Free Madness (Revenge Series Book 3) by M.S. Brannon

unfamiliar place, and if I slip up, I will be killed. Maybe it’s because I’m assuming a false identity, and I have killed men all for the sake of revenge.
    My terror intensifies with every step forward. I can feel the passing individuals’ eyes on me. They are examining me, and I am examining them. Do they recognize me? Are any of them thieves ?
    Every single set of eyes makes me think they will shoot me dead or kidnap me. Get a grip, Josslyn. Get a damn grip . It does no good. The rising panic still looms just under the surface of my skin.
    I start to sweat. The breaths residing deep in my chest get trapped in my lungs as I walk on weakening legs. What the hell is happening to me? I can feel the panic. It’s boiling to the surface. I am seconds away from a full-blown panic attack.
    Just as the alarm takes over, a taxi rounds the corner and pulls up to the curb.
    “Ma’am? Do you need a ride?” the cab driver shouts from the rolled down window.
    I can’t answer him. I don’t think my voice is fully restored. Instead, I nod my head and stride as best as I can over to his car.
    The air starts to even out when the driver takes my belongings and puts them in the trunk.
    I’m finally in the safety of the backseat when the driver startles me by slamming the door shut.
    “Where to, ma’am?”
    “The Four Seasons hotel, please,” I manage to get out. Shockingly, my voice sounds normal.
    We ride to the hotel in silence, the only sound coming from the tires thumping along the roadway. I inhale deeply through my nose, detecting the scent of stale food and cigarettes, but it’s a welcome smell because it’s not blood or death. Holy shit, Josslyn! If you are going to make it through this alive, you have to get your shit together !
    I use the short trip to the hotel to take deep breaths and gather up my random thoughts of panic. By the time we turn the corner and pull up to the outside of the hotel, I feel slightly better.
     
     
     
    .*.*.*.
    August 18, 2015 8:32 p.m.
     
    “Thank you, Miss Night,” the buxom woman behind the counter says as she passes the plastic room key across to me. “You’ll be on the tenth floor, room 1057. The grand premier suite has a spectacular view of Red Square and will accommodate all of your business needs.”
    I look up at the woman and smile tightly at her as I pick up the key. “Thank you. I’ve had a long two days of travel; can you please make sure I am not disturbed?”
    By the time I walked through the door of the Four Seasons Hotel, my fears had fallen away, and I had resumed my persona of Amelia Night. I’m really not sure why I was freaking out so much on the streets, but this uneasy feeling kept stirring in my gut.
    “Of course. Will there be anything else I can help you with? Would you like help with your bags?”
    “No, that will be all.” I lift my briefcase off the counter after securing all my Amelia Night identification away then pull the small carry-on behind me.
    The lobby is enormous. The ceilings appear to reach the sky, and the light green and gray décor accents the vast space nicely. I don’t hesitate to look around, but soon remember the role I’m supposed to play.
    I slide the garment bag higher on my shoulder and walk to the elevator. My head aches and my nerves are shot. I need a stiff drink and a hot bath. Maybe then I will be able to relax enough to take a breath.
    The small elevator is full when I step on. The space smells of chlorine from the pool area and body odor. There is a man wrapped in a robe, cloaked in sweat. Clearly, he has just finished up with the sauna. And two older woman wet from the pool are draped in expensive hotel robes.
    The trip to the tenth floor seems to take forever as I stop on three different floors before getting to mine. When the doors finally open, I step out into the hallway and navigate my way to the room. The door beeps when I pull the card key out, granting me access.
    When I cross the threshold, I am once again in