CHAPTER 32
JORDAN
“WHAT THE FUCK?” I HEARD MIA SAY OVER THE COMMUNICATION DEVICE.
1 immediately sat up straight in the passenger seat of my car.
“Mia? What’s going on? Did something happen?” she didn’t reply, and the wounds I was hearing didn’t ease my mind in the
“Melanie” I tried again. If someone didn’t answer me soon there was going to be hell to pay. For the third time, I switched tacks, “Katnissa
She answered immediately. “That would be delightful” and I knew she was still engaging her target in conversation but listening to me.
“Katnissa, something is going on with Mia and Melanie down there. Find out what.” I ordered. She excused herself from the employer saying she needed to take a call
I waited with bated breath until she responded in a harsh whisper.
“The door requires a keycard I can’t get through
I closed my eyes and banged my fist on the dashboard. “Melanie? I swear to God if you do not answer me this minute-“.
I was cut off as her line crackled with static then her voice came through.
“Jordan. There’s been a breach. We’ve been compromised and Mia’s injured.”
She sounded breathless. I was confused, which is not a state I like to be in. Nobody had reported anyone going in after the three of them, so what did she mean by they’ve been compromised?
“Where the hell did they come from?” I demanded.
Mia’s voice came over the line sounding slurred, like she’d drunk too much.
“The sky. They came from the sky” she said.
I mentally scrambled for anyone I knew who could’ve heard about the jewels and was capable of coming for it.
Jorge wouldn’t send men on a covert mission; all he had to do was walk into the bank. So who could it be?
“Kanisa I need you to get in there, and I need you to do it now. If I don’t get my hands on those jewels in the next half hour it’s not going to be pretty for anyone involved.”
MELANIE
AS I DUCKED UNDER A SWIPE AIMED FOR MY HEAD, I CAME TO CERTAIN CRUCIAL
conclusions
One, the chances of me getting out of this alive were very slim.
Two, the cameras had been deactivated for a while and showed no record of this situation.
Whale that was fine because the authorities had little chance of finding us, it also meant that nobody knew what was going on down here, which brought us back to number one
Three Cadell didn’t know when to give up. Then again, he’d said I was no more of use to him. If this is how he intended to take me out, it again brought us back tor Yep, you guessed it, number one.
The two men who’d initially rappelled down from the air vent were quickly followed by three others. I’d managed to keep them busy while Mia finislard parking the lock on the safe deposit box.
Shed grabbed the jewel–enclosed in a satchel, thank God- and managed to dispatch of one guy before she’d taken a hit and
as down for the count botti di for being able to watch her own back.
I knew Cade|| had sent them because one of the burlier men who had come down with two others took one look at me said, “Hey hey What do you know It’s Melaniel and proceeded to blow me an exaggeratel kiss.
“You were slated for a secondary mission but Fan sure I’ll receive a big bonis if 1 take you out now” he finished.
and
JILATTER 35.
I heard Jordan try to communicate with me but, as I was currently stabbing at someone’s arm while they held me in a headlock, I was a bit too busy to respond. From the big guy’s statement, I was guessing Cadell had heard of the jewels and wanted to get his hands on them but didn’t know I’d be here.
Or, in typical Cadell fashion, he sent his men in blind to whatever he deemed wasn’t necessary for them to know. I leaned more toward the second option
Having escaped the headlock. I kicked the guy in the gut and sliced him along the ribs, not bad enough to kill him but enough that he clutched at his wounds and went down on his knees.
“Aw that’s so sweet, but the answer is no” I smiled, then gave him one final kick to the head. I didn’t even have time to catch my breath before I was hauled up from behind by the big guy and slammed into a row of lockers.
Pain exploded up my left side but I managed to catch myself on my hands and knees before I fell to the floor, rolling until I gained my feet again
I quickly checked to see if the satchel was still in place across my shoulder and worried briefly if the impact had shattered the jewels then shrugged it off. If it did, then there were more pieces for everybody.
I took stock of the situation, though it felt like I’d been fighting for ages there were still, three people standing, including the big guy.
The only girl among them came charging at me, her brown hair swinging in its ponytail. I sidestepped to avoid the initial rush then grabbed her arm and swung her around until her
back smashed against the lockers. She kicked at me and I dodged it.
Sensing movement behind me, I slipped away just in time to avoid the big guy. Dimly, I registered the high–pitched noise coming from above as I flipped one of my daggers at the big
guy. It sunk into his stomach, distracting him. But I’d been too slow to avoid the girl’s punch
It snapped my head to the side and she quickly swung the satchel over my head and started to run towards the rope. I swiped blood from my mouth and chuckled darkly.
“Lady, you’re gonna pay for that.”
I ran after her and tackled her to the ground. In a petty move, I swiped at her ponytail with my knife, hacking the whole thing clean off. Her scream of outrage sounded like music to my ears, that is, until it was cut off by my knife slicing across
her throat
I get off her and step back with a small smile. I felt a hand curl over the top of my shoulder and I spun around, dislodging the grip, and pushed my left forearm against the person’s chest, catching them off–balance and allowing me to shove them backward with my knife to their throat in one smooth motion.
“Easy, tiger” Katnissa cocked a brow at me. I lower my knife and look around, noting she’d taken care of the two people left. I bent down and grabbed the satchel from the dead girl while she quickly explained
“Jordan alerted me to the situation so I found a way to trip the fire alarm. All the automatic doors opened instantly and I came down here.
They’re excavating the building so we have to hurry. Sebastian is waiting by the back door.” As she spoke she grabbed lalf-conscious Mia, dragged her to her feet and they both walked out.
I’d taken hits to the head, but I was still lucid enough to recognize opportunity. I had the jewels, I could slip out in the midst of all the confusion and be gone before anyone realized I was missing.
I’d sell the jewels someplace and live comfortably
“Come back to me Blaine’s words flashed into my head, along with Jordan trusting me with this mission, cheering me up on the plane, bickering with me over a packed lunch, and others
Sighing, I trudged after them.
