Page 2 of Sleepless Pact

Then just as quickly as it came to life, it dies on my lips.The moment I hear the sound of a horn blaring and tires screeching, I know it’s too late.

Bright lights blind my eyes before everything goes black.

ChapterTwo

PHILLIP

“No, I haven’t heard back from them about the shipment, but as soon as it arrives, you’ll be my first call,” I say into the phone as I unlock my car.

“The auction is supposed to start tomorrow night,” Damien sighs into the phone, and I can practically hear him brooding.

“They’ve assured me the crates will be on the docks.I’m headed there now to oversee the drop, and I’ll call you when I have them in my possession.”My phone connects to my car over the speaker as I pull out of my parking spot and turn the wheel toward downtown.

“I guess I have no other choice but to wait.”He sounds menacing, but I’ve known him for a long time, and I’ve gotten used to it.

“I’m sure your buyers are eager to place their bids, but don’t worry.I’ve got this under control.”

“If you say so,” he grumbles.

My shipping company is one of the most coveted when wealthy people want a certain object procured.I specialize in the import and export of rare art along with anything else that’s hard to find.Since I was a young apprentice for a mob boss in the city, I began to gain a name for myself.If someone wanted something, all they had to do was ask and I’d find it for them.

When I got older, I figured out a way to do it discreetly under the customs radar, and my business contacts made me lots of money.Now I do it mostly for the challenge since I’ve got more money than I can spend in a lifetime.

“I would tell you to go find a woman and enjoy your night, but I won’t waste my breath.”Damien Shadow is a reclusive billionaire who likes being alone.I’ve never seen him with anyone else, and I’m almost certain he’s never smiled.He probably doesn’t know how.

“Call me when it’s here,” he says and then hangs up the phone.

“Goodbye to you,” I tell myself as the call ends and the inside of my car goes silent.

Turning onto South Street, I take the cut through to get to the docks.This is the industrial part of town along with the financial district, so there’s not a lot of activity this time of night.Reaching for my phone, I decide to try and call the dock manager to check on the arrival of the boat Damien is waiting on.

I glance down for only a second to scroll down the screen and find his number when I see a text message pop up.It’s from a woman I met at a party a while back, and as soon as I see the half-naked picture of her, I delete the text.How the fuck did she get my number?

Usually I’m only with a woman long enough to get off, and I don’t give out my number.Maybe my assistant gave it to her, which means I’ve got to fire another one.

Looking up at the road, I see it’s empty, so I glance down at my phone again and get the dock manager’s number.Just when I’m about to press the call button, the dash lights on my car go off and an alarm sounds.In a split second, the anti-lock brakes engage, and my car comes to a screeching halt while the thing that popped out in front of me falls to the ground.

“Fuck!”I shout, then throw open the door of my car and jump out to see what happened.

There in the middle of the road is a body on its side with a mop of dirty-blond hair covering its face.I’ve been around the mob long enough that even though my brain is telling me to get back in my car and get the hell out of here, my heart won’t let me.

“Hey, talk to me,” I say as I hurry over and check for a pulse.

The person is in a baggy sweatshirt, and although I’m searching, I can’t seem to find any obvious injury.Finally, I get them on their back, and the hair falls away to reveal a woman’s face.Her eyes are closed, but the pulse at her neck is strong, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

Glancing down the empty alley, I can’t see anyone coming after her or possibly chasing her.When I look back down, I see there’s no blood or anything, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have internal injuries.She could be bleeding out, for all I know.

The longer I look at her, the more my chest tightens, and I know I can’t leave her here.I also know that an ambulance is going to take too long, and I don’t know how much time I have before something bad happens.

“Come on, baby girl.You’re coming with me,” I tell her before scooping her up in my arms.Then I spot a small bag beside her and decide to grab that as well and carry them both to my car.

Once I place her gently in the passenger seat, I race to the hospital as fast as I can.Panic is rising in me that I’m not going to get her there in time and it’s all my fault.If only I was paying attention, maybe I could have seen her.She came out of nowhere at the end of the alley, but I could have swerved to miss her.The streets are tight, but I would have tried.

“Stay with me,” I tell her as I reach out and take her hand in mine.“You hear me, baby girl?I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.You stay with me.”

Thankfully, the roads are clear on the way to the hospital, and I break every law imaginable as I pull into the emergency lane and start shouting for help.I’m out of the car and carrying her inside by the time the medical team brings out a gurney and takes her from me.

“She was hit by a car,” I say over all of their talking as they try to revive her while wheeling her into the emergency room.

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