Adam actually hired ahitman?
He really hates me that much? Whenhe’sthe one that tried to screw me over and steal my life’s work?
He should have hired a bodyguard instead, because I’m going to fucking kill him.
The man he apparently hired to kill us completely ignores him, attention focused on Arson, eyes dancing with amusement.
Arson scrubs a hand down his face. “Tell me you didn’t seriously take fuckface as a client, Vic.”
Vic shrugs. “Heard you had a bounty on your head; I couldn’t resist.” A slow, devilish grin teases the corner of his lips. “After all, if anyone’s going to kill you, it’s going to be me.”
“Would someonepleaseexplain what the heck is going on here?” I demand.
Adam shoves off the tree he was leaning against and snarls, “Explain?Are you fucking kidding me right now? You ruined my life!” He runs a shaky hand through his unkempt blonde hair, dark shadows under his eyes like he hasn’t slept in weeks. His clothes are wrinkled, and honestly, he looks like shit.
Bellamy’s pranks can’t have seriously driven him to this point… right?
Almost as if he could read my thoughts, Adam rants, “I losteverythingbecause of you. Nocturne didn’t just blacklist me, hedestroyedmy family’s business. We’re ruined, and they cut me off completely. Nobody will hire me now; I’m finished.” His gaze hardens with a malicious glint. “You stole everything from me, so I’m going to take everything you care about from you, even if it costs every last dime I have.”
“Pretty sure you should save your money for rent if you’re that bad off instead of pissing it away on petty revenge. Especially whenyou’rethe one that tried to fuck me over and steal my work to pass off as your own in the first place.”
If looks could kill, I’d be dead ten times over. But I’m not scared of Adam; I never was. He’s always been a weak man, and my biggest regret.
Fuming, he barks at his hired thug, “I’ll double the payment if you drag out the others’ deaths, but the demon needs to be handled quickly. Fates know why, but he’s obsessed with the bitch and could ruin everything.”
This motherfucker.
Rage pulsing in my veins, I lunge, but Bellamy holds me back. Tugging me firmly against his chest, he hisses, “He doesn’tget to bait you into touching him ever again, even if it’s just to beat the shit out of him.”
Voice taking on a friendly lilt, Bellamy casually asks, “Long time no see, Adam! Tell me, how’s the girlfriend?”
Adam scrunches up his face in confusion. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“I know, I just like reminding you.” As Adam spouts off, Bellamy turns to Arson and holds out his free hand. “Rock, paper, scissors for it?”
Arson snorts, pointing at where Ledger has already closed half of the distance between them. “Looks like it’s a race, and we’re both losing.”
Before Ledger’s fist can connect with Adam’s face, Vic fades away in a silver haze, snatching up Adam at the last second and reappearing on top of a neighboring tree branch. Casually squatting on the limb without an ounce of fear, Vic calls down to Arson, “Well, demon, you heard the man. You disappear, and I can finally spring for that inground pool I’ve always wanted. Any last words?”
Without waiting for a response, he throws a knife faster than I can track. Arson jolts, stumbling back, while my heart lodges in my throat. The world seems to pause, even the forest falling silent as Arson falls to his knees, grasping the knife embedded in his chest. Pressure builds behind my eyes as I choke out a strangled sound that’s lost in the shadows exploding from his body, the inky blackness drowning us all in a sea of darkness.
I can’t see, can’t feel, can’tbreathe. It’s just me and a never ending abyss, leaving me completely isolated and alone.
As it threatens to drag me under, all the darkness is sucked away as quickly as it consumed me, light and sound returning in a deafening rush that makes my ears roar. The others fumble to regain their bearings while my eyes are drawn to where I last saw Arson on his knees.
But as the last shadow siphons away, there’s nothing left.
My heart skips a beat before fear seizes it completely. But as I choke out a sob, a familiar pressure bands around my stomach, stroking against my cheek in an invisible caress. Relieved, my shoulders slump, the emotional whiplash rendering me mute.
The guys are silently seething beside me, but Arson clearly clued them in on whatever trick he’s up to as well, because nobody’s flown off the handle yet.
Vic turns to Adam with a satisfied smirk and holds out his hand. “Payment for the first before I take care of the rest.”
Adam frowns. “That’s not what we agreed on. The job was for all four of them.”
Scoffing, Vic raises an eyebrow and stares him down. “I’ve been in this business far too long to take outmultipletargets without partial payment up front; that’s just asking to get screwed over, while you get everything you want. So fork over the first half of the bounty, and I’ll dispatch the rest.”
Looking like he bit a lemon, red creeps up Adam’s neck. “As soon as you take care of the other bastards, you can keep the girls as payment. Everest’s a center, so even if you don’t want her for yourself, she should fetch a good price in the right circles. More than what I owe by far. Consider her friend a bonus.”
