Painless

Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

As I drew closer to my driveway, I slowed my walk until I was sure my footsteps were barely audible. I reached the perimeter wall and flattened myself against the concrete, peeking around the corner slowly. Even in the limited light, I was able to make out the guard pacing just a few feet away.

            My eyes were drawn to the gun that was secured in its holster hanging from a belt around his waist, and then back to his face which was set to serious. A quick survey of my surroundings told me that he was on duty alone and by the number of bags under his eyes, I guessed he was working on four to five hours of sleep, tops. All this, coupled with the element of surprise and I knew I could take the guy down before he even knew I was there.

            I waited for him to turn around and begin his walk back to the other side of the driveway and then crept toward him, using an air-walking technique my sensei taught me. When I was less than a foot away, I began to reach out, planning on first incapacitating and then unarming him. I froze when he began to speak.

            “Did you really think you’d be able to get past me, Bliss?” the muscular black man asked without turning around. “You act like this is my first week on the job. To be honest, I’m a little insulted.”

            My hands dropped until they were resting comfortably on my hips. “Gotta keep you on your toes, Riggins. So, how did you know it was me, anyway?” I asked, partly curious, partly annoyed that my plan hadn’t worked.

            He turned to face me and leaned back against the side of the guard station, placing his arms across his chest and appearing slightly bored. Which he might have been, since his nights tended to be on the quiet side. In fact, I had a feeling that my arrival had been the highlight of his evening so far.

            “After we had trouble finding you last month, I had to put a low-jack on you,” he answered, his mouth forming into a jack-o-lantern style grin.

            “You’re tracking me?” I asked indignantly, immediately checking myself for the device. “Where is it, Riggins?”

            He paused before answering. “Implanted into the heel of your shoe.”

            “You cut into my shoes!” I yelled. I couldn’t decide which I was more angry about: that our private security had gone all Big Brother on me or that he’d risked destroying a perfectly good pair of knee-high boots to do it.

            “Your dad’s orders. Don’t shoot the messenger,” he answered, even though I could tell he was enjoying the conversation. He pointed at my head. “That looks pretty nasty, Bliss. You should probably get it checked out. Where were you tonight, anyway?”

            “Oh, you know,” I said, putting my fingers to my head and feeling the dried blood that was caked into my hair. “Skulking around alleys all helpless and vulnerable, looking for trouble—the usual.”

            “Looks like you found it,” Riggins said with a shake of his head. “I think your dad’s still up if you wanna stop by.”

            “Being that I’m so trackable lately, I’m sure he already knows I’m home,” I said sarcastically. The fact that my parents were having me monitored didn’t exactly surprise me. Although I’d been sneaking out and working cases on my own for a few years now, fully proving that I could take care of myself, they still insisted that I needed backup. It was like a game of cat and mouse between the three of us. They would find ways to try and keep tabs on me and I made a habit out of thwarting them.