Page 4 of Dark Consequences
“Three, two,” Enzo counts down. “One.” The house goes dark. “Now.”
I snap on a pair of night-vision goggles, sling my rifle over my shoulder, and rappel down the tree, meeting Dominic by our entry point at the back door. The home is well guarded, but with no moon in the sky and with us wearing all black, we’re practically invisible to the naked eye.
A second later, the door swings open, just as we expected, and a pair of Triad guards rush out. We each grab one and simultaneously snap their necks.
I check my watch. That took less than thirty seconds. Not bad.
We step inside and work as a team, moving through the bottom floor, searching each room for our prey, and taking out every Triad member we find. If tonight ends up a bust, at least we got to exterminate some fucking rats in the process.
“Five minutes left,” Enzo announces in our ears.
Where the fuck is Xiao?
Despite Evelyn’s best efforts, she couldn’t find a blueprint or floor plan of any kind for the house, so we’re in the dark here as well, primarily relying on intuition and basic house building. “Are you sure he hasn’t left, Enzo?”
“Positive. Unless he somehow actually turned into a rat and slipped out, he’s still in the house. Somewhere. May I suggest you two divide and conquer?”
I don’t like it, but with the clock winding down, we have no choice. My eyes flick toward the second floor. “I’ll take the upstairs, finish—”
“We’re not splitting up,” my cousin interrupts because he knows what I’m about to order.
“Really? We don’t have time to argue about this.”
“I’m not arguing.”
“Then what do you call this?”
“Sorry to interrupt what I’m sure is about to be a very fun back-and-forth on should you stay or should you go, but you have four minutes left,” Enzo says.
Dominic clenches his jaw, hating how we both backed him into a corner before he nods. “Fine. I’ll finish clearing the downstairs, but if you get yourself killed, don’t come crying to me.”
I can’t help myself, and as I slip by him, I say, “If I do, your ass is the first I’ll haunt.”
“Fuck off.”
Chuckling under my breath, I rush up the stairs, relieved the carpet absorbs the sound of my hurried steps. I round a corner and come face-to-face with a Triad guard. Burying my knife in his neck, he’s dead before he even hits the ground.
Fewer rooms are up here, so I systematically clear each one until only the one behind the double doors at the end of the hall remains. The knob is locked, but since it’s a standard model, I swiftly pick the lock without much effort. As soon as it’s open, I glide through the dark room like death’s shadow, ready to claim another soul.
In the center of the room sits a massive canopy bed. As I draw closer, I notice a distinct lump beneath the sheets. Someone is lying there. I raise my gun, finger on the trigger, as I reach out, pull the sheet down…
... and lock eyes with the most enchanting sapphire-blue eyes I’ve ever seen.
2
Lily
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, was a girl who believed in fairy tales. She dreamed of handsome heroes riding in on gallant white horses to fight the evil dragon and save the day. She believed in true love and soulmates and happily ever after.
That girl was also stupid and naive and far too innocent for the real world.
Once upon a time, that girl was me.
“Mommy?”
I glance down at the small body tucked into my side and then kiss the dark crown of her head. She giggles before squirming closer to me and continues sounding out the words from her pop-up book.
For a four-year-old child, Mei is significantly gifted for her age. Arguably, I’d like to take all the credit for her smarts, but I only contributed half her genetic makeup. Mei’s father is brilliant as well, as much as I hate to admit it.