by Nova Drake
Cash leaned forward and took her hand in his. “I come from a long line of police officers. At one time that was something to be proud of. The world has changed, but there are still some decent people out there.” Jess raised an eyebrow at his fairy tale crap. He probably lured in a lot of suckers with his bullshit, but it wouldn’t work on her. “Let me help you. You can trust me,” he insisted.
“I don’t trust anyone. Get me those files, and maybe that’ll change someday.” It wouldn’t, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Fine, why don’t I start by getting you out of here?”
Jess frowned. “Any chance I can get this box out too?”
Cash looked at her like she was nuts. “Not a chance.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
Cash stood and offered her a hand which she ignored, pulling herself up on her own. He shook his head and pushed his shoulder into the door. With a bit of effort, he forced it open with a loud pop and the crack of splintering wood. Jess grabbed his arm and led him behind the door, waiting silently until it opened. Barely breathing, they waited for the two sets of footsteps to come through.
Silently handing her knife over to Cash, she hopped up onto the back of the second man, wrapping her arm tightly around his throat and cutting off his air. Holding on to him as he lost consciousness, Jess slowly lowered him to the floor while Cash quietly closed the door behind them. Cash grabbed the other guy from behind and used her knife to take him out as well.
They dragged the bodies to the closet and dropped them. Cash barricaded the door with a stack of boxes while Jess positioned her file boxes near the window. If she was able to come back, she might be able to steal files without having to find a way inside.
The eerie feeling of being watched had her ducking out of view. She peered out over the top of the boxes, but there was no one outside. Logic told her she was imagining it. The hair raising on the back of her neck told her to get the hell out of there.
“Ready?” Cash’s voice came from behind her.
“Yeah.”
“I’m going out the front door. I’ll pull my car around this side of the building. Jump down from that window, climb into the back seat, and stay down. Got it?”
It was as good a plan as any. Jess gave a quick nod, not believing for a second that she’d be seeing him again once he disappeared out the door.
Chapter 13
Standing by the edge of the window, Jess still felt like she was being watched. She side-stepped to the edge and looked out again, examining every visible area, but seeing nothing.
With a sigh, she flipped up the top of the box she’d been working on and secured a folder. At least she could take something with her. She stuffed it down the waistband of her pants and yanked her shirt over it. It was completely visible, but if she got caught she was going to have bigger problems than stealing a folder anyway.
To her surprise, a black car pulled around the building and stopped a few moments later. She pried the dusty window open and used her knife to cut the screen out before sticking her head out to check for company against the building. Seeing no one, she hoisted herself up and slipped her legs out, squirming her body out the narrow window until she was hanging on the ledge with her boots braced against the brick building. After a quick check for debris below, she dropped, absorbing as much of the impact as she could and rolling once she hit the ground with a thud.
Crouched between the building and the police car she was expected to willingly climb into, Jess made the only decision she could. Trusting a cop was out of the question. Especially with everything she’d been through fresh in her mind.
“Get in,” Cash whispered through his open window.
“Get the files and meet me in the alley behind the diner in a week.”
“Jess, get in the car,” Cash whispered.
He was too late. She was already darting between the nearest buildings. She had no way of knowing how huge the search party was, nor what she was worth these days, but it was going to be a tense walk home.
Jess stuck to the empty side streets and alleyways, lurking in the dark shadows made her feel safer. The further she got from the warehouse, the more she relaxed, but it would be a while before she was out of the woods. The price on her head wasn’t going anywhere.
Echoing voices up ahead gave her pause. She slowed, pressing her back to the building next to her. Barely daring to breathe, she listened carefully. Four, maybe five of them. She could probably handle that, as long as there weren’t many more nearby. She stepped forward and pulled her knife as the voices got closer.
Focused on what was in front of her, she was caught off guard when a hand clamped over her mouth from behind. Flipping the knife in her hand, she prepared to swing it back but a hand caught her arm. A black leather cuff was wrapped around the wrist that held her.
“Don’t move,” he whispered in her ear as he pulled her back into the shadows of a fire escape.
She knew who he was, but she didn’t know what the hell he was doing. The hiding spot he chose wasn’t exactly foolproof. Anyone could see right through the rusty metal stairs, a second glance from any of her pursuers and they were screwed. Jess struggled to get free. He pulled the knife from her hand and clamped an arm around her tight, holding her back to his chest and keeping his hand firmly over her mouth.
“Trust me,” he whispered as the voices moved too close for comfort.
Yeah, right. Everyone’s looking for trust today. She would have laughed, but she was quickly distracted by her fast approaching fate.
Trust me. Those words didn't sit well with her. But what choice did she have? She froze as the men appeared up ahead. Their eyes scanned the alleyway.
Behind her, every muscle in his body went rigid at once. The hairs on the back of her neck raised and chills ran down her spine. She didn't like being weaponless. Her hand found the arm clamped around her and tried to follow it, sliding toward his hand, wanting him to release her knife. But she couldn’t reach. He was as still as a stone, and with her upper arms pinned, her fingers stopped just above his wrist.
She tensed as they approached, wondering if he would release her so she could fight. What the hell was he doing? They came closer. Closer. Creepy guy held her tight, but as they got closer she froze with him, barely breathing. Tucked in the shadows, they were not immediately noticeable, but any moron would see them if they just looked her way. She was going to have to fight them, which was not an issue. Killing them silently without her throwing knives, however, would be nearly impossible. How many more were close enough to hear?
Her heart rate increased as they approached. Their gazes slid past the spot she was standing in without suspicion. Jess relaxed as they moved past and kept walking. Her tension was quickly replaced with confusion. Unless they really weren’t paying attention, they should have seen her. But more confusing was how the hell did Creepy know that would happen? The remained frozen for several moments after the alley emptied before she finally felt his arms loosen.
“Let me go,” she mumbled into his hand.
He released her, and she spun to face him. His eyes opened. The icy gaze settled on hers, sending that chill down her spine. She was growing used to his creepy factor and didn’t have as much trouble maintaining her composure. Or maybe she just wasn’t as scared knowing he’d just protected her. Not that she needed his help.
“What the hell was that?”
He handed her the knife. “They’re all over. If you can’t manage to stay out of a fight tonight, you’re going to end up with more trouble than you can handle”
“Why do you care?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “And are you still following me?”
He was silent for a moment. “Your typical trail of bodies died down for a few days. I wanted to make sure your head injury healed.”
Jess remembered what happened the last time she saw him. Her eyes narrowed. “Why? If there’s a price on my head why haven’t you turned me in?”
“This i
sn’t the time. You need to get off the streets.” He grabbed her by the arm and started walking.
Jess yanked her arm free but walked alongside him, still trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
“You’re supposed to be some vicious killer. Everyone is afraid of you.”
“They should be.”
“Why?”
“Because I am,” he answered plainly.
A nervous warning twisted in her stomach. Not that she hadn’t killed her fair share of people, but her reputation wasn’t nearly what his was. And she’d had to work her ass off for it.
How many people did Creepy have to kill to get a reputation like his? She swallowed hard, checking her surroundings to cover her reaction.
“Then why did you just try to help me?”
“I have no reason to want you dead.”
“Money is enough reason for anyone.”
“I have no interest in money.”
Yeah, right. “Who are you?”
“No one you need to worry about.”
Tired of his games, Jess stopped and crossed her arms over her chest. “Drop the bullshit. What is it you want from me?”
His expression shifted, and confusion flashed over his face before she was trapped in his penetrating stare again. She didn’t know if he was trying to decide how to answer, or if she was worth the effort. But just like their first confrontation in the rain, she was left feeling exposed. After her conversation with Cash, she was already beyond her limit for that particular feeling.
A tremor ran through her shoulders and seemed to draw his attention away from her eyes. She straightened her spine and regained her composure as the tension slipped away. For a moment, he stood there quietly.
“Let’s go,” he said, lightly guiding her elbow forward.
Jess’s first instinct was to resist, but the sudden gentleness in his voice surprised her enough to comply. Barely noticeable as it was, it was the first hint of anything other than cold and creepy she’d seen out of him.
Her head spun with the events of the day. Making a name for herself came with more attention than she’d anticipated. She didn’t know what to make of these new players trying to become allies.
Of course, she knew how the process worked. They hear of her, see something they could benefit from, and put themselves in a position to make it look like they’re helping her so that she willingly gives up said benefit. She just needed to figure out if what they offered outweighed the risks. She certainly wasn’t going to be played, and she made it this far without needing help from anyone. Putting trust in others was a good way to get screwed.
Justice chewed her lip as she walked along side Creepy. Playing along long enough to see if they could benefit her seemed like the best way forward. As long as she maintained the upper hand, and remembered that neither Cash nor creepy guy would ever really be on her side. She just hoped it didn't come back to bite her in the ass.
Feeling a little more in control, she glanced over at Creepy. She still didn’t know what the hell he wanted from her. Whatever game he was playing, she wasn’t dumb enough to fall for it.
They were getting close to one of her safe houses. Creepy moved steadily forward as though he knew where she’d been heading. Her eyes narrowed. Exactly how long had he been stalking her? She was about to find out.
Jess slowed her pace slightly to let him take the lead, making sure that she didn’t give away what direction she would have been heading. He made every turn first, and when he came to the right building, she watched him glance up the fire escape to her apartment. A very different place than the one he had been to, yet he knew exactly where she’d been going. Her mouth opened to demand answers, but she noticed his demeanor change before anything came out.
“What is it?”
Chapter 14
He’d stopped walking mid-step. His gaze was darting around, looking for someone she hadn’t picked up on. Her eyes roamed the area too, still not seeing or hearing whatever he was. She looked at him questioningly, but he offered no answers. Instead, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the shadows of the building again. This time instead of hiding with her, he pushed her behind him and stood in front. Given her up-close and personal view of his back, it was impossible to miss when every muscle in his body tensed.
Justice pulled her knife instinctively at his body language. There was still nothing around them, but the way he was acting made her edgy. She felt safer with it in her hand. Though, she’d feel a lot better with her usual arsenal. Unfortunately, her weapons stash was several floors above them. A flash of light emanating from the other side of Creepy made her jump. She stepped out from behind him to see what had caused it and her jaw almost hit the ground.
A woman, or something that was once a woman at least, stood maybe thirty feet away. Her skin lit with a dull glow. There was not a hair on her head, and her frame was thin and emaciated.
Her eyes had been darting around, but when Jess stepped out from behind Creepy, they flashed her way, glowing like an animal caught in lights at night. Another flash lit up the dark street, and her hand flew in their direction. Before Jess could react, the ball of light was coming at her. Creepy pulled her to the ground. She landed on his chest, one hand slid through gravel, adding few new scrapes. He rolled her off of him and jumped to his feet.
The moment he turned to face their attacker, another flash of light hit him in the chest, sending him flying several feet into the building. His head hit the building with a sickening crack, and he dropped to the ground. Smoke rose off of his chest under his scorched shirt. Jess jumped up. The glowing eyes now settled directly on her. She dove out of the way of the next flash, rolling back to her feet as the woman slowly moved closer.
“Who are you?” Jess demanded.
Not getting an answer, she hit the ground before the next blast of light could hit her. Pushing back up, she stayed crouched and ready to leap. Eyeballing the woman’s glowing skin, she wondered what her weakness was and how easily she’d go down.
“Who do you work for?” Jess tried again. And again there was no answer except another attack. By the time she got to her feet, the woman was too close for comfort. “Okay now Sunshine, there’s no reason to be hostile. Why don’t we just talk? Tell me who did this to you, maybe I can help,” Jess tried.
The woman stared right through her, obviously not interested in a chat. Finally close enough, she swept an arm out toward Jess who threw her forearm up to block her. Barely biting back a scream, Jess quickly drew her severely burned arm back to her body. Breathing heavily, she took a swing of her own and sliced deep through the glowing skin. A screech of pain emanated from Sunshine as she cradled her leaking arm. Now sufficiently pissed off, her luminous glare made its way back to Jess. Oh crap. How was she supposed to fight someone she couldn’t touch?
Jess took a step back. “Listen, you can’t kill me, or you won’t get the money. They want me alive.” She didn’t actually know if that was true, but it couldn’t hurt to try to play that card.
Sunshine didn’t respond. She was mere steps away and looked to be just as intent on killing Jess, regardless of the bounty. So if she wasn’t after the money, what did she want? Remembering the gun in her waistband, Jess quickly drew the weapon but hesitated. Firing it would be a beacon for everyone in the area. A new bead of light appeared in Sunshine’s hand, and Jess knew she was screwed.
The look of confusion on Sunshine’s face surely matched her own when her attacker stopped suddenly. Her bright gaze started darted around behind Jess, and her face twisted with anger. What the hell just happened?
Hands appeared on either side of Sunshine’s head, sizzling as her neck was snapped. The smell of burning flesh floated on the air, and Jess jumped back to avoid being touched by Sunshine as she collapsed. Her glowing skin was dulling quickly, like a cooling fire-heated metal. Behind her, Creepy stood breathing heavy, smoke still coming off his chest and hands. His head hung, Jess couldn’t see his face, but h
e didn’t look to be in good shape.
Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later when he dropped to his knees. She leaped forward, pulling his shoulders toward her to keep him from falling onto the still smoldering body on the ground. For less than a second, she considered leaving him. But it was undeniable that she owed him at this point. Great, now she just had to get him up a fire escape and through a window. No sweat.
Sweat was dripping into her eyes by the time she made it to the top of the fire escape. Her muscles ached their complaints as she leaned his heavy ass against the building to pry open the window.
Out of energy, not to mention strength, Jess guided him through the window. Letting him drop to the ground inside, she hung on to one arm so his head didn’t hit the floor as hard as the rest of his body. Clumsily following, her trembling legs dropping her to the ground as well. Needing to catch her breath, she sprawled out on the floor next to him. She allowed her muscles a quick break, before forcing herself back up for medical supplies.