Isabella looked the Mexican man in the eye as he whispered the few last words. However, her luck had other plans. Her phone screen flushed a pending call. She took her job too seriously. There wasn't a man that could distract her from her passion for blood. Without considering briefing him, she pulled her purse, and walked out of the club. They wanted her at the headquarters to discuss the plan for her next mission.
After a quick cold shower, she changed into her usual work clothes, a crop top with a leather jacket and low-waist baggy pants. She walked into the meeting room. Her team was already there waiting for her. "What's up, Talon?"
"Right on time, Isabella. Please have a seat. This man is your next target, Pedro Mendez. Bloody Chains group mafia leader and the Alpha of his pack. There's no evidence that he has found his mate yet. We could follow the plan of seduction and assassination."
"Easy peasy," said Bella, staring at his picture. His straight, thick eyebrows matched his sharp bluish eyes. His night black, neatly backward swiped hair reminded her of the stranger from the last night. Why did she think of him? She asked herself. She had to finish this mission soon to get laid to take him off her mind. "So, what're our roles in this game?" She leaned backward in her seat, folding her hands over her chest, and resting her boots on the meeting table.
"You're going for a job interview in a few hours, as Emma Kindrake, to work as his secretary. On your first day on the job, you'll let your team in as clients. Link will be the one negotiating with him. Loki and Chance will go with Link while Max stays in the car to hack into their security system and get information about their associations and business."
Bella nodded at her team. Those men were the only family she had known. They were the ones of little who got accepted the year she applied to The Lodge to be a hunter. They went through all the training with her and accomplished many missions together.
After the meeting, Bella went to her room, packing some weapons for her upcoming mission. "Bella Ella, open up!" Maria yelled from the other side of the door. Maria is Bella's best friend and Chance's beloved noisy wife.
Bella rolled her eyes as she let Maria in. "No, there's no way I'll date Link. He's been my best friends for years. And before you ask, I didn't meet any other cute guy. Oh, and I can't tell you about the mission for your safety."
"Dammit, girl. You're no fun." Maria huffed grumpily. "Seriously, who said being pregnant is fun. I can't join you in any missions, and I got stuck in here all day for my safety."
"Well, you and Chance could've used protection, you know?" She grinned in amusement.
"Shush! You'll hurt the baby's feelings. I know you can't wait to be an auntie."
"I gotta go. My interview is in two hours. See you later, momma!" Bella didn't give her a chance to continue and ran out of the room immediately.
The disguise outfit looked extremely hot. It showed off the beautiful curves of Isabella's body in an innocent style. She looked in the mirror one last time before getting out of the car. The massive building showed what powerful man was Pedro Mendez. She was always good at playing confidence games, luring the target into her alley and then wiping his existence away. It must be another easy mission for her.
She entered the lobby and kept an eye out for the front desk. The building was in a modern style with white, black, and gray hues and gold stripes. The marble floor clinked tantalizingly against her expensive heels. Everything was going more smoothly than she anticipated.
The brunette receptionist looked at her enviously. If she only knew what Isabella was up to with her boss, she would have absconded immediately. "Mr. Mendez is expecting you in his office. Please, follow me."
She led Bella to the third floor, where they stood before a pair of wooden designed doors. The receptionist knocked on the door and went inside to announce her presence. She came out and gestured for Bella to go in, which she did. She closed the door behind her and let her eyes wander around the large office. She spotted a few places where there might be some hidden weapons. There was one corner that the video surveillance could not pick up. She put on an innocent look as she looked around. Her eyes met the man in the suit sitting at an oak-carved desk. It must have cost a fortune, besides the cost of the stuff here. "Good morning, Mr. Mendez."
"Ms. Kindrake, please have a seat." He said.
His eyes scanned her long bare legs up to her tight short skirt. Her white silk shirt nestled delicately against her torso. Her full lips twisted into a seductively innocent smile as she felt his gaze on her.
A few hours later, she barged into Talon's office at headquarters. She tossed a stack of stapled sheets on his desk, "I have the letter of employment. I start in the morning. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go get a drink." She left without waiting for a reply.
Gray shadows creeped up on Rafael. Their ghostly hands reached out to his neck and wrapped a noose around it. His trachea jerked and crushed to pieces as the distorted voice whispered, "Look at me."
His fingers flexed, but he didn't reach for the hands that were stealing his air. If he touches them, they will force his eyes open, they will make him see. "Baby boy.." The voice got less distorted, honeyed, almost in a singsong. "Let me look at those eyes.."
Fuck no. If he doesn't look, he'll be safe. If he doesn't look, he won't know what will happen and it'll all be over faster. Or that's what he believed as the ghostly harsh fingers jammed against his neck and crashed the one thing that was giving Raf air. "If you don't look, it'll hurt more." The voice was still honeyed, cool, soothing almost, and he would've believed it if he didn't know what hid behind it.
"No.."
"Rafael, look at me."
"No."
"I'm going to hit you and make sure to leave marks, you little jerk."
"No!"
That's when his eyes opened. There was a ringing, loud and constant and without any breaks. At first, he thought it was all in his head. The ringing. The pounding against his skull. The fucking shadows. His head was the place they go to when they decide to visit him occasionally, just to make sure they still have a hold on him. That the little boy inside him had been slowly killing over the past twenty years isn't dead.
That he still breathes, still closes his eyes, and has fucking nightmares about the shadows of the past. He still lives with his demons. But the ringing wasn't in his head. It's from somewhere beside him. His phone. He snatched it from the side table, threw an arm over his eyes to darken his vision. The light was blinding in his post-nightmare state. In a way, he became one with his shadows, thirsty for darkness and unable to exist outside of it. So, light and him were never really close friends. "You better have a good fucking reason for calling me this early in the morning."
"What could be more important than me?"
"My sleeping time." Though he did wake him up from a nightmare, he should be thankful, really. "Now, are you dead?"
"Obviously not."
"Are you in a compromised position and need help?"
"Not exactly."
"Then call me back when it's not early morning. If by any chance, you have an emergency before that, call 911."
"First of all, fuck you. Second, I think I told you we're going to the auction today and you should've been here about.. fifteen bloody minutes ago. And finally, it's not early fucking morning."
He slid his arm away from his eyes and peek at the time on his phone. Sure enough, it's past ten. "Where the fuck are you anyway?" Valentino asked, sounding more impatient by the minute. He's all fun until things don't go according to his plan. Though most of his plans suck, and they're a bit impulsive sometimes, which might play a role in the sheer number of people he attracts on a daily basis.
Valentino had been his brother and best friend for years. He's the only person who could handle Raf's bullshit and could trust him with his life. They grew up together and built their dark business. In many occasions, they had each other's back.
"Somewhere…" Rafael squinted again due to the light slipping from between his fingers. He wondered where he was for a second. There was piece missing from his head.
"At least tell me you're back from Jersey?"
"Jersey? Oh, yeah, Jersey. No, I'm still here."
"What the fuck, mate? Weren't you supposed to come back last night after meeting a client?"
"I had a change of plans."
"What about the auction?"
"Don't they launch another one at 8 pm? I'll be there in time." He ended the call and stared at his side, expecting to find a woman from the last night, but unfortunately, he hadn't got the chance to spend the night together. He doesn't usually care about their names since they'd be erased from his head after the night was over, but the fact that she was the one who demanded anonymity was what got his wheels turning. Usually, they don't. Usually, he would have to tell them beforehand that this is a one-time thing and then it's over. It's thrilling.
He knew there was something about her from the time they were at the bar, and he had to explore it, had to get his hands on her and see it until the end. He was supposed to go back to New York last night, but then he decided he would fuck her. Something in his guts told him to go to that bar and meet her. He didn't know what it was, yet he followed it.
Under normal circumstances, he'd let it go. In fact, he should be glad that he didn't had one of the clingy ones who demand to have his phone number or tell him to call her. But the fact that she left without a word sent sparks of fire through his veins. Women don't disappear on him. Ever. And yet, this girl didn't think twice about it. That's a fucking first. he stood up, pushing the sheet away, and didn't bother with putting on clothes. He needed a cold shower to forget her.
The next day, it was show time. Isabella's team was ready to chase several heads, including Pedro Mendez, the grand prize. She found her way to her office and started her PC. She organized some files and waited for Link and the team to arrive at 10 am. Something did not feel right as time passed, and her gut told her to leave this toxic place, but she had to stick to the plan.
It was already after 11 o'clock, and they weren't there yet. Bella couldn't risk contacting them and blowing her disguise. Her thoughts were interrupted when Mr. Mendez call her into his office. She hid a pocket knife under her sleeve and ensured her gun was tucked safely under her skirt. She heaved a deep sigh and knocked on the door. "Come in."
"Yes, Mr. Mendez. How can I help you?"
"I'd like to ask you a couple of questions, Emma. Close the door behind you, please."
Getting closer to his desk, he placed a picture in front of her. Her eyes shuddered as she saw her team tied and beaten up. That couldn't be true. She couldn't waste any more time. In the blink of an eye, she drew her gun to shoot at the security camera and shot Pedro in the heart with several bullets.
The security guards rushed in. She managed to kill the two men, but when more men came in, she took their sir hostage. "Let my men go unless you want me to blow your boss' head off."
Pedro gushed ringing laughter, "I will surely let them go if you surrender, woman."
She gulped. it was either them or her. Without a second thought she responded, "Fine."
"Untie the boys and guide them out, Antonio." Pedro took the remote control and flipped the screens, following her team's moves till they got in the car and left the place safely.
One of the men had already taken her weapons. And after her men left, they tied her up and escorted her out of the office to the car. "Where are you taking me?"
Antonio shot her a devilish smirk, "To the auction, darling."