Page 83 of Unexpected Complication

I sighed heavily so he’d know I heard him.

Orson looked up from his desk. It was piled high with papers, and he held a stack in his hand.

“Anthony. Feeling better this morning, are we? Did you blow off enough steam you can get your head back in the fucking game now?”

“I don’t think my head was out of the game, Orson.” I sat down without being invited, knowing it would piss him off. “I don’t like the tone either. It was your idea for me to go and blow off steam, remember?”

“Ah, yes. Well, we all have our ways of dealing with stress, don’t we?”

I stared at him. Dealing with stress?

“When the hell did you become Dr. Phil?”

He grinned—a malevolent, twisted grin. One so devoid of emotion, the shards in my blood became thicker, small stabs of anxiety running through my entire body.

“What did you want to see me for, Orson?”

“I have something I want to show you, Anthony.”

“Oh?”

He leaned forward. “I have a new trophy.”

I wanted to shut my eyes at the glee in his voice. Another victim, another memory of his power he would add to his collection. I met his gaze, hoping mine was as detached as his.

“What does this have to do with me?”

“You don’t understand. It’s the greatest trophy of them all. It surpasses everything I’ve ever collected before.”

I opened my mouth to tell him I didn’t give a fuck, when Sean’s voice crackled in my ear, fear and anger almost distorting it.

“Cian! Fuck! Something…fuck… Cian, Skylar is here! She’s in the fucking compound!”

I heard another shout, then he began to curse, and he cut off.

My gaze snapped to Orson, who smiled. A smile so full of evil and hate, a shudder ran down my spine—his eyes, cold and devoid of any emotion other than hatred.

The sense of fear that had been building in my stomach spontaneously burst into an inferno so hot, I knew the only thing it would leave behind was a trail of ash.

He had her.

I didn’t know how, but Orson had Skylar.

And I had to get her back—or die trying.

Chapter 19

Cian

My heart raced, sweat breaking out on the back of my neck as I struggled to remain calm. Buy some time. I needed Sean here. Even if I killed either Rex or Orson, the other would take me out, and they would kill not only Sean, but Skylar too. She had to come out of this alive. She had to.

Leaning back in the chair, I crossed my ankle over my knee, praying my trembling limbs wouldn’t give me away. “A new trophy, Orson? Your room must be getting pretty full with all the people pissing you off.” Casually, I threw my knife on the desk with a smirk. “Here’s mine. Save you the trouble later.”

He bent forward, pulling the knife toward him. I had made a big deal of always playing with it in front of him, making him think it was special to me. It was a piece of shit—a prop—but he didn’t know that. I only wanted to distract him.

“Do you think that’s what I want?” he murmured, running his fingers over the handle of the knife.

I sighed, trying to sound bored. “I don’t know what you want, Orson.”