Page 8 of Dark OZ

Thedoorslammed,smackingthe head of the man I was dragging behind me. I hauled him on top of the growing pile of bound guards. Eastin really needed to improve her security requirements. It was laughable how easy it was to incapacitate these men. Maybe I didn’t need my boys on this job after all.

My eyes locked on the security feed running across the monitors on the wall. Eastin had some poor woman on her knees and was whipping her with a flail. I always knew she was a kinky bitch. The girl didn’t really seem to be into it, not if the way she shook and flinched after each hit was any indication. Eastin’s brutality was a shame, too, because it was ruining what looked like perfectly flawless skin. Now, her back was little more than a map of criss-crossing lacerations and blood.

The woman reared up. I blinked in disbelief, watching her smash the witch right in the temple with that dumb snow globe she always kept on her desk. Eastin went down, hard. I clicked on the feed, enlarging the image. The vicious girl hit her over and over again. Her body stretched high, coming down with the full force of her muscle on each hit. I was right. She was most definitely not into it.

“Well, fuck me.” I double clicked, zooming in further. She stepped back, looming over the now very dead body of Eastin Witcher. Her dark hair streaked across her cheeks, clinging to the spray of blood that peppered her face. Shock slowly settled into her expression. The girl’s bound hands began trembling, then, just as quickly, the shock transformed into panic.

Why wasn’t she moving? At most, there were minutes before Eastin’s guards returned.

As if she could hear my thoughts, she jumped into action, searching for a way to free herself. I couldn’t help the twitch of my lips. This woman was a fighter. She took her licks and came back kicking. There was something truly arousing about that. I sat back, reveling in the moment, then, reality came reeling back.

Holy fuck! Eastin Witcher was dead, and this entire building was about to become a war zone.

Fucking Gigi. Somehow she knew this was going to happen, and that bitch probably sent me here to take the fall. No wonder this was a one-man job. She only needed one man. I scanned the cameras for any sight of the blonde-haired vixen. But, of course, she was too good to be caught on camera. It didn’t look like any of Eastin’s security were on the penthouse floor. That was a small mercy, or else the building would already be in lockdown. I clicked on another camera. Her small army of trained monkeys were all dealing with a pile of blood and bones that might have been a man at one time. Out of curiosity, more than need, I flipped back to the feed in Eastin’s office. The girl was gone.

A second later, I found her again, standing in the elevator, holding the door open and talking to someone just off camera. Gigi. I would bet my stuffing that was who she was talking to.

Gigi could deal with this mess on her own. I wasn’t about to be some patsy for killing one of the world’s most horrible cunts. She sure as fuck wasn’t worth the inevitably painful death sentence that Westin would call down. Especially since I didn’t even get the joy of being able to do it myself.

I ran across the loading dock, clicking a security fob. The cab roared to life with more horsepower than any cab should rightfully possess. With another click, a beep echoed in the garage to indicate that the security features were disengaged.

I slipped quickly into the front seat, throwing it into reverse and backing up before my door had even fully closed. I cranked the wheel, spinning the car a full 180, and angled straight for the ramp out of here when movement in my mirror caught my attention.

Behind me, the elevator doors slid open. Leaning against the wall, ready to spring out and attack anyone waiting for her, was the girl. Fuck. She looked in even worse condition than she had on the cameras. Welts and bruises coated far too much of her pale pink skin. And so much of that skin was on full display. Gigi had sent her down here in what amounted to nothing more than a stretched-out, old t-shirt. She didn’t even have shoes on.

I don’t know why I hesitated. This girl was not my responsibility. But there was something about the desperate intensity behind her movements that I couldn’t ignore, couldn’t fucking look away from.

Her eyes locked onto my car, and she ran straight for me. Relief washed over her features, like she had been expecting to see me.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Danny was going to kill me. This was why we didn’t do jobs without a plan.

When she reached the passenger side door, I lowered the window but kept my gun trained straight on her pouting lips. She pulled at the handle, making an exasperated whimper when she realized it was locked.

“Let me in,” she demanded breathlessly. Of course the wildcat who had just pummeled the Witch of the East to death would demand her rescue.

“Start talking, gorgeous. Who are you? Why did you just kill Eastin Witcher?”

“Gigi sent me to you. She said something about a package.”

I groaned, but I wasn’t surprised. “That doesn’t answer my question. You have five seconds to say something of value, and then I’m driving away. Whether you are in this car or not is up to you.”

“Please. She said you would take me to The Wizard.”

I barked out an incredulous breath. “Sorry, sweet lips. But you don’t just go to The Wizard.”

“Please. You’re my only chance. She said you would help me.”

Alarms on each pillar of the deck blared to life. Deafening shrieks bounced off the concrete walls. Lights flashed. Overhead flood lights illuminated every shadow on the floor, followed by the sound of metal slamming all around. I swiveled my head to the ramp. Heavy pillars rose up from the ground, blocking off the exit.

“Fuck!”I slammed the steering wheel, unintentionally hitting the horn. “Fucking fuck!” Furious, I looked back at the girl who had just doomed us both. She stood irreverently beside the car, looking for all the world like I was inconveniencingher.

“You really say that a lot, ya know—Fuck. You might want to consider introducing a little variety into your vocabulary.” She chewed on her lower lip, like she was trying not to laugh.

Was she seriously teasing me right now? Any other time I’d show her exactly how far teasing me would get her, but these were not normal times.

“You just sealed our death sentence, pretty girl.”

“Doesn’t have to be.” She reached under her filthy shirt and pulled out Eastin’s glimmering emerald necklace. It swung between her fingers, catching the fluorescent light with each pass. “Gigi said it will get us out of any exit, even in lockdown. Take me to the Wizard and I’ll get you out of this building.”

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