Damn.
Not a delightful prospect for my future. I breathed slowly, letting the circulation of oxygen move back through my body.
“I thought we were going to be friends, Gregg.”
“Tell me where Fin lives.”
I swallowed hard. “In a giant house like this one. In the middle of nowhere. He didn’t exactly bust out the GPS to show me the way.”
Another vibration and I gripped the table, ready for the hit this time. The air disappeared. I focused on it like I held my breath intentionally.
If I tricked my mind into thinking this was my choice, my spiked adrenaline could settle in my veins. I needed to be alert, not charged up quite yet. There was no doubt in my mind Gregg was nothing more than a prelude to the final game the Black Mage played.
When the air returned, I bent over the table, fingers outstretched, gasping. He watched me, leaning down over the stainless steel so he could look at my face. The enjoyment written on his face unnerved me, which only made my next step easier.
I lay my cheek on the cold table so he could get a proper look at the way my forehead burrowed up and my lips gasped for the oxygen my body needed. I let him think me weak, pitiful, and helpless.
Like throwing a bag of bread at a pigeon, he ate it right up. He closed the door of the room and took off his tuxedo jacket. The tent in his pants made me want to puke, but I didn’t let him see my notice.
He took his chair again and swiped a lock of my hair off my face so he could get a better look. I braced for another attack and it came exactly as I expected. I’d already started holding my breath.
I twisted my face into agony, drew him closer and closer so he practically pressed his face onto the table opposite mine.
When the air returned, a buzz started in my brain. Oxygen deprivation. I needed to make my move before I passed out and missed my chance.
His eyes were heavy lidded, and I sucked in air as fast as I could. Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out.
The next time he reached out to touch me, I moved my right hand up to the table, seized the knife he’d been dumb enough to enter the room with, and so easily slid it through the bottom of his jaw.
He died quicker than he deserved, blood pooling around his face as I sat back from the table, bringing the knife with me.
“Idiot,” I whispered.
He didn’t make a sound. I gave myself the tiniest moment to process the fact that I’d taken his life. And then I pushed the blade to the back of my head and focused on my next step. Now that I had a knife, the guards in the hall didn’t stand a chance.
“Oh, boys,” I called in a singsong voice, my heart pounding as blood lust pulsed through me.
These guys deserved to die.
Chapter Sixteen
I waited for one of the goon squad to enter the room, or at the very least come to check on their mage friend. While he tortured me, I picked up the same tainted magical signature I’d felt in the ballroom.
I filed that little nugget away. My theory was that had been a signature of a powerful mage’s magic, which explained why I didn’t feel it when the low-level mage in the box killed himself.
I riffled through Gregg’s pockets and found a fancy fountain pen, a notebook, and his wallet. After I tucked the $one-hundred dollar bill into my dress, I opened the fountain pen so I could hold it in my left hand, the knife in my right. I used the hilt of the knife to knock on the door and then ducked behind it.
One guy opened the door. He caught sight of Gregg and rushed to the table. I took the opportunity to creep up behind him. The knife was sharp, so it cut clean through the man and out the front. I let him fall over his friend and prepared for more men to enter. After a tense minute with my heart beating in my ears, I poked my head into the hall to find no one.
I retreated to the table and checked the goon. He had a knife in his boot. I traded my fountain pen for the second knife and patted him down for a cell phone or an earpiece. Nothing.
I considered trading my dress for the man’s clothes, but they were already soaked with blood and I figured the loose clothing would hinder me more than my dress did.
Before trekking back into the hall, I searched the floor for the earpiece I’d tossed away. It still emanated a faint squealing sound, so I left it. Fin better show up soon or I would start thinking he left me here on purpose.
The hallway stretched long and empty. No noises filtered down from the stairs at the end. I stepped into the hall and waited for something. An alarm. A shout. Someone to pop out and scoop me back up. Nothing happened, so I crept toward the stairs, monitoring every door as I passed.
I made it to the bottom of the stairs. A henchman appeared at the top. Damn. Figured I wouldn’t be that lucky.