Read Online Inquisitor by Mitchell Hogan - Free Book Online

green again.
    She poked the reset button forcefully with her finger then listened for the sound of the shower to return. Nothing.
    With barely a thought, she directed her implants to trigger the room’s communication systems. A section of a wall lit up as she selected the hotel’s maintenance channel.
    Angel froze, dripping onto the carpet.
    Charlotte-Rose stared out at her. “They are coming for you.”
    Angel froze. “How long do I have?”
    “A few minutes.”
    “Turn the water back on. I’m no good if I’m soapy.”
    Immediately, she heard the shower come on.
    “Quickly, though,” Charlotte-Rose said. “There isn’t much time.”
    Angel ran to the shower and rinsed off.
    “Hurry up, please,” Charlotte-Rose said. “I had trouble finding you; you didn’t register in your name. After what happened yesterday, I was sure that—”
    Angel flicked the shower to dry, and the blasts of warm air drowned out the sound of Charlotte-Rose’s voice. Within moments her skin was dry, and she left her hair wet. She ran to her bed and pulled on her pants and shirt, tugged on her leather jacket, and buckled up her boots.
    Angel paused in the middle of strapping her hand-cannon to her thigh. She resumed, movements quicker and more urgent. “Who’s coming for me? Mercurial?”
    “The local law enforcement. You’re a wanted killer. A warrant has been issued for your arrest, for the murder of the man yesterday: Xavier.”
    “That can’t be right,” Angel muttered, then louder, “He tried to kill me.”
    “I know that, but the people who hold me captive have decided to get you out of the way. Reports and forensics on last night’s incident all point to you killing him in cold blood.”
    “No, no, no. This doesn’t make sense.” Angel’s lips pressed together, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. Could she trust this girl? It actually made perfect sense. She had at least two connected murders, she knew Mercurial was hiding something, she knew Valgeir was dirty and wanted her out of the way. And somehow Genevolves were involved.
    They wouldn’t take her alive, of course. Killed while resisting arrest. It was cleaner that way. Less paperwork; less to go wrong.
    Angel triggered subvocal communication with her office.
    “Angel Xia here. I have a request to return to the office. Could you please advise what the issue is?”
    A few moments passed, then a few more. Far too long a delay to be normal.
    [Inquisitor Xia, what is your location?]
    This time, she didn’t recognize the voice or the ID attached to it. What had happened to Margith?
    “Please advise what the issue is.”
    There was another long pause. Something was wrong. This didn’t sound right.
    [You are advised to return as soon as possible. What is your location?]
    Angel glanced at the girl on the wall and ran a hand through her hair. She knew they would have traced her location already. The only reason to ask again would be to keep her occupied. She cut the connection.
    Taking a few moments, Angel rummaged through her belongings, shoving her leather-bound book into an inside jacket pocket. She stuffed some spare clothes and odds and ends into a backpack and shrugged it on.
    Charlotte-Rose tilted her head, as if listening. “Time to leave,” she said brightly. “This will be the second time I’ve saved your life.”
    “Keeping score, are we?”
    “Always. They are coming.”
    Angel’s eyes flicked toward the door. “It’s not the first time I’ve been hunted. How long?”
    “Maybe forty seconds.”
    “More than one?”
    Charlotte nodded. “Many more.”
    The screen split in half, with the girl on one side and what looked like the view from Angel’s door camera on the other. The corridor was empty.
    Above the service lift at the far end of the corridor, the light blinked on, indicating the door would open, which it did moments later, disgorging at least six Law Enforcement Proxies scuttling forward on their articulated legs. Behind