Chapter 38
HUNTER
“Right this way.” Rory holds Savannah’s hands as he guides her through the hall at RHL and into my office, where Luke and I wait for them.
With a black silk sash tied over her eyes, Savannah threatens Rory. “I’m going to search your entire bedroom and burn all the blindfolds I find.”
“No, you won’t,” Rory snorts.
Savannah pulls her hands away from Rory, placing them on her hips. “Try me.”
He smirks, grabbing Savannah by the waist and sealing their bodies together. Savannah gasps at the contact.
“Not now, asshole,” I snap at Rory.
Rory frowns in my direction. “But there’s always time for sex.” When neither Luke nor I laughs at his joke, he concedes. “Okay, okay. Fine.”
Rory removes the blindfold from Savannah’s face. She blinks, taking in the new equipment in the corner.
Savannah’s eyes widen as she glances back and forth between us and the computer. “Oh my God! What…How did…Is this for me?”
“All yours,” I confirm, and Savannah’s smile turns bright.
Luke steps forward, motioning toward the hardware. “It’s running parallel processors, has enterprise-grade CPUs, and contains enough RAM to hold entire datasets.”
Savannah runs her hand across the keyboard. “But…Why?”
Luke shrugs. “The Circuit is all the way in Chinatown. We don’t like the idea of you using the subway, so we brought The Circuit to you.”
“And…” Rory drags out the word as he hands me a plain cream file folder.
Savannah scans the file's contents. “Who’s Warren Pike?”
“He’s accused of molesting his daughter,” I explain, “but his case was just thrown out of court this morning.”
“What happened?” Savannah’s face turns hard.
My jaw tightens. “Insufficient evidence.”
Savannah looks back at the file, giving the papers a more thorough read. She snaps the file closed as she finishes, setting it down on the desk. “When do we leave?”
“As soon as you’re ready,” Rory replies.
“But first,” Luke interjects, “you’ll need these.” He tosses Savannah a duffel bag packed with her things.
Savannah pauses. “What about Hollis?”
“We gave him the night off,” Rory answers.
Savannah nods and smiles at the contents and strolls into my private bathroom to change. While she gets changed, we do the same. This trip is just as much for us as it is for her.
When Savannah comes out of the bathroom, she’s dressed in the black cargo pants and black athletic jacket we picked out for her. Her waist is loaded with her knives and hair tied back in a ponytail. Her face lights up when she sees our attire.
“We’re matching,” Savannah gushes.
“Rory’s idea,” I admit.
We take the giddy Savannah and head to the parking garage, where we climb into my Audi S8. I drive us to Warren’s building on the Upper East Side.
“A little different from what I’m used to,” Savannah comments as she stares up at the tower of condos.
I park the car around the corner. “We figured Brooklyn had gotten enough of the Avenging Angel. It’s time for Manhattan to feel her wrath.”
“What do you think?” Rory asks Savannah.
She wraps her fist around the hilt of her blade. “Let’s do it.”
The street is helpfully empty this time of night as we exit my Audi together.
Luke holds his smartphone, looking at a map. “This way.” He directs us to an emergency exit that leads us into a stairwell.
Savannah looks toward the top. “Ninth floor, right?”
Luke nods in confirmation, and Rory groans. “Next time, can we choose a target on a lower level, please?”
“Is there a reason we can’t take the elevator?” I frown.
Luke types on his phone for a minute. “Nope. We’re now invisible.”
“Thank God,” Rory sighs in relief.
We follow Luke to the elevator car, where the doors are already open and waiting for us. Inside, Rory pushes the button with the number nine and we wait. Light classical music makes the time pass quickly. Once we’re on the ninth floor, we find Warren’s door.
Savannah stops in her tracks. “I normally go through the window.”
“We’re here for you,” I remind her.
She nods, then goes to work, picking the lock. A light click lets us know she’s done. With a quiet turn of the knob, the door opens without a sound.
Most of the lights are off, and as we enter, we hear running water and off-key singing.
Savannah slinks ahead, leading the way toward the sound.
We end up in the master bedroom outside the en suite.
Peering through the crack in the door, I confirm that it’s Warren butchering “Pocketful of Sunshine.” If Natasha Bedingfield could hear it, she’d sue.
Luke and Rory burst into the bathroom, forcing Warren from the shower.
Warren tries to put up a fight, but Rory and Luke have a solid hold. “Let go of me!”
I step behind Warren and force him to his knees.
Savannah stalks forward, and Warren looks up at her and gulps. “Who are you?”
Savannah grabs Warren’s hair on top of his head, forcing him to crane his neck further. “I am your atonement.” She whips out her knife and thrusts his head forward as she slices him from ear to ear.
Rory, Luke, and Savannah release their hold on Warren, and he falls to the floor, clutching his neck. Warren gurgles, choking on his own blood, and stares up at Savannah with wide eyes. His struggles end in less than a minute.
Luke admires Savannah with wide eyes. “That was fucking hot.”
Rory tilts his head my way. “Is it normal to be turned on right now?”
With my focus on Savannah, I watch as her breasts push against her shirt with each inhale and exhale. Blood paints her chest and torso, and her eyes are wild.
Finally, I tell Rory, “Just go with it,” and stalk toward the center of my obsession.