Shadowed (Team Zero #4) by Rina Kent

No one touches her and lives. It was that simple at the moment.

I didn’t even think that I should shut him up because he knew my secret. I didn’t consider that I was killing someone in front of Zoe.

Now that I think about it, I shouldn’t have killed him while she stood there. Just because I drown in blood and destruction, she doesn’t. No matter how strong she appears.

I hop down the stairs of the safe house and into the club. It’s opening hours so the walls thud with loud music. Sweaty bodies dance and laugh and I want to break all their fucking necks.

The thought flees when I find who I’m looking for. An old man swats Natalie’s arse. Lucky for him, Mist isn’t around. Lachlan is. He hauls the man to his feet and shows him to the door.

Natalie bows her head and heads to the storeroom at the back.

I follow her and find her fiddling with boxes.

“Have you seen Zoe?”

Natalie startles, and slowly turns around, lips parted and her dark skin paling a shade. Her gaze drifts sideways as if searching for an escape.

There won’t be any.

I tower over her and repeat in a more clipped tone. “I said. Have you seen Zoe?”

“N-no.” She clasps her fingers together. “We’re not as close anymore.”

“If you’re hiding anything…” I leave the warning hanging. I’m sure she’s hiding something and she knows better than to test my non-existent patience.

Her teeth nibble on her bottom lip before her brown eyes peek up at me. She opens her mouth then closes it.

“What is it?” I don’t have time for this nonsense.

“I… saw her go into Mist’s office earlier.”

“Earlier?”

“When I returned from the kindergarten.”

Around the time she ran away from me. Well, isn’t Zoe a smart thing? Le Salon’s compound is the last place I’d search.

I storm upstairs to Mist’s office. The doorknob almost crumble under my forceful shove.

Mist and Ghost sit across from each other on the sofa with a shitload of papers in front of them. Flame’s motionless body is thrown on a side sofa, slumbering as usual.

I storm inside and snap at Mist. “Where is she?”

She reaches for the bottle of scotch and pours the amber liquid in the glass. “Who?”

“Don’t fuck with me, old hag.” I grit out. “Where is Zoe?”

She traces the rim of her glass with a red-manicured finger. “As far away from you as possible.”

I lunge at her. She jerks upright. Ghost stops me from murdering her by standing between us.

“Stop.” He places one hand on my chest and another on hers. I glare at her and she glares back.

“She’s seen you bathed in blood,” Mist bites out.

Ghost narrows his eyes. “What happened?”

I lift a shoulder. “Old grudge.”

Mist points a finger at me. “All of us are compromised because of you.”

My breathing slows. “So…. What? You cleaned her up?”

“Doesn’t matter.” She falls back on the sofa and focuses on her drink again. “This is the best for everyone.”

“If you so much as put a finger on her…” I don’t know what I’ll do. I think I'll fucking murder Mist. I wouldn’t even care that Ghost could hate me forever or that the monster title will be engraved under my skin for eternity.

“Enough.” Ghost breathes through his nose. “This isn’t the time. We need to evacuate our people from the factory tonight.”

“I’m busy.” I couldn’t give two fucks about the factory or Hades or Team Zero right now.

“Find the time. We need everyone for this.” Ghost throws a look over his shoulder. “You, too, Flame. We need you to cover our tracks.”

There’s a grunt before Flame sits up and rubs his face with the heels of his palm. “So noisy.”

I stare between the three of them. “Cover our tracks about what?”

“I’ve gotten a tip to the Met Police,” Ghost says. “The drug factory is going down.”

Too many thoughts and questions ran rampant in my head like starved predators.

One, how did Ghost get a tip out and why didn’t he tell me about it?

Two, this will drive Hades bloody bonkers. This is a huge investment. If it’s busted down by the police, he’ll drain us to replace the lost funds. Even if we make him think that we had nothing to do with it.

Three, and most importantly, Hades won’t let go of Team Zero’s hostages — including Ink.

I can’t even rejoice about that. All my rampant thoughts pour back into the same vein.

Where the fuck has Zoe gone to?

This obsession of mine is growing stronger than I can process. I don’t give a fuck. The moment I find Zoe, I’ll chain her to my bed and we’ll have a long talk about those panic attacks. After I fuck her senseless. Or before. Depends on whether or not she drives me mad.

“I have some unfinished business.” I turn to leave.

“She’s gone,” Ghost says in a levelled, calm tone.

My head snaps back towards him. “What do you mean by she’s gone?”

“Gone. Vanished. Disappeared. Poof.” Flame saunters to sit next to Mist. “Need another synonym?”