"What’s the matter?" The sound of wheels echoed behind her, and Inez snapped out of whatever daze she was in at that moment. However, the moment she blinked her eyes, the woman or the ghost of her disappeared right then and there.
A furrow etched between her brows, and Inez raised her hand to pinch the space between her eyebrows. She had no idea what was happening. Did she just imagine the entire thing, or was she still too tired due to the drug in her system? Inez had not the slightest bit of an idea about what the hell was going on with her.
"It’s nothing." Inez turned and said to Selene, who looked concerned and maybe out of her mind due to worry. "I think I am still not okay."
Selene nodded as if she understood her predicament. She said to Inez, "Though the witch used those drugs sold in the human world, it’s hard to believe that she didn’t mess around with them. Maybe that is the reason why you are feeling like that." She paused and added, "Let’s go back to bed, Inez."
And even though Inez would have loved to stay awake and go out in the forest where the attack happened, to find any missing evidence that others might have forgotten to detect, she had no other choice but to head back to bed because Inez knew that there was no point in running around when her head was still unclear.
It took a little over an hour to reach the downtown where the unregistered lived. The place where Joannes stayed was located in a rough, neglected area among the stores. The small building was no bigger than the little garage that they had at the back of their territory.
As Ryder parked the seven-seater SUV outside, Killian relayed the simple plan to his enforcers: Walk inside, state that they were here to talk with Joannes, and if they didn’t get what they wanted, then they would get down to the real business.
It was as simple as that.
As for how they would deal with a bunch of halflings? Killian brought Third Eye with him for a reason.
The man was gruff and stoic with this solemn air around himself. His mechanical eye was moving left and right as he studied the street in front of them.
"No traps found," said the man in a gruff tone. He ran his hand through his blonde crew cut and rubbed the back of his head with a frown on his face.
"What’s the matter?" Killian asked. He turned around on the passenger seat at the front and turned to look at the man behind him.
"Though no traps are waiting for us, there is something wrong. The disturbance in the aether here is not—funny," he spoke, with a faint hint of warning in his tone. "The aether flowing through these streets is full of magic and power; this does not and cannot belong to a halfling."
Killian frowned upon hearing. Whatever Third Eye meant by those words didn’t sit right with him, but now that they were here, there was no point in turning around and walking away.
"Let’s take a look at what is waiting for us then."
They all slid out of the SUV and then entered the plain, sparse office. There was no one other than the incredibly disordered reception desk. And even when they stepped inside the building, no one came out to stop them. What greeted them was the thick, coppery scent mingled with the astringent smell of bleach.
Killian turned and looked at Third Eye, whose expression was not looking good.
"Keep moving." Killian knew what was waiting for them, but he still led his enforcers inside the building; following the potent scent, they came to a stop in front of a much more private office. Both Joannes and two young women were sprawled on the threadbare red carpet. And all three of them were dead.
Joannes, or he did think that it was Joannes, was killed brutally. His entire body had been mangled and gruesomely savaged. It looked horrifying to the point that even Killian couldn’t help but turn his head to one side. The two halflings next to Joannes were in a situation similar to his. And the most terrifying thing?
Their eyes were still open, and the horror in them was blatantly clear. This proved that these three were alive when life was slowly snatched away from their bodies.
"They were left alive after being tormented," said Killian. "My guess is that whoever did this didn’t take them out in just one sweep kill."
"I was thinking the same," agreed Third Eye. "But it makes no sense that the killer left them alive. If they wanted to kill these people before we came here, they should have killed them cleanly."
"Unless they get some sick kick out of this, I don’t see any other point." Ryder shrugged. "Maybe the witches and wizards who killed these three wanted to make a statement out of them." He blew out a breath. "Or maybe they were furious that Joannes failed in snatching Inez."
"If that is the case," Killian narrowed his eyes as he stared at the three mangled corpses. "Then it means that this witch or wizard is keeping an eye on Inez, and I don’t like the thought of that at all." His beast liked it even less.
"But then again, they were willing to pay a hefty price in exchange for this task," said Third Eye as he sniffed the air. "If I were in their shoes, I too would be keeping an eye on him to make sure that he gets it done. After all, if he failed, then there was a chance that the person behind would be exposed. It’s only natural that they were inclined to cover their tracks. We have already learned that these halflings cannot keep their mouths shut for long."
Ryder turned to look at the ransacked office and questioned, "It seems like they were looking for something. What do you think they were looking for?"