Let Me Out (For Me, #1)

by Nichole Severn

  “And that is?”

  “A shipment of high value to Mr. Wren. I believe you know what it consists of and where it was headed.”

  Marcus remained seated, listening to Harlow’s proposal. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up as a warm breeze crossed his skin. He tried not to flinch. “Guns for the district attorney,” he whispered, more to himself.

  “If you choose to honor this new arrangement,” Harlow said, his lips almost pressed against Marcus’s ear, “then the shipment is yours and you will have your man.”

  Releasing the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, he considered Harlow’s words as the crime lord left his house.

  A shipment of guns would come in handy.

  * * *

  Adelaide waited at Christian’s right, her normal position during meetings. She didn’t know whom they’d meet, but his warning to keep her eyes on the floor and herself in check rang in her ears. She’d been ordered not to move a muscle, no matter what she overheard, or she wouldn’t get paid.

  She’d silently promised with a nod, taking her position behind his office chair. Dressed in uniform, her pantsuit hugged her closely, accentuated with heels. They weren’t the norm, but she’d also been instructed to dress to impress.

  The elevator door chimed, letting her and Christian know their visitors had arrived.

  Adelaide watched as the curvy shadow of his assistant, Anna, passed from her desk around the fogged glass windows and came to a stop in front of his office.

  Small and pretty, Anna strutted in as if she owned the world. Her long red hair resembled fire, consuming her shoulders and back as she walked. Model-like, Anna fit the description of the type Christian hired, but Adelaide didn’t mind. She hadn’t ever been interested in him. “Mr. Wren, your one o’clock is here.”

  “Thank you, Anna. Send them in.” Christian motioned toward the door, but didn’t move from his chair.

  “Yes, sir.” She closed the door behind her.

  Less than thirty seconds later, Anna reentered and motioned their appointment inside.

  Adelaide’s cue to follow orders grated against her skin. She listened to the rustle of the men’s clothing as they took their seats and situated themselves, but she wouldn’t look up.

  “Anything else I can do, Mr. Wren?” Anna asked, waiting at the door.

  “No, thank you,” Christian replied, his tone strained.

  Adelaide heard the door click shut and waited silently, her heartbeat even, her breathing normal and her monster in check.

  “Gentlemen,” Christian greeted them, “I assume you have what I asked for.”

  “Yes,” one voice answered.

  She didn’t recognize the speaker but knew the region he’d come from.

  Mexico City.

  The thought brought memories back in a whirl of color and she flinched slightly, unwilling to follow them further.

  Out of the corner of her eye Christian turned his head, but she nodded. She had to be fine. She needed her money.

  Her monster lay dormant, the drug at its lowest levels in her system to keep the monster away and her attention peaked, but every few seconds sounds of humming broke through the foggy haze of her mind. Adelaide sensed a silent communication taking place between Christian and his guests, but couldn’t be sure. Closing her eyes in fear of raising them to find out for herself, she wondered why Taigen or Marcus couldn’t take her place if her employer had been sure she couldn’t do her job.

  The temptation grew inside her chest.

  Adelaide shook her head violently, trying to push the thoughts into the corner of her mind.

  All around her, the room froze.

  She felt their curious gazes from across the desk boring into her, wanting answers for her erratic behavior. Surely a normal person wouldn’t act in such a way.

  “Is there a problem?” the first man asked.

  “No,” Christian answered for her. “Let’s get back to business.”

  The sound of paperwork brought Adelaide’s focus back and she sighed in relief. She needed the distraction.

  “Where can I find my shipment?” Opening his desk drawer, Christian reached inside.

  “Give us what we want and you’ll be given directions at a later time.”

  The drawer slammed closed. “That wasn’t what we discussed.”

  Adelaide forced her fists into a ball. She couldn’t look. She’d been ordered not to, but the friction in the air suffocated her.

  Hello, beautiful, her monster whispered, almost groggy from the sedatives. Pushing itself to the front of Adelaide’s mind and finally into sight, it stretched its arms over its head. What have you been hiding from me?

  “Don’t even think about it,” Christian warned, the leather chair he occupied protesting as he leaned forward. “She will kill you both before you could even stand.”

  That sounds fun. Her delusion had always been limited to Adelaide’s own senses and it groaned in frustration when she wouldn’t look. Just a little peek.

  Adelaide fought her monster back tooth and nail, trying not to give in to her temptation. Gritting her teeth as a distraction, only two words registered through the ringing in her ears.

  “Snow White.”

  Recognizing the second man’s voice instantly, she couldn’t control herself any longer. Her head shot up, her eyes boring into the black orbs she’d been so afraid of as a child.

  “Adie,” Christian warned. “Stand down.”

  She ignored him. The man she thought she’d murdered ten years ago sat comfortably across from Christian, alive with a smirk on his face, calling her by a name that had haunted her all her life.

  His mutilated skin brought back those last seconds before Christian had to drag her from the building, bringing a smile to her lips as she studied the patterns her flame had left. Following the scars up his arm to his neck and finally to his face, Adelaide let her heartbeat climb.

  “I’ve missed you.” His voice crawled under her skin, causing a shiver to go down her spine and the monster to turn on him, hissing loudly.

  Closing her eyes, Adelaide listened to Christian rise from his chair. She could feel his gaze on her face as she tried to keep herself under control, but didn’t see the point. She’d become a monster because of what he’d done to her as a child.

  He deserved to die ten more times by her hand.

  Her monster slithered just beneath the skin, aching to escape. Adelaide couldn’t contain her rage anymore, her violent side clawing to reach the surface. The fiend in her reveled at the idea he’d be dead in a few moments, permanently this time.

  She opened her eyes, but Adelaide wasn’t the one staring through her emerald gaze. Her body tensed, a last-second reaction before the monster took full control. She fell into the familiar, numb, quiet place she’d built as a cage for her mind and didn’t care if Christian tried to distract her.

  Adelaide and her other half became one in the blink of an eye, envisioning how they’d kill him for the second time. She wanted to strip the smirk off his face, and suddenly her monster was showing and Harlow wasn’t smiling anymore.

  Rough hands gripped the back of her neck. Her head slammed against the wall, dislodging the thoughts from her mind, and suddenly Christian stood before her.

  She didn’t want to hurt him. She only wanted what she deserved: revenge.

  “Get out of here,” he called over his shoulder. “Before I can’t control her anymore.”

  “Control?” she asked, silver laughter trailing the first word she’d spoken in nineteen years. ”You were never in control.”

  Harlow chuckled to himself and Christian froze in place, his eyes wide in fear. His grip loosened from her neck and he took a step back.

  The monster stared directly into her kidnapper’s eyes, smiling as she tilted her head in wonder.

  “Here comes trouble.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Christian had never heard a more perfect voice. He watched as the ch
ange completely took Adelaide over. Pieces of her other half peeked through her hard exterior every now and then, but he hadn’t been prepared for what stared back at him. “Adie,” he whispered, her name foreign on his own tongue.

  A stranger stared back at him, its eyes darting behind him and to the men seated across the desk. “Get out of my way.”

  He licked his dry lips nervously but couldn’t hide the fact he loved the sound of her voice. For the past nineteen years he’d yearned for her in every way, but he couldn’t keep the disappointment out of his tone as he spoke. This wasn’t Adelaide. “Harlow, you may want to leave now.”

  “I don’t think so,” his guest said. “I haven’t seen her in so long. I’d like to stay a little longer.”

  Christian turned his head toward the man who’d kept his Adelaide in captivity for nine years, the man who’d made her into the hungry woman before him. She deserved the next few moments. He owed her, but didn’t have a chance to respond.

  Her elbow slammed into the back of Christian’s head.

  His injuries from the accident made him slow and he faltered into the wall. His head spun as his ribs pressed the breath from his lungs. Turning to face her, Christian took another hit on the right side of his jaw, sinking to one knee.

  They weren’t her best hits. Adelaide only wanted him out of the way.

  He lunged toward his desk, reaching for the phone. Pressing the intercom button, he yelled into the black box, “Anna, get the supply!” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Now!”

  Harlow stood, expecting a direct attack, but Adelaide went for the lesser of the two, giving him a chance to escape.

  Christian watched in amazement as he compared Adelaide to the woman before him. Her movements were harsher, more angular, as Adelaide radiated grace, but the biggest difference lay in the eyes. An entirely different person stared through those emerald depths. Just as Adelaide twisted the man’s neck, breaking his spinal cord, Anna flew into the room with the little black box she kept in her desk for emergencies.

  Adelaide headed for Harlow, who backed down the length of the conference table calmly.

  In his familiar fighting stance, Harlow waited for her to strike as Christian darted toward his secretary. “Come, my Snow White.” He motioned her forward. “I’ve been dreaming of the day we were to be reunited. Don’t you miss our time together?”

  “Give me the damn needle!” Christian yelled, wrenching the box from Anna’s hands. He loaded the syringe with liquid and only caught a glimpse of his secretary’s eyes on the dead man as he turned toward the fight. “Get out.”

  Adelaide, or whoever she’d become, had the upper hand, never giving Harlow a chance to escape as she rained down hit after hit. He blocked the blows as much as he could but exhaustion had worn him down.

  Christian crept closer, silently keeping his focus on the back of Adelaide’s neck. Once he stood no more than two feet from her, he raised the needle. A kick to the stomach knocked him back.

  His breath left his lungs forcefully as he hit the ground, the needle escaping his grasp. Pulling as much air in as he could, Christian rolled over in search of it. Five feet away, the syringe had rolled under the conference table and waited for him.

  She’d seen him coming.

  Turning her head slightly to make sure he’d gone down, Adelaide didn’t hesitate to turn back toward Harlow, disabling him with a quick kick to his right knee.

  Harlow hit the floor and Christian noted the bloodthirsty expression on her face.

  Adelaide wasn’t done with her prey yet.

  He took the opportunity to bolt for the needle, crawling across the carpeted floor, but feared his actions would be seen. Skimming his eyes toward Harlow and the death surely awaiting him, he saw the crime lord nod once as he stared back at Christian.

  In the next second, Harlow attacked, wrapping his arms around Adelaide’s middle and tackling her to the floor. Pinning her arms to her chest, he fought against her struggle as he waited for Christian to take action. “Now!”

  Christian didn’t hesitate. He aimed for her neck, pushing the needle and its contents into her body, and hoped the drug would take effect quickly.

  She’d never gotten this out of control before, had never stared at him with those exact fiery green eyes and, for the first time in a very long time, fear of what Adelaide had become seeped into his bones.

  Wrenching out of Harlow’s grasp and off the floor, Adelaide smacked Christian’s hand away from her forcefully, breaking the needle off in her neck. She stood, staring at them, waiting for them to move, but not for long. Her movements slowed, her balance faltering as she dropped to her knees and then the floor. Her eyes remained open, staring at him.

  “I’m sorry,” Christian whispered, slowly regaining the breath she’d knocked out of him. He moved closer to remove the needle, his fingertips caressing her jawline.

  Harlow sank to the floor. “The symptoms are worse than I remember them.” His head rolled back onto his shoulders. “She’s become just what I need.” Harlow laughed, his stomach jiggling with the effort.

  “What you need? You’re the one who did this to her!” Christian accused and stood. “Now get the hell out of my office before she comes around.”

  Harlow motioned toward Adelaide’s still form. “She is awake, Christian.”

  His name rolled off the accented tongue with ease, bringing back memories of his youth. He’d looked to Harlow as a father once, before Christian had found out what really went on in the compound.

  “She’s sedated,” he said, loosening the tie around his throat as he walked back toward his desk. “Get that body out of my office and don’t ever come near her again. Do you understand?” He reached for the phone on his desk, uninterested in an answer. “Next time, I’ll let her kill you.” He pushed the intercom button. “Anna, get Taigen and Marcus in here.”

  “I’ll just keep coming back for her, my old friend.” Harlow stood, brushing dirt and wrinkles from his suit. “I made her. I deserve to keep her.”

  “They’re not in the building, sir.” Anna’s raspy voice told him she’d probably gone into shock, but Christian didn’t have time for her. “Should I call the police?”

  He looked toward Harlow, his eyes squinting down to slits, and considered the drug lord’s last statement. Harlow had always kept his promises and he’d always been desperate to keep what belonged to him. They were similar in that respect.

  “Sir?” Anna interrupted again. “Should I call the police?”

  “Yes,” he answered. “I believe Mr. Vicente needs an escort out today.”

  * * *

  Silence enveloped the elevator on their ride to the top floor, neither of them wanting to discuss what they might find. The call had come less than twenty minutes ago and Christian hadn’t sounded pleased. The elevator chimed, signaling their arrival.

  Stepping out, Taigen and Marcus froze in their tracks as they met police and yellow tape.

  The scene had turned into a disaster.

  Employees kept their eyes on Christian’s office and the man being carried out on a stretcher by two paramedics. Glass littered the carpeted floor, tables and chairs on their sides, and Christian stood in his doorway, watching over the entire scene. Noticing them the second they’d stepped out of the elevator, he waved them in and moved inside the office.

  They walked forward but were instantly cut off before they’d made it a couple feet.

  “This is a crime scene, gentlemen. I can’t let you go any farther until the detectives show up.”

  “I’m ATF Agent Marcus Grant,” he said in a quiet tone, holding his badge up for the rookie guarding the elevator. “I’m here for Christian Wren.” Marcus recognized two members of Harlow’s gang in cuffs to the right and moved his gaze to the body bag on the stretcher. “This isn’t good.”

  The officer’s face fell. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t know.”

  “No harm, no foul,” Marcus responded, clapping down on the rookie’s s
houlder as they pushed past.

  “Let me guess,” Taigen said as they walked by the secretary’s desk. “Adelaide found out that Harlow’s still alive.” The statement floated into Christian’s office where he now sat, waiting at his desk.

  “If I had been able to find either one of you assholes,” Christian said, rising, “I wouldn’t have had to use her at this meeting.”

  “You’re blaming this on us?” Taigen’s body tensed, defensively. “Where is she?”

  Marcus laid eyes on her on the floor at the far end of the conference table.

  Taigen took a step toward her but stopped when a hand on his shoulder pulled him back.

  “She’s fine.” Christian straightened his suit and pulled his hair back into a ponytail, moving around the front of the desk to confront them. “So, tell me. What the hell was so damn important that I couldn’t get ahold of either of you for this meeting and had to call Crimson down to prevent Adelaide from going to prison for murder?” He motioned to the older man outside and walked slowly down the side of the conference table, lowering to his haunches above Adelaide.

  Neither of them spoke for a moment, their eyes darting toward the others as they tried to make up an excuse. They’d been at the mansion, searching every square inch of the house for the damned ledger that would supposedly put Wren behind bars for life, and to no avail.

  “Marcus had business with his woman,” Taigen said, his gaze turning back toward Christian as the lie rolled off his tongue.

  “Woman?” the boss asked, removing a piece of hair from Adelaide’s face. “I was under the impression you were single, being as how you seem so interested in—”

  “Don’t you think we need to get her to a hospital?” Marcus interrupted. Real concern tinted his voice, his eyes focusing on the unsteady rise and fall of her chest.

  Wren gave him a close-lipped smile, surrendering for the time being. He rose from his position next to Adelaide and turned his full attention to Marcus. “What kind of business?”

  “What?”

  “With your woman,” he answered, walking back toward them slowly. “What kind of business?”