Page 53 of Wicked Succubus
“Here you go,” someone says, handing Killian and me the same gear Agent Cooper and Agent Rodriguez were handed, except for the weapon. Fine by us; we don’t need them anyway.
“Wait, no gun?” Killian mocks in fake hurt. “Not to worry, we have special talents.” He winks at the woman, and her cheeks redden before she turns around quickly.
We put on the gear as the rest of the agents huddle around us. “The suspect’s name is Zack Miller. Agent Rodriguez and I will walk in there first.”
“We’re following behind you,” I interrupt. I need to make sure Zel is still alive. I really hope we don’t find her at this place.
“I don’t think that’s such—” Agent Rodriguez starts.
“We’ve been trained,” Killian bites back, cutting her off. He’s just as on edge as I am. We never said a single word to each other on the way here.
“Fine,” Agent Cooper agrees.
“Agent Cooper, they haven’t been trained.” Agent Rodriguez throws worried glances at us.
“I’ve gotten a taste of what they can do. You’ll have each other’s backs, right?” Agent Cooper looks each of us in the eye, and I can feel their whole unit turn to look at us.
“Of course we will, pretty boy.”
Agent Cooper rolls his eyes and then looks back at his team. He continues to talk, and I feel like we’re wasting so much time. He arranges people in order, and I stare at the house, hoping Zel is still alive.
“We don’t kill Zack,” Agent Cooper announces.
I snort, he narrows his eyes on me but looks away. If he has Zel in there, I can’t promise I won’t murder him. We assemble into our spots. Agents Cooper and Rodriguez walk to the front door, and we follow behind them. I hear two sets of footsteps behind me. I don’t turn around to see who they belong to.
“FBI Supernatural Unit, open up.” He bangs on the door loudly. I expect a witch to come and unlock it. What I don’t expect is Agent Cooper to lift his foot up and kick the door with full force, breaking the hinges clean off the door. The wood cracks in the middle.
“That’s one way to do it.” Killian chuckles beside me. Both agents lift their weapons. We walk from the living room to the kitchen. Everything is neat and tidy like no one’s been living here for a long time.
We walk past the living room toward the only bedroom in the house. Agent Cooper tries the doorknob, but it’s locked. He opens it up the same way he did with the front door.
There’s no bed or clothing to indicate someone’s been living here. What we do notice in big red letters is a taunt. You won’t find Zelyah.
My breath catches in my throat. Panic rises as I picture her trapped with that sadistic creep.
The killer slipped right through our fingers. We’ve lost the only chance we had to capture him, and there’s no other way to track him now.
Chapter 28
Zelyah
This body needs to be destroyed before the cleanup crew gets here, and I’m looking at only five minutes to take care of my mess before they show up. As soon as Rhett and Killian leave the scene, I get out of the trash bin. I smell like a sewer, but there’s no way I’m leaving the body behind. I have a few minutes before the guys Rhett called will be here. I don’t want any accidental evidence tracked back to me.
I walk toward the alley’s opening, looking for my next victim—a car. I leave the alley looking for the easiest car to hotwire. Come on, come on, there has to be a nineties model car. Yes! I find a faded red Honda Accord. I walk up to it, and when I’m sure no one is looking, I ball my fist and punch the window. The glass explodes, shards scattering across the concrete and inside the vehicle, the sound echoing through the quiet street.
I unlock it, slide in, and immediately get to work removing the plastic cover on the steering column. The wire bundles spring free, and I grab the stack on the right. Looking around the car and checking the glove compartment, I spot a pack of cigarettes and smile, digging deeper until uncovering a matchbook and some scissors. The wires sever easily with scissors, and I use my teeth to strip the blue and red wires. The starter and battery wires spark when I smash them together, and the engine jolts to life. I immediately put it in drive and take it to where my victim is still lying on the ground. I open the door next to him.
“Okay, you piece of shit.” I lift him and put him in on the driver’s side. I grab the matches before closing the door. I open the gas tank and look around. Everything is still and quiet. I free my wings, light up a match, and throw it in the tank.
As I take to my wings, the crackling fire ignites the car like a Roman candle, and a wall of flames shoots into the sky behind me. I crash land on a nearby building’s rooftop, stumbling to my knees. The heat from below washes over my face as I peer down into the chaos. A black SUV rolls to a stop, and two men immediately race up to the burning car with phones pressed to their ears. It’s hard to say whether these men are with the Arcana Society cleanup crew, or if they were driving by and saw a body slumped in the burning car. By the time they put those flames out, the evidence will be ashes.
Now I’ve got to find a place to shower. As much as I want to fly, I can’t risk a powerful supernatural finding me. I land on a street with low light and my wings retract. I walk until I find the nearest motel.
I stand on the corner, watching the place. There aren’t any cameras or security. It’s perfect. There’s a lost and found bin outside of the entrance. I make sure to hide so the front desk clerk doesn’t see me.
A couple leaves their room and gets into a car, and when they’re out of sight, I twist the doorknob and break the door handle. Two suitcases are sitting on the bed. I open the first one, but it’s all men’s clothes. I close it back up and open the one lying beside it, grabbing a pair of sweats, a T-shirt, and the girl’s bag of toiletries. I take off my clothes and start the shower. I have to wash my hair three times for the dumpster smell to go away. When I’m finally clean, dry, and dressed, I turn my phone on
Shit. I have so many missed calls, voice messages, and text messages. Agent Cooper is no doubt tracking my phone, waiting for me to power it on. I look briefly at his message and open it. I look at the picture, and my phone nearly falls out of my hand.