Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
So why the hell would something that usually takes me a couple of weeks max be taking me this long? It’s like he’s always ten steps ahead of me, and now there’s his stupid wife. I’ve never been intimidated by any of the wives of the men I’ve taken before, and I wasn’t now. But there was something about those two that seemed off.
They were almost too in sync with each other in a way that seemed beyond normal. And what the hell was going on with this place all of a sudden? It’s a luxury apartment, so there’s no way there should be a smell like that and it seems to be concentrated only in my apartment, and now there was the snake.
Obviously, someone’s pet had escaped, but I can’t alert anyone to that fact because I’m not supposed to be here. I can’t stay anywhere else because the guys in charge don’t like us to deviate from the plan unless there are dire circumstances, and having someone’s pet reptile in my apartment would not be seen as a dire emergency.
I opened the door and walked in. Too late, I remembered the damn snake and was almost under it when I reached the bedroom door. It looked to be asleep; at least, I think it was because its eyes were still open. I went in and out of the room as quickly as I could and grabbed a change of clothes before heading into the bathroom.
I changed out of my clothes and was about to hang my work suit on a hanger when my phone rang, startling me. I answered it quickly because I didn’t want the noise to wake the snake, and walked back into the bathroom and closed the door so the noise wouldn’t carry.
“Hello!”
“Hello, Jessica.”
“Who is this?”
“That’s not important; what’s important is that in about five seconds, you are going to start feeling lightheaded and nauseous; shortly thereafter, you’re going to black out and be out for at least an hour. When you awaken, you will have ten minutes to save your life. Tell me what I want to know, and I will give you the antidote: decline, and you die. Who do you work for?”
“Hello, hello, what the hell?” I fell against the bathroom wall as the room started to spin and felt my body fall, barely missing the tub with my face. My last thought before I passed out was I hope the snake didn’t make its way in there.
BRITTANY
What the hell did I just watch? What am I a part of? My hands wanted to shake, but I gripped them tight. I looked down at the now empty vial that I had brought back with me, too spooked to toss it anywhere else. I still didn’t know what it was. I just followed the instructions given, which was to wipe the substance on the doorknobs inside, where only Jessica would be affected.
I’m not sure what I expected to happen but this wasn’t it. I couldn’t hear what was being said on the other end of the line; of course, I just heard Jessica ask who it was, then kept going hello, hello, before stumbling around the bathroom and face-planting onto the hard tiled floor, barely missing the edge of the tub with her face.
I was still in shock when my special phone rang, jarring me out of my stupor. “Hello!”
“It’s done.”
“Is she going to die?”
“Maybe, if she doesn’t give me what I want.” I took the phone away from my ear and looked at it. I’m almost certain that there’s a kid on the other end of this call. But that’s not possible, right?
“What now?”
“We wait for her to wake up and give us the name.”
“It’s going to be that easy?”
“Most people choose life over death if given the chance.”
“Will she really die?” Why am I whispering?
“Yes!” Okay, I need to have my head examined. You’ve got to understand she sounds like Shirley Temple in her heyday. Young, cute, chirpy. But the things she’s saying… I felt a shiver go down my spine. I didn’t even realize she hung up because of the ringing in my ear. “My goodness.”
LYON
“How is she doing?”
“She, uh, she went with biological warfare, I think. Straight out the gate.”
“Did they give it up?”
“Not yet; the chick is still out cold on the floor.”
“Hmm, she’s playing with her food again.”
“I don’t think so. I think this was part of the plan.”
“Whatever, just hurry back; we have to head to New York in a few and my kid needs to get married before my wife offs me in my sleep.”
“Why are you so nervous? The date’s set, everything’s taken care of.”
“That’s easy for you to say, your kids are fucking three and one. Mine are lining up for this shit. I gotta go; Hitler’s youth just walked in.” I hung up with Mancini and watched my little terror walk in. I’m not sure why Kat persists in dressing this kid in frills and lacey shit; she should be in a balaclava and camouflage.