Broken hearts & Coup d'etats - THE SPECTER SERIES [book three]

Chapter TWENTY FIVE

Ellerie Devereux

You tread lightly, emitting not a single sound as you creep through the house, making your way to the second level.. You move quickly down the hallway towards the guarded room where you suspect Mikki is being held..

Peering around the corner, you spy a stern faced, broad shoulded guard, stationed outside the door.. You can't take any chances with this one.. He's much bigger than the guard from the garden, and too much noise will draw unwanted attention.. If you're caught inside the house you'll be trapped and that's the last thing you need.. Part of your job is doing whatever it takes.. And sometimes that doesn't nessicarily mean doing what's right..

You've killed before, and probably will many times more, but you never enjoy it.

Taking the nano-wire back out of your pocket you wind it around your left hand until its secure.. Next you remove a clear glass, pea-sized marble from your pocket.. You take a meditative, calming breath before you flick the tiny marble, lobbing it back down the hallway behind you.. It bounces once with a click, several feet away from you before it rolls, rattling along the ground..

Immediately yoy hear movement around the corner as the guard leaves his post to check the source of the sound.. You grip the wire tighter as his heavy footsteps approach..

He passes by you with his back into the wall you lean against, his eyes fixed on where the marble had originally landed.. In a split second you lunge, wrapping the wire around the mobsters neck..

You pull hard while raising a bent knee, lifting the sole of your boot to press into in back between his shoulder blades.. There is a muffled gargle in his throat before a sickening snap.. Its all over in a matter of seconds..

You struggle to bare the dead weight from the upper half of his body, lowing him softly to the floor with trembling arms .. Now, its only a matter of time before somebody figures out you were here..

You have to hurry..

You move to the door the mobster had been guarding, pushing it open and slipping inside.. The room is shrowded in darkness, straining to see more than a foot in front of you, you whisper, whipping out a bio-luminescent tactical light that casts an eerie yellow glow..

"Mikki?" In the middle of the room you see a bloodied heap, bound to what appears to be an ornate timber dining chair.. But it isn't Mikki De'lucca.. You reach up to your collar disabling the mic on your com-device so that the Specter guys outside can't listen in.. "C-Charlie?"

It's like seeing a ghost.. No, you are seeing a ghost.. Your heart stops.. Charles Everett.. His black hair matted to his forehead, blood trickles from his mouth and stains his torn shirt..

He looks like hell..

He looks up at you, though you're not sure he can even see through his bruised and bloodshot eyes.. "You.. You fucking bitch.. Have you come to finish me off?.."

Your mind races, scrambling to come up with your next move now that the whole operation has taken such an unexpected turn..

You need to make a call fast.. It seems kind of obvious that you can't leave him here.. "Finish you off? Charlie.. What the hell happened here? Where is Mikki?"

You move towards him, pulling a switch blade and cutting away the tape that ties his wrists and ankles.. He rubs the liberated raw flesh and winces as he rises to his feet.. "She's not here.. Ellerie.. He's fucking crazy.. You gotta get me out of here.." He staggers and you dip beneath his arm to support him..

"Who's crazy?"

He looks to to you, his eyes filled with doubt, before shaking his head.. "Just get me out of here, Elly... Please.."