Promise of Wrath (The Hellequin Chronicles Book 6) Read Online Free PDF

could be nothing, but it could also be a door to a hidden room. Francis was big on secrets, and I wouldn’t have put it past him to keep his most important things hidden from everyone.
    I didn’t want to force the wall apart, just in case Francis had booby-trapped anything, so I went searching for a switch or lever to open the door, but found nothing. I was just beginning to think that maybe I’d only been hoping that the wall would lead somewhere, when I re-entered the medical room and noticed that one of the wall tiles was the wrong color. All the other tiles on the wall were dark blue or white. Over time those colors had faded, but the tile I found myself looking at was pale green.
    I pressed my hand against the tile and felt it give just a little, but something behind it clicked, and almost immediately the wall beside me also clicked and moved back a bit. I cursed myself for not looking at the walls when I was searching, for not seeing what was right in front of me, but then I guessed that was the whole point of hiding something in plain sight.
    The detached part of the wall moved easily enough, sliding to the side and exposing the room behind. I stepped into the pitch-black room and ignited my fire magic, using it to give me night vision as I tried to find a light switch. It didn’t take long, and the room was soon bathed in the soft glow of artificial lighting.
    The room itself contained a wooden desk opposite the entrance, which stretched the width of the room. A leather swivel chair sat in front of it. On top of the desk were a computer, a small lamp, and about fifty pieces of paper, another fifty of which appeared to have fallen onto the floor at some point. A filing cabinet sat just inside the room.
    I opened the cabinet, but found it empty; presumably the contents were now all over the floor and desk. I picked up a few things, but they were just receipts or agreements for work carried out. Mostly the names meant nothing, although a few of the dozen I’d grabbed had my name on them. I wondered if it was for blackmail purposes, but more likely it was in case someone tried to blackmail Francis.
    The computer was a bust too. Someone had literally torn the insides out, leaving pieces of wiring hanging from a gaping wound in the side of the desktop. I looked through the drawers on the desk, but found nothing more than some stationery and about thirty packs of sticky notes.
    Kay and whoever had helped him take Francis had been thorough in their destruction of Francis’s property. I got down on my hands and knees and looked under the desk, but found nothing of interest. I was about to get back to my feet when I saw something under the filing cabinet. I reached under and took hold of some masking tape, pulling it free, and with it came a small case with a micro-SD card. I pocketed the card and left the room, wanting to go somewhere private to look at whatever was on it.
    I left the medical room and soon found myself standing outside of the only room I hadn’t been inside of. I placed my hand against the steel door and gave it a slight push, finding the large room to be devoid of everything barring blood, a folding chair, and a table. This was where Francis had died, and before then where those who’d lived here had laughed and worked together. I’d had good memories of being in this room when there had been furniture. The last time I’d seen it, it had been covered in blood, just like now, when a friend of mine, Jerry, had been bleeding to death after having his arm torn off. I wondered what had happened to Jerry. Had Kay killed him too?
    I walked over to the blood and found that it was dry: probably a few days old. What had I been doing while Francis was being beaten to death? Laughing, joking with friends? I clenched my fists and counted to ten. There was no one to hit, but there would be soon enough.
    I picked up a blood-stained envelope and opened it, removing the small card inside, on which was