Page 5 of Oblivion
And as I ran the blade along the length of his body, cutting through the picture, that little Ophelia ceased to exist.
There were parts of me I wished never survived the darkness they threw me into. Parts that were far too weak to do what was right and what needed to be done, but not anymore.
These people—Vincent, the Outfit, and The Syndicate—had no idea what was coming for them.
The furies from hell were nothing compared to what I have prepared for them, and standing here, looking at the shattered glass and cut picture, the new determination set inside of me.
I turned around and walked through the living room and then down the dark hallway, where picture after picture of Nikolai and Vincent hung on the walls, and I marched straight into the kitchen.
Dark cabinets, a pristine floor… I couldn’t wait to see Vincent’s blood decorating this place. I couldn’t wait to see his lifeless eyes staring back at me, because we both knew I was coming for him. The two bodyguards he always had with him were proof that he was afraid. And he had every reason to be. All the data Cillian managed to get from Vincent’s computer, all those files with my name on them—Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, United States, Germany, France—every single mission I did. Photos of people I’d killed. People I’d loved and people I’d lost.
But two photos pissed me off the most—Storm and Maya.
They never should’ve messed with the people I loved, because even when those people,my people, hated me, when they wanted nothing to do with me, I would still burn the world for them and laugh as I watched it wither into nothingness.
And Vincent Brown deserved only nothingness.
I rounded the tall counter placed in the middle, and I had no doubt that the little weasel never even stepped inside this kitchen to cook. People like him had someone to do it for them, but it wasn’t until I saw a white plate right next to the microwave that I started laughing.
Cookies.
Dozens of cookies, and the melted chocolate on them sent a zing of happiness through my veins.
Might as well eat while I wait for him to come home.
* * *
My tongue darted out,licking off the chocolate from my thumb as bright lights illuminated the living room from the outside, and the unmistakable sound of a car door slamming echoed through the room.
It was time.
I placed the plate down on the floor, with half of the cookies missing, and crossed my legs, waiting for him to enter. Flexing my fingers, I could see the door unlocking, and I wondered how long it would take him to realize that there was somebody else in the house with him.
His voice filled the empty space, bouncing off the walls as he babbled incessantly about the new program he was developing, and a crooked smile pulled at my face. I knew that after tonight, he wouldn’t be programming anything.
“Alright,” he said, his footsteps echoing off the marble floors. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
My heart thundered in my chest, pure excitement coursing through my veins, and as soon as his silhouette appeared at the entrance to the living room, every muscle in my body pulled taut, ready for impact.
The bright lights almost blinded me, but I blinked through the sharp light, looking straight at him.
“I hope you don’t mind,” I started. “But I ate half of your cookies.”
“What the fuck?” he screamed and jumped backward, holding onto the wall as if that would help him tonight.
Unless he had a gun somewhere on his body, there was nothing helping him.
His bodyguards were held up.
His security system was down.
And I was ready.
“Hi, Vince.” I smiled and stood up, crossing the room toward the now destroyed picture. I could see the traces of my blood on the shattered glass and on the floor. I could feel his eyes on my back. “You have a really nice house.” I looked at him over my shoulder. “Sorry for the mess, but you know how it is. Sometimes you just need to smash some things.”
“What are you doing here?” He took another step backward, inching closer toward the security panel on the opposite wall. If only he knew.
“Do you know who I am?” I looked at him and frowned at what I was seeing.
