Page 51 of High Reward

“We’re going to fix things. And we’re going to have a baby.”

He holds up the knife he’s been sharpening. “But first, you need to be taught a lesson.”

“I have to pee,” I blurt.

He stares at me wild-eyed and seems to be a little confused.

“What?”

“Pee. Bladder? Mine is full. I need a toilet.”

“Don’t even think about trying anything. The doors are wired with explosives. You’ll kill us both.”

If I didn’t have Victor and Grace to consider, I might do just that. Death doesn’t scare me. Not nearly as much as leaving Victor and Grace alone.

“I swear, Finn, I won’t try anything. But you hate messes, and if you don’t let me up, I’m going to pee right here on the chair.”

He looks visibly repulsed as he cuts the ropes at my wrists and jerks me up toward the bathroom.

“Door stays open,” he snaps as he shoves me inside.

I sit on the toilet and try not to think about the fact that he’s watching me. Instead, I go over everything Victor taught me and Grace in the gym.

I will not cower and wait for someone to rescue me. There is no way they aren’t looking for me, but I can’t wait for them. It’s impossible to say how long it will take them to find me. This cabin is secluded and off the books. The only reason I know about it is because I followed him out here one day without him seeing me.

After I finish in the bathroom, I wash my hands at the sink, and Finn puts me in front of him to return to the chair.

I ram my elbow into his rib cage and turn away from him before he can swing the knife. Thrusting my knee up into his groin at the same time, I slam the heel of my palm into his nose. The sound it makes is revolting, but I can’t lose focus. I’m glad Victor warned me about that sound in our training session in the gym. The knife clatters to the ground and I crouch long enoughto snatch it up. I barrel towards him, still semi-crouched, head-butting him in the groin. I shove him back, so he stumbles over the chair.

The surprise in his eyes as I straddle him with a knife to his throat gives me a little thrill. But I hesitate, and he laughs.

“Still so weak, Liliana. Why do you think I had to find someone else to take care of me?”

With a deep breath, I plunge the knife into his palm, pinning his hand to the floor.

He screams as I search him for other weapons. I find a pistol and two more knives.

“Don’t even think about trying to escape. Doors are wired, remember?” I whisper in his ear as I point the gun at him.

A square patch of the floor flips up, and it’s my turn to scream as I raise the pistol I found. I’m immediately silenced when Victor’s face pops out of the hole in the floor.

Trap door.

“Spitfire, it looks like you’ve got things under control.”

“Hardly. The doors are wired. How do we get out?”

“You and I are going to leave, and then we’ll blow the doors and take this piece of shit out at the same time.”

Victor steps behind me and takes the gun from my hands. He must notice my hesitation about leaving Finn here because he tucks a hand under my chin and stares at me intently. “What do you want, Spitfire? Do you want him in prison or in the ground? I know what I want, but you deserve a voice in this too.”

I stare at the unhinged man on the floor at my feet and shake my head. Then I spit on his face. “You’re not even worth killing.”

Turning to Victor, I put a hand on his arm. “I want him dead, but something’s not right, and we need to find out what’s going on. Look at his eyes.”

Victor bends down and forces his eyelids open when he squeezes them shut.

“He doesn’t use drugs. And he has one drink at parties or late-night business meetings, and that’s it. He’s adamant about staying in control.”