A loud bang and a flash of light, and my abductor cries out, folding in two, clutching at his stomach. Then drops to one knee and crumples near my feet.
The man steps into the room, a gun in his hand.
It’s not Van Wyk. It’s Alex. It’sAlex. The relief hits so hard, I can’t breathe. A sob escapes, and I still can’t draw a breath. Charcoal tailored suit, crisp white shirt, shoes polished, hair perfect. All I can do is stare at him.
“Sorry I’m late. I was kept with work.”
He walks toward me, his gun and focus still on my abductor, and only when he’s near does he look atme.
The blood drains from his face. His gaze takes in my appearance: the ties on my wrists and ankles, my clothing, soaked with water and my own vomit, the pain that still lingers and must be so very evident.
“Vicky…” It’s barely a breath.
I can’t look away from him. His jaw tenses, a muscle twitching near his ear, knuckles whitening on the weapon he holds. Then his golden hazel eyes go flat. I’ve seen that emptiness before. Fournier’s study.
But I don’t care. He’s here. That message said he wasn’t coming, but he’s here.
How the hell is he here? How did he find me?
But those are questions for another time. All that matters is he’shere.
He drags his eyes from me as if with an effort. He notices the battery, and it holds his attention for a second. Then the table, my phone, my clothes. He takes it all in, then looks back at my abductor.
“Haynes,” Alex says, the word clean, crisp, and utterly lacking in emotion.
“Reyes.” By contrast, my abductor’s response is a pained grunt, his hand pressed to his stomach, blood welling through his fingers.
Alex circles around, toward the table, his weapon trained on the man called Haynes and his eyes unblinking. He picks up the gun with the silencer, and sets his own down.
“I’ve always wondered if I’d be able to do this,” he says, arm extending as he takes aim, tone perfectly normal. Conversational.
He pulls the trigger.
There’s a whisper, like a dart leaving a blowgun, and Haynes screams. His left knee is a bloody mess.
“It’s not actually that difficult, is it?” Alex says, and fires another shot.
This one destroys Haynes’s other knee, and the scream that follows is a hoarse thing, half sob, half cry.
I find my voice. “Alex…”
His eyes flick to mine and don’t move. He goes still, face unreadable, then the control drops. His eyes snap back to life. “Jesus. Shit. I’m sorry… is this bothering you?”
“What?” I shake my head. Bothering me? Not in the goddamn slightest. “No. It’s just… he killed Carol.” I hear myself say it, and something in me goes very still.
“So… you don’t mind if I…” He gestures with the gun toward Haynes.
“Kill him.” I mean it with every fiber of my being. It’s not justice, it’s not revenge, it’s extermination. It’s the removal of Haynes from all that is good and true.
And Alex smiles at me. Smiles.At me.
“You’re perfect, do you know that?” He gazes into my eyes as though nothing else exists. “I love you.”
What?
I stare at him in shock. He can’t have said that. I must’ve imagined it.
But I didn’t.
