Page 6 of H E R

“And, Dylan…”

I glance at the device as if it’s a video call. “Yea, boss?”

“Don’t forget what you’rereallythere for. Track the filth and dispose of it.”

Mike rented a month-to-month apartment. It’s small, but I don’t care. All I need is a shower and a toilet. The industrial space consists of an open layout, with the living room and kitchen in one space. There’s a bedroom with an attached bathroom, and I’m grateful for the high ceilings because I’m sick of always having to duck. My height forces me to bend through doorways and squeeze into elevators. At least while I make this my temporary home, I can walk without constantly hunching down.

Max lounges on the smoky gray wood floor right outside the bathroom, and his clipped ears twitch as I drag the electric razor over my locks. It’s time for a haircut.

The nostalgia of seeing my military clean and cut look drags memories, usually kept tucked away, to the surface, and I suddenly want to scratch at my skin. It’s a chameleon effect that pulls me closer to who I was forced to become during that time of my life. It’s who I need to be now in order to deal with the sick fucks barricading the city, forcing those who were already low to dig their own graves and crawl six feet deeper into the earth for shelter. All the more close to hell.

The desire to live larger than they are capable of, an impulse to want to be above everyone else, is a hunger that comes naturally to these criminals. It resulted in them tying up whoever they could scramble and suspend them by their necks. The crew uses civilians as leverage, assaulting their bodies, a fuel to indulge their fantasies of control.

I’m not sure yet who is in control—the police force or the criminals. Maybe both, an alliance. I’ll take this town just as I did the rest and hand the power back to the people. As if warning me, an invisible touch grazes the tiny hairs on the back of my neck, telling me to be cautious of something that awaits in the darkness.

I shake my shoulders roughly like Max would, brushing off the adrenaline coursing through me. The hair I’ve buzzed off occupies the space around me, falling slowly to the white tile. I don’t give a fuck which side rots away in the crevices of this forsaken town. I’ll kill each and every dumb ass who gets in my way. I’m already eager to get to the next town to do the same.

My cellphone buzzes–it’s Lloyd. “Give me something good,” I murmur.

“Looks like the girl exists, after all. We have a location for her. Want to tag along while I interrogate?”

What the fuck is he eating? I pull the cell away and grimace at the sound of his chewing. Sometime soon he’ll follow my lead, and I can’t wait to leave his ass behind. I’m not sure which law enforcement personnel to watch out for, but everyone is guilty until proven innocent. I’m not a fucking lawyer, just the executioner.

“I’ll meet you there. Text me the address and details of the girl.”

I’m not letting this fucker ride in my car again. I hang up and jump in the shower. I can be ready in less than ten minutes and make it there before him.

I’m sure that whatever he was consuming is more important than interrogating a ghost and that he’ll take his sweet time.

I take one last look in the full-length mirror near the apartment entrance. I barely recognize who reflects back. The buzzed cut reveals the tattoos on the back of my scalp that connect with those on my neck. I don’t care about covering them up anymore.

I’m dressed comfortably. What the fuck is this sick joke of a police force going to say? Lloyd can barely fit into his cheap suit.

I bend down and ruffle the spot between Max’s ears. “Be good while I’m gone.”

I make it there before Lloyd and scope out the restaurant. It’s an upscale place, Vincent Tavern. They even have valet, like hell if I’m going to trust them with my baby.

I pull around and park it around the corner. Humpty Dumpty isn’t here yet, and I flash my badge at the front to slip inside without needing to be on some stupid list or reservation.

The place smells of butterfly bushes, and I looked up to find them hanging from the ceiling throughout the dark and luxurious interior. There are smooth black leather lounge chairs, brushed metal fixtures, and rosewood candle-lit tables. I think it’s supposed to be romantic, but I’m not sure. I don’t really give a fuck about things like that.

“Something to drink?” The exotic bartender looks me over, and I’m not sure if she’s intrigued or afraid.

“Whiskey neat.”

I want to scope the area before the clumsy duck arrives, and after shooting back my drink, I walk to where a server discreetly divulges where I can find the young girl Lloyd claims is the source of some chaotic events that continue to ravage the city.

He sent me a picture of the file. I'm looking for a fifteen-year-old girl, five-three, dark mid-back length waves with brown eyes. She’s got a twenty-two-year-old brother, five-ten, who shares the same hair and eye color. According to the file,she’sthe troublemaker.

Before I make my way around to the left, a woman’s bright laugh tugs my muscles to a table lining the back wall. The bar lines the entire floor, and I select a barstool with just enough distance to watch them without being spotted.

There are four people, two women and two men. I don’t see a fifteen-year-old girl, so neither woman can beher. Four people, but I can only focus on one.

My gaze is transfixed, directed toward a woman with her dark locks trapped in a bun, and I subdue the sudden urge to walk over and let them cascade over her milky skin. Her strapless black dress clings to her feminine curves and my mouth waters, suddenly jealous of the fabric.

She laughs and her head tips back, exposing her long neck, and the desire to wrap my hand around the delicate skin while bringing her face closer to me, so I can nibble on her full lips, hardens my dick.

She sips on a dark bubbly drink, coke I assume, and her cheeks hollow as she sucks through a straw.Fuck, I’d plunge my cock so far into her tiny throat and gladly watch her gasp for air while she chokes on me.

---