Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
“I didn’t touch anything.” Ricky glanced my way, giving me a nod before turning to Stone.
“Thanks.” Stone knelt on one knee by the casing, looking it over, before catching my gaze. “You ready to touch it?”
“Yes. Should I be careful about ruining the prints?”
“We’re not involving the cops, so you’re good to go.”
“Oh.” I licked my lips and crouched down. I hadn’t worn my gloves, so I didn’t have an excuse to hesitate before picking it up. Still, it took me a moment to center myself and open my mind before I touched it.
As my hand closed around the casing, I saw a vision of a man holding a rifle to his shoulder. His face was obscured behind the rifle, but I caught signs of a beard. His finger moved on the trigger, and his body jerked from the shot. The casing fell out of the gun and into my hand as the vision cleared.
I met Stone’s gaze. “It’s the same guy. His facial features aren’t as clear, but I’m sure it’s him. I saw his hand pretty clearly though, and each of his fingers had tattoos on them. I couldn’t tell if they were numbers or symbols. But they were on his fingers right here.” I pointed to the skin between my knuckles and the first joint of my finger.
“Sounds like he’s part of a gang,” Ricky said.
“That’s what I thought,” Stone answered. “But it doesn’t add up.” He met my gaze. “You want to try the window?”
A perfect circle of glass had been cut out of the window, like I’d seen in spy movies. “Wow… this guy must be a professional to do that.”
“Yeah… that’s why the tattoos don’t make a lot of sense. A professional hitman wouldn’t have any kind of identifying marks on him because it would make it easier to track him down.”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure I’ll get anything if he used tools to cut the glass, but I’ll give it a try.”
“Just don’t cut yourself.”
I met his gaze and nodded. Warmth flooded my chest that he was looking out for me, even though I was smart enough to know better. Taking a breath, I placed my hands on both sides of the circle and closed my eyes.
At my touch, sudden darkness engulfed me, along with a sharp stab of hatred and loathing. The darkness seeped into my soul like black oil, pulling me into a deep void that I couldn’t escape.
I fought against the dark, but it just sucked me in deeper. Then a rasping voice filled my head, repeating the same words over and over. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Fighting to pull away only seemed to drag me further in, and, like quicksand, I couldn’t get out.
In the distance, someone called my name. I turned toward that voice and felt strong arms wrap around me, pulling me to safety. The darkness began to retreat, and relief sapped my strength.
“Serenity! Sen!” Stone held me against him, and the remaining darkness fell away. His frantic gaze met mine. “You didn’t come out of it. What happened?”
“I… I don’t know.” As I caught my breath, he pulled me tight against his chest, and I closed my eyes. “It was awful… like a black void full of anger and blame. I kept hearing the words, die, die, die, over and over. It wouldn’t stop.” I took a halting breath and began to shiver.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
I leaned into him, needing his solid presence and comfort. I’d never been so scared of the dark in my life. I squeezed my eyes tightly together, hoping to stop the tears. Stone rubbed my back, whispering words of comfort. His soothing voice began to penetrate the darkness that wouldn’t let go.
At last, I relaxed into his arms, and my shivering stopped. My breathing slowed, and I could finally open my eyes.
Stone pulled away from me, holding my arms, and met my gaze. “Feeling better?”
I managed a short nod. “Yeah… thanks for…bringing me back.” My voice shook, and I had to swallow the tears before I cried again.
Stone held me against him. “Anytime, Babe. Anytime. We should get you back to the apartment. Even I’m getting a bad vibe from this room. Can you walk?”
“Yes.” Thoughts of leaving this place sent a burst of energy through me. I turned toward the door, grateful that Stone kept me tucked under his arm, and we stepped out together.
The further away from that room we got, the more my strength returned. It was like a gentle, calming breeze after a category five hurricane.
What the hell was that? Why had it affected me so strongly? A shiver ran down my spine, and I took a deep breath to push the fear away. Needing tranquility, I retreated into a state of meditation and hardly noticed when Ricky left us at the door to the apartment.