Oliver (Project Arma Book 7)

Tori zipped her backpack shut. She’d only been home for five minutes. It was five minutes too long. She needed to get out. They were coming for her.

Samantha had warned her. She hadn’t done what they’d asked, and now she was expendable. A loose end that needed taking care of.

What had been the best night of her life was now being followed by the day from hell. A nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.

She patted the pockets of her jacket. The money and weapon were still there. Ten thousand dollars and a tranquilizer gun. Samantha had all but shoved them into her pockets, doing what she could to save her.

Tori swallowed a sob at the very real possibility that she may never see her best friend again.

She was just about to fling the bag onto her shoulder when the sound of Charlie barking from the living room stopped her. Charlie only barked when he saw something…or someone.

Tori forced calm into her body. She couldn’t break down or fall apart. It was too late to run, but she refused to go down without a fight.

She turned toward the door in time to see Charlie run into the bedroom. The sound of the front door opening echoed through the house, penetrating the quiet. The safety.

Charlie took a protective stance in front of Tori. He crouched down, angry growls vibrating from his chest.

Tori’s heart thumped against her ribs as a man came to stand in the doorway. A tall, muscular man. He didn’t have any weapons in hand. She doubted he needed any.

A slow smile curved his lips. “Hello.”

Her body wanted to crash to the floor. Run into the bathroom and use the door as a shield. She did neither. She straightened her spine and looked him dead in the eye. “Who are you?”

He took a step closer. Charlie growled louder. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you left a job incomplete. And my boss isn’t happy.”

“You lied, so I pulled out.”

It was as simple as that. There was no way she could have gone through with it.

“Unfortunately for you, my boss doesn’t really care about the reason behind your failure. He only cares that it wasn’t done.”

Another step closer.

She shot a glance toward the door behind him.

His sadistic smile grew. “You can’t outrun me.” He tilted his head to the side. “They told you about us, didn’t they? About our speed. Our strength. I’m deadlier than any other species on Earth.”

Tori had been told. It was the only reason she wasn’t attacking right now.

Her hand itched to grab the tranquilizer. But she had to be smart and choose her moment wisely. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t get another chance. “Are you trying to scare me? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just burn the house down? At least then it would have looked like an accident.”

“Where’s the fun in that? I like to hunt my prey. Watch the panic. The fear. The pathetic desperation.” The guy was sick. “And we don’t care about making it look like an accident. As far as anyone’s concerned, you aren’t connected to us.”

When the man took another step forward, Charlie lunged at him.

The guy barely spared Charlie a glance, throwing his arm out and sending her dog flying.

Charlie hit the wall hard, then fell to the ground.

Tori’s world stopped. For a moment, she didn’t breathe. She couldn’t. His body was so still…

Her breath caught in her throat as she ran across the room. Touching him. Begging him to wake up. Charlie had become everything to her. He couldn’t be dead…her heart couldn’t handle it.

Panic bubbled inside her when she placed a shaking hand to his stomach. Was it rising? She couldn’t tell.

A sob escaped her lips.

Oh god, please, Charlie. Take a breath. Open your eyes. Stand—

“Stupid mutt.”

The man’s voice sounded from right behind her. The man who easily hurt a life so precious to her. A wild anger began to rise in her chest.

“He was my mother’s.”

The asshole laughed. Did he find that funny?

Tori stood, angling her body to the side. The arm that was hidden reached into her pocket. Her fingers wrapping around the small gun. Her chest rose and fell in quick succession.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be alive long enough to mourn his death.”

Pain cut through her, fueling her rage.

At the touch of his hand on her arm, Tori turned and shot.

The guy looked shocked. He reached up and yanked something out of his chest. “What the fuck?” Anger contorted his features. His hand tightened on her. Pain shot up her arm.

Wild panic coursed through her. She’d hoped it would work straight away. Samantha hadn’t warned her it would take time.

The man grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall. When his fingers tightened and left her with no breath, Tori grabbed at his hand, attempting to pry it away.

Her attempts were useless. The man didn’t even look tired. He looked angry. Ready to kill.

Tori tried to scream. Whimper. Anything. But her throat was sealed shut.

Thin beads of sweat gathered on her temple. Consciousness began slipping away. Her heart, which had just been galloping, was already slowing.

Just as darkness was closing in on her vision, his fingers loosened, letting the first bit of air slip through her throat.

Then his entire hand dropped away, and he fell to the floor.

Tori fell beside him. Choking. Gasping for air. She remained on the ground for seconds, greedily sucking in breaths. Regaining her strength.

She had to move. She didn’t have time to rest.

Pushing to her feet, she ignored the wobble. She placed one foot forward. Then another.

Tori shot a glance back at Charlie, a sob escaping her lips. If the guy woke, he’d come after her. She didn’t want to leave her dog, but she had to. “I’ll come back for you.”

Grabbing her keys from the hallway table, Tori all but stumbled the short distance to her car.

Then she saw them. The slashed tires.

A new wave of terror rose to the surface. There were no neighbors who were within walking distance to get help. There wasn’t another car in sight.

Choking back a sob, she took off toward the forested area behind the house. If she ran toward the road, she would be out in the open. This way, she would have the protection of trees. Bushes.

Her breaths came quickly. Her feet pounding the uneven ground.

Samantha had mentioned the tranquilizer would knock him out for a bit. That he’d still be weak when he woke.

God, I need you to be right, Sammy.

Tori moved her body faster than she ever thought possible. She ran through the ache in her legs. Through the burning of her throat.

The sun was just beginning to fall when she heard it. The crackle of footsteps.

He’d found her.

Oliver’s eyes snapped open at the sound of Tori’s labored breathing. He went from dead asleep to wide awake within seconds. A wall separated their bedrooms, but he could hear her as clearly as if she slept in the same room.

He listened for other sounds. Footsteps. A third heartbeat. He heard nothing but him and Tori.

When a small whimper sounded, Oliver was out of bed and out of his room in seconds. When he stepped into Tori’s room, it was to find her alone and sleeping, but far from at peace. Small creases marred her brow. Her body jolted under the sheets like she was being attacked. When another whimper escaped her lips, Oliver was moving across the room.

Dropping to the edge of the bed, he touched her shoulder. “Tori?”

Another cry. His gut clenched at the utter despair. The terror.

Grabbing her shoulders, he shook her gently. “Tori, wake up.”

Her body stilled. Her breathing shifted. Then slowly, her eyes fluttered open.

She took in her surroundings. The room was dark, almost pitch black. He could see everything, but she would barely be able to see a thing. When her eyes landed on him, she shot up into a sitting position.

Her quick movement surprised Oliver. He reached over and turned on the lamp. He expected her to talk. She remained quiet.

“Tori…”

She swallowed before dropping her head into her hands. Her body heaved a few times with heavy breaths before she spoke. “Charlie!”

There was so much sadness in that word.

“Who’s Charlie, honey?”

“My dog. I…I think he was killed.”

By who? Oliver needed more details.

Reaching out, he touched her knee above the blanket. Gently at first, testing her reaction. When she didn’t pull away, he gave her a gentle squeeze. “Did you see Charlie in your dream?”

“Yes. He was important to me.” Her words were muffled as she spoke into her hands. He caught every one of them though. “The guy threw Charlie against the wall…” A sob escaped her chest. “I think he died defending me.”

When she looked up, he saw tears rolling down her face. Devastation in her eyes.

Tori’s hurt made him hurt. He pulled her against him. Held her close.

She pressed her head into his chest. Rubbing her face like she was trying to rub away the pain. “I was in my bedroom, packing a bag. He walked in. Charlie attacked and the guy threw him into a wall. Then I shot him with a tranquilizer.”

His insides jolted at the words, but he was careful not to react. Kye had been shot with a tranquilizer not long ago. One specially designed for people like them. Had she used the same weapon? If she had, how had she acquired it?

“I ran outside but my tires were slashed,” she continued. “So I ran into a forested area behind my house. He followed me. Then I woke up.”

Oliver began rubbing her back again. Her dream brought up more questions than answers. “Do you remember where you might live or why the guy was after you?”

“No.”

Damn. They needed more.

She pushed back and rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know who he was. I’m sorry I can’t remember anything important.”

Another tear dropped down her cheek. Oliver couldn’t stop himself. Reaching up, he wiped the tear away with the pad of his thumb, wanting to soothe her pain. “I’m sorry you can’t remember. It must be so hard.”

“It’s exhausting. Whenever something feels familiar, my brain works overtime to try to remember. And when it decides it will remember something, like tonight, it’s the bad stuff. The scary.” She shook her head. “Maybe that’s what my life was…”

Oliver didn’t want to believe that. “When I met you, I saw happiness in you. Energy. Vibrancy. There was good in your life.”

Some of the desolation in her eyes dimmed. She wrapped her arms around him. Sank her head back into his chest.

Oliver hugged her tightly. He couldn’t not.

Every new memory, everything he learned about this woman, brought up more red flags. But she also had his protective instincts working in overdrive. And he couldn’t just turn that off.