Page 6 of Broken Obsession

There was a loud snapping sound just as he finished that sentence, and Eden’s head whipped toward the center of the room just in time to see Galen lunge from the chair.

He’d broken free from his ropes and made a beeline for Eden, but not in the way someone seeking help did. He shot forward like a man on a mission, arms lifting, hands reaching for Eden’s neck.

A gunshot exploded, echoing in the room and sending Eden to the ground in a protective crouch. He covered his ears and gasped as he watched Galen’s body sway and then topple to the side, crashing to the ground hard enough to send a cloud of dust into the air.

Eden coughed and scrambled back, coming up against the wall with a hard thump.

Galen wheezed, his eyes locked on Eden, but within seconds, he went still, a pool of crimson seeping from beneath him to puddle on the concrete ground.

“Good Light.” Eden’s gaze snapped up to where the masked stranger had been standing, but there was no one there. Cursing, he shot back to his feet, but there were no signs anywhere. When his multi-slate dinged, he quickly opened the new message, shock and adrenaline spurring him on.

Unknown:Get out. I’ll be in touch.

Eden read the two curt sentences three times before snapping out of it and shooting off a response.

Eden:What the hell? You shot him!

Unknown:It was him or you. I chose. It’s not that deep.

Eden:A man is dead!

Unknown:I know. That’s why I contacted a cleaning crew. If you don’t want them to find you when they arrive, I suggest getting a move on.

Stay here and risk possibly being pinned for the murder?

No, fuck this. Eden spun on his heels and jogged through the boathouse back the way he came, slipping the earbud attachment from the side of his multi-slate at the same time and shoving it into his ear. He hit the call button on the side of the chat feed and waited, not sure what he was thinking, but unable to hold himself back.

“This call is unnecessary,” the man answered on the fifth ring.

“Who the fuck are you?” Eden made it to the exit and reached for the door.

“Wait. A car is passing by. Give it a second.”

He stared at his device and then twisted around, trying to see if he could find any obvious cameras anywhere. If they were there, he couldn’t find them. “Are you watching me?”

“Frequently,” he replied absently, then added, “All clear. Hurry along, the cleanup crew is only four minutes away.”

With a curse, Eden darted out into the cold, almost slipping on the ice in the empty parking lot. He’d parked his bike beneath a tree by the river that ran next to the building, and hopped on, intent on getting out of there.

“I’ll be in touch,” the man said as soon as Eden got the engine running.

“Wait—”

The bastard hung up on him.

Chapter 2:

“When are you coming back?” Ryker’s deep voice came through the speaker of Ares’ multi-slate where he’d set it on the windowsill. His annoyance was palpable.

“Soon,” Ares responded, crossing his arms as he gazed down at the city. It was late, and the lights were sparkling. Not many people were out wandering, but there were a few, all bundled up, shoulders hunched to protect themselves from the cold as they braved the flurries. “It’s snowing.”

“Not here.” The sound of a curtain being drawn came, as though his friend wanted to double-check, which was ironic, considering that out of the eight of them, Ryker was the one most likely to lie in any given situation.

He was so good at lying to himself that it could almost be considered an art form, and Ares knew all about art.

“You sound good at least,” Ryker said. “Present.”

“I am present.” Ares pressed his forehead to the chilled glass and sighed. “What do you need, Ryk?”