Page 44 of Tiebreaker

Toby is twisting in his grip. He gives a panicked meow.

"You're not very good at this game," he says. "I've been at it for years longer than you have while you were off making coffee or what was it you studied? Basket weaving?"

"Art history," I sob.

He snorts, "Equally useless. I was learning the fine art of war."

He lifts Toby up his arms, swinging towards the railing, and I scream. He stops. "Your 1%," he says.

My eyes sparkle with tears. "Put him down," I say, "please. He's just a cat, he didn't do anything. What is wrong with you?"

He stares at me. "You're not a very good hostage negotiator," he says. "You're not supposed to make me feel bad about myself." He moves another inch.

"Fine, I'll give it to you," I say, "please."

He laughs, tilts his head. "I don't want just your percentage," he says. "I want you to first vote, then I can buy out Kai and Vince if I have 34% of the company. Current bylaws say I can't, but we can change the bylaws."

He looks like he's a bit crazed and Toby has given up, hanging limply in his grip.

"Vince doesn't want to be here anyway. He's got his little criminal enterprise to run. And Kai, well, he's got a Rockstar life. He's got enough money even if I get the record label to dump him." He laughs. "The only one who wins here really is this cat."

He jerks his arms forward and tosses Toby. I cry out, falling to my knees, but Toby twists. And I realize that the arc of Everett's throw was only intending to throw Toby forward onto the balcony, not sideways off of it. Toby lands on the ground, paws extended, and bolts inside past me. Everett stares at me and scoffs.

"I don't hurt helpless creatures," he says.

Tears are streaming down my face, "Then why are you always hurting me?"

He blinks like he's honestly surprised at what I've just said. He frowns. "Do you not see it in yourself?" he asks me.

I'm shaking too hard to get to my feet. I just kneel there, my fingers wrapped around myself, the cold air outside chilling me right to my core.

He taps the side of his head, "I guess you really don't see that invisible crown you're wearing." His eyes darken in the shadow as he bends down, and I jerk away.

"Don't help me!" I say, getting to my feet.

I'm spitting mad and half tempted to deck him.

"I fucking hate you," I say.

He tilts his chin upwards, lifting his nose, looking so superior. "Good," he says, "you should. I'm a monster. You were sent here to slay me, and I know that. But I'm not going to let you. So don't think for a minute that you're going to have control in this situation, all right? I'll have the paperwork arranged to present the new bylaws. And by the end of the next week, we should be voting on them. And you will be voting in favor of me being able to buy out the other two partners if I own that extra 1%."

I swallow, "Why couldn't you just do what you wanted if you have 34% of the company?"

He sneers, "Because in order to sell, in order to complete this merger, I need 100%. We all have to agree 100% and I want this too badly. Kai and Vincent hate me enough that they're never going to say yes. They're going to keep me in this Limbo, stuck in this stupid building."

He looks around him.

"I don't understand you," I say, "You're surrounded by the most amount of wealth that I could even never imagine the opulence here, and still, it's not enough for you."

He gives me a humorless look, "It will never be enough for me," he says. "Don't you recognize that some of us are hungry enough that we could eat the entire world and it would never be enough? We would never be satisfied?"

That makes me a bit ill. "You need help," I say.

He steps towards me and shakes his head, "No," he says, "I need you."

He grabs me by the shoulders. I jerk backwards and slap him across the face.

"Don't you fucking dare!" I say. "Don't you fucking dare kiss me as if what you just did was not some kind of torture and blackmail! That's wrong. I'm not okay with it!"

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