Hearts of Darkness by Kira Brady

Author:Kira Brady
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Published: 2012-07-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

The full moon was tonight. Hart could feel it in every pore. The flashing lights of Butterworth’s didn’t help his already pounding head. He shook like an addict. He should be long gone, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave. The familiar smells of opium and tea calmed him. Another of Norgard’s dead musicians performed on stage, his spirit invisible to the naked eye. The keys of the piano plunked like a mechanical player, but the music was too passionate and sorrowful to be mistaken for a machine.

“A drink to celebrate,” Oscar said. He slid into the booth and poured vodka from a flask into Hart’s cup of tea. This evening Oscar wore black pants and a sleeveless shirt that shimmered under the lights. His blond hair was gelled into spikes. “You lucky bastard. You give the rest of us hope.”

What a joke. Hart took away hope. The alcohol helped steady his shaking hands, even though he’d already been drinking since noon.

Grace slipped into the booth next to Oscar, a whisper of shadow in her usual black hoodie and black jeans. Unlike Oscar, who graced the dance floor with flamboyant passion, Grace tried never to draw attention to herself. Last night’s injuries seemed healed, but her skin was tinged with an unhealthy gray pallor from Norgard’s price. She would regenerate the bit of life force he had eaten. It would take time.

“Let’s see ’em,” Grace ordered. No one wanted freedom more than she did.

Hart didn’t blame her. He took off his jacket and pushed up the sleeves of his white T-shirt to show his now bare biceps. After Kayla had climbed into Norgard’s Panther De Ville, the Dreki had twisted his malachite ring and the hated gold shackles had slid off Hart’s upper arms. He remembered the smirk on Norgard’s pretty face. Guilt ate at him.

“Wow,” Grace said, little more than a sigh.

“Congrats, man.” Oscar clapped him on the back. “I’m green with envy. What are you still doing around here? I thought you planned to jet as soon as the manacles were off.”

“I . . . did.” How could he tell Oscar that he couldn’t let go of his last job? He had done so much bad shit and walked away afterwards, but this one wouldn’t leave him alone. Kayla’s golden-brown eyes were seared into his memory. Her face lit up in a smile with those bedroom lips parted, welcoming. Her lush body pressed against his. Her scent clinging to his tongue.

And Norgard had her. Norgard was probably now driving himself between Kayla’s shapely thighs and ravishing her oh-so-kissable mouth. Norgard was planting his seed inside her womb. Kayla would grow round with Norgard’s child and, most likely, die in childbirth.

It was all Hart’s fault. He was free from Norgard’s command, but he had crafted for himself a prison worse than Norgard’s golden bars. Norgard knew it too, which was why he had let Hart go even after his disastrous break for freedom. What a fucking bad time to develop a conscience.

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