“What the fuck is this?” I demanded, just as his knife slashed over my face. I cursed, realizing I’d been struck.Again.
“Your interview.”
I could hardly see out of one eye as blood trickled down my face and I was sloppy and confused as I struggled to get the upper hand, using the only thing I could,speed, by some miracle, I managed to gain the advantage, but I wasn’t stupid enough to believe I would have it for long.
“Yield.” I demanded, knife to his throat as I spat a mouthful of blood on the ground.
My assailant bellowed and lunged, slashing at me again as I went tumbling back, and as his blade found its mark, I realized that unlike the way Liam or Cade and I would fight, this guy wasn’t about to tap out. It was me or him. Scrambling up, I growled a curse, finally understanding hewasgoing to kill me if I didn’t kill him first. Only, I wasn’t really in the mood to kill someone with my bare hands before I’d even eaten lunch.
When he came charging at me, I defaulted to a move I’d used on Theo before and used his body weight against him, flipping him over the top of me with his own momentum. I locked him into a chokehold for what seemed like hours but was probably only a minute or two—relief coursing through me when he finally went limp.
“Don’t worry, we’ll train that mercy right out of you.” The woman amended, now standing above me.
Gasping for breath, I shoved him off me and collapsed onto the floor, feeling warmth trickle down my face, down my arm. Adrenaline was in charge, and nothing hurt yet, but it would. Later, it most definitely would.
The suit narrowed her eyes. “The next time I hand you a knife, I suggest you use it.” She dropped the file onto my chest as I panted, tasting metal in my mouth. “Welcome to the team. You start on Monday.”
“I didn’t ask for this.” I groaned, hating how powerless I felt.
“I think the expression you’re looking for, Lieutenant, isYes, Ma’am.”
Shit-motherfucker.
I closed my eyes and submitted to the cold concrete floor, heart sinking as I slowly accepted that the dream career I’d been working towards had just gotten flushed down the toilet. That was what I got for signing my life away, so much for all that freedom I’d been feeling a mere twenty minutes ago. Fucking suits.
A gunshot suddenly echoed across the hangar, and I jolted up, watching in disbelief as they dragged away the man I’d just been fighting without a word of explanation or apology.
Ohhh fuck.
I stared down at my arm, at the flap of skin there, and wondered if I was going to be sick. Flopping back down onto the floor, I couldn’t help but feel nauseas as I stared up at the rafters feeling sorry for myself. Just when I felt like I had a grip on my life, everything was shiftingagain.
I’d been so damn close to everything I wanted—well, except for one thing. That one tiny little empty place inside me that was always nagging at me—no matter how hard I tried to seal it off, because there was only one person the right size to fill it.
But she had probably moved on, and I would probably be dead in a few years anyway, because now, I was officially disposable.
CHAPTER 5
Ghosts Always Return
SARAFINA
One year later, present day…
I gasped, slamming on the brakes as the car chasing me finally ran me off the road—my front tires slid up over the sidewalk as I screeched to a stop. Cranking the wheel, I punched the petal to gun it around the car, but I was thrown forward against my seatbelt as I hit the brakes, because just then another van screeched to a stop right next to me, and then another, right behind me—boxing me in.
Hands trembling, I whipped my head from window to window, frantically looking for a way out, jolting when a man started banging on my car, his camera bulb flashing as he violently yanked on the door handle, which was locked, thank God.
I quickly realized the only way out wasbackwards.Throwing the car in reverse, I braced a hand on the passenger headrest, eyes sweeping oncoming traffic before I gunned it up over the sidewalk—bumper scraping when I squeezed around the van, and then twisted the wheelhard—flipping back around as I threw my car in drive.
My tires squealed as I peeled out, feeling myself press against my seat while I accelerated towards oncoming traffic. Cars honked at me as I carefully cut between them, veering for the firstside street, and then I braced, teeth gritting as I hand-over-hand cranked the wheel, and pulled a hard left, drifting around the corner in a controlled swing.
I shot onto the side street and floored it, catching air as I zipped through one green after another, grateful the traffic lights were on my side today. I took turn after turn, eyes flicking up to the rearview mirror, while my body shook with adrenaline.
A few miles out, when I was finally sure no one was following me, I slowed down and headed back to my university. My heart was still pounding, and I realized I’d sweat through my shirt as I cruised through the rolling green hills towards the center of campus.
The paparazzi weren’t allowed on the private property, and even though they sometimes snuck onto campus anyway, this was better than leading them back to my house. I’d finally settled into a new apartment, and I was not about to start packingagain.
The sun was already low in the sky as I parked, and I knew I really needed to get back to Briar Rose before it got too late, but right now, what I really needed to do was calm the fuck down, because I was so freaking tired of this shit.
