An Oath In Blood (Book #3)

Chapter 34: Off His Scent

CORVINA HAWKE

The ride to the dump where Trent was supposedly keeping Eman was brimming with tension. I drove while Ahvi sat in the passenger seat. Trish and Tariq were crammed in the back, the latter merely fuming. His eyes were almost unseeing, as if he could hear nothing nor could he feel anything. His lips moved with urgency but I couldn't make out anything he was saying.

"Are you trying to curse us?" I heard Trish murmur to Tariq, earning a look that would have buried him six feet under if looks could kill. His lips never stopped moving as he glared at my best friend for a couple of minutes before looking away.

"Leave him alone." Ahvi frowned at Trish, and the latter sat back in his seat, leaving Tariq be as he was asked to. I remained focused on the road ahead, going over all possible scenarios. The Hades was known for his ruthless killings; all his victims were cut open, their jaws unhinged from their skull in an almost sadistic manner. His victims were almost unrecognizable once he was done with them. He erased their existence from this world. I killed to survive. The Hades killed for sport.

I shook the image that the thought inspired, Eman lying lifeless on the ground, somewhere in the dump, covered with the old junk that people threw in there. Nothing would happen to her. I had promised the Egyptian billionaire that his wife would be home safe. And I was planning on keeping that promise. I wasn't too keen to know what would happen if I failed.

I stopped almost a block away from the junkyard, the GPS showing the red spot where Trent supposedly was. I tapped on my earpiece, pulling my mask up to cover my face. The dark provided us with a solid disguise, keeping us from standing out to the scarce people who were around this time of the night.

Lily's voice filled my ear as I prepared to walk out, waiting for the passers by to disappear down the street. "His GPS still indicates that he is in the dump," my friend informed me. "I have you guys on the radar, too," she added. Tariq and Ahvi had been given new trackers so we didn't lose them in the dump. Ahvi had been instructed to be by my side and Trish was supposed to accompany Tariq and make sure he wasn't hurt.

"We are a block away from the dump. We are going in." I told her, gesturing with my fingers at Tariq and Trish to follow me. Ahvi slid out of the passenger seat, slick as a shadow. She had been a thief before she had come to London to live with her older brother and it showed in the way her movements were quiet and quick, smooth as a feline's.

We made our way toward the dump, the crescent moon in the sky providing us with little light. My heart raced the closer we got to the gates of the junkyard, what lay beyond making my skin crawl. The Hades knew no mercy and I was his prey right now. Eman was only a bait. How he'd known that I would come for her was beyond me.

I had never thought that I would be crossing the Big Guy, would go against everything I had vowed during the initial years at the Academy. But here I was, standing against the Academy and everything it stood for. I didn't know where I found the audacity, didn't know where I'd found the courage.

As soon as the thought occurred to me, blue eyes flashed in front of mine, the sheer innocence in them, softening me. Yet, they sent a fresh wave of determination through me, making me want to take on the world for him. Only for him.

I was aware that I was stepping through the gates of the junkyard right now, only for him. I was going to save Eman and bring her home safe, only for him. I was going to put my life in danger to save someone he cared about, only for him.

The iron gates creaked slightly but gave way when I pushed at them. "The junkyard is open to all, mostly because a lot of homeless have made it their home in the past few years," Ahvi whispered in my ear as we walked into the foul-smelling ground, watching as broken down cars piled on top of each other. There was a cluster of useless appliances to my right and what seemed like a trashcan from a restaurant kitchen to my left. The place stank with the smell of garbage, bringing water to my eyes.

I sucked in air through my mouth, refusing to breathe through my nose anymore. Trish grunted as we stepped into the middle of the yard, looking around for any signs of life. There were none.

"Lily," I tapped on my earpiece. "Where is the GPS signal coming from?" I questioned, scanning the darkened grounds.

"The back of the junkyard, it seems," she responded almost immediately. "The spot hasn't moved in the past hour. I have a feeling Hades is trying to blindside us. I would suggest spreading out, keeping an eye for any movement. I don't think the GPS indicates Trent's location."

"Copy that," I answered before turning to the group. "The Hades is on the loose but we don't know his position." I informed my team of three. Trish frowned.

"What about the tracker?" he asked.

"The tracker has been unnaturally still for the past hour. Either Trent is sleeping somewhere in this junkyard or he has abandoned his tracker to throw us off his scent," I explained.

"That doesn't sound like a good thing." Tariq commented, having spoken for the first time since I handed him the black suit he was now wearing. His deep voice was a tad too loud in the quiet of the junkyard and I gestured for him to quieten.

"It isn't. We have no idea where the Hades is now." I lowered my own voice a few decibels, leaning forward so they could hear me better. "We are completely blind."

"So, what do we do now?" Ahvi's voice rang with urgency, her gaze darting around the yard. Her face was covered with a black mask, but dark eyes shone with fear. Not for herself but for her best friend who was trapped somewhere in this ground.

"We split up like we originally planned to. And under no circumstances will you leave your partner's side. The Hades is highly volatile, you can never predict his next move. I want everyone on high alert." I commanded, squaring my shoulders. "Ahvi and I will head to the left. You two go to the right. We will meet here in an hour, once we have looked through the ground. Trish, if you spot Eman or Hades before us, give us the signal. We will do the same." I instructed.

My friend gave me a thumbs-up before he turned on his heels, Tariq following him. I gestured for Ahvi to follow me, stepping through the grounds on quiet feet. The air was still–too still–for my liking. My heart galloped in my chest at a speed that scared me. I had never been nervous on a mission, never feared for my own life. But this time was different. I wasn't the predator. The predator was after me.

A slight hiss behind us had us whirling around, heart dropping to the stomach. But it was followed by a small whine before a small rat skittered behind a trashcan we'd just passed, dented on the sides and fallen in the middle of the floor.

Ahvi and I exchanged a glance before we resumed walking, keeping our ears strained and eyes alert. I turned into a small path created by heaps of old clothes on one side and mechanical parts I didn't recognize on the other. I scrutinized the path, looking for footprints or a clue but found none.

"Do you think the GPS tracker didn't give away the Hades' position but Eman's?" Ahvi was only a step behind me, her voice breathless and soft in my ears. I didn't pause my inspection of the path as I turned her words over in my head.

"Could be. It is worth checking it out," I replied, not glancing over my shoulder to see if she heard me. Emerging from the path into a small clearing, we stopped to check where we were. "Lily, what is our position?" I asked into my earpiece, watching as Ahvi examined the fork in the path in front of us. The junkyard was a maze created by the garbage people dumped in here.

"You're on the right track. Head to your left, keep walking straight until you reach a wall. Follow the wall and you will find yourself parallel to where the signal is coming from." Lily instructed.

I nodded, letting her know I got it and asked Ahvi to keep walking. She stepped in front of me, walking slowly, her gaze darting to her sides every now and then. After what seemed like hours but were perhaps only a couple of minutes, we spotted the wall Lily was talking about.

"We need to follow the wall-" I began but a loud bang behind us cut me off. I looked over my shoulder, reaching for the gun strapped to my thigh, locked and loaded, a silencer covering its barrel. But only silence met me. A car door had falled to the ground, causing the noise. I glanced up to find that it had come unhinged.

"Ahvi-" I said as I blew out a breath, turning back around. My words died in my throat when a rat snickered at me where my partner had been a moment ago before it scuffled out of sight. I frowned, searching behind a few paths created by the junk but found her nowhere. Ahvi was gone.