Page 13 of Body Tox

“A befitting end to scum.” I spat on him. “Rot in hell, bastard.”

When I finally made my way back to the bartender, my shirt was soiled, and my shoes were leaving a wet trail of footprints. He stared at me and then back to the stalls I’d left.

A small trickle of water was leaking from under the door. I shrugged.

“You don’t happen to remember where the pretty lady went, do ya? Anything jog your memory?”

The bartender swallowed, watching the nasty water drip off me onto the ground below my feet. Without a word, he raised a shaky hand and pointed at the door to the alley in the back.

I walked out of the bar, definitely not wanting to be there, when other people noticed the asshole’s piss water nap.

I cut around corners to find where the Little Wraith ran off. She had to be feeling the effects of that drug. She had downed about half the glass, and I needed to get to her before someone finished my fucking hit for me. It was my job to end her life.

The alleys were colder than the dark crevices of the city. The spaces lacked light and heating. A creepy chill shot throughme, making goosebumps rise all over my skin. Looking down, I dodged the open needles and drugs scattered around the ground, coming up to a loud alleyway.

The sounds creating the noise were ones of grunting and laughter. I kept to the shadows and rounded the corner of the alley, hiding behind one of the overflowing dumpsters.

“Stupid fucking girl got too far from home, hadn’t she?” More laughter and a soft groaning were coming from over there.

I emerged from the shadow of the dumpster, letting a crack of moonlight light up my body so the man in front of me could see.

He had my target in his grip, straddling her with her tights pulled halfway down her legs and her shirt in disarray on the concrete. The man fumbled with his belt, yanked his pants down, and his pathetic dick flopped out.

“Hey!” the dickhead shrieked, shielding the female under his drunken body. “Get your own!”

I looked down at the woman. Her eyes were open but unseeing. She was making soft noises that sounded an awful lot like the fucking word “No.”

Even incapacitated, this woman fought?

I thought about how easy it would be to end the target right now. Put the Little Wraith out of her misery and bring her head to the Debt Collector…but what kind of hunter went after weakened prey?

There was no honor or challenge in that.

I sighed exasperatedly and walked over to the man, cracking my knuckles.

“Smile, shithead.” I grinned, smashing the fucking jackass across the jaw. He tripped over his pants, which had pooled by his feet, and fell onto the ground a few inches away from her, his feet splayed over her legs.

Pulling the female away from his grip and pulling my hoodie over my head to place it over her body, I saw a golden reflection glittering in the moonlight.

Frowning, I narrowed my gaze on the unusual object.

Was this what I saw in the video?

I snagged the item. It was a golden dagger shining even brighter under the light of the moon.

The woman moaned, a drizzle of rain starting to fall. The droplets collected on her thick lashes, falling onto her pale cheeks.

“You like to play with knives, Little Wraith?” I chuckled and looked over at the disgruntled man, trying to get back onto his feet.

“So do I,” I teased her, walking over to the man.

Normally, I killed from a distance. I didn’t tempt myself like this, but seeing this dirtbag try to disarm a fighter made me want to eviscerate him.

Closing my eyes and praying the rain would block the smell from me, I slashed the blade in a smooth swipe, the man’s entrails falling into his hands before spilling to the concrete in a soup of guts and…blood.

The sight of the crimson rain made me ache to touch it. Bathing in the remains and tasting the death of the monster made my body hum.

I walked forward slowly, intent on doing just that, but then the sounds of the female broke the spell. She was whimpering, her teeth chattering from the chill the rain brought. I cursed and turned my head from the sight, biting my tongue until I tasted the familiar metallic tang.

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