Page 44 of Bitten By Zombie

Stan and Goon One disappeared back into the apartment, and Goon Two headed for the office. Zombie signaled to Hook to follow and back up Santa.

“Fuck me,” he breathed to himself.

It was known and accepted that Stan would be eliminated. They had a cleanup and disposal plan in place.

They did not expect two separate locations with bodies. Everything contained within the apartment was ideal, but Stan and Goon Two just fucked that plan in the ass.

So, now there was a higher likelihood of police involvement, which altered all plans. They could still salvage some aspects if the stars aligned. If they didn’t, they’d have to prep Heidi. However, if he knew his veep, he was laying that foundation for them already. He was a planner, and a damn good one too.

Zombie sent a mental plea to any god listening that they could at least neutralize without guns. Because as soon as a gun was fired, the clock started ticking. And then they were on borrowed time.

“Shit,” Squatch cursed. “We gotta move now, prez. We can’t wait to see what he’s hidden. Stan’s man may fire on Santa.”

His enforcer was right, they had to move. His brain had drifted to Heidi and put her at the center of the mess when he wanted to protect her. Shield her from being associated with her brother’s death in any way. But that wasn’t feasible, not now. It also wouldn’t be what she wanted.

Mentally, he knew that, but he had come to care deeply for her, and every instinct he had was the opposite of what she would want.

He had to battle himself now, change the way he viewed things, or he’d always be fighting her, and he’d never ever win her heart.

With a mental and physical shake, he nodded for Squatch to lead the way, and they left their hiding spot and entered Heidi’s apartment.

They were prepared to clash immediately, but it didn’t happen. Goon One and Stan were not in the living room.

A chill ran down Zombie’s spine. It felt wrong that the first time he entered her apartment, it wasn’t with her.

Fuck. I have to get out of my head, or I’m going to get someone killed.

That was the thought he needed to focus on the task at hand. Heidi fled his mind as he took a deep breath and followed Squatch’s lead.

The low hum of voices was coming from the bedroom, and Squatch had motioned for him and Iron to follow. Before they got a single step, they heard a pop.

In his brain, it didn’t sound like a gunshot per se, could’ve been fireworks, but it didn’t matter. That pop was enough to set shit in motion, and people all along the street would be looking out their windows, possibly calling the pigs. The clock was ticking.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

“Shit, we’re out of time.” Stan must’ve heard it too. “Grab the gun, and we’ll burn the rest. We’ll burn the whole place to the ground. Tell James to meet us at the car.”

Zombie assumed Goon Two must be James.

He heard, or rather felt, Hook behind him. Turning, he raised an eyebrow.

“Wasn’t me, prez. We knocked him out, and Santa’s tying him up. We thought it was you,” Hook whispered.

Zombie shook his head.

Instead of advancing, Squatch had stopped them and hidden on one side of the hall entry while Iron took the other. They could wait for them to leave and snag them cleanly with no additional outside attention.

What is it they say about the best-laid plans? Yeah, that.

A sound like a fire taking hold comes from the back. Apparently, when Stan meant burn it down, he meant while they were still in the building.

Stan and Goon One rushed from the back as the smell of smoke reached Zombie’s nose. As expected, his brothers had them wrapped up before they could react and fire off a shot.

Initially, they were going to handle things differently, but they had to stop the fire before the alarm went off. Zombie rushed to the kitchen and searched the cabinets for an extinguisher.

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