Read Online Silent Daughter 3: Owned by Linnea May, Stella Noir - Free Book Online Page B

area downstairs, but there’s no one to be seen. The noise is still audible, but it’s muffled, suggesting that it is coming from inside one of the rooms downstairs.
    I make my way down the staircase, holding the gun up in front of me to be careful. I freeze for a few moments when I reach the first floor, trying to determine where exactly the noise is coming from.
    My bedroom.
    The door is standing ajar, and when I approach it, I can see a shadow of something or someone moving around inside. At this point, I’m quite certain that it’s a person rummaging around through my personal space and not another confused raccoon, so I might as well raise my voice.
    “Who’s there?” I yell, stopping a few feet away from the door and pointing at it with my gun. “Step out immediately and show yourself!”
    The noise stops immediately for a few moments. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens.
    “Step outside now !” I repeat.
    “Why don’t you come in here?” a male voice replies.
    It’s the caller. The weird creep who has been trying to scare me on the phone.
    “Buddy, why don’t you show yourself so we can finally settle this?” I say. “It’s getting ridiculous, really.”
    “Is it?” he replies. A weak attempt at being witty.
    I have no patience for this, especially knowing that Liz is upstairs and in danger as long as this bastard is moving freely inside the house.
    “I have no time for this,” I say. “Either you have the guts to show yourself and step outside, or I swear to God, you will regret it.”
    I hear a hoarse laughter coming from inside the bedroom.
    “I’ll count down from three,” I add.
    No response.
    “Three.”
    Still, silence.
    “Two.”
    Nothing. I tighten the grip around my gun and release the safety catch, hoping that the audible and recognizable click will bring some sense to this idiot.
    But still, there is no reaction on his part.
    “One!”
    I don’t hesitate; I dart towards the door and kick it wide open before making the stupid mistake of jumping into the room immediately instead of locating the guy first.
    He is waiting for me right next to the door and almost knocks me out by hitting me with what turns out to be the barrel of a gun.
    Stars are dancing in front of my eyes, and my vision darkens for a horrible second before I’m able to regain my balance and prevent myself from falling unconscious.
    Liz.
    I cannot lose this fight.
    I stumble and turn around, facing an ugly little creature, a small guy with horribly bruised skin and crooked teeth. He looks horribly spent, marked by substance abuse. I know him, and I was right with my assumptions about him. He works for the money launderer I did business with before coming here. I didn’t leave on best terms with those guys, but I have no idea why this particular one might hold such a grudge. He is no one, just a petty henchman with little power to decide and even less to speak. He fixates on me with gray eyes, full of rage.
    “Charlie?” I manage to say his name.
    He grins and nods. “Damn straight that’s me.”
    There’s pride in his voice. The fact that I know who he is makes him happy, but I still don’t see what brings him here.
    “Motherfucker,” he continues, adding no valuable information. “You fucking rat destroyed everything!”
    I furl my eyebrows. “I'm not sure what you're saying.”
    “You and your funny business!” he hisses. “You got your shit done and then just ran off. They killed most of our team, did you know that? Because we were fooled by you. All out, everyone gone. I managed to get away, but my life is over. I am running, I have to run. Forever! Where is someone like me going to go? What am I supposed to do?”
    I’m having trouble following, but get an idea of what he might be talking about. I worked with his bosses for years before I decided that I’d had enough of their shitty business and the things they found themselves involved. They were dangerous idiots, too stupid to make it in a