Page 30 of Ramshackle
The earpiece fits snugly in my ear before I press the tiny button to turn it on. There’s a small beep, and then I hear an echo of Aiden’s voice. “Reid. Are you ready?”
The probationary Guild member steps forward with a nod. “Ready.” Reid frowns when he looks at the growing smirk on my face, but he’s smart enough not to comment. He and I don’t know each other well yet, so this mini team up will beinteresting. He’s been working with Aiden and the others while I’ve been off hunting, and he’s apparently won Aiden’s trust during that time.
If he doesn’t get in my way, I don’t care if he’ll be joining me.
“Grab my shoulder. And don’t let go before I tell you to,” Reid reminds me, his tone stoic. I’m curious for a second about what he thinks we’re going to do, and then I realize that I don’t care so long as he doesn’t try to betray us.
Placing my hand on his shoulder, my other readies a handful of throwing knives.
This is it.
I’m getting her back.
The rage I’ve been holding back slips through my veins like sweet venom, filling me up in a rush of adrenaline that sets my heart racing. A warm buzz settles beneath my skin. A violent dance of energy that demands to be released.
The air thins, and then the world tilts off-balance before my feet land on firm sand. My body takes longer to catch up to where I’m standing, but I use my gift to steady myself and stay upright.
Reid’s eyebrows pop up as he looks at me. “Most people fall down.”
I don’t bother responding. He’ll learn soon enough that I’m hardly ever put into the category of “most people.”
“Hey! You!” someone shouts further down the beach.
“Shit. What are we going to—Hello?” Reid calls out, but I’m already airborne. The guy has his focus on Reid now, so it gives me the perfect opportunity to send my knives at him from above.
The first one catches in his throat, cutting off any further sound, and it’s followed by another two to the chest. He drops to the ground, and I land in a crouch next to him.
“What was that?” Dane’s voice sounds from the earpiece.
“Nothing,” I answer calmly.
Reid strides over as I tug the blades free. His gaze travels from the dead security guard to me. “It’s handled,” he answers into his own comms.
“What’s handled?” Dane angrily whispers.
“Quiet, Dane,” Aiden cuts in. “If they said they’re fine, then they’re fine. We shouldn’t distract them.”
I ignore them and point my finger at the dead guy while looking at Reid. “Take his key card.”
Thankfully, he doesn’t waste time arguing or demanding more information. He works quickly to divest the guard of his card, flashlight, and taser gun, then faces me when he’s ready.
My hand raises, sending air beneath the dead body, and then I push him out over the ocean far enough that he won’t come rolling in overnight.
Reid grunts but keeps his thoughts to himself.
We make it to the nearest building, where I dispose of another guard at the door. Reid scans the tag from the first guard to open the door while I send the second security guard out to sea with the first.
The room we enter is dark, with random blinking green and red lights. Reid clicks on the flashlight to reveal an office. With computers.
Good.
I pull out the clip Dane had given me and search for the cable he needs in the nearest computer. Once it snaps on, I speak to the others on the boat. “Got you a computer.”
“Fuck, yes,” Dane murmurs. The comms fill with the sound of his typing as he breaks into their network.
With that task complete, Reid and I separate to clear the rest of the building. There’s no one inside, so we move on to the next one.
This one has a few more guards posted and security cameras every twenty feet. “Cameras,” I share in a raised whisper.
