Page 133 of Power of Shadow

I swallow hard. “I’m sorry, guys. Really. I like you, and I have nothing against you... but I can’t help it.”

“What are you talking about?” Eli turns toward me just as I force a needle into Theo’s thigh and immediately inject the entire contents of the sedative into his body.

Theo’s eyes widen, but the drug works very quickly in his body. Before he can make any move, his vision begins to blur. Within seconds, his head falls back against the seat.

It’s the dose Alex calculated for a man of his build. No second thoughts, no mistakes...

“What the fuck?” Eli repeats for the second time that evening, but I already have my gun pointed at his face.

Everything happens in the blink of an eye, although it feels like it lasts for minutes. Adrenaline can do that to a person.

“Are you going to shoot me?” he asks in disbelief. I see hurt on his face. I’ll apologize for that, but it will have to wait.

I throw the syringe on the floor and pull the handcuffs out of my sweatshirt pocket. I throw them at the driver. “Put them on and handcuff yourself to the steering wheel.”

Eli shakes his head as if he can’t believe what’s happening. “Ryker will kill me if I let you go in there. Ash, you don’t understand—”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand. I have to end this. Otherwise, we’re all dead.”

“You just want to go in there and what? Shoot James? What about Aisling, huh? Have you thought about that? Ryker will never find his sister, and he’ll never forgive you.”

Tears sting my eyes, but I have to be strong. “Put those handcuffs on,” I hiss.

Eli sighs but does as I ask. “Happy?”

“I had no choice,” I say to myself, justifying my actions.

Putting my gun away, I’m about to get out when Eli adds, “Do us all a favor and don’t get yourself killed. Ryker will be furious that we screwed up, and if a single hair on your head is touched, all hell will break loose. And one more thing—” He closes his eyes for a second, as if he can’t believe he’s saying this. “After the recent purges, James is short of people. You’ll get through unnoticed via the bedroom balcony at the back of the house.”

I swallow hard. I don’t know why he’s telling me all this, but I’m damn grateful. “Thank you,” I say, and he shakes his head again.

A few minutes later, I see firsthand that the security for someone as important as James Elliot is simply terrible. Staying in the shadows, I slip past the guards in the garden with no problem. The open balcony door upstairs is an invitation. A vine-covered trellis serves as my ladder.

Thank you, Eli.

I jump silently onto the balcony and crouch down. At first, I wait, ready to attack if someone suddenly appears in the doorway, but the room is shrouded in darkness. Nothing happens.

Bending down, I slip inside and look around the room. It’s small and doesn’t look like a master bedroom. So, it belongs to someone other than James, perhaps an employee.

If I had to guess, I would bet a fortune that the meeting is taking place in the study or the living room. I have to find James and Ryker, and fast. There’s no time to waste.

Carefully, I open the door and squint through the light in the hallway. It’s quiet all around, with no conversations or footsteps to be heard. I’m sure I can move on.

The first step is to find my way to the ground floor. The hallway turns to the right and left, so I have to choose blindly.

I close the door behind me with a quiet click and turn left. I pass two closed doors until I reach a bend. Checking to see if the coast is clear, I lean forward slightly. There’s no one there, but at the end of the corridor I see stairs going down.

Bingo.

Cold sweat breaks out on my forehead, and fear freezes my blood as I set off again. Out of nowhere, a man in a leather motorcycle jacket appears on the stairs, his long hair tied back, tattoos up to his jawline. In desperation, I’m about to hide behind the first door I see, but the guy looks up and spots me.

It’s too late.

Fuck!

Standing frozen, I don’t know what to expect. But I certainly don’t expect the guy to run his sleazy gaze over my entire body and smile crookedly.

“What are you doing here, little bird? Was it you who visited Robin?” His hoarse voice is disgusting, just like he is.