I let out a frustrated breath. I’m the target for a dangerous assassin, and I’m going to be completely defenseless… An hour’s going to feel like a lifetime!
“Okay, thanks, Doc.” He nods and leaves. I look at Kaitlyn. “I need you to do me a favor. Get my cell out of my shorts’ pocket and call Pierce—his number’s programmed in. Explain what’s happening and tell him I need either him personally, or some of his men, to get their asses down here and make sure I’m actually able to wake up from this goddamn operation. I know you can look after yourself, but if I’m out for an hour, there’s nothing to stop Lily walking in here and getting you, and I can’t have that.”
She nods, gets the phone from my shorts, and steps outside the room. I lean back, resting my head in the palm of my left hand. I hate this. For the first time in… possibly my entire life, I feel like a victim. I know I need this surgery, and I know I’m lucky it’s all I need after what we went through in Kaitlyn’s office yesterday. But asking The Order for help… Asking them to protect me… it doesn’t feel right. I don’t feel like me anymore. I don’t feel like Adrian Hell. I wanted him dead and gone, out of my life forever, but that plan went to shit a few months ago. So now he’s back, and I’m living that life again. But it’s not the same. It’s not how it used to be. I’m not how I used to be. It’s as if I’ve been… neutered. I mean, look at me! My head’s a goddamn mess—I dread to think what I’d be like if I didn’t have Kaitlyn… I’m nothing more than Horizon’s pet. His wild animal, reluctantly tamed and kept on a leash for his amusement. I’m hiding from someone who’s trying to kill me because I don’t feel like I can defend myself…
I let out a long, heavy, tired sigh.
Maybe I should just let Lily get to me during my operation… put me out of my fucking misery.
21
12:18 AST
Consciousness hits me like a lazy wave crashing over a shoreline. I keep my eyes closed as all my systems and senses fire up again, rebooting after a factory reset.
You have to be impressed with my computer metaphors, c’mon!
Instinctively, I try to move the fingers on my right hand.
Nothing.
Oh man, I hope the surgery worked.
I concentrate on my arm. I can feel something on it… something heavy and tight. I slowly, cautiously, open one eye and glance down. There’s a plastic cast molded to the outside of my forearm and held firmly in place by two black Velcro straps fastened over the inside, partially covering my tattoo. The top of it fits like a fingerless glove, with another strap fastened across my palm, which has bandages beneath it. There’s a final strap across my wrist.
Well, that explains why I can’t move my fingers. At least it’s secure, which I’m guessing is a sign the surgery went well and it’s been prepared for rehab.
I close my eye again and take some deep breaths. Since waking up, I’ve felt pretty nauseous. I don’t think general anesthesia agrees with me.
In fact…
I sit bolt upright, turn to my left and grab the cardboard sick bucket—you know, that thing that looks like an upside-down hat—and vomit.
Oh my God, that sucks…
I cough and spit the last bit out and sit back.
Well, I’m awake!
I look around the room. The sun is still bright outside, despite the blinds being closed at the window. I’m alone and the door is shut.
Kaitlyn!
No, wait.
She’ll be fine. Don’t get all wound up over nothing, Adrian. She’s probably just gone for a drink or something.
I hope she brings me some real coffee this time.
Oh, man, I feel like I’m going to throw up again.
…
…
…
No, false alarm.
God, I hate this. I can’t wait to get out of here. I need to head back to my place and grab a change of clothes and some more weapons. I have no idea where my car is. I parked it outside Kaitlyn’s office yesterday, but given how most things have turned to shit since then, it could be anywhere.
Damn it. I liked that car. I mean, I know I can just go and buy a new one with my bottomless credit card, but that just seems wasteful. Plus, right now I don’t want to give The Order the satisfaction of seeing me taking advantage of everything they’ve given me.
I’m drifting in and out in terms of my general awareness, because I’m still feeling the effects of the surgery, but I can’t help noticing how quiet it is. I haven’t seen one person pass by my room since I came to. There’s no equipment in here, which makes it easier to hear what’s going on in the corridor outside. But there’s nothing.
That’s weird.
It’s not even like it’s the middle of the night or something… It’s just after twelve, so you would expect any kind of medical facility to be busy.
Hmmm…
I shake my head. No, Adrian, just… stop. You’ve just had surgery and you’re not yourself—stop overthinking things. Kaitlyn would shout at you for it.
I smile to myself for a moment, but it fades quickly.
Who am I kidding? I don’t overthink anything. I worry, and I plan ahead, but the only thing I do unnecessarily is feel guilty—or so Kaitlyn tells me. I think it’s too quiet, and that’s because my spider sense is telling me it’s too goddamn quiet.
No rest for the wicked…
I swing my legs out of bed and place my feet tentatively down on the refreshingly cold floor. I stand slowly and remain still for a moment, allowing a fresh wave of nausea to pass. I quickly get dressed into my shorts, my torn, blood-stained T-shirt, and shoes. I shove my watch in my pocket, because I can’t fasten it around my left wrist with my busted right hand. I kneel down and retrieve the pillowcase of guns and ammo from underneath the bed, then empty the contents out onto the bed. I tuck one inside my waistband at my back. The steel is cold against my body, and the weight provides me with a welcome reassurance. I put both spare mags in my other pockets.
I keep hold of the other gun and head for the door. I catch my reflection in the long mirror mounted on the wall just behind it as I pass by. Jesus… I look like an extra from The Walking Dead. I adjust my T-shirt to cover the gun at my back and carefully open the door. I look up and down the hallway and frown. It’s like a ghost town out here. I’m seriously expecting a tumbleweed to roll past at any moment. I strain to listen for any sign of life, but I’m getting nothing. I edge out of the room, tightening my grip on the gun in anticipation.
I have a really bad feeling about this…
I head left and turn right at the end, toward the entrance. Another long corridor stretches out before me, well-lit and devoid of life. At the end, it veers toward the reception area. Halfway along, another corridor cuts across it. I walk on, trying to forget the constant nausea and the uneasiness of standing, and focus on running through every possible scenario I might come up against that will involve me squeezing the trigger.
I make it halfway and pause for a moment to check left and right.
It’s clear.
I carry on, but slow as I near the dogleg at the end. I can hear something approaching. It’s faint, but it’s getting louder with each step I take. I raise the gun slightly, preparing to fire if I need to. I’m maybe a hundred yards from the turn.
Oh shit…
I recognize the low clacking of footsteps ahead of me. It sounds like there are two people coming this way, walking quickly together. I clench my jaw muscles until my teeth ache. My brow furrows as I strain to focus. Whoever this is better have some answers for me…
I raise the gun in front of me and rest my finger gently on the trigger. It feels weird leading with my left, but I’m good enough with it that it won’t make a difference at this sort of distance.
Here we go…
Kaitlyn appears from around the corner, walking at an urgent pace. She sees me and slides to a stop, staring at me with a look of shock on her face. Lily appears a second later and stands beside her, sp
orting the same expression. Our eyes meet, but I don’t react. I’m just as surprised to see either of them, as they apparently are to see me.
I take a step toward them and snap my aim so the barrel is pointing at the center of Lily’s forehead. I glare at her with a ferocious and immediate fury. I’m willing the sudden rush of adrenaline and thirst for violence into my eyes, so I can release them in a controlled fashion, instead of rushing over to her and tearing her apart in a blind rage.
My gun doesn’t waver. “Step away, Lily, or I swear to God I’ll fucking shoot you.”
Our eyes are locked, each of us watching the other’s mind working, planning the next move, and the next, and the next… desperate to be the one who finds a way out of this standoff alive.
Lily nods without a word and takes a step to the side, putting some distance between them.
“Kaitlyn, are you alright?” I ask without looking at her.
“I—I’m fine… Listen, Adrian, this isn’t what it looks like. You need to hear what Lily has to say…”
I narrow my eyes and shake my head. “I don’t want to listen to her.” I turn to Lily. “There’s nothing you can say to make this better.”
She shrugs, but stays silent.
“Lose your weapon.”
She sighs and takes out her gun. She holds it loose, and then crouches and places it on the floor. When she stands, she holds her hands out to the side. “Look, Adrian, we need to talk, but now isn’t the time. You have to trust me. We need to—”
I scoff with disbelief. “Trust you? After everything you’ve done?”
Kaitlyn moves over to me. “Adrian, please. We need to get back to your room. It’s not what you think.”
I frown, confused. I look into her eyes. I see confidence… certainty… She knows something I don’t. I need to focus on that, not the fact Lily’s here.
I sigh. “Okay, but then someone’s telling me what the fuck is going on.”
Lily scoops her gun up off the floor and moves alongside me as the three of us head back to my room. We file inside quickly, and I close the door gently behind us. Kaitlyn sits down in her usual chair, and Lily moves around the bed and turns to face me.
I stay standing near the door and aim my gun at her again. “I know you were just protecting yourself, Lily, but dragging Kaitlyn into this was a real dick move.”
Kaitlyn shifts in the chair and looks at me. “Adrian, this isn’t about Lily. She’s—”
Lily steps forward and gestures with her own gun. “You don’t get it, do you? You can’t see what’s really going on here.”
She sounds impatient… frustrated. It just makes me angrier. How can she be frustrated with me?
I shake my head, bewildered. “Lily, you blew up Kaitlyn’s fucking office to get to me! I’ve been trying to think of a way out of this that doesn’t involve me killing you. You know I won’t ever take a contract without an explanation. I never intended to kill you. I wanted to talk, to find out what all this was about and figure a way out of it together. But you took it upon yourself to attack me first. You know how The Order works, you must have assumed Horizon would give me the contract on you, and you knew I couldn’t say no to him on account of our explosive tracking devices. So, yet again, you acted like an amateur—reacting without thinking. You hacked the signal to find me, and then you waited until I was with Kaitlyn before you tried to take me out.”
I’m short of breath, my adrenaline-fueled rage increasing my heart rate with every word.
She steps forward. “Have you finished?”
I shrug. “For the moment…”
She lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Thank God for that. Listen, you’re right—I do know how The Order works. A lot better than you do. If Horizon wants an asset out of The Order, he plays mind games with them. He breaks them. He turns friends and other assets against them. He makes sure they die knowing he was better than they were.”
I look at her. She’s wearing the same outfit she had on yesterday morning, and she still looks incredible. Her body language is calm and confident, her stance is relaxed and comfortable, her eye contact is unwavering, and her tone is steady… I’m pretty sure she’s not bullshitting me.
She throws her gun onto the bed. “Adrian, are you listening to what I’m saying? You need to get your head out of your ass and read between the lines. I’m not trying to kill you—The Order is!”
Kaitlyn stands and walks over to me and places her hand on my shoulder. “Adrian, she’s telling the truth. When they took you away for surgery, Pierce and his team showed up with a fleet of ambulances. They cleared the hospital of everyone except the bare minimum of staff and positioned themselves at all the entrances and exits. He said he was securing the place, and The Order was using its influence to move all the other patients and staff to another facility. I couldn’t believe something like that was even possible, but he did it and no one questioned anything.”
I nod absently. “That explains why it’s so quiet around here…”
“I was standing outside your room when Lily showed up. She didn’t know who I was. She introduced herself and told me what she just told you—that Pierce was here to set a trap for her, and to kill you and me. She wanted to hide me away until you woke up, and then the plan was for the three of us to get out of here.”
I gesture toward Lily with a small nod. “Okay, let’s say I believe you. Let’s say Horizon actually wants me dead instead of you. Or as well as you, whichever. Why me? Why give me the job of killing you? What have I done wrong? He’s only just recruited me…”
She flicks an eyebrow up questioningly. “Are you being serious? The constant questioning of his orders… The complete and total lack of respect you show him… The fact you helped me and disregarded the only three rules they asked you to follow in the process… If I were you, I’d be wondering why he’s not tried to kill you sooner.”
I can feel Kaitlyn’s gaze next to me. I glance at her and smile sheepishly. She just rolls her eyes and smiles to herself.
I’m impressed she’s managing to see the funny side…
I turn back to Lily. “I’m assuming Kaitlyn’s told you what happened to us in Abu Dhabi?”
She nods.
“So if that wasn’t you, who was it?”
She shrugs. “If I had to guess, I’d say Pierce. He’s Horizon’s main guy for keeping everyone in line.”
I shake my head. “No, Pierce was standing next to me inside the office when the RPG hit. He came to me with a team to warn me you were after me.”
She sighs. “Look, Adrian, I don’t know, alright? If it wasn’t Pierce, it had to have been one of his team. If he was there, it was so he wouldn’t look guilty. Horizon wants you to believe I’m the one coming after you, so you’ll have the incentive to take me out. He would’ve known the moment he gave you the contract that you’d struggle to go through with it.”
“So, if you’re not coming after me… if you’re not tracking me… how did you find me?”
She shakes her head. “I didn’t. I was following Pierce and he led me here.”
“Wouldn’t he have known you were tracking him?”
She shrugs. “Maybe, maybe not. Sure, he has the ability to see where I am, but that doesn’t mean he’s always looking. I figured he was coming for you, so I gambled that he was tracking you, not me.”
Shit.
What she’s saying makes sense. But does that mean I should believe her?
I look at Kaitlyn, silently asking for advice. I see the switch in her eyes as she flicks into her professional mindset. “You said yourself you were trying to figure out how the two of you could survive this. Maybe this Horizon guy has noticed the connection you two have and anticipated your reaction. It makes sense that he would use Pierce to fabricate the story about Lily, to give you the push he felt you needed in order to do your job and kill her for him. Plus, the reasons Lily just surmised about why he would want you dead as well… they make sense, too—especially given the thi
ngs we’ve been discussing, and what I know about your personality.”
I slowly lower my gun. My gut says Kaitlyn is on the money, and the fact she’s implying Lily is, too, is good enough for me.
I look over at Lily and nod. “Sorry.”
She waves her hand. “I think we know each other well enough to understand that either one of us would have acted the way you just did, under the circumstances.”
We exchange a subtle nod of forgiveness. “So, what’s our move?”
She shakes her head. “We don’t have one. If they want us terminated, we will be.”
I smile. “Don’t make me do the thing where I re-introduce myself to make the point that I am who I am, and people don’t get to do shit like this to me.”
She rolls her eyes and smiles back. “You’re an asshole. But… if anyone can get us out of this… it’s you.”
“Damn right. I think the first thing to do is get the fuck outta here. How did you get in, if Pierce has the place surrounded?”
She points to the ceiling. “I snuck past a couple of his team and climbed the fire escape around back. This is a big place, but it only has two floors. I got inside the ventilation ducts and dropped down inside the supplies closet at the other end of the hall.”
“Nice. No help here, though.” I hold my right hand up and wave with it. “I’ll never be able to climb with one hand, and I’m too heavy for you to pull me up. I think the only option is the front door.”
“But Pierce has this place surrounded…”
I nod. “I know, but I’m hoping that, even if he knows you’re here, he might not know we’ve spoken. He’ll see we’re close together and figure we’re trying to kill each other. Which means he won’t know I know he’s a piece of shit. Lily, if you sneak out the way you came in, me and Kaitlyn will head out the front door. When we link up with Pierce, I’ll play along, say we scuffled and you ran away, and then get him away from here.”
She shrugs. “Then what? You’re still basically giving yourself up.”
I shake my head. “I’ll take him out before we get too far.”
Kaitlyn raises her hand apprehensively. “I’m sorry if this is a dumb, or even callous, question, but what’s to stop him just blowing your heads off with those device thingies?”
Good Intentions - Adrian Hell #6 (Adrian Hell Series) Page 20