Page 53 of Toxic Vengeance

“Just do your job, and I’ll do mine,” she muttered, and exited the car.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the annoyance from her mind and focused on the task ahead. Zack would park around the side of the building and watch the back exit, then wait for her to contact him via their earpieces. Trinity was keeping watch from the south side of the building in case Bennett figured out what was happening and tried to escape. Amber and Jesse were nearby, monitoring things from a van.

She smiled sweetly at the doorman and gave him the name and unit number of someone Amber had discovered was away. “I’m here to water her plants and feed her fish while she’s in Cabo.” She handed him her ID, the name on which Amber had added to the approved visitor list.

He glanced at it, checked in with the front desk via radio to confirm, then smiled. “Come right in.”

“Thank you.”And don’t mind the noise on the eleventh floor in the next few minutes when I knock Bennett’s ass out.

She took the stairs, only running into one other person on the way up. At the door she paused to make sure no one was around. Bennett was well-trained. She’d only have a second to catch him off guard and administer the syringe. Trying to get him to open the door for her was too risky, so she was going in.

Pulling out the little electronic gadget Amber had given her, she placed it beneath the lock and waited for the combination to appear on the tiny screen. She entered it, thankful for the near whisper-quiet mechanism as it unlocked.

She hid the syringe in her left fist, ready to strike, and gingerly opened the door a crack.

Total blackness greeted her, sending a prickle of unease across her skin.

Was Bennett asleep? She slipped inside and stood there in the dark as an eerie stillness settled around her.

Then the smell hit her. Blood. Lots of it.

Whipping out her penlight, she risked turning it on. The bed was empty, still neatly made. She took a step further into the room and turned toward the bathroom.

Jesus.

She tapped her earpiece to activate it. “Bennett’s dead.”

Chapter Fourteen

Eden’s heart sank as she stared down at the body sprawled on the bathroom floor. Bennett had been their best hope for getting intel about Chris and people involved with the Valkyrie Program. That lead had died with him.

“What?” Zack said through her earpiece.

“He’s lying on the bathroom floor with his throat slashed. It looks like a slaughterhouse in here.” No way this was random. Not this kind of a murder, and with a man like Bennett.

She moved the beam of light up from the body, careful not to step in his blood. It spattered the wall, the sink. She spun back around to face the bedroom, looking for signs of an intruder. “Does Amber still have the security cameras locked in the building?” If not and the killer was still here, whoever it was might know she’d gone into the room.

“Yes,” Trinity responded.

“There’s no sign of forced entry.”

“I’m on my way to you,” Zack said. “Don’t move.”

Eden didn’t answer, busy sweeping the room. The curtains were drawn tight, and nothing was out of place. Bennett’s jacket was draped on the back of the chair and his weapon was lying on top of the dresser. “Room’s clear. I’m going to check for bugs and cameras.”

“Copy,” Trinity said.

As she was finishing up a few minutes later, Zack spoke. “I’m at the door.”

Eden drew her weapon anyway as she approached the door, angling her body toward the peephole in case anyone out in the hall was thinking of taking a shot through the door. But Zack was alone.

She let him in and stepped back. “Room’s secure,” she said as she locked the door behind him. “Turning on the light.” She flipped the switch, flooding the room with light.

Zack stepped past her to look in the bathroom. “Holy shit,” he murmured, taking it in.

Eden stepped up beside him. “Yeah.”

Rage. Looking around the bathroom, the killer’s uncontrollable rage was palpable.

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