Page 13 of Dark Deviant

I slide my hand into my back pocket and grab the handle of my stiletto knife before pulling it out. The steel tip gleams. A whiff of some euro trash cologne hits the air as the guy moves in my direction.

Fucking amateur.

A shadow on the tile floor tells me he’s around the corner of the wall. I move closer, stealthily, my own footsteps silent. Before he has a chance to take another step, I grab him by the hair with my free hand and flip him around so that his back slams against the wall I was just hiding behind.

His eyes fly open wide like a deer staring straight down the barrel of a rifle. I clamp a hand around his thick neck and hold the knife blade up to his eye.

“Not very effective for a bodyguard,” I sneer, squeezing my fingers tight around his throat. His pulse hammers hard against the side, thrumming against my fingers.

He struggles for breath, sputtering unintelligible words. Spit sprays out of the corners of his mouth. I just smile.

“The people who hired you obviously didn’t want to pay top dollar for good security.”

I narrow my eyes at his lined face. His skin is leathery and worn, his eyes filled with panic.

As they should be.

“I’m not gonna ask your name. I really don’t give a fuck what it is, especially since you’ll be dead in about thirty seconds.”

The guy struggles harder, his legs kicking out at me.

I grin. “No weapon, huh? What the fuck kind of bodyguard are you, anyway? You can’t do shit with that gun in your pocket.”

The shower spray continues to run, but by my calculations, whoever is in there will only be in there for another few minutes.

And this guy’s thirty seconds are just about up.

I lean in close, a nasty smirk tugging my lips. “You should have been more alert. Now you die.” I release my hand, and just before he collapses from lack of air, I jam the tip of my knife into his jugular. He goes down onto the white marble floor like a tipped cow, rapidly surrounded by a sea of crimson.

I pull out the knife and feel around his jacket for a cell phone. I close my fingers around it and stuff it into my pocket. Alek’s hackers can work their magic and figure out who the hell it belongs to and what information we can steal from it. I rise to my feet before heading toward the bar. I check every corner of every room along my path, but there’s no sign of another guard, or Hadeon and Petro. The whole place is silent aside from the shower spray.

When I get to the bar, I pour myself a double shot of Grey Goose and tip back the glass. I gulp down the vodka and pour myself another.

The shower spray stops. Hairs on the back of my neck prickle, anticipation charging my nerve endings like sparks on the verge of ignition.

I put the glass down on the bar and walk up the short flight of stairs to the second level. Soft white light shines out from underneath the bathroom door. I step into the bedroom next door, settling myself against the wall next to the door after taking a quick look at the dress crumpled into a ball on the side of the bed. I flip off the light switch and wait.

The bathroom door opens. I breathe in a light, clean perfumed scent.

It has to beherscent.

Fury courses through me, the stiletto knife clutched in my hand still dripping with the blood of her bodyguard.

Her bare feet lightly pad along the floor as she inches closer. My skin prickles, heart pumping harder with each step she takes.

Who’s gonna save you now, princess?

A tiny gasp breaks the tense silence when she approaches the door. “I could have sworn I left the light on,” she mutters, crossing into the room and feeling the side of the wall for the switch.

I grab her arm and spin her around. She cries out as her back slams into the wall. I relish the sharp release of breath from her lips on impact.

“Nobody can hear you,” I hiss. “Don’t waste your breath.”

I rest the tip of the bloody knife against her neck. Her body tenses. I don’t need to see the look in her eyes. I can taste the fear. I can fucking feed on it for days.

“W-who are you?” Her voice quivers as she murmurs the question.

With my elbow, I flip on the switch.

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