Clearly, I miscalculated and put my adorable troublemaker in danger. I grit my teeth, tasting more blood.That will never happen again.
The person I crash into is lying unconscious on the floor a heartbeat later, their nose broken and bleeding. The rest scatter like cockroaches, half racing for the door while the other half rush for the shelves where there’s either a phone or a hidden weapon.
“Did you really need tobreakthe door?” I hear Hex groan, my mind clearing off the bloodlust for a second. “You could’ve, you know, kicked it with less force, and then closed it so everyone is trapped in the room. Now they are trying to run away!”
If he’s pulling the sass on me, it means he’s mostly okay. I exhale in relief, my entire body sagging. He’s fine, they didn’t drug him. I wasn’t late. I arrived before anything could happen to him.
My heart squeezes for him. I need him safe in my arms, smiling up at me.
“Tien…”
His eyes meet mine in the middle of this pandemonium. They blaze with love, beautiful and breathtaking, like a falling star about to collide with the Earth.
“Sorry. I didn’t think they would try to drug me…” he mutters in a small voice, losing all the façade. It pulls on my heartstrings, fueling my rage and the need to protect him until I can barely breathe. For once he appears his age, a young precious being that has no place in this cruel and nasty world.
“It’s OK. I’m here now. Everything will be fine. You are safe.”
He nods, his fingers ghosting over my cheek as his gaze strays to something behind me. “Yeah… Yeah, okay.” He grabs the bottle of whiskey from the table and throws it. “Just… you might want to stop those guys before they ring the alarm?”
The bottle shatters just in front of the door, glass flying everywhere. The two rushing for the exit stop dead in their tracks, faces startled and pale as they look at each other and then at me and Hex. I lose no time, pouncing them while their confusion lasts and aiming for their throats. I need to neutralize them before they have had the chance to recuperate.
God, I could kiss Hex right now. With his flexible moral compass, crazy ideas and quick wit, he has the makings of the perfect combat partner if I spent some time training him. Part of me still balks at that thought, but if he keeps saving us at clutch moments, I don’t think I’ll be able to say no if he asked me to let him tag along next time I’m out on a mission.
Hopefully, there won’t be a next time after we’re done with this drug conspiracy, but you never know what the future might bring.
The clueless VIPs go down without a fight, but that’s when things get a bit hot.
“ARAN, DUCK!” Hex screams at the top of his lungs, diving from the couch to the floor.
I comply without a question just as a barrage of bullets comes flying my way.
A gun was hiding on the shelf then. Or a couple. It matters little, though it solidifies my conviction that we have to wrap this mystery up tonight or we won’t get a second chance. Everything was going fine, albeit a bit slowly, until suddenly it wasn’t. I don’t even know what exactly happened or how we got here, but I have no choice but to make it work.
I crawl across the floor as the bullets keep coming, using the furniture for cover. With the two guards neutralized and the music blasting downstairs, the party should still be unaware of our skirmish.
“Over here!” Hex waves me from between the coffee table and the couch, his body covered in fluff from the destroyed cushions.
It’s like I’m back in the trenches during training, with the only difference being the lack of mud or rain. I keep in shape and I exercise daily, but this is not something that usually makes it into my routine, so I am glad my muscle memory doesn’t let me down.
When I make it over to Hex, I find him hunched over a tablet. He’s biting on his lip and aggressively typing something on the device, completely oblivious to the continuously scary situation unfolding around us. All it takes is for one of the morons firing to stop doing it blindly and actually check where we are hiding.
“What are you doing?” I hiss, trying to fit in the narrow space.
“I snatched Mrs. Lynx’s tablet. Gimme five and I’ll be in,” he says distractedly, not even looking at me.
When did he manage to steal it while being pinned by those hyenas?
My blood boils as the scene that was happening when I busted in replays in front of my eyes. But it’s pointless to get agitated over that now. I need to remain calm and collected, focused on the objective of neutralizing anything or anyone threatening my troublemaker’s wellbeing. It’s also meaningless to try to talk to Hex when he’s slipped into his hacker mode, so even though I’ve only visually confirmed he’s okay, it will have to do.
I must leave him to do his thing and focus on doing mine.
A pause in the volley of bullets gives me my opening. The guns have either run out or jammed. I hope for the latter, but ultimately care little as I kiss Hex’s head and leap over the couch.
My remaining three enemies don’t expect that. Their eyes go wide, and one of them even yelps in shock, staggering back into the wall as fear seems to paralyze them. They won’t be an issue from now on—I can concentrate on Claire and her husband.
The two keep pressing the triggers of their guns, but nothing comes out. I approach them, the bloodlust in me rising. They wanted to touch what is mine, they tried to drug Hex. They wanted him as theirpet, even had a collar at the ready.
Disgusting. Unforgivable.I will delete them off the face of the earth along with everything they’ve ever cared for. Slowly, torturously, so they know what agony feels like.
