Free Unmask (Adrenaline Series (Stand Alone) Book 4) by Xavier Neal Page A

hums.
                 
    “Good?” I gripe back.
                 
    “I'd rather you keep your life than him.”
                 
    In a soft plea I sigh, “What makes my life any more valuable than his?”
                 
    “Because I care about you.”
                 
    “And he has an entire family that cares about him,” I argue.
                 
    “That doesn't fucking matter to me.” Omar states. “The McCoys are nothing more than another pair of hands The Devil uses when he doesn't wanna dirty his own. They mean nothing. They are nothing. They're disposable.”
                 
    My head slowly turns to face him. “You know that's what The Devil said about Jimmy?” When Omar nods, I shake my head. “Was it true then?”
                 
    “Yes.” His coldness doesn't surprise me, but saddens me. “And it's true now. Men like them are like tissues. Use them and get rid of them. People like you and me, we're necessary. We're needed.”
                 
    “Until we're not,” I conclude, the conversation I had with Drew this morning now haunting as the car pulls to a stop outside of a warehouse by the docks.
                 
    Before getting out of the vehicle, I grab the case I've been sent to deliver. Walking along side Omar, I straighten my posture, hold my head up, and hide any insecurities that were lingering.
                 
    When The Devil smells fear, he smells weakness, and when he smells that, your remaining life span immediately is cut in half.
                 
    Omar delivers a sharp bang on the garage door. “Open.”
                 
    The door rises just enough for us to duck under. Inside we take just a few steps before The Devil appears from around the corner with a pleasant expression on his face.
                 
    You should be afraid. Trust me.
                 
    He extends his hands in a welcoming motion. “Ah....Eve.”
                 
    The nickname, which is meant to be a compliment as much as it is a curse causes me to nod at him. “Afternoon.”
                 
    “Did you bring me a present?” I nod, which causes the demonic smirk to stretch harshly across his face. “Excellent.”
                 
    Omar and I cross to him. Immediately I offer him the case and sigh, “Is that all you need?”
                 
    He stares at me for a moment before looking up at Omar who is expressionless. Unsure of how he senses it, I know he's latched onto the tension. “Why don't you come watch the results of your beloved work first hand?” My mouth twitches in objection, but I know better than to actually do that. Like the demon incarnate he is, he wiggles his eyebrows, “Come along. You'll love it.”
     
    I won't. There's no way I ever will. I'm not the monster he is...I swear. I know that's hard to believe with what I do for a living, but just...try to believe me.
                 
    The two of us follow him around the corner down a hallway into a wide cleared out space. Inside it is a man, bloodied, bruised, and barely recognizable. He's hanging from a hook that's dropped down from the ceiling. Seeing this causes my stomach to boil and flesh to crawl, just as it always does when he feels the need to remind me not only what he's capable of, but what he does daily.
                 
    Fear is almost as powerful as hope. Both can shake a person to their core.
                 
    Strolling away from us, The Devil heads towards him, the case dangling from his fingertips. “Do you know what's in here?”
                 
    The injured man shakes his head.
                 
    One of The Devil's men who had been assisting the roughing up of the man acts as a table for his employer. He extends his arms out to hold the case while The Devil opens