Page 77 of Broken Trust
He slammed her into the chair and looped two longer zip ties together, binding both her wrists to the chair leg in an awkward, twisted position.
He took a step toward the door, and panic swept through her. Failure was not an option. If Kent escaped, he would go right back to Cipher and then they were on the clock again.Cipher could order the handlers to detonate the bombs at any time.
She would not be responsible for tens of thousands of people—maybe even more—losing their lives.
Darting a glance at Liam, she fought to keep from screaming for him to wake up, to show her that he was okay.
Her breath sawed in and out of her chest. “I know what you’re thinking,” she said to Kent.
Just as she hoped, he stopped walking.
She seized the moment. “You want to call Cipher. You think if you tell him what happened, you can fix this. That he’ll take care of you. But you’ve been discovered. That makes you useless to him now.”
Uncertainty flickered in his eyes.
Elin kept going, words tumbling fast. “Do you have any idea what he does when people become liabilities? I’ve seen the aftermath. Pictures I can’t get out of my head.”
Kent’s throat worked. The pencil wound was bleeding less, oozing each time he moved. A crimson smear darkened his collar.
“You’ve seen what he’s capable of. Do you really think you’ll be the exception, Adrian?
His jaw clenched. For the first time, real fear crept into his expression.
Good. She was getting to him.
“Do you have a family?” she asked softly. “A wife? Kids? A dog?”
He hesitated, eyes darting away for a split second. Enough time for her own fear to grip her by the gut again.
Liam. Oh god. Liam. He’d taken a bullet. His head had struck the cabinet so hard.
Her stomach pitched at the memory of the sound it made.
She swallowed hard. “That’s what I thought. Adrian, I work for people who can help you walk away. You and your family. They can clean this up. A deal can be made. But the second you call him, it’s over. For all of you.”
The silence stretched, but her own heart pounded a wild and uneven beat. She stole a look at Liam, still on the floor where he’d fallen, but his chest still rose and fell.
One arm twitched, dragging blood across the tile, bright against the dull gray.
Her throat closed. Relief and panic tangled in her chest. He was alive.
Kent followed her gaze to Liam. In that split second of time when his attention wasn’t on her, she glanced at the desk. There had to be a way to reach the gun that had spun beneath it. Or to alert Charlie team, who even now must be running through the tunnels to get to them, their ten minutes up long ago.
Kent cursed under his breath and paced near the door. Elin’s pulse raced. She needed to keep him off balance and talking.
“You don’t have to do this. Let me help you. I’ll put you in touch with the right people who can keep you and your loved ones safe.”
His laugh was a bitter rasp. “You think it’s that simple?”
“It can be.” Conviction made her voice steady.
He paced, breathing hard. For the first time, he looked lost. Not dangerous—just trapped.
She spotted her opening. “You’re not like him. Cipher kills because he enjoys it. But you’ve got something left to save.”
He looked at her again, and in that moment, she saw the hesitation in his gaze. Part of him wanted to believe her.
But the moment shattered when Liam let out a low groan.
