From the darkness, an eager voice spoke up. “At last, she awakes,” it said gleefully. “I thought perhaps I would need to douse you in cold water to bring you around.”
Alteri, she thought. Gradually her mind cleared and the memory of what had gone down in her apartment came back to her. “I just needed a little nap was all,” she replied, determined not to show any fear. Alteri fed on his victims’ fear, and Hazel didn’t intend to encourage his appetites any. “So, what’s on the menu tonight? Chicken? Asparagus? I didn’t eat lunch.”
From the shadows she saw his figure begin to emerge as he inched closer to her. “So brave,” he murmured. “Like a tiny, helpless kitten baring its tiny teeth. I’m afraid there will be no dinner for you my little kitten.”
Seeing the focus had returned to her eyes, he moved deliberately into view until he was only inches away from her face. As her eyes locked onto his, she felt the cold blade of a scalpel slice lightly across her neck, and Kelly’s words floated back to her. And then they burned. Seeing his eyes flare just inches from her face, she understood exactly what Kelly had meant.
Without warning he drew back and slapped her face. “Scream for me,” he gloated as the slaps increased in speed, but Hazel refused. Screaming would only encourage him, make his work more enjoyable. She refused to be his outlet, no matter how much she might want to. Getting nowhere with her face, he tried punching her in the stomach, succeeding in knocking the wind from her, but unable to make her cry out.
He backed away and assessed her with a calculating eye, deciding on the best way to break her. It gave her a chance to get a look at the room. If there was a way out, she couldn’t see it. Feeling trapped, she began to feel a thin worm of fear work its way around her mind, but she refused to allow it to grow. She wasn’t going to allow him to torture her, and she damn sure wasn’t going down without a fight. Focusing on a spot just over his shoulder, she tensed her muscles and gathered her strength.
She didn’t have to wait long. Frowning slightly, he turned his head to see what she was focused on. It was the opening she was waiting for. Using the ropes around her wrist, she pulled herself up enough to get her feet under her, then kicked out and trapped his neck between her legs. Locking her ankles together and twisting sideways, she tried to crush his trachea, but he recovered quickly and drove the scalpel clear to the hilt in her leg.
The pain was blinding, and for a second her grip faltered. Taking advantage of it, Alteri flung himself free of her and fell to his hands and knees, gasping desperately for air. Hazel drew her legs to her chest, using her teeth to pull the scalpel free of her leg. She knew she had barely seconds before he recovered. Twisting her head, she managed to bring the blade up against the ropes that bound her wrist. Alteri’s penchant for sharp blades proved her salvation, as the bloody scalpel sliced through the ropes like butter.
Freed at last, she scrambled to her feet and darted towards Alteri, who was still on the floor clutching his throat and coughing wildly. She intended to slit his throat just like he’d done so many others, but at the last second realized she’d dropped the scalpel. Dammit! Frantically she looked back towards the wall where she’d been tied, but the lamp’s dim light didn’t reach far enough to let her see where the knife had fallen. She had no choice but to get out before he got enough air into his lungs to resume his attack. Giving him a wide berth, she raced to the far wall and quickly found a door that led to a narrow hallway. At the end of the hall she found a set of stairs that seemed to disappear up into the darkness. As she made it halfway up she began to see pipes running along a dark ceiling, and realized she was in some sort of basement.
She ran up two more flights before she finally came to another door. Pulling it open, she slipped inside another room, this one much larger than the one Alteri had tied her up in. In the dim light it was hard to be sure, but the place looked like an old shoe factory. Limping slightly putting pressure on her leg wound, she searched the room for another escape route. She knew she was likely leaving a blood trail behind, but in the darkness she doubted he could follow it.
Hazel tried several windows but they were all stuck. Frustrated, she peered out to see several squad cars were outside. Help was just fifty yards away, but she didn’t dare call out to them. Alteri would hear it and be on her in a second. At last she found another door and quickly ran through it into another open area. She’d made it halfway across the room when a gunshot rang out, and something slammed into her shoulder from behind, knocking her off her feet and face down into the dust.
Ignoring the pain, she rolled over, but Alteri was already there, grinning evilly as he looked down at her.
Alteri began to get closer to her. “This game of cat and mouse is growing tiresome, don’t you think? Especially since we’ve established that you’re the mouse.”
He lunged at her but she managed to roll to her feet and evade him. His hand came up and she saw he’d traded in his usual knife for a gun. He pointed his gun directly at her. Moving quickly, she grabbed his hand and twisted it upwards as he emptied the magazine. She could hear the rounds pinging off the metal ceiling and walls all around them. Flinging the now useless pistol across the room, he furiously wrapped both hands around her neck and bore her back to the ground, determined to strangle the life out of her at last.
Weakened from the loss of blood and the sedative he’d shot her up with earlier, it wasn’t long before Hazel’s vision began to swim and then darken. The more she struggled, the tighter his grip seemed to become. Dizzily she tried to kick him, but her feet only connected with the air behind him. Even when he removed one hand from her throat, the choking never let up. As she began to black out, she felt the sharp snick of his knife as it darted in and out of her chest and abdomen. When blood began to fill her mouth, she knew he’d hit a lung. It was over, she was done for. She had no strength left to fight back.
Sensing his victory was at hand, he let go of her throat and sat up right, leering wickedly down at her motionless body. Dimly Hazel saw him raise the blade for one last, lethal slice, and a gunshot rang out and he collapsed on top of her. Unable to do more than suck in every bit of sweet air she could get, she simply laid there until Altari’s corpse was dragged off of her, and she looked up to see Owen standing over her.
“Hang in there, Hazel,” Owen’s voice got through to her. “We’re going to get you out of here.”
There were no words for what she felt, not that she had any energy to say them anyway. The darkness was overtaking her now, and she was losing the fight. Owen continued to apply pressure to her wound. “Please, stay with me,” he pleaded. “I need you.”
Smiling weakly at him, she closed her eyes and let the darkness take her.
Chapter 18
Owen was sitting back in a hospital bed anxious to hear the news. They had to perform CPR on Hazel several times. She’d lost a lot of blood and there was no telling what was happening now.
Jacob and Percy came in. The expression on their faces told him everything he needed to know. He felt as if his entire world had ended. “What happened?”
“The doctors are saying that a toxin was used to knock Hazel out. It sent her into organ failure. If not for that, she’d be alive right now.”
Owen buried his head in his hands. “How is your Mom doing?” he said, choking back tears.
“She’s lost her mind,” said Percy, crying into his hands. “She can’t stop crying and is being taken home right now.”
“You two should go home too,” said Owen. “I need some time to myself.”
They reluctantly left. Tears streamed down his face. He didn’t want to believe this. She was gone – just like that. He meant it when he said he needed her. Every day he had thought of her and what could have been. He thought that this had been his time to get everything back to the way it was. However, he was wrong. Now he had a gaping hole in his chest. He would never be able to get her back.
Brooks appeared in the doorway. “I a
m sorry for your loss, Owen. I hope you can reconsider my offer.”
“On one condition,” he said, collecting himself. “I want immunity for what I am about to do.”
“You can do whatever you need to. I trust your judgment, but the rule remains.”
“Don’t get caught,” Owen said.
Brooks gave him a thumbs up then walked away with a heavy heart. Being the head honcho was a pain in the ass sometimes; especially when it came down to making decisions like this. However, this was an order he got from a person far above him. He knew he could not do anything about this. It was out of his hands.
Chapter 19
Looking around, she was confused as to where she was. There was no one else here in the large room and then a door opened. Wheeling himself towards her, he looked at her in wonder. “Hazel Hanson,” he said. “How are you feeling?”
“Confused,” she said, her voice scratchy.
“That is understandable. I do owe you an explanation though. You are no longer Hazel Hanson. As far as your family is concerned you are dead. You are now Victoria Young and part of a government branch called Eagle Feather.”
“You don’t have a right to do this,” she said fiercely.
“We have already done it, on top of which you are no longer you.”
He handed her a mirror from a nearby table. She looked at her reflection but it was a stranger. Her cheekbones were higher and her jaw more prominent. Her face was black and blue from the surgery. All signs of her slashed throat had been cosmetically corrected. She felt tears well up in her eyes.
“You have been recruited to join us. It is an honor.”
“I should have been asked,” she accused.
“How this happened was not our decision. You are now our agent and no longer Hazel Hanson. You are part of an elite force.”
“Who are you?”
“I am Cedric Moore and you work under me. I know that this is not ideal, but you should understand that you are helping defend your country. There should be nothing more important, especially now that we are in the crosshairs of many different countries.”
She shook her head. “You took me away from my family.”
“Yes,” he said. “But they are baggage. You shouldn’t have anyone holding you back. Plus, they could be used as leverage. I want you to get ready.”
She saw him place a pile of clothes at her side and she shook her head. “I refuse this position.”
“If you refuse, you will be terminated. I will be back in half an hour.”
He wheeled out of the room silently. Hazel was enraged.
On the other side of the door, Cedric saw his son and the others. They were standing there in distaste. “You took her away from her family without even informing her?” his son said.
“Seeley, you need to understand that someone higher up is calling the shots. We just roll with the punches.”
“She deserves to be able to make that decision.”
Cedric shrugged. Yes, he disagreed with the government, but they were good to him. They allowed him to neutralize threats without having to be worried about the consequences. He protected his country and this should be an honor for anyone who was part of it. Walter Brooks entered the room.
“You and I need to talk,” he said firmly.
They exited to a small room and Brooks shut the door. “I have informed my agent that Hazel Hanson is dead, but you sure as hell had better keep this in-house. We don’t need anyone else knowing about it.”
“Brooks, this is not my first rodeo.”
“I have gotten to know that girl,” said Brooks. “She has a good heart and is headstrong. She will thrive in this environment, but don’t keep her on a short chain. I know the decision was not yours, but you just took away the only thing that has ever been important to her.”
“I know that. I’m taking her to the funeral so she can see them one last time before she goes to DC.”
Brooks shook his head, angered with how this had turned out.
“Is your agent going to clean up?” Cedric asked.
“Yes, Jones is going to clean up. He has a lot of rage bottled up and will get the job finished.”
“Maybe that is the reason why they did it this way.”
“Don’t defend them. You know better than me that our government doesn’t give a damn about the feelings of its citizens. Now you are going to be training that girl to be an elite killer. Our government is protecting us and that is why they seek out the best of the best for this job.”
Brooks threw his hands in the air and he began to walk away. “Next time you defend our government, you should remember what hell they put you and your son through. Remember what happened to your wife.”
Cedric grew silent, not wanting to revisit that memory.
Chapter 20
At home, Nate was holding Arianna in his arms. She had come out of hiding when she’d seen the news report. Everyone in America heard about the sadistic killings and who was behind it. Owen had disappeared, and the night of his disappearance was when the bodies started to be found. The last one he killed was Elias Ciervo, his death being the most brutal.
“Are you going to arrest him?” their mother asked.
“No dear,” Chief Hanson said. “There is no evidence to link him to these crimes and on top of which, remember, he is technically dead.”
“If you could arrest him, would you?”
They all watched their stepfather. “No. I would not arrest him. He was doing right by Hazel, and by this city.”
“He killed 95 people!” Lisa said incredulously.
“They were all monsters. He just ended the Italian mafia and that is something I thank him for. Now I want everyone to go to sleep. We have the funeral in the morning.”
Everyone began to go to their rooms. Nate and Arianna stayed in the living room and he held her close. He couldn’t believe that she was gone – just like that. Kissing Arianna’s head, they got up together and went upstairs. As Nate passed her bedroom, memories from their childhood flooded his mind:
“Get off of me,” he screamed as Hazel began tickling him. “Stop!”
“No,” she said firmly. “I want my toy back!”
“Fine! I’ll give it to you, but stop tickling me.”
Getting up, he quickly ran and she darted after him. It was summer and very bright outside. She tackled him to the warm grass and held him down. “You are a jerk!”
“That is a bad word,” a voice said from behind.
Both of them looked to the boy that was standing there. He had a basketball under his arm and smiled slightly. “I didn’t know you lived over in this neighborhood.”
“Hazel,” Nate said, “this is Owen. He is my friend from school.”
Getting up, she waved to him awkwardly. “Do you guys want to shoot some hoops?”
That was the day that they had become friends which sealed them together forever.
Forever was not as long as he thought it was. He wished he had been there to say goodbye to her. Arianna squeezed his hand and they walked to the room. He could not kick this feeling that this was his fault. Maybe if he had not gone to her apartment that morning, she would still be alive.
He crawled into bed with Arianna and put his hand on her stomach. He was going to be a father, and knew what he had to do in order to make sure that his child had everything she needed.
§
As Owen walked the streets, he heard a car pull up next to him. “Are you ready to leave for Iraq now?” Brooks called out.
“No,” he said. “I still have one more thing I need to do.”
“You’re going to her funeral?”
“Yes. I need to say my final goodbye to her.”
“That might not be a good idea. After all, the people there know you are responsible for all these deaths. I am sure you are tired after all of this.”
“The government trained me to be an ‘elite’ killer and I
just proved that I know what I’m doing. The Hanson family won’t do anything against me. They know there is no evidence to tie me to those killings. I owe her that much.”
“I can give you a lift,” Brooks said. “We can go to the hotel together.”
“I’m not going to the hotel.”
Brooks looked at him, respecting his decision. Owen continued down the way, distraught because he was in a lot of physical pain, but mental pain for Hazel as well. The doctors said that there was no way she could have lived, but Owen doubted that. Hazel was a fighter, but knew he was in denial. He wanted to believe she was alive.
§
Hazel could not believe that this was her now. She was completely different, Victoria Young, with a file on the person she was now. After she had accepted the position, she’d gotten her hair cut ˗ medium length with bangs, her former long locks falling to the floor of the salon.
“Hi,” said a young woman. “I’m Penelope.”
She noted how pretty she was and wondered if that was her real face. “I know how different this is, and I just want to say I’m sorry. Not being with your family is hard, but at least Cedric is letting you see them one last time at your funeral.”
“Were you taken from your family too?” Hazel said rudely, not caring.
“No, they were murdered. I fell off the grid and no one noticed that I got recruited. Look, you are going to hate us, but you should know that you are making a difference here.”
“And what exactly am I supposed to be doing?”
“Cedric will tell you when we’re on our way to DC.”
“Why are all of you here in New York?”
“It is a requirement to meet everyone who is joining our team.”
“How many people is that, exactly?”
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