Lured (Team Zero #1) by Rina Kent

Phoenixes rise from the ashes. Or, in my case, a devil.

Hades was born and Hades will stop at nothing for power. I’m building my own underground empire, which starts with The Pit.

The Pit relies on Johnson’s Type Omega.

I won’t only force him to test the drug on the subjects, but I’ll also make him continue his research in case he can come up with a stronger variation.

My strides are relaxed as I sit down on where Johnson’s chair. I stretch my legs in front of me, cross them at the ankles and interlace my fingers.

“What have you done?” Although the veins in his neck are about to burst open, Johnson tries to keep his tone as detached as possible. He knows I would use any anger or emotions against him. Either he’s not trying hard enough to mask his feelings or his care for the girl is that strong.

He advances towards me, slow, intending to intimidate me. Nero appears from around the corner. He’s dressed as a waiter today and helped in spiking the girl’s food and keeping a watch on her all this time. He stands by my side. His stance is wide and his bulky arms are crossed behind his back.

He’s my right hand and a mercenary. A strong one. He will help me build a stronger army with the fifty children and Type Omega.

Johnson doesn’t stop until he’s a short distance away. He’s not intimidated by Nero. Johnson isn’t the type to be intimidated, but he’s stupid enough to show his weakness for a girl. He might’ve as well announced it in the Daily Mail.

“I said. What the fuck have you done to her?” he grits out, resting one tense hand on the table in front of me.

“Nothing major.” I pause to gauge his expression. “Yet.”

He manages to keep his face in control, but the hand lying by his side clenches into a fist. He soon unclenches it.

“What do you want, Hades?”

Always to the point. That’s what I like about Johnson. He’s the right type of genius to build my assassins’ army. Once they’re old enough to be killers for hire, they will be mines of gold.

“We’ll start testing Omega,” I say. “No more stalling.”

“I’m still studying the side effects –”

“Since when did you become an ethics’ police?”

He works his jaw and steals another look at the girl as if to make sure she’s fine. Weak fuck.

“I wouldn’t have agreed to your investment if I had ethics, but I will not put kids’ lives in danger.”

“You’re not putting them in danger. You’re saving them, Johnson. They would’ve died in the streets and became another statistic. Another government fuck up, but we’re doing them a favour. We’re giving them a chance to strengthen their weak bodies, aren’t we?”

Johnson is silent for a moment. “I need more time for this to be safe –”

He cuts off when I raise my hand. In a second, Nero is behind the girl’s slumped body on the chair. His gun points at her temple.

Johnson’s eyes almost bulge from their sockets. His body leans towards her, but he doesn’t move. He knows I can blow her head in a mere second.

So, like the smart person he is, he slowly faces me and speaks low. “She has nothing to do with this. Let her fucking go or I swear…”

“She’s my ticket against you, Johnson.” I lean forward so both my elbows are on the table. “You dare ignore my calls and stall with me? No one denies me anything. I’ll wrench you by the gut and kill you a slow death before you say no to me again.” I motion at the girl. “Your choice is simple. Test Type Omega or watch your French doll die a horrible death. Ah. I will bury her so deep, you will never even find her body.”

He doesn’t bother to hide his reaction this time. His fists clench and slams his fist in my face and hauls me off my feet by my collar. That hurt. I was never a physical person.

Nero points his gun at Johnson while keeping his hand on the girl’s shoulder. I shake my head and meet Johnson’s furious eyes with a smile. Angry people are easy. Angry people care.

“You will leave her the fuck out of this,” he snarls.

“Test Omega.” My tone is calm.

He shoves me away. “What exactly have you given her?”

“Type Omega sample. My people have been putting it in her drinks and food since that day you asked her out. The bartender. Your building’s receptionist. Taxi drivers. She looks alive, no? One more reason to test it.”

“You fucking…” He breathes through his nose then mumbles to himself. “That’s why she’s been fainting.”

“What’s a risk without side effects?”

“Omega isn’t stable yet. Children will die.”

“They were dead anyway.” I meet his gaze and motion at Nero’s gun. “Now say yes or watch her brains being blown.”

“Fine. I’ll start the test and you will leave her alone.”

I smile. Stupid fucking little people. Even Johnson can be swept away by such meaningless emotions. I button my jacket. “If anything happens, we always have her as a bargaining chip.” I pat his rigid shoulder. “Take good care of her, Johnson.”

“One more thing.” He’s in my face in a second, his nostrils flaring. “I made Omega. If I decide to fuck it up and your entire organisation, I will. If you, near or far, threaten Camille’s life again, I will destroy you and bathe in your fucking blood.”