Page 44 of Embers to Flames

?I unscrewed the silencer and shoved it and the gun away before pulling out my phone. It rang once before Jade answered. “Done?”

?“Not much of a mess.”

?“Be there in a few.”

?I nodded and turned towards the mouth of the alley. “Go…” But my words trailed off when my eyes locked on a familiar pair of amber ones.

?I straightened.

?It wasn’t often I was taken off-guard, but when I was, I fucking hated it.

?“God fucking dammit,” I muttered.

?“What?”

?“Just do your job,” I snapped and hung up.

?Rae was swaying on her feet, her wide eyes on the body behind me. She was so far gone, I doubted she would remember any of this, even so, the rules remained.

?Anyone who witnessed the crime had to disappear too. Good thing she was already my target.

?I lifted my chin, studying her carefully, wondering what she would do in this inebriated state.

?“Rae!”

?Without thought, I stepped into the shadows, melting into them, watching her unblinkingly.

?She looked towards her friend, who hadn’t stepped into the mouth of the alley yet.

?“Come on, cab’s here,” Viv called, slurring her words.

?Rae swayed on her feet a little more, and I half wondered if shewould collapse. She glanced back towards the alley, searching, her siren eyes glassy, before turning back to her friend and stumbling away.

?I watched the street until I saw the yellow cab pull away.

?A few seconds passed before I shoved away from the wall.Well, guess you’ve got two death sentences on you now, don’t you, Princess?

?Lucky for me, I suppose, just another incentive to keep studying her.

?I wasn’t sure how long I would do it, hunt her. Not too long, but I wasn’t ready to stop yet. The way she came into my life was intriguing, a mystery worth solving.

3

Rae

October 20th, 2019

Oh, fuck.

?God, whoever said getting wasted like that was a good idea could go kick rocks in bare feet.

?I groaned, grabbing my head as I rolled onto my back. My hair was a tangled mess, my mouth tasted like salt and berries, my neck hurt, and I felt unbelievably sticky.

?Impossible sticky.

?Why was I so sticky?

?God, I felt likeI was dying.