Eleven

Eleven

Six Months Ago

Sean Kaheaku padded barefoot down the hallway, keeping his back against the wall. He was careful to avoid making any noise. There was no reason to alert anyone in the penthouse that he had arrived. If the package he had been sent to steal wasn't there, he could disappear without an issue.

When he reached the door to the room, he took hold of the door handle. A slight twist told him it was locked.

Dammit .

Of course it was locked. It was the way this job had gone. After missing his first flight, he'd ended up showing up twelve hours later than he had planned. Still, he was a day early, but Sean had hoped to get done faster and get out of Thailand. He wasn't well liked in some corners of Bangkok.

With deliberate moves, he pulled out his kit, picked his favorite tool. He squatted down and got to work. Why was he even doing this? He got a message from Lassiter telling him to get this package. He heard the click of the door unlocking. He slipped his tools back into his pants pocket. With a quick look down the hall in each direction, he twisted the doorknob and opened the door.

It opened slowly, and he found a completely empty room.

He frowned. There was an open window with wind billowing the sheer white curtains. Other than trash, nothing remained. It looked as if no one had lived there for months. He stepped into the room, making sure to keep his attention trained for any little sound. He walked over to the window and looked out. Nothing…just the quiet stillness of the night.

Fuck .

What now ? He had been so sure that the package would be there. Lassiter had paid him to make sure. This is why he hated working alone. If Jaime and Randy had been with him, they could have used all their contacts to ensure the best results. But, for some reason, Lassiter had wanted only him on the job; and when someone pays you ten thousand for a quick pick up, you just do it. At least in his business you did. Lassiter had been mysterious and, well, weird…even for Lassiter. He'd said it was important for Sean to be the one to get the job done because for some reason, his boss thought Sean would benefit the most.

A creak sounded behind him. He turned to confront the threat, but he was too late. He saw nothing but a piece of wood that came rushing toward him. He had no time to prepare for the smack. A sharp brutal crack to his skull left him dizzy, the room spinning around him. Pain exploded then filtered out through the rest of his body. He lifted his hand and felt the spot that had been hit. His fingers touched something wet and warm. Fuck, he was bleeding.

He tried to walk, blinking to gain focus. He heard another whoosh before the wood made contact with the back of his head. Then, he was falling into a deep, dark pit of nothingness.