Page 7 of Marked By the Devil

Was I set up?

That was the only thing that hit me with the truth.

That was all that made sense.

This was never going to be a simple stakeout to spy on Rico Johnson.

I was caught in something bigger, and I couldn’t begin to analyze what could come next.

Not death. That had better not come next for me.

I swallowed hard, clinging to that basic principle.

The goal would always be to survive.

Not tonight.

I couldn’t die. I had too much to do, too many things I could give back to society.

I’d only just started my fieldwork in the career I always wanted to have. My mom was a cop, killed in a drive-by. I had her legacy to uphold, serving the community and ridding the world of bad people. My dad, who had never even wanted to meet me, had been a detective for the state. I had his blood in my veins too, making me a force of nature despite my predicament.

This was what I’d trained for. What I wanted to do.

But as the footsteps of my stalker sounded closer, I couldn’t even think up a semblance of a pep talk.

Closer yet.

His shoes hit the pavement at a faster pace, like he was rushing at me.

Fuck.

I need to get out of here.

Buildings were jammed too close together. Cars were blocking any intersecting paths away. He was so close that even if I tried to run, he’d know which way to go.

I turned, my heart tripping and racing at double speed.

As I tore my focus from what waited ahead of me, I was disoriented, my balance off.

He’s right there!

Yards separated us. He was closing in. Cornering me. Trapping me.

Shadows covered his face. The darkness blurred all details.

I dropped into a sprint. Pumping my arms and forcing my legs to go with an open stride, I gritted my teeth and made one last attempt to flee.

Without a word, he lunged at me, tackling me and taking me to the ground from behind.

No!

3

VIKTOR

Idove at her, snapping my arm out to wrap it around her waist.

I didn’t have all night for this shit.