All of that was normal.
So far, the only abnormal thing going on in the tiny apartment above the garage was the lights on, and the locks weren’t engaged.
To be honest, the few days that I had “lived” here weren’t enough to get a baseline for behavior.
But Destiny was fairly paranoid and systematic.
I had seen the bedroom and bathroom lights on as I walked through the yard earlier. And here was the window in our main room with the lights ablaze.
Destiny had hung sheets as curtains, and usually, the thin flat surface meant I could see shadows moving around if someone were walking inside.
I thought about our schedule for tomorrow. Destiny had the red-eye breakfast shift. She would normally have gone to bed around eight with a sleep mask over her eyes to protect her from the sunset’s last gasp, sending the rays straight into the western-facing window.
Why were lights on in the bedroom now that it was ten?
I sent a text to Iniquus Control. Closest available. Stage in yard at the garage.
‘Closest available’ was a designation of extreme need. If I were wrong, I’d do my mea culpas later.
By typing ‘closest available,’ the monitors in Iniquus overwatch would figure out where I was on their master board and find a force operator in my area not actively engaged with a different mission and deploy them to my situation.
It was the seven-alarm blaze of calls. No one wanted to drop everything for a nothing burger.
Blowing my cover by having some operator showing up would be bad.
I didn’t know what else to do. My heebie-jeebies meter was pinging brightly, but other than that… I had nothing.
If Destiny was in trouble, she needed help.
Closest six-minute ETA. En Route Ridge and K9 Zeus, Cerberus Tactical K9. Advise.
Ridge was a retired Delta Force Operator. And Zeus… Well, Zeus was a highly trained tactical K9. Zeus and I had a special bond. He was the K9 that helped me escape my kidnappers.
Having this duo at my back would be excellent.
Outside perimeter, pretend to be walking the dog to blend. Weapons ready, I texted.
I rounded back to the side. Clinging to the edges of the steps up next to the handrail, I used my shadow walking skills to climb back to the door.
I didn’t like the light shining on me.
“I said lift higher.” It was a male voice raised loud enough that I could make out the words.
I didn’t hear a response. Was he talking to Destiny?
Destiny insisted on no visitors at the apartment and absolutely no men.
This could be the owner doing some maintenance. But at ten o’clock? That was improbable.
Besides the folks at the diner, did she even know any men in the area? I never met that guy she’d said was a short-order cook. They seemed friendly from our conversation. Maybe it was him, and he was helping Destiny with some issue?
That would explain the locks…
Licking my fingers, I reached up to turn the lightbulb, listening to my spittle hiss as it evaporated from my fingertips.
I pressed my back against the wall where I wouldn’t be seen immediately if the male voice popped the door open to investigate.
Shadow walking in the black of night would be easier if I weren’t wearing a bright white T-shirt.
A long minute passed, and I decided to edge the door open. Maybe I could hear what was happening inside and determine if I could call Ridge and tell him it was a false alarm. He was still about three minutes out.
I put my ear to the crack.
“Stop. Is she breathing? Did you check?”
Ice slid down my spine.
“How do I do that?”
“Put her in the bathtub and spray her with cold water. See if that brings her around.”
Drugs? Alcohol?
This all seemed wrong.
But if there was a chance that Destiny wasn’t breathing, she needed an immediate intervention to save her life.
I pressed the door open just a smidge and looked in.
With the roar of an engine, and headlights bouncing along the road, I could see the Iniquus Hummer pulling up on the street in front of the bar just on the other side of the copse of trees.
I pulled out my phone: Garage apartment. Second floor. Intruders. Two male voices. Possible life-threatening medical emergency. Move in.
From my vantage point, I saw the back of a man. Destiny’s bare feet were tucked under his arm as he disappeared into the bathroom.
In my mind’s eye, Ridge had gotten his new information, and he was climbing from the cab, gathering the medical bags and defibrillator, releasing Zeus from the kennel in the back.
Iniquus wouldn’t mess around with this, they’d send an ambulance, and they’d call our client to find out whom they should send in as support—the police or would the FBI go themselves?
Inside the door, five gallon-sized jugs of muriatic acid had been lined up. I had seen them inside of the garage the other day. It was the kind of acid that one used to clean the driveway.
Why would anyone have brought these jugs upstairs?
“Just turn on the cold shower. If she’s not dead, she’s gonna scream her head off when we douse her.”
A man moved into the living room, and I froze.
“You left the damned door open.” He stalked over.
“I didn’t. The wind must have blown it.”
The guy leaned out. “You think someone came up here and saw what was going on?”
“Like who?”
“The roommate?”
I froze where I was. Push come to shove, I could leap over the side, drop, and roll.
“Stop being a chicken shit. Check and see if she’s dead and let’s get this over with. I wanta collect the money and…”
I was shadow walking. But shadow walking has
