12. Nate
12
Nate
B eep.
Beep. Beep.
The slice of pizza slipped from my fingers, landing with a greasy splat back into the stained box on the kitchen counter, adding to the headache brewing.
She's back.
I turned and glanced at my computer screen.
Meow.
"Go away, Echo." I shooed the orange tabby with the side of my foot and moved towards the desk, bending over with a squint. "What is she doing?"
Ava rushed through her apartment and disappeared into the bathroom.
Is she running away?
I cocked my head toward the screen, her back visible as she dug through her wardrobe, snagged a bedazzled dress, and stripped off her work clothes.
Blood rushed to my cock.
"Guess I'm going out."
Ditching the fur ball at my feet, I turned and opened the double doors to my half walk-in closet, slipped on a pair of black boot-cut jeans with distressed knees, a plain white tee, and my leather jacket, then dropped into my desk chair.
Ava studied herself in the mirror, the dress shimmering as I dumped a couple of aspirin in my hand, tossed them back, and pocketed a few more.
"Where do you think she's going dressed like that?" I crouched and pet his head as I dug my feet into my boots.
Sharp static electricity snapped and crackled along my arm as Echo rubbed against me.
A foreshadowing of the night?
Ava ran her finger beneath her eye, cleaning her makeup with a curt nod to herself, then turned out the bathroom light and ditched her apartment, my eyes following each screen until she opened her car door in the parking lot.
A string of heat hit me in the gut, a slight vibration rolling through my hand, causing it to clench.
Was she going to see someone?
My teeth slid against one another as I spun out of my chair, snagged the matte black motorcycle helmet off the nightstand, tucked my phone into the inside jacket pocket, and left.
Ten miles later of strategic maneuvering with minimal traffic to hide me, I parked my bike along the road, turned out the light, and waited.
Ava stepped out of her car as another woman dressed for a night out approached her with a laugh. Ava looped her arm into the other woman's elbow as I snapped pictures. They turned in my direction and walked towards me along the sidewalk.
Thank you for the easy picture, lady.
I zoomed in on the woman's face, taking three pictures in quick succession. They crossed the street before they hit the shadows concealing me, disappearing between two buildings.
Where are you going, Ava Thatcher?
I studied the mysterious woman's face on my phone's screen.
Run image ID. Details ASAP
After attaching the photos to the message, I slipped my phone back into my jacket pocket and started my motorcycle, thanking the Lord above it didn't have a loud exhaust system. I parked three spaces from her car in the dimmest section of the parking lot, cloaking myself in darkness.
Ping.
Swinging my leg off my bike and removing my helmet, I set it on the seat, then pulled out my phone as I jogged across the street in her direction.
Callie
Aria Jenkins, coworker/best friend.
Best friend? Why wasn't she mentioned in the dossier?
Callie
Oversight.
My ass.
I rolled my shoulders and exhaled.
Okay, a girls' night out…
Now what?
"Can we go in now? We answered correctly?" Aria said as I leaned against the corner wall of the building beside them, my ear trained in their direction.
"Finish the puzzle to gain entrance," the bouncer said.
What the hell kind of party is this?
I darted a glance around the corner, spotting them hunched over an object on the ground. Graffiti tags swirled in colorful waves on the brick wall above their heads, and discarded black crates lay littered along the path. My gaze traveled up the wall, around the doorway, and down the sidewalk where I stood.
No cameras.
A smile crept over my face as the distant city noise bled away and then faded as a high-pitched laugh came in from my left.
Shit.
" Shhh. Let me think," Aria said.
My teeth clenched together as she spat out a random riddle while my gaze roamed over the building.
A blacked-out window sat high above, which was a no-go for entrance unless I wanted to rain glass on the people below.
Not exactly covert.
On the opposite side was another building connected to the main warehouse, the one Ava worked to gain entrance to.
Rooftop access?
I sucked in a deep breath, rolled my eyes around in my head, my lids pinched shut as I steeled myself to run, then darted across the entrance to the next alleyway before the stumbling group got close enough to see my face.
Adrenaline spiked my blood as I exhaled and paused at the darker alleyway, which harbored shards of glass, the stench of ripe meat, and a squeaking rat in the corner.
My upper lip curled as I moved towards the fire escape and jumped, pulling the ladder down with a clatter.
If that didn't attract attention…
I glanced behind me, then maneuvered around the ladder as it settled on the oil-slicked ground. A thin translucent spider web wrapped around my fingers as I grabbed the first ladder rung, the sensation sending shivers up my spine.
It's not even Halloween yet.
My foot pushed off the twenty-fifth rung as I found my ground on the top of what could pass as a two-story warehouse, the surface littered with pea gravel.
Wind whipped through the flat top, sending a loose wire swinging. A heavy metal piece attached to its end clanged against the rooftop access door, its erratic rhythm reminiscent of Gyorgy Ligeti's Atmosphères.
Swiping the coated wire from the door, I tugged on the door handle and groaned as it stayed in position.
Okay, then.
I kneeled, becoming eye-level with the handle, and grabbed my thin leather lock-picking kit that had been with me since my Marine Corps days. With thirteen years of practiced precision, I slipped the tension wrench from its designated space and slipped it into the keyway, moving the picks inside the lock and coaxing each pin into place.
Click.
A smile tugged at my lips as I eased the door open.
Too easy.
Has Ava made it in already?
I stood, pocketed the tools, and shouldered my way inside the small blackened steps.
Thumping techno music thundered in my chest the deeper I traveled into the warehouse, as though someone built layers upon layers of soundproofing into its walls.
The stairs ended at a door in a small square space, the music behind it beating through the seams.
She was there.
Why did my little recluse venture out today?
I opened the door and walked through, my white shirt glowing in the black light.
Every shadow has its silhouette, and tonight, I'll find hers.