Page 98 of Run From Me

With a quick click on an app, I had her position. I called her number and breathed a sigh of relief when she picked up.

“X—” her voice was cut off.

“Hello, Spector. It seems we have someone you want more than we do. If you want her alive, you’ll come ready to negotiate.” And the guy hung up.

“Zeid, get me eyes on the morgue parking lot.”

I sent out a quick SOS to anyone who was free, and that did not include anyone at Enigma.

“Cali’s in trouble and the Vipers want to play,” was all I said as we headed straight for the parking lot where my bike would be waiting for me along with plenty of my chosen family.

THIRTY

calliope

So far,so good, if my stomach twisting and turning was a good sign. I pushed through the doors of the morgue and was greeted with the scent of death and one of the assistant coroners wrist deep in some drowning victim. I waved but kept myself quiet as he recorded his findings.

I quickly headed to the office, my heels making more noise than I’d like. I slipped them off and sent a silent apology to my coworker.

A few more steps, and I could see the box I was looking for. I pulled out the bag, and there it was. The same mask.

The metal of my purse clinked on the desk as I set it down so I could get a photo of the mask. It had come in on the mayor. Not on his face, but in his pocket. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I didn’t believe in coincidences.

I blew out a breath and put the bag back into the evidence box and headed out into the morgue. The car would be waiting, I’d given him a lot of extra money I didn’t have, but I needed to help Xander and the Spectors find answers. So much for working for the law. I knew how corrupt our police were. Maybe this was the better of the evils.

I’d made it almost to the exit when the café style doors swung in, and I fell back trying to avoid getting my face smacked.

“What the hell?” I said, and the other coroner dropped something metal behind me, no doubt just as surprised.

We didn’t have families this late without some kind of crazy emergency and normally the cops waited for reports to hit their desks.

When I saw the gun pointed at my face though, I knew this wasn’t anything good.

“Who are you?”

The guy pulled down his shirt collar to show me the Viper tattoo on his collarbone, and my heart sank.

“Seems like a lot of our boys are going missing around you, and it’s like you seem to think you have some kind of freedom to choose your alliances.”

I took a few steps backward, trying to reach for any kind of weapon from a metal tray to a rogue bone saw. Nothing.

“Excuse me, the morgue is closed. I just called the police. I’d leave if I were you,” said my coworker. I appreciated his efforts and almost felt some kind of relief, but I knew nothing good was going to happen next, and I was right. The guy shot him. I didn’t see the body nor the hole, just heard the thud as his body hit the table, or maybe it was straight to the floor.

“You can’t go around killing coroners,” I said.

The guy with the gun pointed it back at me.

“We won’t shoot you, sweetheart. We will, however, make sure you understand who you’re loyal to. Ripple let you have too much leash. Our boys will make sure all that pretty little fight in you is wiped the fuck out.”

Cold seeped into my skin. My hands shook without me even realizing it, so even if my brain hadn’t caught up, my fear sure as shit knew something bad was coming my way.

Another guy came in from behind him with zip ties.

“Hold your wrist out, bitch.”

It took a second, but I got the mace out of my purse, and as I reached my wrists forward, I was able to spray not only the guy with the zip ties, but the guy with the gun. It was enough that I got out the doors and up the stairs. I just needed to get to the car. Except I didn’t that far.

I gagged and coughed the second my neck hit someone’s arm.

---