Misted (Team Zero #5) by Rina Kent

Killing the old bitch doesn’t bring back our child or take away the suffering both Mist and I have gone through, but it tastes fucking right.

Mist should know that the one who scarred her no longer exists. I retrieve my phone and power it on while I drag Dr Sloane’s corpse into a black plastic bag.

My finger hovers over Mist’s phone number but I can’t call her. I just can’t. If I hear her voice, I will want to abandon this entire thing and go back to her.

I’m so close to keeping her safe. I just need to dump Dr Sloane’s body somewhere then take off.

My phone rings. Flame.

“What?” I hold the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I stuff Dr Sloane’s body into the plastic bag.

“Finally, you little shit,” he deadpans.

“He picked up?” Shadow’s voice drifts from the background.

“You might want to put whatever heroic mission you’re planning on pause,” Flame says as a lighter sounds in the background.

“No can’t do.” I zip up the bag and begin to carry it over my shoulder.

“Mist is in danger.” Flame’s voice is too casual.

I drop the bag and tighten my grip on the phone. “What do you mean she’s in fucking danger?”

“She called telling us to stop you and then said she has to go save the girls. Right after, Ink got in touch and if his suspicions are true then Molly has been blackmailing Mist all this time and that girl is currently missing from Le Salon.”

“Fuck!” I hit my fist against a wall. I knew I didn’t like her. “If she’s been blackmailing Mist all this time, why is she making a move now?”

“Maybe she knew Ink was onto her. After all, that’s the reason Mist wanted him out.”

I’m not even surprised that Flame knows all of that anymore.

“Do you know her destination?” I jog to the kitchen, open the gas and retrieve a lighter. There’s no time for a burial. Dr Sloane will have to burn to hell just like Nero.

“Ink and Scar trailed after her from France, but there’s no signal from her phone.”

I storm out of the house and throw the lighter behind me. It won’t take long for the house to explode. Her residence is a bit secluded so no one will descend to hell with her.

“I have a tracker on her.” I navigate in my phone to the app. I find the red dot somewhere in West London. “I’ll send you the location. Bring Shadow and meet me there.”

After I get into my car, the more I stare at the unmoving dot, the harder my heart beats so fucking wild, I barely hear the engine.

Twenty minutes drive away.

It’ll be the longest twenty minutes of my life.

This time, either I save her or it’s the end.





I arrive near the warehouse where Mist’s tracker is only a few metres away. My hand tightens around the gun while the rifle hangs on my shoulder.

Close-range combat has never been my thing, and since I don’t have a view inside the warehouse, I have no fucking idea what I’ll see when I barge through. Maybe there’s a little army of Molly’s friends in there. Maybe they already have Mist as a hostage and I’ll put both of us at a disadvantage when I storm inside.

I’ll slaughter anyone who dares to fucking touch her.

A hand taps my shoulder. I whirl around and point my gun at a petite blonde.

“We’re here,” Scar whisper-yells. “Though I gotta say Ink dragged me along.”

“Where is he?” I look around her.

“The back. I’ll take the side.” She pushes me and points at the abandoned building across from the warehouse. “I bet you can have an excellent shot range from up there.”

It takes me a fraction of seconds to mull it over. There’s nothing I want to do than to barge in the warehouse and shoot whoever got Mist in the fucking forehead, but Scar and Ink are better than me in close-range combat. The two of them get off on slicing throats and knife-play. I’m more efficient off the ground.

After a nod, both Scar and I sprint in opposite directions. I climb the mouldy, old stairs four at a time and check my ammunition simultaneously.

A tremor plagues my left hand as if it’s afraid of making the shot after months of disability. I fling the rifle under my armpit and squeeze my useless hand with my non-dominant one. It has to work. I don’t care if I can never shoot again after this, but it has to fucking work today.

I find a position at a non-railed part of the wall. I crouch so I’m at eye level with my rifle and take a deep breath while I look through the hole.

Mist is on the floor wrestling with Molly. I can’t get a good view of the younger woman’s head because Mist is blocking her. My heartbeat nearly stops when I make out the blood dripping from Mist’s clothes.

Mist gets on top and punches Molly over and over again. I curse when I still can’t get a view. Mist’s fists and successive blows block Molly’s head from my range.

Scar and Ink must be waiting for my signal, but I have no idea if there are more of Molly’s friends, or if the place is fucking wired. I can’t put anything past someone who’s been doing their hardest to make Mist’s life miserable.

Molly says something and Mist freezes and stops hitting altogether.

What the fuck? Fight, Hellion!

Molly jumps to her feet, sweeps a gun from the ground and points it at Mist’s head.