As soon as Mancini left the room, I looked for a quiet corner to get two minutes downtime. No one has mentioned anything about the stuff we'd learned here today; I guess the boys were still processing the fact that their lives have been changed in a second. I sat with my eyes closed, and my mind going to blank. I'm not thinking about the sh*t Mancini dropped in my lap, not right now, too much to take in at once.The others were still looking into the new case Mancini had mentioned as a distraction, but I'm sure they all pretty much know what the hell is going on there. From the little bit, Mancini had all you have to do is follow the breadcrumbs, which is what I guess he has those two kids doing. As to what the hell was going on there, that too is very obvious. Someone was avenging some sh*t that these nasty f*cks had done to either them or a loved one in the past.I'll just wait for the kids to find out who where and when to get involved. If this person, whoever it is, is just kil
I made myself comfortable while he took his shower, sitting in a chair in the corner of the dark room where I'd turned off the lights. I saw his silhouette when he came out of the shower and reached for the light on the wall. Before he could hit the switch, I threw my blade and pinned his hand there.His howl of pain was cut off when he saw me stand and walk towards him. Coward, I could already smell the sh*t he'd expelled from his bowels in fear. No doubt he was thinking of his partners in crime and how they'd died just here recently. Why hadn't he protected himself better? Was it because he's a highly decorated cop? Is that why he thought he was invincible?I got up close to him as he was trying to remove the stiletto from his wrist, which wasn't easy since I'd made sure to hit bone. The pain has to be excruciating. He started to whimper at my approach. "Who are you? What do you want?" He tried moving out of the way when I got within a few feet of him, but there was nowhere to go
I still have a hard time accepting that I deserve the life he's given me, as grateful as I am. When you've eaten out of dumpsters for a couple of years, it's hard to assimilate that with the fact that you're now wearing a Rolex watch that the man who adopted you as his brother bought you for your eighteenth birthday.Or the fact that the greasy grimy kid who hid from child predators on the street because he'd learned the signs to look out for way too early in his young life was trusted with little babies who were born into a life of excess luxury. My life has been just too confusing from the time I was taken in by them, and it only seems to get better. Best of all, apart from having my sister back in my life and the new family she and Gideon have given me, is this new venture Mancini has drawn me into.It's like giving a starving man a buffet of all his favorite foods. Saving kids from these trafficking assholes is my lifeblood. With what Mancini had shared so far, it looks like he
I walked around the abandoned warehouse, making sure there were no other denizens for the night. Once I was sure the coast was clear, I removed the clothes I'd worn, which didn't show the blood they were drenched in because of their dark color. I bundled them in a corner and drenched them with lighter fluid before dropping a match on them.Next, I got the wipes from my survivor pack and cleaned up as best as I could. I could've showered at the victim's place since there was so much blood this time, but it didn't sit right with me. Turns out, it was a good call because no sooner had I left his place and was scaling the fence out back when I heard a car pull into his driveway. Someone had gotten a very nasty surprise.I threw the bloody wipes onto the blaze and grabbed some more, making sure to get it all off of me before redressing in another black on black outfit. I unfolded the old second-hand sleeping bag and the moth-eaten blanket, which is all I could afford and laid down.Ou
I listened with half an ear to the men as they talked about their new 'squad' at least that's what Lyon had decided to call it since as he says organization sounds too much like law enforcement and he hates any f*ck that has to do with that f*ckery. His vocabulary is even more colorful than Gideon's, and my brother has got a fine grasp on gutter speak. Mostly I was organizing my moves once we land in my head. I'd already mapped out what needed to be done from the specs Mancini had given me earlier, so it was just a matter of getting there and letting my senses do the rest. There was a certain kind of excitement in the air. One that stems from working with a new crew for the first time and also because this was all new to me, and I have no idea how this person is going to react once found.Usually, when I go on a search and rescue, the kids on the other end are only too glad to see someone who isn't there to hurt them and can't wait to go back home. This person, this stranger, is b
I could feel her as the scent wrapped around me like a blanket. There was no longer any doubt in my mind that it was a female that I was hunting. Her scent was…familiar, though I'm sure we'd never met before whoever she is. It was familiar in the sense that it felt like I knew her on some primal level, someplace deep inside me. My body's reaction was the most telling.I've f*cked plenty since I was a teen, but never before have I been affected by a woman's scent, not to this extent. I've never used my senses with a mate, never shared that part of myself with any of the women I took to my bed. So why was this unknown woman having this effect on me? How had she snuck in under my guard before we even met?I shook my head to clear it and spoke into the device in my ear. "I've found the scent, meet me around back." Part of me wanted to escape, to get as far away from her intoxicating scent as I possibly could, but I've never walked away form a job. Besides, there was another side of me
My eyes popped open, and I came instantly awake. Something had awakened me, some sound, what was it? I held still and listened, my heart racing with fear until I remembered that I was no longer the defenseless little girl who'd been awakened many times during the night to face torment and horror.I sat up slowly in the dark and pulled on my shoes with my back to the wall as I listened and peered around in the darkness. Whatever it was had come from outside, there was no one in my direct vicinity, I was sure. Crawling on my hands and knees, I made it to the nearest window, or the place where a window once was I should say since they'd all been long gone.Looking down into the night, I didn't see anything which meant whatever it was might be around the front of the building. From my place on the top floor, I should be able to see fine, but if it was indeed a person out there, they might have a better shot at me from their vantage point since the moon was so high.'Stop borrowing tr
"F*ck!" I didn't have time to tell her that I wasn't here to hurt her before she came at me. The move was so unexpected that I stood in shock and barely moved out of the way in time. I felt the wind from her blade as it sailed by my face, but instead of defending myself, which would've entailed hurting her in some way, I went into retreat, gliding back on my heels and out of the way.She came in fast, and I had no choice this time but to ward her off, but still, I did the least amount of damage I could in the circumstances by hitting her wrist with the heel of my hand in just the right way to get the results I wanted. The blade clattered to the old cement floor with a clanging sound. "I'm not…" I started to explain myself, but she came in low and fast, and this time both hands held the blades she'd grabbed from their hidden place at her sides. Stupid me watched in fascination, not quite believing what I was seeing.I didn't think I was going to need backup when I told the others I