Branded (Fall of Angels #1)(17)

I frown when she comes back out again three seconds later.

As I lean in to get a better look, that’s when I notice the holster underneath her leather jacket.

Oh, fuck no.

I pick up the phone and dial the number I always call when shit’s about to hit the fan. I keep an eye on her as she walks through the corridor again. Suddenly, she looks straight up at the camera, sticks up her middle finger … and sprays it with paint.

Fuck me. We’ve got trouble.



*

Dixie



Present

Age 29



I put on the platinum blond wig and dress myself in black, then gaze in the mirror. No one will know it’s me. Perfect.

I have a job to do today. One so important that it could get me killed.

I’m well aware of the risks involved with doing what I’m about to do, but sometimes shit just needs to get done.

In this case, it’s planting a bomb in the middle of the Locklear Casino Hotel in Las Vegas.

I’m not a terrorist. Far from it, in fact. I don’t want to kill anyone … I just want to ruin one man’s life. Josiah Locklear, owner of the hotel, and the one who singlehandedly ruined my family’s income with one snap of his fingers.

If we confronted him head on, he’d just deny it and claim he’s innocent.

Not on my watch.

We’re done negotiating with that prick. Thanks to him, we’ve lost everything we’ve worked so damn hard for. Now it’s his turn to lose everything he cares about.

My dad used his last remaining cash to buy me the shit that will make this work. All I needed to do was watch tutorials on the internet to learn how to make bombs. That’s one of the perks of being handy with technical stuff and loving that shit since you were a kid. My dad didn’t like it back then, but it’s definitely come in handy now.

I grab the bags and take out my gun, tucking it into my holster. Then I tuck a pocket knife into my boot and shove the bags back into the corner of the hotel room. You never know when you'll need one. I don’t expect Locklear to go down easily. Once I’m spotted by his security, they’ll be on the hunt for me, and I need to be prepared.

So I make sure I’m fully stocked before I set the timer on the bomb.

I take out the spray paint and go out into the hallway to spray the cameras. I’m not doing it to hide my crimes. Fuck no. I want their attention. I want them to come and see … so they can witness their own end.

As I hold up my canister, I give the camera the middle finger before spraying the paint on the lens. Then I chuck the canister aside and quickly rush into the other hallway.

Noting an exit sign up ahead, I enter the stairwell and walk down the stairs until I see a red box on the wall. I open it and pull the lever.

The fire alarm goes off.

A perfect way to get all the innocents to leave so I can blow up this building without causing unnecessary deaths. I just want Locklear and his buddies to witness the whole thing … and I want to bury them under the rubble.

I run back up and go through the hallway, all the way back to the room with the bomb where I sit and wait.

“I’m ready …” I whisper. “Come and try to get me, motherfuckers. You’ll never get to me in time.”



*

Brandon



I immediately jump up from my chair and tuck my phone back into my pocket, ignoring the fact that someone might pick up. I have to get to her before she does something she’ll regret.

I march out of my office and go straight into the lobby, passing through the crowds while trying not to look too serious. I don’t want anyone to get frightened, so I won’t pull out my gun here.

I just hope I catch her in time. Whoever she is, whatever it is she did in that room up on the twentieth floor can’t be good.

When a whole family decides to get on the last elevator, I stop them and hold up my ID.

“Excuse me. Security. Step aside, please,” I say.

The people look befuddled, but then get out of the elevator, and I quickly jump in and press the button about fifty times until the doors close.

That’s when the fire alarm goes off.

Fuck me. Did she start a fire? Or is she planning something worse?

Time isn’t ticking fast enough right now. The numbers on the elevator door creep up as slow as a snail. The moment the bell rings and the doors to the twentieth floor open, I burst out, ready to meet the woman.

But of course, she’s nowhere to be found.

Other guests storm past me, searching for an exit. Meanwhile, I’m still looking for that platinum blonde. I’m not letting her escape. This is her doing, I’m sure of it.

I rush down the corridor to room number 2042 and use my security key card to open the door and gain access to the room. Holding my gun out in front of me, I quietly push open the door. She may still be hiding here, waiting for me.

With my gun pointed forward, I look around the room. It seems empty except for a pile of bags in the corner near the window. I move closer and open a couple of them. One of them only has guns in it. The others seem loaded with … explosives.

Motherfucker. That bitch is about to blow up the hotel.

Adrenaline surges through my veins as I search the room, leaving nothing unturned. A shower is running, so I go into the bathroom and pull aside the curtains.

When I find it empty, I realize it was a trap.