My mind ran on Dad and Millicent. What did they do to him? Where was she? Where was Tag?
“My father. What did you do to him?”
“Absolutely nothing. It’s not his time yet. This is the main event. He’s probably at home tucked in bed watching shit and reading the Bible. Poor asshole, as if reading the Bible can help him. Can it help anybody? Hardly, even when you do what the good book says, you’re still at a loss. He seems to take comfort in it. I wish I could burn it right in front of him. I’d have fun doing that. I’d torture him then too.”
He walked around swinging his head from side to side like he relished the thought. I took the opportunity to look around the room. Anything that could give us some escape would be good. Of course, providing I could get out of these bonds. The room we were in looked like an old-style interrogation room. Like something fromThe Green Mile. Large space, bars ahead of us with a door. It made me think we could be at the old, abandoned prison. I couldn’t remember the name of it, and there was a good chance we weren’t there. I stopped looking around when Victor turned back to face me with a devilish smile. It was a smile a predator would give its prey. He looked at me like he wanted me to answer. What the hell kind of answer should I give him?
Anything I said would most likely infuriate him. I couldn’t call him an evil, psychotic madman.
“Poor sap,” he taunted, seeming to love the sound of his voice. “There’s a chance he doesn’t even know what happened to you. Millicent was such a good sport. Giving us all the information we needed, feeding us with data. Good woman. She wore a wire and everything, allowing transmit live and in living color to get straight to us. That’s what you call a good sport. A real team player. She deserves an award or something. Best spy.”
“How did you get to her?” I wanted to know. I had to know. I wanted to know everything.
“That wasn’t me. So, your guess is as good as mine. She was already playing the game when I got on board. That wire of hers worked wonders though. Technology these days is off the hook. That little device allowed us to hear even the slightest whisper from thirty five feet away. Good right? We heard things even before she heard. That’s how we knew about the key and the safe. Also how we knew when to get rid of the wire. You have to agree that nothing is sweeter than the betrayal of a friend. A trusted family friend who was more like family to you. We well and truly put her to good use.”
God, I couldn’t believe it. Of course it all made sense now. They played this game so well. They didn’t need to bug the house when they had Millicent wearing a wire. She did indeed catch the tail end of the conversation I had with Dad in the garden. However, by then it was too late. Chances were she never heard any of what I’d said but they did.
They’d already heard me say that I was going to put the key in the safe. They may have even heard the whole conversation prior to that too depending on where Millicent was in the house.
That laugh sounded from him again, making me sick.
“You people will pay for this,” I cried. It was stupid to say that, like I could really make them pay. I couldn’t do anything. I was helpless. So much for being a cop. Look where it got me.
“Your beloved won’t be able to save you.” He laughed. “He thinks he can just get the diamonds and hand them over, then I’ll let you both go. As if I’ve ever been a bargaining man. He’ll come along riding on his white horse, and either I’ll shoot him in the head and take the diamonds, or one of my lackeys will get him.”
“Bastard!” I screamed from the depths of my soul.
“Once again, you are right. I was a bastard child. You seem to know me quite well. The thing is, Amelia, you are my prize. No money on earth can make up for the delicious flesh of a beautiful woman. And I get two for the price of one.”
Oh God… God.
I had to will myself not to cry. What worked and stopped me from crying was watching Millicent come through the barred doors with a mop and a bottle of disinfectant.
My blood actually boiled.
She walked in, not looking at me, and started cleaning the area around me where I’d thrown up.
Victor laughed and laughed and laughed. Then he did the most disgusting thing by pushing her and shoving her to her knees. She cried out in pain, and it was then she looked at me.
“Cleean, cleean away like you’re trying to wash away your sins.” He made a show of spinning around and dancing. Arms out to either side while his legs did something close to what looked like a cross between the Irish gig and a Russian gopak. It was quite a spectacle.
However, while he did that, Millicent gave me a pointed look, flicked over her hand to reveal a little key, and wedged it in the crack in the floor board.
She squeezed her eyes shut and moved back before Victor could see what she’d done.
My heart started racing, beating a thousand beats per minute.
She was helping me.
“Cleannnn!!!” Victor cried.
Millicent cleaned, and I realized things weren’t exactly as they seemed.
Chapter 11
Luc
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