Misted (Team Zero #5) by Rina Kent

“Hawk,” I warn, barely keeping the tremor out of my voice. He was never the vengeful type, but again, I’m comparing him to the version that I set on fire. This new Hawk is a complete utter mystery and I’m only seeing the tip of the iceberg. The mountain beneath the surface might destroy me if I'm not careful.

“I decided that I want Poison out, so I’ll be shooting targets down to help his team. I would say I’m sorry about Ink.” His lips move in a cruel, sadistic smile. “But I’m not.”

I struggle to keep my cool as hot, red energy pulses through my veins.

“You have no idea what you’re doing.” I lunge at him, but he imprisons both my hands in his right one. Although he’s left-handed, I can't squirm from his punishing hold.

His face remains impassive as he whispers against the shell of my ear, “Oh, but I do. Welcome to your custom-made hell.”

“Stop it, damn you.” I suppress the shiver drawing down my spine.

“The more you want Ink out, the more I'll bury him in for fucking good,” he continues in his cold, low tone. “The more you fight, the harder I’ll break you.”

My lips thin in a line as I glare up at him. “I should’ve not let you get out.”

If I stopped thinking with my heart for a second and worked harder to free Ink instead of him, we wouldn’t be here.

Who am I kidding? I’d choose him if I had to repeat. I’ll always choose him.

And that’s my damn weakness.

Every time I watched the videos of him being tortured was like being sliced open myself. I’d stay up all night re-watching the part where he was unconscious on the floor, consoled by the fact that his chest rose and fell.

That he was still alive.

“That’s your mistake and you’ll pay for it.” He shoves me away and I stumble backwards, my shins hitting the edge of the coffee table.

Hawk doesn’t spare me a glance, as if disgusted with me, before he strolls out of the office. As soon as the door closes behind him, I let my weight fall on the hard surface of the table, trying to subdue my uncontrollable breathing. I place my elbows on my knees and hang my head in my hands.

I need to stay strong. Otherwise, everything I’ve been building all these years will crumble apart.

I can take Hawk’s vengeance.

At least, I hope I can.





In the following week, I did everything in my might to avoid Hawk.

I need to have better control of myself if I don’t want to melt in his arms the next time he touches me. Although, since that day, he seems too disgusted with me to attempt touching me.

He’s been staying out or spending time with either Flame or Scar. I barely tolerated her before, but now that she’s all over Hawk, it brings a sense of nausea and hot rage all mixed into one.

I pretend I don't notice when she's hanging onto his arm, blabbering in her signature cheerful energy. I pretend I don’t see him smiling down at her with the slight twitch in his upper lip when that smile used to be all mine.

How dare he give away something that once belonged to me?

But again, what right do I have to be angry? It shouldn’t be of any concern to me.

I sit behind my desk and go through Le Salon's emails, barely paying attention to the numbers and bills.

My mind keeps drifting to Hawk's threat about helping Poison’s disciples. He’s an ace sniper, not only in Team Zero but also in all of The Pit. Even with Molly’s favours, I don’t think we can suppress his efficiency in eliminating targets.

Since Hades has a lot of contacts in the Middle East, he might send Poison and Ink’s disciples there to play killing games. If Hawk tags along Team Poison, we’re doomed. He spent more than fifteen years eliminating insurgents by taking Hades’ ‘collaborative’ contracts with the MI6 and the CIA. The Middle East is Hawk’s playground. He can probably shoot targets with his eyes blindfolded.

I have to keep him here somehow. On the other hand, if he stays… my gaze flickers to my phone resting amongst two rows of paperwork. He could be in worse danger.

After he was released from The Pit, all I wanted him to do was to disappear into one of his Middle Eastern operations again. We’ll meet once a year when Ghost reunites all Team Zero members.

That’s enough for me.

Now that he plans to help Poison out on the extent of Ink's freedom, I can't just let him fly back to the Middle East.

I breathe out a long sigh. I don’t know what to do.

“Do you want a favour?” Flame’s sleepy face peeks from behind the sofa. His dark ginger hair and beard are dishevelled, but his pale blue eyes, the colour of half-cloudy sky, gleam with mischievousness.

Give it to Flame to jump all over any opportunity to make us indebted to him.

I smile without humour. “I’m at the point where I’d sell my soul to a devil like you, Flame. But I’m afraid that even you don’t have a solution for this madness.”

He jumps over the sofa, all sleep washing away from his face. Then he hops and sits on the edge of the desk. “Try me. You know devils have lots of tricks up their sleeves.”

I prop my elbows on the table and lean my head against my relaxed fist. “They must really miss you in hell.”

His flashes me one of his rare, wide grins. “I’m sure they do.”