Gunn(Bayou Springs Alien Mail Order Brides #2)(23)

 

"What the fuck?" Carl studied the gun, then me, and pointed the useless hunk of metal at me once more.

 

I squeezed harder, cutting off the rest of Smith's airway. He went completely limp as he passed out. Dropping him, I moved toward Carl with steady determination. He fired twice, both bullets shattering upon impact. Neither slowed me down.

 

All the blood drained from Carl's face as his eyes widened in shock. "You're one of them, aren't you?"

 

Them, meaning the strange Quartzians who often had unique supernatural abilities.

 

Without comment, I reached out and grabbed the man by the neck, hauling him off his feet. He kicked out and grappled at my fingers to no avail. Between my death grip and steeled body, there was nothing he could do. Shaking my head, I moved toward the open dumpster and with minimal effort, threw him in. Before he could recover, I slammed the lids shut and forced the locking metal bar into place, guaranteeing he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

 

Eyeing Smith still lying unconscious on the cement, I cursed. Leaving him there was a problem. Hastily, I grabbed the goon and tossed him into the SUV. After securing his hands and feet with Duct Tape, I slammed the back closed and took off. Unwilling to wait for the elevator, I ran up four flights of stairs.

 

Fighting the impulse to burst through the stairwell door, I slowed and forced myself to calmly enter Kennedy's hallway. The floor to ceiling glass wall on the left offered a sweeping view of the city. I ignored it, grateful the carpet muffled my footsteps. The only thing I needed to defeat Saxton was the element of surprise. If he saw me before I got to him, at best we'd be locked in a battle of wills. At worst, he'd knock my ass out again. My hardened cement-like skin meant nothing when he could drain my energy.

 

Her apartment was at the very end of the hall, and to my surprise when I tried the door knob, it wasn't locked.

 

Sloppy.

 

Good. Whatever he wanted from Kennedy was clouding his judgement. I paused, unsure how to proceed. I could either wait outside the door for Saxton to emerge, or I could take a chance and enter the apartment. There was no telling where they were inside. It was entirely possible I'd be made the second I walked through the door. The better choice was to wait.

 

An image of the Azurite feeding off Kennedy's energy materialized in my mind.

 

Fuck that.

 

I was going in.

 

 

 

 

 

11

 

  

 

 

 

Kennedy

 

 

 

 

 

"Stop stalling." Bolt grabbed the metal fireplace poker from the stand and pointed it at me. "The longer I have to wait the more time I have to plan your unfortunate accident."

 

"What the hell kind of accident happens with a fireplace tool in the middle of July?" I asked from inside my walk-in safe.

 

"The kind that's a direct result from an intruder." He turned, smashing the metal iron down on my nightstand. The blown-glass alligator fell to the floor and shattered.

 

"Was that necessary?" I reached into the temperature controlled storage unit and pulled out a vial with a pink label.

 

"It's the green one," he snapped, his eyes fixated on the vial he'd come for.

 

Shit. Of course he knew how they were labeled. He'd been one of ten Azurite volunteers we'd utilized in our tests for over a year. Time for plan B. I shifted so my body was blocking the case, and instead of replacing the pink vial, I shoved it in my front pocket. Then I retrieved the drug he was jonesing for …  or at least the one that sort of resembled it.

 

My hands shook as nerves took over. The minute the serum hit his tongue, he'd know it wasn't the right one. I steeled myself and turned, clutching the green vile.

 

Longing transformed his features and pure desperation emulated from him as his jaw tightened and his eye twitched. "Hand it over."

 

I shoved my free hand in my pocket as I took a step forward. He reached out and snatched the vial from my hand. Shaking, he popped the top, titled his head back, and poured the failed serum down his throat. I pulled the pink vial out of my pocket and lunged forward, throwing the vial down as hard as I could at his feet.

 

The glass vial broke on the wood floor, sending a putrid yellow mist swirling up around him.

 

He roared and launched the fireiron in my direction. "You fucking bitch!"

 

I darted to the right, barely avoiding being skewered as the iron tool sailed by me and crashed into the open storage unit. More vials shattered, followed by a sulfurous smell and the tell-tale sound of an electrical short.

 

Oh, God. The cleanup on that was going to suck balls.

 

"No!" Bolt ran past me straight into my safe, the yellow mist still clinging to him.