Thea
Acar door closes outside, and for a moment my heart soars… until Gavin says, “You should have taken the deal, Cole. Your time is up. We’ve got you two outnumbered.”
Cole lets out a string of expletives.
The two men flanking Gavin aim both of their guns at Cole. Neither are focused on Andi, somehow not finding her as big of a threat as I do.
Gavin turns and opens the door, and Andi sprints like a rocket in the other direction.
Before she can make it to the hall, Landon has reached her, hauling her into the room over his shoulder while she hits and kicks him.
He zip ties her wrists, and I feel a small measure of satisfaction that things aren’t going her way.
It would be nice if they were going my way.
“Took you long enough,” Gavin says as he allows the person on the other side to enter.
A familiar figure rounds the door.
Cooper. He stalks into the cabin with his confident swagger. His gaze instantly finds mine. “That would be her fault.” He has the audacity to smile at me. “Good to see you again, Jennie.”
“I wish I could say the same,” I say. “You’re an eyesore.”
He’s sunburned and blistered. His nose is peeling, and he looks like he hasn’t showered in days.
His lips twitch with amusement. “And you’re a better liar than I took you for. I knew you had something to do with this mess, but my money was on the agent.”
I shouldn’t ask, but I can’t stop myself. “What do you mean?”
“I thought he knew who Mr. Smith was. Turns out we all did… and didn’t.” He beams as if this is the best thing he’s been a part of in some time.
“Who are you working for?” I ask.
“Himself. As always,” Andi supplies, her words dripping with derision.
“Oh, Andi. You’re here, too. I see you haven’t changed a bit.” Cooper grins.
I beg to differ.
“The zip ties are new. Could have used those while we were dating. Would have made you easier to handle.” He bends over, scooping up a roll of duct tape from the floor.
My jaw drops. They dated?
Andi sneers, her tone full of venom as she says. “You little son of a—”
Cooper stops her with duct tape. “Could have used that when we dated, too.” He turns to the standoff in the kitchen.
Three people still have guns aimed at each other. “A bit hostile in here, isn’t it? Can’t we put the guns down?”
“No.” Three voices join in unison.
“All right.” Cooper’s hands fly in the air. “I was just thinking it would be more beneficial to work together. Where’s the drive?”
No one answers… because no one actually knows. Gavin turns to me. “You told me last week you found it.”
I arch my shoulders back. “Oh, yeah, see that was last week Thea. This week Thea has no clue where it is, because her ex-best friend drugged her into memory loss,” I say the words with a sickly sweet, satisfied smile.
Not one of these idiots is going to get that drive from me.
I still can’t remember where I hid it when I took it to Mexico, so the odds of Pierce finding it are slim.
“It’s all a lost cause. I think it’s time to give up and go home.
Let’s try this another time, shall we? Or not. ”
Cooper laughs, and it grates on my nerves. “I like you. You’re even braver without your bodyguard.”
If I am, it’s because he made me that way.
“See, the thing is…” Cooper continues as if he’s the ringleader of this little dysfunctional group.
“I need that drive. I was going to take it for Lifeline, but then Uncle Gavin offered me more money because the CIA agent he hired had gone AWOL. So I swapped teams. A good player has to know when to play. Either way, I’m walking out of here with that drive. ”
He’s so proud of himself, and I love that I get to wipe the smirk off his face with my next statement.
“Nobody has the drive,” I say slowly. “So… you’ve all lost.”
Cooper runs his hands together, excitement flashing across his features. “Or… we are all on the same team now. Level playing field. Whoever gets your boyfriend first wins.”
Slowly, each of the idiots lowers their weapon and looks at me.
I saw that going differently in my head.
Gavin stands straighter, knowing he holds the power in this situation. He has more people, and money on his side. “You do make the perfect bait. Thanks for playing the game, Thea. Better than your father ever did.”
Ice spreads through my spine at the mention of my dad.
“Pierce won’t fall for your trap,” I say through clenched teeth.
“He will… or you’ll die. Either way, no harm done.” Gavin turns and whispers something to his men. Then to the group, “I’d love to work together.” A shot goes off, and I scream as Cole crumples to the ground. “But I don’t trust him.”
For the first time, Andi looks genuinely scared. She finally gets the tape off her mouth. “I was always going to give it to you, Gavin,” she says, quickly sensing her fate. Cole groans and rolls to the side, and I let out a breath, grateful not to be witnessing my second dead body of the week.
“We’ll see how long you say that,” Gavin says. “Lock him in the bathroom.”
“You’re going to regret this,” Cole wheezes as one of the tattooed men drags him down the hall, a trail of blood left behind him.
Gavin lifts a shoulder. “I don’t think so. You’re going to die here with your little redneck bomb.”
The bomb that now reads twenty-five minutes. Each tick seems to make my heart rate spike.
“What do we do with them, boss?” the other guy asks, pointing to me and Andi.
“Keep the chemist; we still need her. I have something else in mind for the other one. She’s been giving me some trouble, and I can’t have that,” Gavin says, looking me up and down like I’m a piece of trash.
Cooper has moved into the living room and peers out one of the windows, but I can’t remove my eyes from Gavin.
“I should have done this years ago,” Gavin says, rubbing his hands together as he approaches me.
“Threaten my life or turn into a murderer?” I seethe. “I appreciate you waiting.”
His expression turns icy. “I should have dosed your dad with Amnexia sooner.”
“Excuse me?” If he’s saying what I think he’s saying, I’m about to go full Hulk on his stupid blond toupee.
“In the hospital, after the accident, I visited him,” he says with a smile. He’s enjoying retelling his story. He’s enjoying my pain. Enjoying how he ruined my father’s life.
There’s a thump from somewhere in the cabin, but I can’t tear my gaze from Gavin as he says the words that rip my heart in two.
“He’d suffered a stroke and couldn’t move his arm, but he sure remembered what he was planning to do when he got the chance.
I was just trying to offer my condolences, and then he lashed out at me.
Said he was going to turn me in. You know I couldn’t have that.
” He frowns, almost appearing contrite for a moment.
“He’d just lost his dear wife. I thought I’d help him forget the pain. ”
My arms shake, the very blood in my veins pulsing in agony. What did he do?
“I gave him the last dose of his own medicine. It worked perfectly. I helped him forget all about what he was trying to do. Though maybe that’s what caused him to have the second stroke.” He taps his chin as if he’s just now considering the fact. He chuckles. “I’m certain it didn’t help.”
Beneath the table, I’ve almost sawed through the tape around my hands. I fear my heart is getting sawed in half instead.
“I didn’t find out until later that he had distorted the final findings, and I’d just used the last prototype.”
“You drugged my father, after he had just lost the love of his life in an accident?” This man doesn’t deserve the very air he breathes.
“I did him a favor.”
“You ruined our lives!”
My body is warm, too warm. I’m sweating, yet shaking as the earth threatens to drop out from beneath me.
I’ve spent the last two years teaching other people how to take deep breaths and center themselves instead of lashing out, but I can’t hold back the rage anymore. I run straight for him, ripping the final strands of tape between my hands apart. And I do the thing I’ve dreamed of for a long time.
I punch him square in the jaw. I’m completely unprepared for the pain in my knuckles and rear back, giving him enough time to grab my neck.
“I’ve learned from my mistakes,” Gavin fumes, squeezing so hard the edges of the world turn fuzzy around me until all I can see is his Botox filled forehead. My lungs deflate, and they don’t refill. “This time I’m not leaving anything to chance.” His eyes take on an inhuman, evil glow.
This is it. This is how I die.
I try to kick his crotch, his knee, anything, but my muscles are shriveling up.
My legs give out, and the world goes dark.