Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 78534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
I give the door another panicked rattle, hoping that by some magic it's suddenly going to open, but it's useless. “Do we?”
I had hoped that if I ever ran into Victor again, it'd be to see him pushed off a cliff or something. But now he's got me trapped again, and all of this feels like it was just a trap.
Was it really him playing us all along? Was it a computer faking Mom’s voice?
"I'm glad you came back. I was worried I might have to find other ways to convince Rebecca to keep working. I can guarantee you that they wouldn't be nearly as pleasant." Victor lights the cigar and puffs a couple of times to get it started. "This is going to make it all much easier now that you know. I can get her off my network again."
I must react, since he laughs.
"What? You think I didn't know? Your mother is a royal pain in my ass, and she's good at what she does—damn good—but she couldn’t resist contacting you a bit too much once she got started. She knew it was a risk, but she did it anyway." He shakes his head. "I’ll never understand people who get dragged down by their family. No. She's watching now, though. I made sure she has access to watch this office. To see that I've got you again. That she's never fucking getting away from me. Wave to your mommy, Jessica." He glances up at the security camera over his desk, then yells, "Got that, Rebecca? Never."
Is there something I can do? The gun's on his desk, but can I use it? I don't have any problem with shooting him, but I've never held a gun in my life. I'm as likely to hurt myself as him. On the other hand, what other chance do I have? I’ll take a failed attempt over not even trying.
"Don't even think about it," Victor says with a chuckle as he follows my eyes. "You couldn't even lift this thing, never mind shoot me with it." Then he comes around his desk towards me, his eyes dark with evil. "You've cost me a lot of time and money, Jessica. I'm not happy about it. I used to go easy on you. Every few days I'd pass an image to Rebecca to show her that you were alright. But that all changed, didn’t it? She knows about you. You know about her. So inconvenient, but it does simplify life a bit. As long as I don't fucking kill you, Rebecca's going to do everything I tell her to. But I think it's important that she understands exactly what I'm willing to do." As he comes closer, he peels off his fancy suit jacket, straightens it, then tosses it over one of the chairs before he removes his diamond cufflinks and rolls up the sleeves to right below his elbows. "I've been looking forward to this, you little bitch."
"Leave me alone!" I back up away from him, right up until I bump up against the bookcase.
"Oh, come on, Jessica. Enough trouble." He smirks cruelly. "Besides, weren't we right in the middle of something when they came and stole you away from me?" He makes a fist with his right hand and swings.
36
RIOT
"Jessica!" I yell. There's been no sign of her during the fight. I know I told her to run back and hide, but she wasn’t supposed to fucking wander off. Now I'm getting worried. "Jessica, this isn’t funny. Get your pretty ass out here!"
Not that I'm not a little busy. I grunt as a huge fucking guard slams me into the wall, then kick off and propel myself right back into him. Throwing my arms out, I go low and grapple him around the waist. When I straighten, I lift him right off the ground and I run him right into the wall opposite. He grunts, and something in his torso cracks. About fucking time.
I wrestle him down, get my arm around his neck, my other around his head and twist. A snap, and then he goes limp. I jump to my feet to help the others.
Tex fires his gun, and a guard drops. Then again, and another, who was trying to run down the hallway I sent Jessica. He throws his arms out dramatically and does a face plant on the floor. Did I fuck up sending her back there? I thought she'd be safer outta the way.
If anyone's hurt her, I'm gonna break every bone in their body before I kill them.
There's no reply yet, which worries me. A guard makes it past Ghost, but he doesn't make it past me. Compared to the last guy, this fucker's dainty. I yank him off his feet with one hand and slam him head first into the wall. He drops like a fucking sack of potatoes. "Jessica!"