brutal

Chapter 48

VERENA

The pistol I stole from the armory burnt a hole in the pocket of the jacket I wore the further the elevator descended. When the metal chamber stopped and the doors opened, I checked the camera overhead with a fleeting glance and walked out.

"Two guards down at the bend, Brutal." Jasper's voice in my earpiece was an odd comfort. The last mission we'd worked on was over a month ago, and I haven't been called my alias in so long without the dread of being caught.

Well, the stakes have never been higher. I was technically breaking into Siege HQ as Brutal, even if I came in as Onyx. I didn't have my usual getup as the vigilante, but I wasn't in uniform, either. If Kai figured out what I was doing, it would be over for me.

But he was busy having a meeting in his office. It should've been worrying that he was still busy near midnight, but at least I didn't have to deal with him. I made sure when I hacked into his calendar and set a reminder on his phone.

He doesn't deserve this, I thought as I carried my feet to the corner and crouched to peek at the bend off the hallway. Two guards in uniform were guarding the only metal door at the end of the hallway, paying no attention at all as they talked with easy smiles on their mouths.

The urge to kill them to get it over with shot through my spine in a shiver, but I tamped it down and instead fished for a penny in my pocket and dropped it on the concrete floor next to me.

The sound echoed in the small confine, pulling their conversation to a stop. "Is someone there?" one of the guards shouted. When I kept silent, I heard careful footsteps, then a hushed "I'll check it out."

I stood up slowly and watched the guard's shadow grow against the wall. Jasper warned me about the gun he had aimed and ready to shoot, but I could only think about how the course of my plans have changed in the past twenty-four hours.

And it was no thanks to Tristan Carson. Since he planted the idea of the Professor's involvement in my abduction, Kai has been on edge. He believed I knew nothing still because he refused to help himself by asking me. He was too scared that I might get hurt again, and asking me about what I remembered somehow fell under that category.

The guard came into my sight and didn't notice me until he turned. I twisted the gun out of his grasp by the barrel before he could shoot and threw it away. When he tried to scream, I hit his head with my own and tossed him against the wall. The numerous hits on his head landed him against the floor, knocking him unconscious.

The other guard followed shortly after. I followed the same routine, piling both their guns by the elevator and placing them next to each other on the floor. My face was concealed by my hood and the scarf I placed over the lower half of my face, but my build was enough indication that I was a woman.

I would let them build their story later, but the chances of them not even telling their superiors were high. No man would ever admit they were bested by a girl, even if they swore an oath to do so. Besides, their decision wouldn't matter; I wasn't taking anything tangible with me.

"You sure there are no cameras in the cells?"

"Triple-checked already, ma'am." His sarcasm made my eyes roll as I marched down the hallway. "Want me to check again?"

"Want to keep that attitude in check?" I jabbed.

"Stop fighting." Irene's voice came as a warning. While her brother was camped in the parking garage monitoring the cameras, his twin sister was disguised as one of the admin workers in the building. She made sure I had the clearance I needed to access the armory, the elevator down, and the cell before me.