Page 82 of Coup De Grâce
“But we can’t be! It’s not over! There are viewers waiting out there for an explosive ending!”
“Then I’m going to have to disappoint them. I left all my grenades behind.”
Frustrated, he turned away from me. “This is a horrible movie!”
Sarah tapped him on the shoulder, drawing his ire once more. “Um…here’s your wallet. I sort of took it while we were stuck down there.”
Harry stared at the wallet in his hands, confusion marring his face as he looked back at Sarah. “Why would you do that?”
She shrugged. “It’s a thing I do. By the way, you should get a new driver’s license photo. That one is horrible. Oh, and uh…I took ten dollars.” She turned, but then stopped and sighed, reaching into her pocket. “It was actually a hundred.”
25
EVA
With only mybackpack slung across my shoulders, I made my way out of the airport, making sure to keep my head covered as I went. I had plenty of cash on hand to make it around without drawing too much attention to myself. I’d lived on the run for years. Those old instincts hadn’t left me even after all this time.
“Keep moving,” Lock said through comms. “Take the second taxi.”
“You know, I’m well aware how to get around on my own. I’ve done this before.”
“Cash would hand me my ass if I let anything happen to you.”
I scoffed at that. “You know, for someone who claims to know me well, you sure have forgotten who I am.”
“I know damn well who you are and that you’re very capable. But we’re getting Cash back. I can feel it. And I will not bring him home only to have his wife mutilated.”
I rolled my eyes and waved down the second cab, getting inside. After giving directions, I sat back and enjoyed the ride as I kept a watchful gaze on my surroundings. There was a car following, and I knew it wasn’t Lock. He wasn’t going to be in sight, but that was okay. This was what he had planned for.
“They’re following.”
I rolled my eyes, having already figured that out for myself. “That’s sort of the point.”
“What’s that?” the driver asked.
“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”
As the streets flew by, I clocked three different vehicles following me. I hadn’t counted on so many Shadow agents following me, but it made sense. They assumed I was going to see Cash, which was precisely the point. But even if I took them out, that still left way too many of them out there hunting us.
The cab pulled over in front of a dilapidated building where I was meeting Lock and Eli. After handing over the money, I made a show of checking both ways before making my way up the stairs of the old building. I slipped inside and walked upstairs, keeping my steps measured. The moment I heard the door open behind me, I knew I had them.
I rushed up the stairs and into the old apartment, slamming the door behind me, but as expected, the door burst open, knocking me on my ass. I let out a yelp as my bad shoulder protested. Even though I’d had surgery years ago to fix it, I still had moments where pain flared.
The man who walked through the door was as sinister as they came. As he stalked toward me, his black shoes glimmered with a fresh coat of polish, and his suit shifted ever so slightly with every step he took. I scrambled back a step or two on my elbows, letting fear take over my features.
The man seemed to get pleasure out of terrorizing people, and while I didn’t understand that aspect, I definitely understood what it felt like to be on the other end of the fury of a man like this. They were all the same, all out to use their intimidation to get their way.
“Please…” I begged as he hovered over me. He knelt down, one foot on either side of my body as he pulled a gun from the small of his back.
“Where is he?” the man asked, his voice nothing more than a calm rumble.
My breathing hitched in my chest as I looked around wildly. “I—I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
His hand snaked out, grasping my hair tightly, and he yanked me toward him. “Your husband. I know you came to meet him. So, be a good girl and tell me where he is if you want to live.”
“Why would I do that? You’ll kill me.”
His grip tightened as he pulled me closer. “I guess you’ll never know,” he hissed. “But I can promise you that if you don’t tell me, I will make this very, very painful for you.”
