Slow Agony (Assassins, #2)(7)

I followed suit.

We watched the sunrise together in silence, passing the vodka bottle back and forth. I wasn’t sure what else there was to say. The liquor burned its way into my stomach, lighting me up inside and making the rest of the world just a little blurry around the edges.

*

I woke up to the poke of cold metal at the base of my skull, a deep voice whispering in my ear, “You need to call Griffin.”

Naomi and I had passed out on the couch together, exhausted and half drunk. I opened my eyes to make sure she was okay.

She was still asleep, curled up on the other side of the couch. I could see her out of the corner of my eye. If I turned the other direction, I could see tattooed skin. He was beside me, his arm around my shoulders, pinning me against his body. He had a gun at my neck.

“You’re not dead,” I said.

That could only mean one thing. The serum. This guy had it. The serum was a weapon that my father’s company Dewhurst-McFarland had developed to make supersoldiers. A guy named Bart Caldwell had gotten hold of it and used the serum to make his own army of assassins for hire. Griffin had been one of those assassins. This guy was probably one too.

The fact that he had the gun at the back of my neck and not at my head cinched it. I had the serum too. And that meant that the only way to kill me was to cut my spinal cord and keep the wound from healing. He had the gun against the most vulnerable part of my body.

That was why this guy wasn’t dead after all. I’d shot him, but he had the serum. So, he’d healed.

“You’re a terrible shot, sweetheart,” said the man.

I didn’t think so. I was fairly sure that I’d killed him. But his voice was gravelly and scratchy, and there was still blood all over him. Was it possible that I’d only wounded him?

“Are you Op Wraith or what?”

The man just laughed. “Call Griffin.”

“I can’t.”

“The hell you can’t. I can see your damned phone on the coffee table.”

“I don’t know his phone number. I haven’t seen him in months.”

“Bullshit. Don’t try that with me. I got good intelligence that the two of you are hot and heavy.”

“We broke up.” I wish I’d taken the time to cut this man’s spinal cord back at the abandoned house. Just to be sure. But I hadn’t even thought about it. What the hell was wrong with me? Some guy was after Griffin, and I didn’t even think that it was likely he had the serum? What? Was I too stupid to live or what?

“You broke up.”

“Yes.” I looked at Naomi. No, I was being too hard on myself. I didn’t know what I was doing. Griffin was the one who was trained for this kind of stuff. And she was right. He’d gotten me into this mess. This was his problem, not mine.

“I don’t buy it. You’re protecting him.”

“I’m not,” I said. “I don’t know where he is.” Was I going to be able to convince this guy of that? Somehow, I didn’t think I was. I was going to have to figure out some way to take him down. But how? If I moved, he’d shoot me.

The man laughed. “I get it, sweetheart. You’re willing to sacrifice yourself for him. But how about your friend?”

And then he wasn’t holding onto me anymore.

I got off the couch as quickly as I could. Where was my gun?

He sprang across the room. He put the gun to Naomi’s forehead.

Shit.

“Call Griffin,” he said.

“I’m telling you, I can’t call him.” I had to save Naomi. Where was my gun? I cast a glance around the apartment, trying to remember where I’d put it when we came back from the abandoned house.

“Looking for this?” He held up my gun. “Shouldn’t leave these lying around on kitchen counters, you know.”

Shit. My heart was pounding. My palms were sweaty. I didn’t know what to do. “Please leave Naomi out of it. She’s my friend. She doesn’t know anything about this.” Somehow, I didn’t think this guy was going to stop just because I asked nicely.

“You think I won’t shoot her?” he said. “Don’t you think I’m serious?”

“I believe you.” Could I hit him over the head with something? No. I didn’t think so. I didn’t think I could even move without him either shooting Naomi or shooting me. It was better if he shot me, of course. I had the serum, and I’d heal. Still, I couldn’t be sure he’d shoot me.

He shifted the gun from her forehead to her shoulder.

The gun went off.

Naomi woke at once, screaming.

He laughed in her face. “Wakey wakey, bitch. Remember me?”

“Stop it!” I screamed. “Don’t hurt her.”

The gun was back at her forehead. “So call Griffin.”

Naomi was sobbing, staring at the blood pouring out of her shoulder, her eyes wide and terrified.

I reached for her. “Please...”

His finger moved on the trigger. “Stay back.”

I looked in her eyes. “I’m so sorry.” This was my fault. This was all my fault. When would I learn that I couldn’t have friends?

“This isn’t a joke, blondie,” he said. “I’m going to blow your friend’s head off. Now pick up your damned phone and call Griffin.”