, I keep my eyes on that goddamn red dot.

It finally stops moving on the fifth floor.

My chest tightens as I reach the landing. I glance at the phone again.

The signal's coming from somewhere close. He's here

The hallway stretches long and narrow-rows of closed apartment doors on each side, every one of them looking identical. The screen in my hand blinks faster until it stops in front of one particular door. Apartment 5B.

Zayne's signal is pinging from inside.

I press my ear against the door and listen. Nothing. Just silence. Not a breath, not a sound. That's never a good sign.

I slide the phone into my pocket, my mind racing through possibilities.

Did he get kidnapped? Is he hurt? Or worse...

I shake the thoughts out of my head and ring the doorbell.

I wait, counting the seconds in my head, but no one answers.

I lift my hand to press it again when the door suddenly swings open.

"About time. What-"

The woman on the other side freezes mid-sentence. Her dark eyes narrow. "Uh... who the hell are you?"

She's tall, maybe late-twenties. High ponytail, thick hoop earrings, leather jacket, matching pants, and thick-soled boots. She looks like trouble, and not the fun kind.

I smile sweetly. "Hi, good evening. My name's Kimberly, and I'm looking for a handsome guy about yea tall," I raise my hand above my head. "...brown hair, green eyes. You seen him around?"

"No," she says in a flat tone. "Haven't seen anyone like that."

Liar.

She's lying through her damn teeth. Zayne's signal is literally coming from inside her apartment which means this can't be good.

The woman starts to close the door but I push my palm against it and force a smile. "Well, do you mind if I come in?"

She frowns. "Do I mind if you come in? Girl, who the fuck are you?"

That's it. I've had enough.

I ball my hand into a fist and swing at her, but the bitch is fast. She grabs my fist mid-air and before I can react, she shoves me backward.

I hit the wall hard and barely steady myself before she pulls a gun from her waistband and points it straight at my head.

Fuck.

I freeze, my heart hammering against my ribs. That's when it hits me.

I left my gun in the car. Of all the nights to be sloppy.

Her eyes dart up and down the hallway, checking for witnesses. Then she nods toward me, her voice cold. "Hands behind your head. Try anything funny and I'll paint this hallway with your brains."

I slowly raise my hands and lace them behind my head, my mind already working ten steps ahead.

She steps around me carefully, pressing the muzzle of the gun to the back of my skull.

"Walk," she says.

I do as she says, counting every step until we're both inside. She nudges the door shut with her foot. The moment I hear the lock click-

I drop.

I twist my body low, sweep my legs out, and take her feet clean out from under her.

She hits the floor hard and the gun clatters out of her, sliding across the floor.

I dive for it but she grabs a handful of my hair, yanking me back so violently that I slam against the wall, knocking the air out of my lungs. Pain flares across my stomach as I double over.

She doesn't give me time to recover. Her fist collides with my cheekbone and my head snaps to side so hard that my vision goes dark for a couple seconds.

She throws another punch; I duck. Her fist cracks against the wall instead and she screams in pain.

I use the opening, kick the back of her knee, causing her to stumble, and I dive again for the gun.

Before I can reach it, the fucking bitch grabs my ankle and yanks me back down. My chest hits the floor, air whooshing out of my lungs. I stretch, my fingertips grazing the metal, but she drags me away.

She flips me over, straddles me, and wraps her hands around my throat.

I choke as she grips tighter, clawing at her wrists, my nails digging deep into her flesh, but she doesn't flinch. My lungs scream for air, my vision starting to blur.

After seconds of struggling for dear life, I stop fighting.

And start laughing instead.

The woman freezes. "Why the fuck are you laughing?"

My voice comes out broken and raspy, but I still managed to croak, "Don't you know the rules?"

Her brows pinch together.

I grin through the pain. "Never wear earrings to a cat fight."

Before she can blink, I grab both hoops and yank hard.

The earrings rip free, tearing her earlobes open and she screams like a wild animal, her hands flying to her bleeding ears.

I roll out from under her, snatch the gun off the floor, spin, and pull the trigger.

The bang echoes through the apartment.

Blood splatters across the wall as her body goes limp and collapses in a heap.

I don't move for a second. I just stare, chest heaving as I try to catch my breath, the smell of gunpowder thick in the air.

Then I push to my feet, my hands still trembling slightly as I whisper, "Zayne."

"Zayne!" I shout, bolting down the hallway, flinging doors open one by one. "Zayne, answer me!"

Then I reach the bedroom.

The door swings open and my stomach flips.

"Holy shit..." I whisper.

Here he is. Completely naked. His arms and legs, cuffed to the bedposts, his entire body glistening with sweat.

My mind blanks and all I can think is...

What the actual fuck did I just walk into?