Page 19 of Bind Me

“Your report on yesterday’s findings was intriguing, especially with discovering that underwater cave,” she says with a grin. “Smart idea to explore the fjords.”

I nod, grateful for the recognition but also slightly regretting going down there, considering the repercussions.

“I think I need another day or two out there to see if Belu shows up,” I suggest, leaving out any mention of the handsome merman or Asbesta. Maybe if I find the guard again, I can ask him why he returned the scales. Not that I’m looking a gift horse in the mouth, but something feels really strange about it. And I hate being in the dark on anything that involves me.

“Mr. Daniels informed me of your hard work and tenacity, and I see it.” Ada’s hands cradle a cup of a steaming hot brew, her expression earnest. “And agree on a few more days. If you see him, bring Belu in or call in for backup. There’s no shame in asking for help.”

“Will do,” I say, proud that she trusts me with the target. Edging toward the door to get started, she calls out, stopping me in my tracks.

“That property you’re checking near the fjord,” she states. “It has a lot of history. Dark history. Be careful. I’ve heard rumors that a family member might be in town. Use your ID to show you have authority to be there if you are confronted.”

My mind instantly flashes to the merman from the cave. Belu. Could that be him? I turn to face her. “What do you know about the house up on the hill and who lived there?” I ask, curiosity piqued.

Ada shrugs, sipping from her drink before saying, “Honestly, not much. It’s been abandoned for thousands of years, yet a team has continued to keep it maintained. From my understanding, the grandfather of the family committed a crime so heinous that he ended up thrown in Tartarus.”

Intrigued, I stand there, absorbing her words. Tartarus is a prison where only the worst of the worst are sent, and they never come out. It’s said to have become a sort of settlement, with new generations born and raised within its confines. Imagine growing up in a prison.

“Good to know. I’ll keep an eye out. Going to head out, then,” I call over my shoulder to Ada, but she’s already engaged in another conversation with someone else. The office isn’t too different from the one back in South Africa—open plan, desks lined up for bounty hunters who come and go from missions.

As I make my way out, two of the girls I met on my first day smile my way.

Stepping outside, I make a beeline for my sedan, beyond curious about those who lived in that house near the fjord. As I drive back to the spot I visited yesterday, I’m going over my boss’s words, curious as hell about what someone would have had to do to end up in Tartarus. I’ve heard enough tales to know something terrible would have had to happen to be sentenced and end up there.

Parked, I scan the rocky edge where I last saw those abandoned shoes. Now, they’re gone, with no trace of anyone.

It’s silent.

Calm.

I take a moment to scan the surroundings—the calm fjord waters, the chilly breeze curling through my hair, the eerie sensation of being watched.

I’m definitely not alone here.

My gaze eventually drifts toward the huge house perched on the hill behind me. Maybe there’s no harm in checking it out. For all I know, Belu could be hiding there, or maybe he’s in cahoots with the family member rumored to be in town.

I stroll past my car near the woods and follow a stone path, now overgrown with wild foliage. Encroaching trees and underbrush make the walk clumsy as it curls uphill toward the house.

As I reach what must have once been a gate, I find nothing left but the open yard. It’s a wild tangle of plants and trees desperately in need of trimming. The enormous mansion itself looms farther ahead and is grand, bigger than it appears from down by the water. It’s been diminished by the years of neglect. Those needing to fix it clearly haven’t been working on the exterior of the house.

With a cautious step, I cross the threshold of where the gate once marked the entrance and approach the home. Long grass folds under my steps.

The quiet of the old mansion is suddenly shattered by a sharp snapping sound.

I flinch around as something tight cinches around my ankle, yanking me right off my feet. Instantly, I’m wrenched upward, my feet going up first, and a cry bleeds from my throat.

“Fuck, are you kidding me?” Here I am, suspended upside down in the air, dangling helplessly from a thick rope secured around my ankle. I walked right into that trap. “Great job, Sasha.”

I thrash, reaching for my pocket knife, but as I fumble, my blade and keys slip from my pockets and clatter to the ground. “Damn it!” I stretch my arms down, but I’m too far up to reach them.

I always come prepared, and as I strain up to reach my ankle for my other knife, a flicker of movement in the shadows of the surrounding woods catches my eye.

Someone is definitely there, shifting silently between the trees. My heart thumps even louder, not just from the effort of hanging there but also from the realization that I might have just fallen for their trap.

And whoever they are, they’re coming toward me.

Fuck!

Chapter 6

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