Madness (Revenge Series Book 3) Read Free

continuing, “I doubt anyone heard anything. I rented the entire floor.”
    My jaw drops as I wonder how expensive that was. There are four suites on this floor. Nikolai had reserved each one of them prior to this even happening. How did he know that renting all the rooms on our floor would be necessary?
    Before I can ask, he closes the bathroom door.
     
     
     
    .*.*.*.
    August 13, 2015 2:01 p.m.
     
    It doesn’t take an hour before a crew of twelve men comes storming through the doors of the hotel room. All of them are wearing gray jumpsuits with a patch stating, Rick’s Restoration . They all have a dangerous presence about them, but when I get a look at the man in charge, I don’t feel as in fear for our lives. He is probably around my age and stocky with sandy blond hair and strong shoulders.
    Nikolai greets him with a solid, friendly handshake and then exchanges money and conversation.
    I sit cross-legged on the bed, watching the scene unfold before me.
    Four of the men are in charge of the bodies. They unfurl a giant roll of plastic wrap, making each dead body look like a mummy, binding the ends with industrial tape then placing the bodies in a black plastic bag.
    The other men clean the mess. A few of them are using carpet cleaners and cutting out sections of padding then replacing it with new. Others scrub the walls with a potent concoction of cleaner. Each and every surface in the hotel room is scrubbed to shine in a pristine glow. They haul in a couple of large bins on wheels and start heaving dead bodies inside, followed by soiled linens, and finally the biohazard bags. I am in awe.
    I walk to Nikolai, standing by his side. When he ignores me, I know he isn’t going to introduce me to the man in charge.
    Taking it upon myself, I hold out my hand and say, “Hello, I’m Amelia Night,” using my alias.
    The man flashes me a megawatt smile. “Hello, I’m Rick Robinson.”
    My own smile grows when I hear him speak in a thick Australian accent. He sounds very suave yet fun. His tanned skin glistens slightly with sweat, but his golden eyes suck me in immediately. They are very friendly and captivating.
    “This is quite impressive, Rick. Tell me something …”I start, and Nikolai moves to the side, still keeping me in his sights. His jaw is firm. He wants me to keep my mouth closed, but I refuse. “How are you going to do this without the hotel finding out?”
    He chuckles, which warms my soul and puts me at ease.
    “Well, that is my little secret. It’s what we do for a living—crime scene restoration and clean up. Only, this time, it’s without notification from the police and kept off the books … if you know what I mean.”
    I nod and smile as the men file out with the damning evidence in tow.
    Nikolai shakes Rick’s hand one more time then closes the door behind him. He keeps up his brooding act as he goes to the bedroom and grabs his belongings.
    “Time to go.”
    I walk out behind him, continuing to shed the old Josslyn with every single step as I follow the assassin into the abyss of the criminal unknown.
     

C HAPTER T WO
    Nikolai
    August 14, 2015 1:56 a.m.
     
     
    T he interstate is fairly desolate. The night completely absorbed the sky hours ago. The driver’s window is partly open, and the night air swarms inside the car. We have been driving for several hours and are now nearing Las Vegas. We have a long road ahead of us. Russia is so far removed from my comfort zone. I can’t even fathom how much further down the rabbit hole I will end up falling.
    Before we had the car summoned from valet parking, I didn’t bother checking out of the hotel. I paid for two nights up front, so we still have another day to be in the room. We strode out of the building like we owned the place, much as we came in. Josslyn was dressed in the same pantsuit she purchased the day before, her hair rolled and tucked firmly at the back of her head. She slid on sunglasses and assumed her role, much as I did