Page 190 of The Dark Stranger
“Miss Lionetti.”
“You were on duty the night of the breach.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Tell me what you saw.”
He shifts in his seat.
“I already gave my report to—”
“Tell me again.”
He swallows.
“I was stationed at the east entrance. Around 9:47 PM, the power flickered. Then the alarms went off. I tried to radio in, but the comms were down. By the time I got inside, it was chaos. Smoke. Gunfire. I—”
“Did you see anyone?”
“Masked men. Tactical gear. They moved fast. Professional.”
“How many?”
“I don’t know. Maybe six? Eight?”
“You don’t know?”
“It was dark. There was smoke. I—”
“Did you recognize any of them?”
“No.”
“Did you see their vehicles?”
“No.”
“Did you seeanythinguseful?”
He hesitates.
That’s his mistake.
I pull the gun from my waistband and shoot him in the head.
The sound is deafening in the small room. His body slumps forward, blood pooling on the table.
Cesario doesn’t flinch.
“Bring in the next one,” I say.
17
Inez
Cold. That's the first thing. Not the kind that makes you shiver. The kind that seeps. Into your bones. Into your skin. Like ice stretched too thin.
I try to open my eyes, but they're so heavy. Like someone sewed weights into my eyelids. My head is pounding. Dull. Throbbing. In time with my heartbeat. My mouth tastes like metal. Chemicals. Bitter. Wrong.
