Page 33 of Power of Shadow

A silenced gun is in my hand in record time.

I take one step, then another, and another... Every part of my body is ready for battle.

Sweet Eve isn’t asleep after all.

The apartment is tiny. The living room is connected to the kitchen. In the short hallway next to the kitchen, there are only two doors. That means I have a fifty-fifty chance of finding her bedroom. The other door must lead to the bathroom.

First, I check what’s behind the door on the right, and sure enough, there’s a micro bathroom.

God, my shoe closet is bigger than this.

When I stand in front of the door, I notice no light coming from under it. Could Eve be having fun with my friend David right now?

A surprise is my choice. I bring my leg up and forcefully kick the door. It opens without the slightest problem, hitting the wall as it does so.

After looking around I enter, however... the room is empty...

My gun drops down and my thumb flicks the light switch. Looking around again, I peek into the built-in wardrobe and under the bed. There’s no one here. And then another giggle, this time much clearer.

Instantly, I locate the source of the sound. There’s a walkie-talkie on the nightstand.

“Hello, Jackal.”

How the fuck does she do it? How does Shadow know I’m here right now?

The urge to punch the wall is strong. I’m not happy that she has an advantage over me. I sit on the edge of the bed and pick up the device.

“Shadow. Hello, sweetheart,” I greet her. “How did you know?”

“I have my ways. I thought I’d surprise you this time.”

Her warm voice affects me in a special way. Whether it’s tinged with anger or fun, it doesn’t matter.

“You’ve certainly succeeded with the surprise,” I answer, and don’t want it to end too soon.

“Appreciate that. But I have bad news for you. You’re late, Jackal.”

“What do you mean? Where am I late?”

A quick glance at the device I’m holding. I can’t be sure, but it looks like one of those that can easily cover a range of several miles. Too far to track her down.

Damn it!

“What I mean is that Eve isn’t there anymore. And she probably won’t be for a long time. On the bright side, I didn’t find her either. My guess is that fucking David took her and hid her somewhere.” Shadow doesn’t sound angry, and that actually makes me wary.

Now I’m sure there’s nothing for me here. I head for the exit.

“Is that why you were laughing when I came? And you have a camera here, right?”

“Oh, just trinkets. Every woman likes to have gadgets. But that’s not why I was laughing.”

“Then why?” I ask, intrigued.

In response to my question, a fire alarm sounds throughout the entire building. The howling is so loud that after a few seconds, I think my eyeballs are going to pop out of their sockets.

Shaking my head at her stupid joke, I smirk. “You’ll pay for this, Shadow.”

Her laughter is infectious.