Chapter 69

SIXTY-NINE

XERO

If I don’t kiss Amethyst, I’ll throttle her for interfering.

We were on the brink of escaping. I’d just created a hole in the shutters when she ordered the explosions.

Sure, her move was effective, but it was also premature and reckless. We had seconds to spare and could have escaped through the window before the bomb in the basement detonated, but Amethyst had to jump the proverbial gun.

She tenses beneath my lips, and for a moment, I forget she’s fragile. Not only traumatized from being assaulted at the asylum, but from resurfaced memories, each one a raw nerve, pulsing with excruciating pain. I draw back, needing to erase the unwanted touch, but her arms encircle my shoulders, drawing me closer.

Her lips are tentative, soft, yet they ignite a fire that I’ve been trying to keep banked. The truck rumbles down the road, making a sharp turn that knocks us both into its metal wall, but I barely notice our surroundings.

“What was that for?” she asks, her voice breathy against my lips.

“I almost lost you,” I snarl. “We could have gotten out seconds before the explosion if you hadn’t interfered.”

She gazes up at me through dilated pupils, looking so vulnerable and needy I almost forget my train of thought.

“But I saved us. I couldn’t leave you to die in a burning house again.”

I stiffen, my anger replaced by surprise. I hadn’t expected her to bring up that past, the one we’d both agreed to bury and forget.

When she grips the lapels of my bullet-proof jacket, pulling me closer, heat rushes to my cock. Who am I to argue when I’ve brought out her protective instincts? Every fiber of me roars to claim her—to take what’s mine. To erase Father’s touch with mine exactly as she demanded, but a bump in the road breaks me out of those thoughts.

I’m about to pull back from the kiss when her teeth sink into my bottom lip. The sharp burst of pain has my knees buckling as all sensation rushes south. I twine my fingers into her curls, holding her in place as our tongues twist with desperate need.

“Stop fucking about,” Jynxson snaps, his voice cutting through the haze. “There’s a convoy of attackers up our ass. Xero, man the drones.”

With a groan, I tear myself away from my little ghost, my gaze lingering on the soft swell of her mouth. Her cheeks are flushed, and she’s breathing hard through parted lips, her eyes darkening with desire.

“We’re going to finish that kiss,” I growl, forcing myself to resist the pull.

Her eager nod sends a jolt of anticipation to my throbbing cock. I drag my feet to the console just as bullets hit the side of our truck. Jynxson swerves to avoid more incoming fire, making the tires screech.

Amethyst falls into the seat beside me and fastens her belt. On-screen, an armored truck chases us through a country road bordered by fields. Dust kicks up in a thick cloud behind us, obscuring part of our view, but not enough to hide the persistent bastards.

“Report,” I command, fingers flying across the laptop keyboard.

The drone feed comes to life, displaying a bird’s-eye view of our surroundings. Its thermal imaging picks up heat signatures inside a trio of pursuing vehicles. The front one has three individuals leaning out of the windows, shooting at us, while a fourth drives.

“There’s another truck chasing Tyler and his team,” Jynxson replies. “They’re fending off their attackers with drones.”

“Damn it,” I mutter, adjusting the drone’s altitude for a better angle. “And the Spring Brothers?”

“They’re pursuing Camila who went after Charlotte.”

“Any updates from her?” I ask, directing the drone to zoom in on our pursuers’ engine.

“Charlotte is driving toward Courtland Bridge. She could be leading them into an ambush,” Jynxson reports, his voice tense.

“Cut her off before she gets to her destination,” I snarl, locking the drone’s target. “Even if that means crashing into her from behind.”

“Copy that.”

Switching to manual control, I align the targeting system with our attacker’s hood. With a click of a key, the drone releases a burst of small charges. The screen lights up with the explosion, debris flying as the lead truck swerves and crashes into a ditch.

“Direct hit!” Jynxson shouts, but there’s no time for relief.

Amethyst’s eyes are glued to the screen, her breath coming in shallow gasps. The truck lurches as Jynxson makes a sharp turn, trying to shake off the remaining pursuers. I glance at her, my heart pounding not just from destroying our enemies but from the promise reflected in her gaze.

The second truck rams us from the back, making us jerk to the side. I maneuver the drone towards the next target, releasing another barrage of explosives. Jynxson speeds ahead, leaving them in flames.

Up ahead, the road narrows, lined with thick trees. Headlights emerge from the darkness on a collision course. Jynxson swerves, narrowly avoiding a crash. After deploying a drone against the third vehicle, I send another ahead to scan for obstacles. It looks like we’re clear.

“Are we safe?” Amethyst asks, her voice trembling.

I turn to meet her eyes, letting her fingers intertwine with mine. “Eager for that kiss?”

She whacks me on the arm, her smile intoxicating.

Camila’s voice sounds over the comms. “Xero, Charlotte just crashed into a tree.”

“Approach with caution. It could be a trap.” I sit back in my seat, my lips quirking. As a former instructor, Charlotte can definitely lead us to the facility’s location. We’re baby steps away from catching up with Father.

Amethyst squeezes my hand. “Why are you smiling?”

My smile morphs into a grin. Kissing Amethyst might have to wait a little longer. If her vengeance on that crew member is anything to go by, Charlotte might not survive long enough to regret her actions.

“I can’t wait to see you take care of Charlotte.”

An hour later, after administering basic first aid and cutting the tracking devices from Charlotte’s limp body, we move her into an interrogation truck. As a precautionary measure, we’ve extracted all her teeth. They now reside in a ditch, miles away from where she crashed.

She sits on a chair welded to the metal floor, her mouth a gory mess. Her ankles and wrists are shackled, rendering her completely immobile.

I lean against the wall, watching Amethyst approach her with the knife. My little ghost stands proud despite the emotions bubbling beneath the surface as she faces her former abuser.

She backhands Charlotte hard across the face with a force that makes the woman’s head snap to the side. The blonde jerks awake, her eyes wide with fear.

“Charlotte Banks. Or should I say, Kappa,” Amethyst sneers.

Recognition flickers across the blonde’s features. She breathes hard, her face paling.

“You remember me?” Amethyst asks.

Charlotte coughs up a mouthful of blood. “I don’t…” she slurs, the words garbled by the mess we’ve made of her mouth. “I don’t know what you’re?—”

Amethyst cuts her off with a slash across the face. “Don’t lie to me, Kappa.”

Charlotte blinks, trying to focus. “Dolly?”

My little ghost flashes her teeth and slaps her again with more force. Blood flies out of the older woman’s mouth, staining her chest.

“Amy,” Amethyst snarls, her voice dripping with venom.

Realization finally dawns on Charlotte’s features. Her eyes widen, and her face leeches of color. I nod, satisfied. She’s starting to understand the depth of her predicament.

“Amy… You’ve got to understand. I was a victim, just like you. I was under orders when I did those things. It’s haunted me every day. I didn’t mean it. Delta would have killed me if I’d refused. I was a recruit, just like you and your sister.”

I frown, my gaze bouncing to Amethyst. Will she show Charlotte any compassion?

Child assassins follow orders, yes, but Charlotte was an adult during the events of the diary. By then, she knew the implications of that mission. Charlotte should have chosen to die rather than terrorize an innocent child and murder an infant.

Breath quickening, I wait for Amethyst’s response. Her jaw tightens. Her features flicker with the resurfacing of old wounds. The rawness of her emotions tugs at my heart. I remain silent, unwilling to intervene. If Amethyst forgives Charlotte, I will continue the interrogation.

Amethyst turns to me, and our eyes lock. Her pretty features contort in a pained expression of indecision. She’s torn between her sense of morality and her desire for revenge.

I ache to tell her it’s alright. That she doesn’t need to go ahead with the interrogation. I love her the way she is.

The sound of her fist smashing into Charlotte’s wounded mouth goes straight to my cock. My chest rumbles with satisfaction, and I swallow back a groan.

“Cut the crap. I remember how much you enjoyed terrorizing me at night,” Amethyst spits. “Back then, you were so creative. Now, you’re just saying anything to save your worthless hide.”

Charlotte’s frightened facade morphs into the cold, calculating gaze of an assassin. This is the true identity of a killer molded through years of manipulation and abuse. The lower half of her face is too swollen to form a sneer, but her eyes scream defiance and a fierce will to survive.

This is the predator Father created, so corrupted that she’s lost her humanity.

Amethyst will have to work hard to break her spirit. If she succeeds, she’ll emerge as a completely different woman. She’ll be one step closer to vanquishing her demons. One step closer to facing Father and Dolly.