“No way I’m losing.” Selena sat up and nodded with a firm look of determination.
I’m going to fight for him. I can’t give up now, and I can’t let myself become convinced he’s manipulating me. There’s something there. Something deeper, and this isn’t one sided. I know it. Once he’s done taking out these Corps creeps, we can pursue something. We will pursue something!
She yelped at a loud, sudden knock at the door. Had Maximus come back?
Selena hopped out of bed and tucked some loose strands behind her hair. She didn’t want to look too unruly in her first battle against the hidden Vestal for Maximus. It was as good a time as any to tell him how she felt. It’d give him something to look forward to after he finished the mission.
Another loud knock sounded followed by a muffled low voice. “Housekeeping.”
Selena winced and looked around. The hybrids had taken most of their gear and weapons, but there were too many suspicious bags and pieces of equipment lying around. From the way Maximus described things, the room was probably never empty since their arrival until now. Technically, it still wasn’t.
“If no one’s there, I’ll be coming in,” called the housekeeper.
Selena rushed to the door. “Wait! Um, I’m naked.”
“Okay, I can wait.”
She counted to twenty-five and then headed over to the door, her heart pounding. After confirming there was nothing suspicious right in front of the door that might freak out a maid, she reached down and unlocked it, pulling it open a couple of inches.
Her eyes widened. She’d been expecting a middle-aged woman behind a cart, not a huge suited man with close-cropped hair, the edge of holster peeking from underneath his jacket. That’s what she got for not looking through the peephole.
The man grabbed the handle and pushed. Selena tried to jam her foot against the door, but it was too late. She stumbled backward, and the man finished pushing his way into the room with a sneer. The bastard already thought he’d won, but she wasn’t ready to give up without a fight.
Selena needed to get to her Taser and pepper spray. All she needed for that was her purse. She grinned and then grimaced. Her purse was rather inconveniently hanging from a hook right next to the front door. She’d have to go through the man to get to it.
“If you don’t leave right away, I’ll scream my head off,” Selena said. “Half the hotel will come to see what’s happening.”
“I doubt it given the quality of this place.” The man shook his head and patted the bulge marking his holster. “And if you do that, I’ll kill anyone who shows up. You think some idiot hotel clerk, surf bum tourist, or maid is ready for someone with a gun?”
“Who the hell are you?” Selena asked, glaring at him and keeping her tone even despite her pounding heart. Time for a psychological attack. “My boyfriend’s coming back soon. He’s an ex-Navy SEAL. He’s ready for someone with a gun.”
“Navy SEAL?” The man chuckled. “Probably tougher than a SEAL. Come on. This doesn’t have to be hard, but if you tried to get cute about this, you’re going to feel some pain, and somebody else might have to get killed. The doc was smart to have me watch you at your place. I thought he wasn’t onto anything, but that’s why he’s in charge.”
The doc? Doctor Quinen? Selena decided to ask. The important thing was escaping the situation.
“Fine.” Selena took slow, even breaths. She nodded toward her purse. “I just need to get my purse.”
The man stepped toward her. “We’re not going to the movies, bitch. Leave it.”
“You know what I think?” Selena said, keeping her gaze fixed on her purse. “I think you work for the Phoenix Corps, and I think you’ve been ordered to bring me in alive by Doctor Quinen. That means I only have to be somewhat afraid of you.”
“You’re making a big assumption.” The man gave her a toothy grin. “You don’t know shit about who I am and what I’m capable of.”
The man’s cold gaze made Selena’s knees go weak, but she did her best to keep the fear off her face. “If you just wanted to kill me, you would have shot me the moment I opened that door. Every second you waste increases the chance of someone stumbling on you.”
“You’re right.” The man’s face contorted in rage. “I might not be able to kill you, but my boss wasn’t all that specific about hurting you.”
He lunged toward Selena. She jumped to the side, avoiding his grasp, but she wasn’t a hybrid and lacked their speed, meaning it was a near miss. Her brilliantly timed initial dodge was pointless when the man twisted and roughly grabbed her arm and squeezed.
Selena slapped him hard across the cheek. He grunted but didn’t release his grip, instead yanking her toward the door. Unfortunately, she was on the opposite side of her purse, and there was no way she could figure out how to dive for it while the man still held her.
“Keep struggling, bitch, and I’ll knock your ass out,” the man growled. “I’d like that. I bet you screwed one of those things, didn’t you? One of those animals that pretends to be human.”
“Screw them? Screw you.” Selena wasn’t stronger than the man, and she didn’t have a good angle to kick him in the balls. She thought back to her self-defenses classes and stomped hard on the front of the man’s foot.
He howled in pain but didn’t let go. “You stupid bitch.”
His powerful backhand had Selena seeing stars on the ground, barely realizing what had happened. The man crouched and grabbed her throat, tightening.
She gasped for air. He’d been right. She’d assumed he
