Midnight Toxicity

30.

"Thanks for being prompt. I have a mission for you two. A target. His name is Colton." Mr. Golding's smooth tone washed away any anxiety I had coming into this meeting the next evening. "You will seduce him, Charlize. Your goal is for him to take you home. Bring back the external hard drives from his laptop. He will have hidden them, but I suspect they hold the information I need to finalize my grip on TC."

"I'll intervene if something happens." Chace quickly assured me when I glanced in his direction.

"He's a rotten bastard with a particular taste." Golding continued, "But I know you are up for the challenge."

"Anytime," I confirmed. "What do we know about him?"

He pushed a slim file across his desk, and Chace grabbed it before I could. Our chairs were close enough that I saw the picture he held out. Colton looked shady as hell. He had long black hair, shifty eyes, and a pointy nose.

Golding rounded the room to perch in front of us. "I'll warn you now; the women he takes home are never seen again. They usually have no family, so he's gotten away with whatever he does."

"Colton's connected to the Romano's?" Chace growled after flipping through the pages in the folder, "Why is he here in Alabama? How do you know he kills the women he takes home?"

"Because it's fate, and Charlize will be the third girl I've sent." When I flinched, he added, "The final girl."

"He's a hitman?" I asked.

"In a way. When others don't want to get their hands dirty, he's brought in to interrogate." Golding cleared his throat. "He has a violent reputation."

"And you think Charlize can outwit this asshole?" Chace shouted. "He's a psychopath."

"This isn't a horror movie," I giggled to relieve the tension between the men, although my pulse raced at the thought of seducing a serial killer. "Show me his preferences and pick a place he frequents more than once a month, and we'll get what you need."

Golding grinned, pleased by my willingness to follow him into the depths of hell. "He owns a house outside of Huntsville and goes to the clubs every other weekend. He always takes a woman home."

"And you have no idea what he does to them?" Chace grumbled, "Who else does he work for?"

"He travels, dealing with other syndicates."

The fact that he doesn't work for his own syndicate must enrage him. Char, this fuckery is not in your wheelhouse! My palms began to sweat. I breathed through the rising panic.

"You two better succeed tomorrow night, or heads are going to fucking roll," Golding threatened with a glower. "I want those drives. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." I gasped at the intensity of his order. The man was undeniably handsome, but his anger exuded a wicked charm that was unsettling. "But... did you say tomorrow?"

"I need to gather intel," Chace backed me up. "We've worked on a few scenarios, but there is no way I'm sending her into a trap. There are barely any details in this file. You've sent two other women without backup?"

"Are you upset?" Golding asked.

"This isn't how I operate."

Golding pinched his chin, nodding as if he completely understood our point. "Will you please leave Charlize and me alone for a minute?"

My heart thumped heavily in my chest.

Chace stiffened, turning wide-eyed. "We'll get what you want, only we need more time."