Chapter 22 #2
He went on. “I used Jana’s misery to heighten the tension.
It was a real shame, years ago, when Jana came across that file at the Coatesworth about Tamiko’s Disease.
Learning the truth about what happened to her mother broke poor Jana’s nerve.
She was never the same after. She just couldn’t break that sentimental maternal tie, even years after her mother was dead.
Such a tragic waste of potential. It ruined her. ”
“You ruined her.” I couldn’t help but say it, even though I really, really needed to shut the fuck up and not make things worse for myself. Or for Reggie.
“Don’t interrupt,” he snapped. “So, I used Jana to get you all the tools you needed for the escape. I set the time for Shane Masters’ execution, and then I let you and Jana do all the rest. Getting him out.
Saving the sister. Sending you into the belly of the beast. The histamine pill you took was really quite brilliant, my dear.
A dramatic touch. Much appreciated for the entertainment value. ”
“But how did you find us? I took the GPS tracker off the van.”
“Oh, that was easy,” he said. “Both you and Shane Masters had tracking nanoparticles in your bodies when you left, him from his water bottles, yours from your morning coffee. I could have tracked you anywhere on earth for days on end before they cleared from your system.”
“Ah,” I muttered. “Tracking nanoparticles. Of course.”
“I’m very pleased,” he said. “My gamble paid off. I got everything I wanted. An algorithm that will give me vast power, and infinite wealth, which is essentially the same thing, if you know how to administer it. And you. I have you, Cassandra. And I will keep you.”
That made me extremely nervous, but I pushed it aside for now. “Hold on,” I said. “If you wanted me to get away, why did you send those guys after us when I ran? That makes no sense. They could have killed us!”
“Nonsense,” he said briskly. “It made sense for the narrative. It was a risk, yes, but I know what Shane Masters is capable of. And the struggle made it all the more convincing, don’t you agree?
The Masters family were on high alert. They would never have trusted you if your escape had gone too smoothly.
And the fact that Masters killed nine of my men really cemented your emotional bond, didn’t it?
He’s a formidable opponent, compromised as he was.
Those poor fellows that came after him were doomed. ” He shook his head. “Pity.”
I didn’t want it to be true, but I had to swallow it down. I’d been used to hurt people I cared about. I’d been turned into a witless tool for this monstrous man.
“But… what about Jana?” I asked carefully. “Did you… did she—”
“Did I punish her?” He laughed. “Well, I have been doing some housecleaning, I admit. It’s a new era at Halliwell Enterprises, and I want only the best at my side going forward. And of course, that means you.”
“Me?” My voice rose to a squeak. “After what you did to me?”
“Oh, come on. Once you’ve cooled down, you’ll see the advantages.
Have you even considered what it means to be my heir?
To run a corporation like Halliwell Enterprises, and manage a fortune of this size, which is sure to double in five years?
You will be the richest human being on the planet, Cassandra. By a very large margin.”
“Heir?” I laughed. “Really. With a bomb in one of my back teeth that explodes when you die? Is that the legacy that you’re talking about?”
“Not at all,” he scoffed. “I would never give you the tooth. Those are only for the duds that need to be kept in line for my own safety, not for a shining star like yourself, who delivered the moon and stars to me on a silver platter. You’re a true Halliwell, Cassandra.
The only true Halliwell of this generation. ”
The guy looked almost sentimental. It made my stomach lurch.
“Did you kill Jana?” I asked baldly.
He waved an impatient hand. “You are so annoying sometimes. Be grateful that I snatched you away from the hospital when I did. That was the very moment that they discovered that your worm had taken over their system. The Red Queen logo is cycling on Ethan Masters’ computer screen as we speak.
They’re cursing your name, but who cares?
You’ll soon be floating up high in the sky, in the safety of my helicopter.
” He beamed. “You’re going home, where I will use SmokeScreen to execute all my big plans for the world.
Great improvements are in store. And you are going to help me. ”
“How do you intend to make me?” It came out of my mouth before I could stop myself, even though I already knew the answer to that question.
“Same way as before,” he said lightly. “Until you come to your senses and realize that ruling with me could be a rewarding challenge. That will happen eventually. I’m quite sure of it. This is the scope you always needed for your talents and skills.”
“And you actually expect me to do this after you poisoned my sister?”
“Oh, for God’s sake, stop harping on that,” he snapped. “I’ll have her brought here, if you insist! As soon as they take the guards off her at the hospital. No more public gun battles. It’s inconvenient, and off-brand.”
“They won’t take the guards off her,” I said.
“No? After you disappeared, along with Shane Masters’ heart and their precious algorithm?
Why should they guard her? From what? They’ll lose interest in her quickly.
I suppose the state would step in eventually, to deal with an abandoned ten-year-old, all alone in her hospital bed.
No one to wipe her brow or pay her bills. So sad.”
“You are such a dick,” I told him.
The SUV stopped at the airfield. The locks disengaged. We got out of the car, and he put his heavy arm around me again, herding me toward the helicopter, its rotors already spinning.
“Come along, Cassandra,” he said. “It’s time to go home.”