I wince, shaking my head, my hands trembling, pain pulsing in the center of my chest. My meds. I don’t have my meds.
“Well, he is,” she spits, tone laced with venom. “When he purchased the patent for Diazenix, and then sold it for nine times the price, he became a murderer. He cared more about profits than people. He picked money over lives, Emery. He killed those who needed the medicine to survive."
My throat tightens, and a deep sense of unease settles over me. "What does Diazenix do?"
Toni's voice drips with righteous anger as she explains. "Diazenix treats type one diabetes. It's a drug that keeps people alive. My sister had type one diabetes, Emery. She depended on Diazenix to survive. But when the price skyrocketed, we could not afford it anymore. She... She died because of it."
My heart aches, the pain and loss in Toni's voice almost too much to handle. I understand her pain. Her grief. Vincent Wentz was a pariah, a snake, but I never really knew the extent of how his actions had affected people like Toni and her sister. I swallow, peering up at her. It’s strange, inappropriate even, but empathy spreads through my chest.
"I'm so sorry," I whisper, mouth dry. “I’m sorry that happened.”
But Toni doesn’t want my empathy. She doesn’t want my pity, my empty words of condolences. She leans in closer to me, teeth clenched with unrelenting anger. "I tried to get Vincent to do the right thing, to pay for his crimes, but he was too greedy, too scared to lose his fortune.” She hitches an emotionless shoulder. “And in the end, he lost his life."
“His life?” I suck in an inaudible breath. She killed him. She…
My fear deepens as Toni cocks her head. "Do you know who originally sold Vincent the patent? Who is equally responsible for the death of my sister and many more? Your dear Dr. Marquis. He is just as guilty, and so he will also pay."
I shake my head. No… She’s wrong. It’s not his fault. He wouldn’t purposely harm anyone. It’s not who he is. It’s not in his DNA. How was he supposed to know what Vincent would do? He’s not God. He couldn’t have known what Vincent would do.
“Don’t hurt him,” I croak, grabbing the center of my chest. “He’s not… Don’t hurt him. Please, don’t hurt him.”
Toni scoffs. “He is not the one chained to the ground right now, Emery Jones. His safety shouldnotbe your top priority.” She pauses, arching over and quietly whispering into my ear. “His greed on the other hand?Thatshould be your main concern.”
My mind races as I process her spotty plan. "What do you want from me? What do you want fromhim?”
"It's simple.” She takes a step back, her unyielding gaze holding mine. “There are families grieving, families who have lost everything just like my sister. Dr. Marquis deserves to lose it all too. He deserves to havenothing. Not a single fucking penny.” She glances at her computer screens. “He has five days, Emery Jones. He has five days to wire me five billion dollars.”
My jaw drops, and I struggle to comprehend the staggering amount she's demanding. "Five billion dollars? That's..." I can't even finish my sentence. It's an astronomical sum.
Toni continues, unfazed, “That’s one million dollars for each of thefive thousandfamilies who have suffered because ofhisactions.Hislack of due fucking diligence. And if he doesn't pay..." Toni reaches around her waist, and I gasp as she pull out a pistol. She points it directly at me. "Then you die."
My heart hammers, a paralyzing fear gripping my bones.Oh my God. It’s a joke. This has to be a fucking joke. Five billion dollars? She wants Quinton to hand over five billion dollars in exchange for my life? I want to burst out in laughter. I am not worth five billion dollars. Not after the way I treated Quin. Not after cowardice won.
Toni thinks she’s a mastermind, but little does she know that her dangerous game rests on rules that have not yet been established. Rules that have not been confirmed.
“The demand you're making is...impossible," I say, shaking. "Quinton and I... Our relationship is complicated. You can't just expect him to hand over that kind of money...for me."
Toni glowers at me, her finger still dangerously close to the trigger. "Trust me, Emery. He will find a way. He will make the sacrifice. And if he does not, well, I have ways to incentivize him."
“What do you mean by incentivize?” The question tumbles out as a terrified whimper.
"I have had my eye on Dr. Marquis for quite some time. I know more about him than you might think, Emery." Toni sucks in a deep breath, squatting down beside me. She glides the barrel of her pistol along my hand, veering off to my fingers. “He has recently purchased a very large, veryexpensivediamond ring, Emery Jones. It would be so very devastating if he did not have a finger to place it.”
My breath hitches. “You’re lying…”
Him too? How is this happening?
Why?
Toni licks her lips, pinching my chin between her fingers, tilting my head up. Her gaze sweeps across my bruised and bleeding face. “You appear to have a special talent when it comes to attracting rich men, Emery Jones.” A wicked grin clips the corner of her mouth. “Perhaps you are just as greedy as they are.” Her thumb grazes against my dry bottom lip. “I can see the appeal, though. It hurt me quite deeply to ruin such a pretty face.” She gives me a tender pat on the cheek. “Do not fear, bella, I believe you will heal…in time.”
Toni's touch lingers on my face, her words and actions filled with an unsettling blend of cruelty and mild fascination.
Suddenly, the door to the basement crashes open, bashing against the grimy basement wall. Another woman standing on the threshold; dark hair, bronze skin, a look that could kill.
“Playing with your food again, Toni?” she asks, her French accent melodic. “Do you never learn?”
Toni’s mouth curves up into mischievous smile, and she shoots me an apologetic glance before striding toward the woman.
