Series: Lee Savino
Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“No. Matthias. Medicine.” My lips feel heavy, but I force them to shape the words. “She…alive.”
“Ay, Dios mio,” Paloma gasps. “Oh, thank you.” She presses my hand to her face. I feel the rain of her tears.
“It’s okay.”
“We’re going to get out of this. I promise.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” someone rasps. A sharp, clove smell hits me. A heavy thump of boots brings the scent closer. “Give him another dose of tranq. He’s awake.”
“Stop,” Paloma snaps. “What are you doing?” She drops my hand, and I sense her standing, defending me. “Leave him alone!”
My chest rumbles as my bear voices his wrath. There’s a whoosh and another dart pricks my chest.
“It’s just a knockout drug,” the guy rasps. “Special blend for shifters. It’ll burn but there’s not enough silver in there to kill him.”
I hear Paloma fighting, and my bear pushes to the surface, making me surge upwards. But the dart has done its work, pumping the tranquilizer into me. I’m fading.
A heavy hand lands on my chest, pushing me down with laughable ease. I choke on the numbing scent of cloves. “Rest up, bear man. We’ll have use for you later.”
Paloma
I watch as Darius’ body goes limp. The guy standing over him has to be some sort of shifter. He’s huge, with a scarred face. Big, black sunglasses hide his demon eyes.
He sets down the crossbow he used to shoot Darius and faces me. “Mr. Thompson wants to see you.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “If you think I’m going to do anything he says, you can think again.” Now that I know for sure Wren is alive, all my emotions have turned to rage.
“Suit yourself,” he shrugs. “I’m not the one with a boy bear whose life is on the line.”
“What are you going to do with him?” I ask, in case he’ll gloat and give me more information. I don’t know much about our situation. Thom’s men gave me a tranquilizer to knock me out. I woke up here, in this cold hangar with a concrete floor, lying on a medical table next to Darius. He’s restrained in silver chains, but they’re letting me move about freely. For now.
The big guard doesn’t answer. The door at the end of the large space bangs open, and Thom trots in, followed by a group of guards.
“Paloma,” he shouts in his reedy voice. “What have you done?”
I move, so I’m standing between him and Darius. Thom stomps over to me. He’s supposed to be intimidating with his angry face and the armed guards. But I feel no fear, nothing but hatred. This man kept me and my sister captive. He tried to murder my sister and almost succeeded. He had his troops try to kill my friends.
He deserves what’s coming to him and more.
“You wicked child,” he says. His normally pale skin flushes an unhealthy red. “How dare you target my fund!”
I know why he’s so upset. He’s discovered the trades I made on the flight over here. I spent the whole time making trades that would ensure the downfall of Thompson Capital. I know exactly what Thompson’s holdings are, and how to target them.
“What’s wrong, Thom?” I taunt. “Did someone boost the profits of the companies you were shorting? After a bunch of those deals go through, you’ll get caught…shall we say…short.”
“You bitch.”
“Careful.” I examine my nails. “You’ll give yourself another heart attack. It’s only a few hundred billion.”
“You’ll find a way to make it back. Every penny. Or else–”
“Or else what? You’ll kill an innocent child? I’m done with your threats. You can kill me. But then it’ll be all over. You’ll have nothing. You’ll be nothing. Because that’s what you’re really worth, right? You inherited a fortune, and in a single decade, you ran your family’s companies into the ground.”
“You shut your mouth–” He steps forward to strike me, and I slap his hand away. He’s not used to me being able to fight back.
“You know it’s the truth. The only thing you’ve done was kill my parents and take me and Wren prisoner, so I’d build your fortune. And with a few clicks of a mouse, I took it all away. You’re a failure. And the world will know.”
“You will rebuild all you’ve taken from me. I will chain you here, and you will never see the sun–”
“I will never work for you again.” I use my rage as a weapon. I’ve never felt so much power with Thom–I was too trapped in his web before. Now that Darius got me free, I’m a new person.
He sputters, unable to speak.
A phone rings, cutting him off. He pulls out his cell and stiffens when he sees the name on the screen.
“Is that one of your investor friends?” I ask. He turns beet red, so I know I must be right. “They can’t be happy with how much money you’ve lost them.”