Page 108 of Tattletale

“I know my endgame; what’s yours?”

“I need to know if this bomb exists. All I need is the truth from Gabriel.”

“And then what? Is he walking out of here straight into a prison cell?”

She breathes heavily. “I don’t know.”

The windows are so deeply tinted, no way outside surveillance can see us. I reach over the center console and pull the hood halfway off Vienne’s face, just so her mouth and nose are exposed. “Take a few deep breaths for me, First Lady.”

She does as I instruct.

“That’s good, Vienne. I don’t want you to be afraid. I’m well equipped for this. I’ve killed a lot of men in a lot of different ways; this is just another day at the office.”

Vienne smiles. “I appreciate the chivalry. But when it comes to Gabriel, I’m better equipped to handle him.”

“Even still… Spartacus.”

“What?”

“It’s a code word we use in PALADIN. He was the leader of a rebel militia, sworn to free the gladiators. It’s a war cry, if you will. Someone says ‘Spartacus’ and we don’t think, we just act. If you don’t feel like you can handle it, just one little word, and I’ll take him the fuck out.”

“It won’t be necessary, but thank you, Lancelot,” she breathes out. She grabs the edge of the hood and pulls it down.

I smile to myself. “I can’t believe you just full-named me.”

“It looked fun when Vesper did it.”

“You and Vesper are chummy now?”

Vienne turns her head towards me. “I admire her. She and I are very similar. We carry the same burdens. Surviving all the pain, suffering, violence, and evil made us both powerful women. But she was able to do something I never could.”

“What did she do?”

The hood wrinkles, and I imagine Vienne is smiling. “She raised a family and somehow, in the midst of everything, kept it together.”

“You should tell her that. I think she’d really like to hear it.”

Vienne nods as Gabriel’s phone chimes, then lights up.

Unknown

Bring her in.

“Showtime,” I say. After scouring the back parking lot one more time, I step out of the car and head to Vienne’s door. I don’t like the way it has to go down, but I yank her by the elbow so hard, she falters as she clambers out of the seat. It has to look like I’m delivering an unwilling hostage. Exactly as Vienne suggested, I place my pistol against her back and force her toward the back door.

The main floor of the club is vast. I’ve never seen one this large before. There’s an eerie chill as we walk past the rows of glass cages that all look like bedrooms. “What the fuck? It’s likeAmerican Psychoin here,” I mutter under my breath to Vienne.

Sitting in a tall, green chair, Gabriel waits for us at the center of the room. His brows pinch, disapproval written all over his face as Vienne and I approach. He rises to his feet, disapproval quickly escalating to anger.

“Is she hurt?” he bites out.

“No, I’m okay,” Vienne responds. “Gabriel, I’m fine.”

The sound of her voice seems to relax him instantly. “Lance, if you’d kindly remove the pistol from her back.”

“A deal’s a deal, Gabriel. Where’s Fiona?”

He taps his foot on the ground. “She’s in the basement…resting,” he answers.

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