I turn to Linda. “I want you to go back and hide.”
“No, please don’t make me go back.” She clutches my hand.
“There are two men coming. I’m not sure if I can take one, much less two, and you will distract me, so go. I promise to come and get you.” She pleads with me with her eyes, but their voices are getting closer. “Go!”
She takes a step back and goes into the room. I press myself against the wall in the small gap between the pillar and the wall. I flex my fingers around the knife handle before holding still and waiting for them to come.
“Your boss better not have touched her.”
“He hasn’t. Victor, maybe you have a job for me. I want out of this place.”
Victor.
My stomach falls, realizing that this was all Victor’s work. That piece of shit. He is going to pay. The footsteps approach, mixed with a laugh from Victor. “Maybe. Let’s see how useful you are first.”
Shadows appear in front of me, and I wait until they pass me before I attack. I aim at his neck and throw one of my knives at the guy with Victor; the knife hits his jugular, stopping him in his tracks before he stumbles. Victor is quick to act. Turning, he aims his gun at me. His lips spread into a smile. “Aren’t you a piece of work? Drop the knife.”
“Why? So you can kill me?” I hold my knife in front of me like it will save me from a bullet.
“As much as I would love to kill you, you’re worth more alive than dead.” He motions to the knife. “Now, put the knife down. I need you alive, but that doesn’t mean anything. I still can shoot you.” He lowers his gun toward my legs. He’s right. I need to choose my battles. “Slowly,” he warns. I do as he says. “Now, turn and walk. It’s time for the exchange.”
I turn around and walk in front of him just as he said. “How much are you getting from this?” I ask, trying to get as much information as I can.
“A lot.”
“And where am I going?”
“To someone who paid a lot of money just to make you pay.” There is only one person who comes to my mind, but he’s behindbars. Could he have done this? He can’t have me unless I get smuggled inside.
We reach the stairs, and as I assumed, this is the basement. I climb up the stairs until I reach the top and enter the abandoned building. There’s broken glass, peeled paint, and holes in the walls.
“Keep walking,” Victor rumbles behind me.
I walk to the exit when he grabs my upper arm and packs the gun under my ribs. “There is a car out front. You will enter it without making a scene. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I say and clench my jaw.
He leads me toward the black Escalade. I hesitate a little, and he hits me with his gun in my aching ribs. Pain explodes inside me, and my breath catches.
“Walk!” he orders. The door opens from the inside, and Victor pushes me in. I slide into the white interior of a car. Victor slides in beside me and closes the door, and I become aware of my situation when I meet my buyer. It’s not the person I thought, but it's someone I never expected.
“As we agreed, alive,” Victor says.
“I see that.” My buyer assesses me.
“My money?” Victor demands.
His eyes snap to Victor. “I have it ready for you, don’t worry.”
Victor’s lips spread in a smile as he rubs his hands greedily. My eyes widen as I watch in horror at the man as he pulls out his gun and shoots Victor between the eyes.
He leans over and opens the door, pushing him outside before he addresses the man in the driving seat. “Go!”
I turn to the driver’s side, catching the profile of the man. He looks familiar too. I caught two cars before us, the same as this one. I turn to the smirking bastard in front of me.
“It's good to have a friend in prison with assets that they can’t use. As they say, an enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
I know who he’s speaking about. I knew somehow this would all catch up to me. “And what does your friend want from me?”
