Page 12 of The Reckoning
In through the nose, out through the mouth.
I force myself to think about anything else but the impending panic. The older man doesn’t move, nor does he flinch at the sound of the gunfire. Instead, he remains watching me, his gazefixated on my movements with unsettling intensity. It’s like I’m a puzzle he’s trying to solve.
“Ahhh, it seems my men have delayed them a little. They’re actually going to arrive right on time,” he says, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“What do you mean,right on time?” I ask, my suspicion growing.
“Miss Hayes,” he says, straightening his already perfect tie, “in this game, every move is calculated. Even the ones that appear to be setbacks. I told them exactly where to find you.”
Suddenly, it all makes sense. Dread rains down on me like icy shards of glass falling from the sky. “This is a trap.”
“I prefer to call it a meeting,” he corrects. “One that would have been considerably more difficult to arrange through conventional channels. Not like Arson wouldn’t put up a fight if I demanded to walk right into his little warehouse and speak to his brother.”
The younger man moves behind me, his gun still drawn. I can feel the weight of his presence, the threat of the weapon.
“You’re using me as bait,” I growl, anger replacing fear. “A way to get both of them here.”
“Both?” The older man raises an eyebrow. “I thought I noted something taking place when I peeked in last. They did still seem somewhat at odds. I’m curious about this...relationshipthat seems to be developing between you.”
I clamp my mouth shut, cursing myself for the slip. He doesn’t need any more information than he already has.
“Well”—he grins, settling back in his chair like he’s preparing for a show—“this should be even more interesting than I anticipated.”
More sounds from the other side of the door fill the room. Footsteps. The sound of a body crashing to the floor and thenanother gunshot. I strain against the zip ties, but the movements only cause them to dig deeper into my wrists.
The unyielding plastic is designed to tighten with struggle.
“Don’t worry, Miss Hayes,” the older man says, noting my efforts. “We have no intention of harming you. You’re far too valuable.”
“Valuable? Could’ve fooled me. Most people don’t use zip ties on things that they find valuable.”
“You have yet to understand your full value, and the zip ties are more for our protection than anything.” His gaze softens again, almost regretful. “Unfortunately, our conversation must come to an end now. Soon, all the secrets will be revealed, and you’ll discover we’re more allies than enemies.”
The door handle turns, and everything moves in slow motion. The younger man shifts behind me, and I catch the silver barrel of his gun out of the corner of my eye. It’s no longer trained on the entrance but instead the side of my head. My heart hammers in my chest, a familiar ache spreading through my left arm.
Not now. Please, not now.
The door creaks as it slowly opens, and the air in my lungs wheezes out like a deflating balloon.Am I being rescued or sent to an early grave?
Either way, I know with bone-deep certainty that nothing will be the same after this.
Whatever game these men are playing, we’ve just reached the next level. I’m still not sure what the rules are, or what happens when you lose.
FOUR
ARIES
The corporate apartment’s main room reeks of expensive neutrality—beige walls and generic furniture. The kind of soulless space designed to be forgotten. Two guards lie unconscious on the hardwood floor. Blood pools beneath the head of the one Drew pistol-whipped when he reached for his radio.
It felt fucking good to watch that bastard drop.
My knuckles throb from connecting with the other guard’s jaw, the pain a welcome reminder that I’m free, that I can fight back. Months of captivity have left me weaker than I’ve ever been, but rage makes up for a lot of lost muscle mass.
“That was unnecessary,” Drew mutters, checking the pulse of the guard I dropped.
Still breathing, unfortunately, despite the two shots I fired at them. Okay, to be fair, I was only trying to scare them. I don’t really want to deal with any dead bodies today.
“Was it?” I flex my fingers, working out the stiffness. “They’re keeping Lilian prisoner. Fuck ‘em. Plus, you just pistol-whipped that dude, man. A couple of warning shots and a punch to the throat isn’t going to matter much as long as they are alive.”
