Chapter Thirty-Eight The Great Escape
Adelina
The moment the program goes live, I receive a notification ping on my phone.
West did it. I’m so happy I could kiss him.
Provided I can save him from Berruci, which I very much plan to do.
Now that Berruci’s computer has been brute-forced to connect to the internet, I reign supreme.
It’s finally time for me to wreak havoc.
The first thing I do is tap into the security cameras, studying the live feed from every possible corner of the villa.
The east wing is empty, as is the main foyer, though there’s a notable presence in and around Berruci’s bunker.
That’s to be expected. He thought he could trap West down there, but I bet he didn’t expect to be caught up in his own net.
What does concern me, however, is the realization that not only is West bound and strapped to a chair, but he isn’t alone. Allistair has been captured too. And just beside him is a man I’ve never seen before, but who looks strangely familiar.
The real shock comes when I see her.
“Lily?” I gasp under my breath.
My heart hammers against the ladder of my ribs, my palms suddenly cold and clammy.
No wonder she wasn’t answering Mom’s calls.
(A fucking Taken situation!) That asshole Berruci kidnapped my twin, but to what end?
Blackmail, no doubt. A bargaining chip. Given what Diana said about needing to bring me in alive, it’s the only logical explanation I can come up with. How dare he rope her into this.
I’m going to make him pay. Fifty billion dollars and then some.
Now that I have unfettered access to his entire network, it’s a simple task to manipulate every single electronic on the premises.
What I need to do is smoke him out. I won’t be able to rescue everyone if they’re secure underground.
It’s a game of chess, and right now, I need to force my opponent into making a blunder.
Tucked away in the villa’s lush gardens, I set the building’s fire alarms off with a few keystrokes.
Next is the house alarm, wailing loudly into the night.
I make it appear as though I’ve opened one of the windows on the second floor.
It’s all a ruse, of course. A diversion to draw away some of Berruci’s men.
I press the space bar to unmute the camera microphones, relishing the panic in Berruci’s tone.
He shoves Joseph and the rest of his men out of the bunker and up the stairs, then gives Joseph a pointed look.
“Your woman failed, Demarr. If you don’t bring the hacker to me, consider our deal null and void. ”
Joseph’s lip curls. “I’ll find her.”
“Hurry up, dammit! She has to be nearby.”
I’m in your walls, actually.
It’s a privilege like no other to see Berruci’s face turn beet red as he reads my message off the computer monitor.
“So you can hear me?” he snarls.
Yeah. Me and the whole neighborhood.
“Why don’t you come out of hiding, hm? I only want to talk.”
Right. And you’re keeping everyone for a tea party.
Berruci approaches the screen, turning his back on West and the others. “You’re in no mood for games. Fine. Neither am I. I want to propose a deal.”
Let everyone go first.
“That’s not how I do business, my dear.”
On camera, I spot West shifting slightly in his seat.
Now that I have Berruci thoroughly distracted, he’s making his move.
I’m not sure how he plans on getting out of his handcuffs until I see a glint of something silver slip out from under his tongue.
A hairpin. I hold my breath, oddly relieved to know that he didn’t listen to my warning about it being a choking hazard.
If I can buy him enough time, he might be able to free himself and the others, but I must be convincing. I type slowly, one letter at a time.
What do you want?
West twists his head around and drops the pin over his shoulder. I’m not sure where it falls, but I can only pray he managed to catch it.
“You’ve intrigued me,” Berruci says. “Ever since our friend West informed me that you stole from my account, I’ve been curious about you. He was supposed to find you and bring you straight to me, though he clearly had his own plans.”
Let me guess. You want me to work for you?
“Think of the money we could make. With my resources and your talents, we’d rake in billions for ourselves.”
So you kidnapped my sister to make sure I can’t refuse.
“Don’t worry. No harm shall come to her…so long as you do as I say.”
What about the others?
“I’m afraid they’re not a part of this arrangement. I’m not very lenient on those who cross me. In this case, repeatedly.”
I take a deep breath. This is it.
And I don’t like working for assholes. No deal.
“You do realize I could kill everyone in this room, right?”
Awful hard to do that without a gun.
Berruci sneers. “What?”
He turns—all too late—to discover that West not only has freed himself and successfully lifted Berruci’s pistol from his own holster, but has also managed to free Lily, Allistair and the other man in the room.
Looks like West has finally managed to pluck the tail right off this rat.
In all the chaos, Berruci made the mistake of sending all of his guards on a wild-goose chase, leaving himself sorely outnumbered.
“Watch your back, dickhead,” West says bitterly.
Lily hangs back as the three of them jump Berruci and give him a taste of his own medicine. I look away, not only because I’m averse to outright displays of violence, but because I hear something.
Sirens.
I can’t tell if it’s the cops or fire trucks or both. Regardless, we’re in for a lot of heat if we don’t leave. In all caps, I write:
WE HAVE TO GO.
“Can you meet us at the garage?” West calls up to the camera. Berruci is little more than a curled-up lump on the ground, unconscious and bruised and hopefully concussed as hell. Serves him right.
I take in my surroundings. I know the layout of the villa like it’s the back of my hand thanks to all the time I spent watching West race through the course.
Take care of Lily. I’ll race you there.
I don’t move an inch until I see West graciously help Lily (literally) step over Berruci, guiding her and what remains of our ragtag crew out of the bunker. Shutting my laptop, I make my way toward the west wing, hugging the outer wall of the villa as tight as I’m able to keep out of sight.
A few blocks away, flashing red lights paint the neighboring buildings.
The frantic wail of sirens grows ever louder.
Berruci’s men are scattered without instruction or clear purpose, most of them likely trying to determine if it’s a safer bet to stay or to flee.
Either way, I don’t want to risk capture.
We’re at the finish line. We can’t give up now.
The garage was built as an extension off the main building. West and the others will be able to enter from the inside, but I need a way to sneak in. I try the door, testing my luck, but find it locked. What I wouldn’t give for West’s lockpicking skills right about now.
“Vérifiez là-bas!” a gruff voice exclaims. Shit. One of the guards. If they catch me here—
A large hand clamps over my mouth, stifling my yelp as I’m suddenly dragged backward into the garage. I’m no fighter, but my first instinct is to kick and bite and scratch.
“It’s me,” a familiar voice says quickly. “It’s me, Adelina.”
I turn, as dumbfounded as I am relieved. “West?”
He wraps me up in a tight hug, planting a sweet kiss on my lips. “You’re not hurt, are you?” he asks. “Did Diana try anything?”
“I’m fine,” I say. “I crashed her car, but I’m fine.”
“You what?” West laughs.
I cup his face, distraught to see a few bruises blooming along his cheekbone and jaw. “Are you okay? I was so worried.”
“I’m alright now, mon ange.”
“Um, hello?” Lily stands beside us with her arms crossed. All she has to do now is stomp her foot, but holy shit is she a sight for sore eyes. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Addy. What the hell have you gotten yourself into?”
“We can all catch up later,” the mystery man says as he checks each of Berruci’s ten different vehicles. I’m not sure what he’s looking for. Maybe keys? “We’re running out of time,” he says.
“Who’s that?” I ask West.
“That’s Michael.”
“Your brother? I thought he was dead.”
“Nice to meet you too,” he grunts.
West shakes his head. “We’ll do proper introductions later.”
Michael yanks on the door of a parked SUV, whistling at us when it pops open. “Get in.”
Michael gets into the driver’s seat, Allistair in the passenger. Lily, West and I all clamber into the back, barely having enough time to close the door before Allistair remotely opens the garage door and Michael slams on the gas.
Tires scream beneath us as we launch forward, the engine roaring to life as we peel out onto the main drive. The police are closing in. We might be able to make it onto the main road if we floor it, but then someone steps out in front of us, gun in hand.
Diana. Her brow is sweaty, her eyes bloodshot. She lifts the gun and aims. Michael stomps on the brakes.
“Get out!” she shrieks.
“What do we do?” I rasp.
“Let me talk to her,” West says, reaching for the door handle.
“Are you crazy? She’s going to kill us!”
“Trust me.”
West opens the door slowly and sticks his head out from behind it, his hands up in a show of peace.
“You need to let us go, Diana,” he says.
“After what you did to us?” she seethes. “You’re going to get what you deserve.”
“He didn’t do anything!” I shout out the door. “It was Joseph!”
Her lip twists into a sneer. “Shut up. I don’t believe you.”
“We all heard him confess!” Lily adds.
“He said he sold you out,” Allistair piles on.
“Diana,” Michael says, voice booming with gravitas. “Old friend, you have to believe us. Joseph fucked us all over. He turned on us for a bigger cut.”
Tears streak Diana’s cheeks. “I don’t…He wouldn’t do that to me.”
“Diana,” West says, his tone pleading. Begging. “I have never lied to you.”
Her hand trembles, finger curled dangerously around the trigger. I don’t know if we’ve helped or damned our cause, but I take it as a good sign that we aren’t dead yet.
The sound of footsteps crunching over the gravel drive alerts me to a new arrival—Joseph himself, his brow sweaty from running. He takes one look at us in the car, and then at Diana.
“Ma chérie,” he says. “What are you waiting for? Kill them.”
She hesitates. Doubt flashes behind her dark eyes. “Was it you?” she asks, turning the gun on him. “In Paris. Did you sell us out?”
Joseph laughs nervously, taking a step toward her. “Whatever they told you, they’re lying. They’ll say anything to save their own necks—”
“Answer me,” she snaps.
He takes another step forward. “Diana, let’s be reasonable.”
“Why won’t you just answer—”
Joseph lunges, knocking Diana’s arm away much like I did when we were trapped in the car together. The gun goes off, the front windshield shattering to bits.
“Get down!” Allistair shouts.
I do so reactively, but the only thought in my mind is West. I scream his name as he rushes toward the chaos, throwing his weight at Joseph before he can lay his hands on Diana.
West manages to tackle him to the ground before grabbing Diana’s hand and dragging her toward the car.
We all cram into the back. It’s a tight fit, but we make it work.
Joseph, meanwhile, is quick to recover, Diana’s gun in hand.
He must have wrestled it out of her grip.
“Drive!” I scream at Michael.
Michael floors it.
Joseph gets off four rounds. I squeeze my eyes shut as bullets go flying. Lily screams. Joseph has to jump out of the way, his legs clipped by the SUV as it careens onto the street. Holy shit. I think we just hit him with our car.
When I finally find the courage to open my eyes, I’m startled to find West in front of me, arms outstretched to protect me, Lily and Diana. He slumps back, resting his head against my shoulder.
“West?” I rasp. I tug at his shirt, alarmed when my palm comes away red and sticky. Terror claws through me.
He’s been shot.