AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Visions of how I might end the night flash through me. Pumped full of bullets and thrown into . . . shit, what’s the name of the river now? Yeah. Lake Michigan.
No, that’d be stupid. They can’t throw me in the lake. My body would be too easily discovered. They’d bury me in a thick forest where no one would ever find me. But then again, they could drown me if they tied my feet to a concrete—
Focus! I screech at my racing mind and face my captor.
“I swear on my mother’s grave, I didn’t see anything. I didn’t hear anything, and I won’t say a word,” my voice comes out in a trembling rush.
The man stays silent, his dark eyes boring into mine for an unusually long time, almost as if he’s trying to work out what species of animal I am.
I take the opportunity to catalog his features: a sharp jawline that probably hasn’t felt a razor in weeks, the scar cutting through his left eyebrow, the deep-set eyes that don’t miss a thing, and the faint scent of mint clinging to his black trench coat. Clearly, this is a man who takes his oral hygiene seriously, if not his grooming habits.
He notices the metal briefcase which has slipped out of my bag and onto the ground again and bends to pick it up. “What’s that?” His voice is rough, like crushed stones.
“It’s a case,” I respond automatically.
He glares at me, looking slightly insulted. “I know what it is. What the fuck is in it?”
My mind spins with possible lies I could weave. Nothing clever comes to mind. “Jewelry,” I finally respond. I deftly slide off my bracelet and let it roll onto the ground. It’s not much, but it’s the start of the trail I need to leave.
“Stolen?” he asks, narrowing his eyes.
Something about the assumption irks me despite the fear. Can’t I own precious jewelry? “It was my grandmother’s,” I say with as much indignation as I can muster under his intimidating gaze.
He jiggles the case and gives me a look that suggests he thinks I’m full of shit. “You always tell ridiculous lies?”
Apparently, yes. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you the truth.”
“Which is?”
“It’s empty.”
My heart pounds as he fumbles with the case. I’m hoping this goon does not find the work ID I tucked in one of the pockets of the case holder. Working in the DA’s office won’t do me any favors with a criminal.
He glares at me again. “You’re right. I don’t believe you.”
“Well, there’s a shocker.”
“Open it.”
“I can’t,” I say truthfully, but I know he won’t believe me. Although all it’s going to take is swiping my fingers one by one along the fingerprint pad.
The Hulk doesn’t seem too interested in the box because he picks up my bag, tosses the box back in it, and then asks for my name.
“Addy,” I reply.
“Uh-huh,” he murmurs, clearly unconvinced by everything coming out of my mouth.
“And what are you doing here, Addy?”
“I needed a place to crash.”
He looks over his shoulder and jabs a thumb at the Chicago Marston. “You wanted to crash there?”
I nod yes.
He grunts. “And, how did you get here?”
“I took a cab.”
