Page 93 of Golden Touch
He takes the drive innocently enough, then stares at it in his palm. “What if you’re bluffing?”
“What if I am?” I ask, rolling my eyes. “You’re still a crook, and I still need my passport back. Did you know you could be arrested for keeping it from me? That’sillegal.”
His expression hardens, anger making his eyes squinty. Ishrink a little inside, because I know that look all too well. “Let’s see this recording thing,” he growls.
Trying to maintain my bravado, I pull the gizmo that Benito gave me out of my jacket pocket. “It’s here. I even brought you the charge cord. You’re going to need it.”
“Show me how it works. I want to hear this recording.”
Good idea, pal.If only it were real.
Sweating, I press the power button with my thumb. The light comes on. And when I hit the Play button as instructed, the light fades. “You’ll have to recharge it.” I offer him the device and the cord. “Do you want me to boot up the thumb drive? I have my laptop.” I jerk my thumb toward my car.
He squints at my old Subaru, his mouth in a hard line. “Thought you said you were trading that piece of shit in.”
“Iam. Right after I leave here. I didn’t want you to see my new vehicle. I mean it, Razor. I’m leaving the state, and I’m not coming back. Are we doing this trade, or what? Show me the passport.”
He crosses his arms and stares me down. “I’m thinking.”
Shit.
That’s when a flatbed truck with orange decals appears, just like Benito warned me it would. Only instead of turning into the parking lot, the truck pulls across the entrance, obstructing both access and sight lines between me and the street.
My heart practically detonates when I recognize Rotty and another biker in the front seat.
“What the hell?” I squeak. “Two of your lackeys areblocking the driveway?” God, I hope Benito heard that through the mic in my bra.
Razor doesn’t even look in their direction. He just watches me. “What are you playing at, Livia?”
Shit shit shit. I watch, terrified, as Rotty hops onto the flatbed and starts a weed wacker. A very loud one.
If I scream, nobody will hear me.
“What’s this?” I shout at Razor. “Can’t handle meeting a woman all by yourself?”
He doesn’t answer. He lunges at me instead.
CHAPTER 41
NASH
I’m standing in a Rutland parking lot a half mile from the Dairy Queen, where Benito’s police unit has set up its mobile command station. They have a couple of drone operators, a K9 unit, and a nondescript surveillance van.
Benito has allowed me to lurk here by my bike while I quietly lose my mind. Livia is the bravest person I know. And while I’d rather smash her adversaries one by one by myself, I’m smart enough to know it’s not an option. If Livia wants to be truly free, it has to do be done by professionals.
That doesn’t make the waiting any easier.
The doors and windows of the van are all open for easy conversation with the drone operator. I’ve been eavesdropping from ten paces away.
And when it all goes wrong, I know immediately.
“He grabbed her!” one cop says. “He has a gun.”
I cover the distance to the van so quickly that I don’t even remember running.
“Your ass ismine,” Razor hisses through Livia’s body mic. “Stupid cunt. Think you can drive away from me? Think again.”
I feel my soul leave my body.
