Page 65 of Guarded By a Monster

I struggled to remember what happened, but after stepping out of the warehouse and walking toward the SUV, everything was a dark blur.

I pushed at the wound and hissed. The red lights I’d grown used to enough to have forgotten about flared bright.

Oh no.

Thurl would be going crazy.

Judging by what made it past the grime on the window, it was still daylight.

The door opened, and light rushed in, blinding me.

“Oh good, you’re awake.”

Rough hands yanked me to my feet, and I stumbled as the man pulled me along. I blinked and swallowed down a wave of nausea. “What did you give me?”

“A sedative. I needed you easy to handle.”

I looked over and forced my eyes to focus on his face.

“Officer Phillips?”

“You remember me?”

I nodded and then regretted it. “Yep.”

He sighed. “Too bad.”

I didn’t ask what that meant. After a short hallway, we entered a living room that was only marginally in better shape than the room I’d been in. A table stretched along one wall, currently occupied by a man’s body. A woman in scrubs stood next to it, arguing with another man whose back was to me.

“You can’t expect me to save him when he’s full of this many holes!”

“I can, and I do.”

The front door opened and a third man who rivaled the breadth of Zeus walked in. A towering figure, standing well over six feet, who seemed built entirely of muscle. His tight black t-shirt exposed gray scale tattoos covering both arms, marred by scars that crisscrossed his knuckles and forearms, evidence of countless brawls.

His face would be handsome if he wasn’t wearing a scowl. He was a stark contrast to Vale’s elegance.

Then I saw a tiny figure behind him.

A little girl I instantly recognized.

“Sophia?”

The nurse spun toward the door and Sophia’s eyes went impossibly wide as she took in the scene. The other woman lunged for her, but the businessman grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

“She’s fine, and will remain that way as long as you stay focused on your task.”

My head throbbed, my elbow stung and I was so confused I wanted to cry. “What is going on? Where’s Luna?”

The businessman turned around slowly and I gaped at Adrian Vale.

He tilted his head at me and then pinned Officer Phillips with a death stare.

“Why is she here?”

“You told me to grab her, boss.”

He backed up a step, and since he hadn’t let go of my arm, I did too.

---