Haunting-Adeline
But I couldn’t be both a hacker and a mercenary, and what I really enjoydoing is being the one to put the bullet in their heads myself.So, I created my org, Z, from the ground up, recrui ng a team of hackersto help the mercenaries with their job—get into the rings, kill them all, andget the vic ms out safely. I sta oned my mercenaries in high-ratetrafficking areas and assigned them their own team of hackers. Now, Z hasbecome so big that there are teams in every state, and several outside ofthe country as well.Jay is the only mouth I need in my ear—his skill levels out to theequivalent of what three hackers could do. And he’s the only one I trustwith my life.I don’t acknowledge Jay’s sen ment.I don’t fucking need luck. Just skill and pa ence. And I have both inspades.Slinking up to the door, I keep my body close to the wall and myfootsteps undetectable.When I reach the door, I hear the subtle click of the door unlocking.Jay’s doing.Despite the decay of the building, it’s s ll equipped with the latesttechnology where needed.The ring leaders want to keep the appearance of a rundown, abandonedbuilding to remain under the radar. But completely impenetrable forsqua ers and graffi ar sts.“It’s clear. Systems are down for ten seconds, get in now.”Quickly, I turn the handle and slip through in a ma er of seconds,opening the door just enough to fit my body through. The metal door shutsbehind me soundlessly.The old building is mostly an open concept. I came through the backdoor that leads into a dimly lit hallway. Straight ahead and to the le willopen up to where the machinery used to be when this was a rubberfactory.That is where the girls are being held.Muffled screams reach my ears—the sounds of girls crying and in pain.White-hot rage blinds my vision, but I don’t rush in or lose my shit.No one can do this job and lose their fucking shit, otherwise, these girlswould never be saved.
It’s hard not to, though. These assholes bring out the worst in me.“Overrode the cameras. You have one hour before the system resets,and I’m kicked out,” Jay informs.I only need ten minutes.Keeping to the shadows, I make my way through the hallway and peekaround the corner. There are thin cots sca ered across about a thousandsquare feet of space. Each cot is accompanied by a metal pole installedfrom the ground up. Each girl is chained to the poles by a metal collar thatprevents them from moving only a couple of feet from their cots.I flex my fists, ghtening them un l my hands go numb.I pull my gun out of the back of my jeans.Once they no ce the first man is down, the rest will open fire, which iswhy I need to be careful and quick.Whether they’re going to be careless about the girls is impossible to say.The men know the risk if their leaders find out a virgin girl was killed. Thatmeans money taken out of someone’s pockets and their head on a stake toset an example.But some of these men care more about their own lives, even if it meansthey’re walking around with a hit on their head.Just as Jay said, three men stand guard in front of me, completelyunaware of my presence.Stupid fucks.I’ll never understand how people can’t sense danger when it’s right uptheir assholes.Shit boggles me.In one quick succession, I take out all three men. Their bodies drop, anda few of the girls jump. Some cry and hunker down, while others staydeathly silent. A normal reac on for a li le girl would be to scream, butthese girls have already been desensi zed to murder.The five men in the pit of girls turn their heads in tandem, their facesmorphing from surprise to alarm to anger in a ma er of seconds.Immediately, they scramble for their guns.My body is s ll concealed by the wall I’m hiding behind. Two of themopen fire, forcing me to back away. One bullet skids across the corner ofthe wall, right past my face. Chunks of concrete fly into my eyes as morebullets ping around me. I grunt, rubbing at my lids to clear my vision.
- Page 9 and 10: Ripping my eyes away from the windo
- Page 11 and 12: If it’s not one thing, it’s the
- Page 13 and 14: I’m deep in my musings when my ey
- Page 15 and 16: I press my thumb into the up arrow
- Page 17 and 18: before. The hairs on the back of my
- Page 19 and 20: Her sage green eyes are illuminated
- Page 21 and 22: “Let’s take this to the bedroom
- Page 23: the rest of his clothes are s ll th
- Page 26 and 27: loca ons that won’t allow the fuc
- Page 28 and 29: Par cularly about computer science
- Page 30: everybody if I were short.A tall, w
- Page 33 and 34: I wince from the feel of the hair-l
- Page 35 and 36: If Genevieve Parsons is as wild as
- Page 37 and 38: Le ng out a shaky breath, I pluck t
- Page 39: my front door. And I mean, like har
- Page 42 and 43: “Make it extra strong. I’m goin
- Page 44 and 45: rented a dumpster, and we loaded th
- Page 46: “I will,” I lie. She leaves wit
- Page 49 and 50: When I was younger, Nana refused to
- Page 51 and 52: “You need me to call anyone?”I
- Page 53 and 54: painted on her thin lips, and icy b
- Page 55 and 56: Being a real estate agent pays well
- Page 57: The bed is no more, having bought m
- Page 62 and 63: Right as I ready up again, one guy
- Page 64 and 65: that pisses him off more.I sigh. Wi
- Page 66 and 67: While Jay kept tabs, I allowed myse
- Page 68 and 69: I help Sicily navigate through the
- Page 70 and 71: The walls and floor are smooth blac
- Page 72 and 73: But not before I shoot Daya a narro
- Page 74 and 75: My phone buzzes as soon as my ass h
- Page 76: “Do you want to leave?” he murm
- Page 79 and 80: But the most notable part is direct
- Page 81 and 82: “Fuck, baby, that’s it. Let me
- Page 83 and 84: close to pissing my pants from the
- Page 85 and 86: Red and blue lights brighten the wo
- Page 87 and 88: look into you, but when they don’
- Page 90 and 91: Chapter 9The Shadow’ve commi ed h
- Page 92 and 93: Come get me, Archie.He hesitates on
- Page 94 and 95: I pull into the driveway leading in
- Page 96 and 97: looks as if he went five rounds in
- Page 98 and 99: Cracking my neck, I take another de
- Page 101 and 102: Chapter 10The Manipulatorave you he
- Page 103 and 104: He waves a hand in acknowledgment b
- Page 105 and 106: “I don’t know what to do, Daya,
- Page 107 and 108: “Honestly, Daya, I’m a li le re
- Page 109 and 110: I aim for it, sliding the door open
It’s hard not to, though. These assholes bring out the worst in me.
“Overrode the cameras. You have one hour before the system resets,
and I’m kicked out,” Jay informs.
I only need ten minutes.
Keeping to the shadows, I make my way through the hallway and peek
around the corner. There are thin cots sca ered across about a thousand
square feet of space. Each cot is accompanied by a metal pole installed
from the ground up. Each girl is chained to the poles by a metal collar that
prevents them from moving only a couple of feet from their cots.
I flex my fists, ghtening them un l my hands go numb.
I pull my gun out of the back of my jeans.
Once they no ce the first man is down, the rest will open fire, which is
why I need to be careful and quick.
Whether they’re going to be careless about the girls is impossible to say.
The men know the risk if their leaders find out a virgin girl was killed. That
means money taken out of someone’s pockets and their head on a stake to
set an example.
But some of these men care more about their own lives, even if it means
they’re walking around with a hit on their head.
Just as Jay said, three men stand guard in front of me, completely
unaware of my presence.
Stupid fucks.
I’ll never understand how people can’t sense danger when it’s right up
their assholes.
Shit boggles me.
In one quick succession, I take out all three men. Their bodies drop, and
a few of the girls jump. Some cry and hunker down, while others stay
deathly silent. A normal reac on for a li le girl would be to scream, but
these girls have already been desensi zed to murder.
The five men in the pit of girls turn their heads in tandem, their faces
morphing from surprise to alarm to anger in a ma er of seconds.
Immediately, they scramble for their guns.
My body is s ll concealed by the wall I’m hiding behind. Two of them
open fire, forcing me to back away. One bullet skids across the corner of
the wall, right past my face. Chunks of concrete fly into my eyes as more
bullets ping around me. I grunt, rubbing at my lids to clear my vision.
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