Page 38 of Jager's Prey
I was about to go further when footsteps coming toward me from the front of the house caught my attention. I dipped down behind the island on the far side from the new commers. I didn’t want a gun battle to start—if I could avoid being seen, I would take the time and wait.
The sudden movement did nothing for my stump and I winced as my added weight placed more pressure on it.
“This is some bullshit.” One person muttered. “It’s a kid. Both the parents are dead. Why are we still chasing him?”
“It’s called a blackout for a reason.” Another replied.
“And you think that makes sense?”
“It’s not for us to decide what makes sense.” The second man grumbled. “We do this job. We never have to worry about where our next meal is coming from. We just have to find the kid.”
“We don’t know where they are.” One voice muttered irritably. “Boss is going to be pissed off that we lost them again.”
“We know who this bitch is?” Another one asked.
“Not a clue.” The first man replied. “All we were told was bring the kid to the boss. No one told us he’d have guard with him.”
“I don’t think she’s a guard.”
“Well, who do you think she is? This woman took out a bunch of our men like it was nothing. She cut them with no mercy, no hesitation.”
There was the splash of water as if someone was pouring something. I kept my attention on the change in their movements in the room—the echoes—to figure out where they were in the room to move around the island.
“I don’t want to die in this, do you?”
“What do you think?” The second man demanded. “But we’re in too deep down. If we back out, we’re dead. Don’t say any of this to anyone else because they may carry it back to the boss—understand?”
“Yeah.”
Silence—a million years worth of silence.
“Why does he need this kid anyway?” One asked.
“I don’t know.” The other muttered. “But I do know one thing. We’re all going to die in this. Because if we take the kid, she’s going to get us. And if we don’t bring the kid to the boss, he’s going to get us.”
“We’re fucked if we do.” The first man groaned. “And we’re fucked if we don’t.”
“So, why are we doing any of this?”
There wasn’t a reply as the men left the room again. I peered around to make sure I was alone before gritting my teeth and pushing to my feet.
I was barely out the door when someone caught me around the waist and began dragging me backward. After ensuring it wasn’t Hermes or Jager, I dropped my full weight on the arm. The shock caused the man to loosen his grip enough for me to get free, clamped a hand over his mouth as I twisted around his body. Adding pressing to my fingers on his cheek, I pulled his chin one way while I pushed the back of his head the neck.
His head twisted as the sound of his neck snapping echoed through the room followed by the heavy fall of his body on the floor. I tugged him and shoved him under a staircase. A side door opened, and I dipped into the shadow of the stairs.
When I noticed it was Hermes, I whistled to get his attention.
“Where’s Jager?” I asked him when he was close enough to me.
“Probably on the roof.” He replied. “She usually finds the highest point to survey the area before anything else. Did you find anything out in here?”
“Not yet.” I peered down a hall. “I’ve had to take out two so they might come looking soon.”
“Code for we need to move our asses.”
I nodded. “I would feel much better if I knew where Jager is.”
“Don’t worry about her.” Hermes told me. “She can handle herself.”
