You wanted a bigger cut? Here’s a cut for you. And another. And another.
Adding insult to injury, he even implied that he couldn’t wait tocomfortthe victim’s girlfriend after she finds the traitor gutted like a fish.
The third man’s voice on the recording was all too familiar and guaranteed to keep me up at night. In fact, it’s already been doing that for weeks.
It was Silas.
Or whatever his real name is.
It wasn’t the same tone he used to tell me how beautiful I was or flirt with me, shamelessly begging for a date.Nope. It was the other side of him. The voice he used to threaten me into submission and throw my life off-kilter.
“Cut that mark off him, Riddick. He doesn’t get to die with that on his chest.”
The blood-curdling scream that followed has me itching to search the web for:therapist near me.And depending on how I sleep tonight, I might need to accelerate that search and go with one of those therapy apps with near instant access to a professional.
Truthfully, I should be in therapy anyway. As soon as this mess is behind me, that’ll be my first order of business.
When the wailing eventually stopped, leaving only silence, I assumed it was over. But there was one more thing Silas said.
The same exact sentence he said on the night he appeared at my apartment with that Polaroid of Kenzie.
As he was leaving, he threw a chilling look at me over his shoulder.“Pleasure doing business with you.”
Knowing Silas was part of this murder has amplified every fear. And it’s made catching him all the more important.
If Reed and his peers are right, I’m the one with the power to do it.
And I will, even if it kills me.
That monster must be stopped.
A loud clack of heels and a dramatic sigh echo around the break room, snapping me from the memory of that dang recording.
My earpiece finishes bringing me to the present. Agent Dad Andrews comes through like he’s speaking to me from inside my head. “Here she is, Lila. We got her in there; you can take it from here. Anything you get out of her can help us. Just play it naturally. Remember, you’re simply finding some common ground.”
To confirm my understanding, I feign a throat clearing, just as I was instructed.
“Good girl. You’ve got this.”
That one was Reed, as confirmed by my stiffening nipples. And I’m suddenlya bit tinglydown there. Especially with thegood girlhetacked on.
How dare he? Right in front of my sandwich?
Ignoring the dirty-talking FBI agent in my ear, I beam a welcoming smile at Dana. “Hey. How are you doing tonight?”
She glances at me indifferently while retrieving her lunch from the fridge. “Same as always. You?”
“Oh, I’m fine.Mostly.” I let my cheery mask slip, hoping she’ll notice. “Things are...?complicated, I guess you could say.”
Picking up on my atypical vibe, she moseys over to my table. “I could use a distraction if you need to talk.”
Yes. Mental fist pump.
We rarely speak beyond casual greetings in passing. Maybe this is a sign that things are finally turning around for me.
I pin her with a pleading look. “Truth? I really could use a friendly ear.”
Hope that didn’t come off too eager.
