“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
I opened the door quietly and marginally before risking a peek out. It seemed clear but my trembling knees made me well aware it might actually not be.
The door squealed and I cringed, bracing myself for the attack but nothing happened so I risked venturing a bit further. I shot looks both ways before rushing down the corridor and burst through a door marked with an exit sign that brought me out into a side alley.
“Shit!” I gasped, panting rapidly as the cool night air assaulted my terrorised lungs, the sudden drop in temperature causing a wheeze in my chest as my body tried to battle against my anxiety, however I couldn’t risk giving it a rest and I rushed awkwardly towards the main street, the smooth soles of my pathetic shoes gliding along the frosty ground perilously in my rush to flee.
I slid on some ice in my desperation, making me stumble on my knees, my hands breaking the contact for me and snapping my wrist painfully as the screwdriver dug painfully into the flesh of my thigh. Coins, condoms and my phone skittered across the gravel and I bit down on my lip to stop the roar of both agony and frustration as it all disappeared under one of the industrial bins. “Bollocks!”
Could this night get any fucking worse?
Of course it could!
I tensed when the door behind me opened and a huge hefty guy emerged, his icy eyes as cold as the night as they zeroed in on me and an evil smirk curled his lips.
Fuck! FUCK!
I scrambled up and lunged for the front of the club as the thug behind me fired a bastard shot at me. “HOLY FUCK!” I cried out as another bullet zipped right past my ear, searing an agonising tear through the top part of it.
“Shit!” I grabbed at it, the pain causing my knees to buckle but I made my legs drag me further.
It’s funny how your body suddenly becomes almost superhuman when death laughs in your face and taunts you. I could almost hear my brain ordering my muscles to grow some balls and get me the hell out of there but whatever, because it worked as my legs powered extra harder and my stomach steeled and hardened, driving a desire to live through me.
I cried out with fortitude as I pushed myself on, hauling up what bit of extra energy I could muster and used it to allow me to live a little bit longer. I propelled my body forward with resolve making it to the roadside in front of the club as I heard a small curse behind me. I turned to see him slip on some ice and slam into a lamppost, his knee cracking loudly on impact and hurtling his gun across the other side of the alleyway. I toyed with the idea of leaping after it for all of point two seconds before I turned back round and scuttled into the nearest taxi.
“MOVE!” I barked which triggered a jolt of shock from the driver who just stared wide eyed at me through the rear-view mirror. “Mate, if you wanna live then you need to get our arses outta’ here like NOW!”
He nodded frantically as he rammed into gear and took off like a whippet, the wheels screeching hotly on the freezing road as I looked up at the night sky through the side window, the stars twinkling brightly in the clear atmosphere. “Thank you” I said openly with no embarrassment at showing my gratitude to an invisible being. “Maybe you do like me after all.”
Chapter Two
Grace
MY EYES FLICKED casually over the scene as I tapped my nails against the crystal champagne flute in my hand as dreariness well and truly set in.
The pomp and grandeur of these conceited people even made my boredom, bored. A flamboyant false ladylike chuckle here and an arrogant flashy laugh from some egotistical twat there and I was eager for suicide by whichever means painful enough.
I scowled at the man in the corner of the room who smirked before turning back to his companion for the night. Twat! He knew I hated the up your arse niceties and fake pleasantries that were expected at such puffed-up parties.
The music playing was some foreign classical shit as a waitress in a tight fitted skirt and blouse tilted her silver tray towards me. I declined with a small shake of my head but smiled when I felt the approach of someone behind me.
“Now that exquisite beauty has arrived, we can finally make this sombre excuse of a gathering into a party” a molten voice whispered in my ear and I grinned widely as I turned. “Mademoiselle Beaumont, it is such a privilege, thank you for illuminating my heart with such a beguiling smile.”
I quirked an eyebrow at his charm and leaned in to kiss his warm leathery cheek, the scent of spice and port assaulting my nostrils and producing a small pang of melancholy to tighten my heart as I moved across and replicated a kiss on the opposite cheek, “Monsieur Moreau, you flatter me, sir.”
He smiled merrily, the roguish twinkle in his eye initiating a small smirk to lift my lips, “Ah, non, my dear Grace, it is you whom flatters an old man with such a bewitching kiss.”
I laughed loudly this time, shaking my head in humour but he winked playfully and held out his elbow for me to take. “Come my dear, and let me introduce you to some fine specimens.”
“Specimens of what exactly, Alain?” I asked sceptically as I hooked my arm through his and allowed him to lead me into the terrifying mass of stiffs.
He pursed his lips as he perused the room, his eyes narrow yet perceptive as he inclined towards me and deliberated which man deserved our attention, “Just . . . samplings, varieties of the male variety that may flutter your delicate feathers a little.”
I shook my head and sighed, “Now, now, you know me better than that, sir. I am not one of your projects, Alain and I am definitely no little bird.”
He smiled playfully and I braced myself for his reply. “Non, no, you are exceptionally far from a little flight of fancy, Grace. Yet, maybe if you would allow a gentleman to occasionally ruffle your feathers you may discover that you are more of a vibrant, passionate and utterly stunning peacock. Your enchantment captivates each and every man in this room, Mademoiselle Beaumont, yet you are amusingly unaware of this.”
I gave him a faint knock of my elbow making him laugh loudly. All heads turned to us and suddenly my tight red cocktail dress seemed more body-hugging and brash as I yearned for my customary jeans and boots.
“Potential risk, upper six o’clock.”
I ran my tongue over my teeth and turned in a circle, surveying the area around me, “Come now Monsieur Moreau, can a lady not choose a potential companion for herself?”
My eyes slowly travelled over the large room as I lowered my chin and took a sip of my champagne. I caught the flicker of moving blackness and the glint of silver when I upturned my glass and sipped the liquid as I explored the banister on the upper level through the distorting crystal.
Fuck!
I spun round towards Alain and bumped into him purposely, spilling the contents of my glass down the front of his expensive suit as I stealthily shielded him. My eyes flicked to Liam before I started to wipe Alain down with a napkin. “Oh, I’m so sorry Alain, forgive a clumsy girl.” I flushed before I dipped my chin towards my pendant. “You look a positively awful sight.”
He smiled warmly and waved me off as Liam approached hurriedly, “Mr Moreau let me help you get that cleaned up.”
Alain started to speak but Liam took no refusal as he swept him across the room and through another door.
I casually placed my champagne glass on a nearby table as I feigned a yawn and made my way to the stairwell.
Checking everything was in place as the door closed behind me; I slipped off my heels and cleared the steps two at a time, praising Mary for her foresight to alter my dress and give it a thigh high split up the side.
I pulled my Beretta from inside my bodice, the familiar feel of the pistol appeasing the urgent rush of blood through my narrowed veins as soon as my fingers curled around the piece. I shivered with the adrenaline spike as my skin touched the cold ribbed metal and I stilled beside the door, the gun at my side and my hand on the door handle.
“Situ?” Liam hissed in my ear and I pulled the pendant to my mouth so I could remain almost si
lent.
“Top level, left hallway door.”
“Backup.”
“Negative.”
“Beaumont!”
I sighed and willed the man to shut up as I opened the door a sliver and studied the silver plate on the rear of the door, checking for any flash of movement. “I repeat, negative . . . sir!”
My eyes caught the sudden movement and I backed away, leaving the door resting against the frame as I bent my knees slightly and lifted the Beretta to stomach level.
I bit my lip and cursed under my breath as my arms were hauled back and hooked into two strong biceps as my gun fell to the floor. How the hell had I not heard him? My senses were off and I massacred my inner self for my stupidity.
The door before me opened and Ivan grinned at me with yellowing teeth.
Fuck! Liam would go ape-shit!
Ivan tutted mockingly as he took a step into me, his piercing blue eyes laughing delightedly as his Russian accent broke up his English. “Well, well, long time no see, Miss Beaumont.”
I smirked at him as I astutely stiffened my body faintly, easing into a more comfortable position without alerting the goon behind me to my new stance. “On the contrary Mr Blinov, I’ve been watching you for weeks. If I’d have been aware you were missing me so significantly I would have come and said hello.” I smiled sweetly as I twitched my thigh, shifting my garter slightly further down my thigh as I marginally bent my knees more.
“Oh that is such shame; we would have had more time to . . .” He flapped his hands around as if trying to find the word he needed before his eyes sharpened and he continued, “ . . . catch up, but unfortunately I am in rather rush at now and am lacking enough time for your attention.”
I shook my head, clearing his bad English grammar from my head as I flicked my eyes to the floor to measure the distance he was from me.
Maybe another ten inch.
“That is such a shame Ivan; we could have traded enigmas over tea and cakes.”
His head flicked backwards as he bellowed with a huge Russian laugh and stamped his foot exaggeratedly, “So very British, Miss Beaumont.”
The stupid twat behind me laughed with him and I rolled my eyes.
Come on dickshit, another three inch.
Ivan sighed heavily as he bent to pick up my gun and studied it, “Very nice. Favourite of yours?”
“Absolutely not,” I smirked. “I prefer a more hands on approach.”
He shrugged and pursed his lips, “Would you like me . . . be more hands on?”
Gotcha!
“I would relish that, Ivan. I always thought we should have had a closer relationship.”
He smirked and took the extra step I needed.
Good boy!
Using the goon behind me, I used his arm brace to support my upper body as I pushed back on him and used him as a makeshift bounce board, kicking up my legs and ricocheting off Ivan’s chest, allowing me to flip backwards over goons head and have him in a headlock before he realised what was happening. Unsheathing my knife from my garter I threw it and impaled Ivan straight through his right eye, penetrating his brain exactly where I needed it to eradicate him swiftly before I twisted the goon’s head round sharply and snapped his neck.
“You . . . Fuck, Beaumont, just . . . fuck!” Liam was livid as him and three of my colleagues charged through the stairwell door and quickly started to assess the carnage, as I slid my knife from Ivan’s eyes socket.
“Thanks for the assistance!” I scowled as I rolled my shoulders and cracked them back into place whilst Harry smirked at me.
“What was it you said to Liam, Grace? Negative, sir.” He mimicked with a smug laugh.
I poked my tongue out as I dropped my knife into the clear evidence bag Jamal was holding open to me. “Remember who it belongs to” I warned as he rubbed my shoulder and leaned into me.
“Good work, Grace.”
“At least someone appreciates my proficiency, Jamal, thank you.”
“Don’t fuck with me, Beaumont. This is a bloodbath. How the hell am I supposed to explain a double assassination to the committee? They’ll presume you’ve gone gung ho again, which looking at the mess you’ve made, I would have a tendency to agree with them.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes as Jamal shot me a worried glance. “Liam, what did you want me to do? Risk, one . . .” I gestured as I counted off on my fingers, “ . . . let them go again after eight bloody months of surveillance? Two, let them end me, although that might have actually brought a smile to your face.” He narrowed his eyes in a fierce glare but the day had been an epic arse and my temper was frayed with Liam, the job and just about everything in my sorry excuse of an existence, because it certainly wasn’t a life. “And three, which would have me preferring the second option, just as you do, would be for them to take out Alain?”
Liam Thornton, the head of MI5, my boss and sometimes a right royal pain in the arse was both a fierce superior and a supportive substitute father. He had been there for me since my fourteenth birthday, the day mine and my younger brother Marcus’s lives had changed forever. I loved him but he aggravated the god damn hell out of me.
“Back up, Beaumont! You should have bloody waited for us.”
“My name is Grace, Liam, and whilst I waited for you lot to trot up the stairs like teenage girls at a One Direction concert, I neutralized the threat.”
I could feel the anger radiating off him as his face reddened and the air in the room stilled as the others gawped at my insubordination but tried to appear uninterested in our exchange.
His chest heaved and his jaw clenched when he took a step towards me. “Because I know what today is for you Grace, I’ll not haul your ass so hard you’ll feel the backlash for a damn year, but for your benefit I’m ordering you to go the fuck home.” He snarled at me before he took a backward step and locked me down in his turbulent gaze, “My office, seven AM for debrief.”
I sucked air through my teeth and shook my head sadly as I made my way towards the stairs, picking up my gun before I turned back to him, “You know, Liam, once in a while you might find that a thank you and well done Grace, rolls off the tongue nicely.”
He scoffed but then sighed, “Go home, Beaumont.”
I nodded sadly before I descended the stairs and retrieved my shoes on the way out; the soft pull of home, beer and a hot bath the only things stopping me from visiting the gym to pound out my frustration. Oh, and Brady; a night of hard fucking with Brady worked too.
* * *
I frowned at the car parked on the road outside our house, my eyes and ears on high alert as I scanned the vicinity looking for anything out of the ordinary as I slid my hand inside my bag and palmed my gun. My job made it instinctive to query any unfamiliar change in setting or regularity and I was still conscious of my surroundings as I opened the front door and came to an abrupt halt at the sight of my boyfriend fucking my best friend on our spiral staircase.
Epic day!
Another memorable moment to celebrate my birthday every year with.
They didn’t hear me, just carried on screwing as I stood there, the front door open and surely blowing a breeze over their bare arses as Bella’s long black hair flicked over Brady’s face and caused him to scrunch up his nose.
And still, they continued; Bella bouncing briskly on Brady’s lap as he buried his face in her chest, trying to capture one of her nipples in his mouth as they bobbed up and down in perfect rhythm to their fucking whilst his hands attempted to grab her hair and shift it from his face.
I smiled at my friend as I lifted him and shot a hole through the step above their heads.
Brady jumped so high, he bucked Bella off his cock and she bumped the four steps to the ground on her backside.
“Grace?” Brady shot upright and covered his dick with his hands. Why, I have no idea, it wasn’t like it was anything new, unless Bella had super powers and his knob was now glowing luminous yellow.
“Yup!” I said calmly
as I lifted my piece again and aimed it as his groin. The temptation was overwhelming and if wasn’t for the fact that I was already in the dog house with the boss, I’d have shot the bastard’s cock into China.
“Grace, listen . . .” he tried desperately but I flicked my gun and fired a bullet just off his foot. He skipped sideways and glared at me, “Fuck, you mad bitch . . .”
“Seriously, Brady! My birthday?”
He sighed and had the decency to look contrite as Bella tried to pick herself up. A simple shot into the wall beside her head halted the treacherous bitch from going anywhere.
“Grace! Stop!” Brady grumbled as he slipped into his boxers and swiped his jeans off the bottom step.
My jaw dropped with his order and I scoffed, “Stop what, Brady? Are you telling me I shouldn’t be angry that my boyfriend and my best friend have been fucking behind my back? Or should I not be angry about the fact that’s it’s my god damn birthday and you know what that shit means to me?”
He took a step into me and made for my hand but I pulled away and glared at him, “Get your stuff together and go.”
“What?”
He actually looked stunned and I peered at him in disbelief, “What, what?”
“You honestly want me to leave?” He asked as he demanded my hand and grabbed it forcefully this time.
I frowned at him, the shock of his reaction numbing my anger slightly as I yanked my hand back, “What the fuck are you on, Brady. Have you been smoking again?”
“Grace, stop with the nervous humour. I love you, you know I do.”
I glanced between him and Bella, frowning at her also as she sat with her knees against her chest and her back resting on the wall as she studied our interaction.
“Well okay then,” I sighed and smiled before I started to strip out of my dress. I reached for the zip and slowly lowered it, keeping my eyes on Brady’s confused ones as it dropped to the floor and left me in my knickers, bra and garter.
The NSC Boxset: Heart of Stone Page 182
