Read Online Blood and Bone: (Royal Blood #6) by Amity Cross - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Amity Cross
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stumbled forward and slammed his fists against the glass before me, leaving bloody handprints behind. He screamed as the chemical began to blister his skin, but that was only the beginning of his problems…and the beginning of what this unknown chemical was capable of.
Gruber’s face began to redden as his mouth opened in an agonized wail. Then his flesh began to melt—it literally began to sag and pull away from his bones like wax dripping from a burning candle.
Stumbling away from the glass, I slapped my hands over my ears, but it wasn’t enough to stop the sound of his agonizing wails.
The sounds that came from him were the most horrific thing I’d ever heard in my entire life. The pain and agony of slow death. The pain that innocent people would have endured if this bomb had found its way into Moltke’s hands. Falling to my knees, I just willed Gruber to die so I didn’t have to hear his pain. It echoed through every nerve ending in my body, lodging itself into my soul.
Human suffering… Why, why, why?
“ Mercy? ”
I heard Jackson’s voice over the coms, and I shook myself off.
I took a deep breath before replying, “I’m here.”
“Are you okay? The chemical should have been contained in the chamber…”
Like I had a death wish, I turned and laid eyes on what was left of Ulrich Gruber. He was nothing but a puddle of blood, bones, and gore. Casting my gaze away, I fought the urge to throw up.
“I’m fine. It’s just…” I swallowed hard. “Gruber… It wasn’t pretty.”
“You better get out of there,” Jackson said, prompting me into action. “I’ve managed to hack into their server and download a ton of their files. Enough to be able to find a lot of useful stuff. Don’t forget to grab the transmitter.”
I swallowed hard. “So I just leave him here?”
There was silence for a moment. Then Jackson replied, “I’m not sure what we can do, Mercy. There really isn’t anything you can do but come back to the apartment.”
“X?” I asked, reaching out for the transmitter.
“Mr. Blood hasn’t checked in yet, but I’ll reach out to him.”
“Okay,” I said, backing away from the containment chamber. “I’m on my way. I’m going radio silent from here on out.”
“Be safe.”
Chapter 9
X
I couldn’t remember the last time I crossed out a face.
The compulsion that drove me to scratch Xs on everything had subsided over time as my conditioning deteriorated, but I did remember the last photograph I’d been given.
Alison Crawford, aka Mercy Reid.
I wondered how she was faring with Gruber and his bomb. Knowing Mercy, she’d have made it a colorful affair.
Turning my attention back to the task at hand, I tailed Bateman through the market, making three men who had been his eyes while he’d met with Gruber. They were stock standard heavies. Tall, broad shouldered, and wearing casual clothing to blend in with the crowd. It hadn’t been until their boss had given the signal that they’d revealed themselves.
Following them, I wondered if they’d lead me to Moltke…if he was here at all. There was a high possibility he wasn’t in Germany, and he had employed Bateman to do his bidding so he wouldn’t have to cross international borders. If that was the case, it might be pertinent to snatch the go-between in his fancy suit and shoes and wring it out of him.
Bateman paused, retrieving his phone from the breast pocket of his jacket. He answered and listened, hanging up the call without responding further. Then he gestured to his heavies, and they moved off, their pace increasing.
Shit, had they made me? I lingered, letting the distance between us increase before moving off again.
They turned down the next street, Wilhelmstrasse, where a black town car was waiting, its driver poised to open the rear door as Bateman approached. The guards turned and scanned the street before piling into a back SUV that sat behind the town car.
Glancing around for something I could
Gruber’s face began to redden as his mouth opened in an agonized wail. Then his flesh began to melt—it literally began to sag and pull away from his bones like wax dripping from a burning candle.
Stumbling away from the glass, I slapped my hands over my ears, but it wasn’t enough to stop the sound of his agonizing wails.
The sounds that came from him were the most horrific thing I’d ever heard in my entire life. The pain and agony of slow death. The pain that innocent people would have endured if this bomb had found its way into Moltke’s hands. Falling to my knees, I just willed Gruber to die so I didn’t have to hear his pain. It echoed through every nerve ending in my body, lodging itself into my soul.
Human suffering… Why, why, why?
“ Mercy? ”
I heard Jackson’s voice over the coms, and I shook myself off.
I took a deep breath before replying, “I’m here.”
“Are you okay? The chemical should have been contained in the chamber…”
Like I had a death wish, I turned and laid eyes on what was left of Ulrich Gruber. He was nothing but a puddle of blood, bones, and gore. Casting my gaze away, I fought the urge to throw up.
“I’m fine. It’s just…” I swallowed hard. “Gruber… It wasn’t pretty.”
“You better get out of there,” Jackson said, prompting me into action. “I’ve managed to hack into their server and download a ton of their files. Enough to be able to find a lot of useful stuff. Don’t forget to grab the transmitter.”
I swallowed hard. “So I just leave him here?”
There was silence for a moment. Then Jackson replied, “I’m not sure what we can do, Mercy. There really isn’t anything you can do but come back to the apartment.”
“X?” I asked, reaching out for the transmitter.
“Mr. Blood hasn’t checked in yet, but I’ll reach out to him.”
“Okay,” I said, backing away from the containment chamber. “I’m on my way. I’m going radio silent from here on out.”
“Be safe.”
Chapter 9
X
I couldn’t remember the last time I crossed out a face.
The compulsion that drove me to scratch Xs on everything had subsided over time as my conditioning deteriorated, but I did remember the last photograph I’d been given.
Alison Crawford, aka Mercy Reid.
I wondered how she was faring with Gruber and his bomb. Knowing Mercy, she’d have made it a colorful affair.
Turning my attention back to the task at hand, I tailed Bateman through the market, making three men who had been his eyes while he’d met with Gruber. They were stock standard heavies. Tall, broad shouldered, and wearing casual clothing to blend in with the crowd. It hadn’t been until their boss had given the signal that they’d revealed themselves.
Following them, I wondered if they’d lead me to Moltke…if he was here at all. There was a high possibility he wasn’t in Germany, and he had employed Bateman to do his bidding so he wouldn’t have to cross international borders. If that was the case, it might be pertinent to snatch the go-between in his fancy suit and shoes and wring it out of him.
Bateman paused, retrieving his phone from the breast pocket of his jacket. He answered and listened, hanging up the call without responding further. Then he gestured to his heavies, and they moved off, their pace increasing.
Shit, had they made me? I lingered, letting the distance between us increase before moving off again.
They turned down the next street, Wilhelmstrasse, where a black town car was waiting, its driver poised to open the rear door as Bateman approached. The guards turned and scanned the street before piling into a back SUV that sat behind the town car.
Glancing around for something I could
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