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“Oh, congratulations.” Zbirak took a step back, as though to take all of her in, and then brought his hands together. A smile stretched across his face as he clapped for several seconds. The sound echoed around the room. “Not many people can get one over on me. You did a marvelous job. Right up until the moment I mentioned David.”
“I’m not sure what—”
Zbirak stepped forward and grabbed the hem of her sweater. He lifted it, exposing the tight tank top they had stuffed the pillow into. It had been enough to hold the shape, giving the illusion of being pregnant. Still not giving in to his anger, Zbirak ripped the pillow free and began searching it. When he came across the GPS tracker, he shook his head. “You stupid girl.”
Cassie’s heart hammered. Her palms were sweaty. Enough that she could feel them slipping through the ropes. She just needed a little longer to break free. She almost laughed at the lunacy of that thought—sure, she could break free. Then what? This man was an assassin. How could she possibly hope to get the upper hand?
“I can explain—” she started.
Zbirak slapped her across the face, forcing Cassie to eat the rest of her words. Then he dropped the GPS tracker on the ground and stomped on it. That’s all it took for it to burst open. Had Harris copied down the address in time? How long had it been since Cassie had arrived at the house? Where was the detective now?
Zbirak pulled himself together. His little outburst still stung, but Cassie couldn’t see any trace of the anger that had flashed across his face. The room dimmed around her again, though he didn’t seem to notice. Was she losing it, or
was something else trying to break through?
“What is your real name?” He held up a finger. “It is not a good idea to lie to me.”
She gulped. Not sure what else to do, she told him the truth. Maybe it would be enough to keep him occupied for a few more minutes. “Cassie Quinn.”
Zbirak’s eyes lit up. “Cassie Quinn.” Then, to her shock, he smiled again. “That explains why you looked so familiar. I’ve heard wonderful things about you.”
Her jaw went slack. “You have?”
“Of course. I’ve seen your file.”
“My file?”
“Yes. Your file.” The smile never left his face. “Apex is quite interested in you, Cassie Quinn.”
There was that name again. Apex Publicity. The same one she’d outwitted in North Carolina. The same one that had approached her about a job in New Orleans. “You work for them?”
“I have completed jobs for them in the past, yes. They pay me well, though their selections are not as interesting as I would hope. But you?” He leveled a finger at her. “They have some curious things to say about you.”
She couldn’t help herself. “Like what?”
“That you’re a psychic. I’m not one to believe in that sort of thing, but I can’t deny you’ve led quite the interesting life.” He leaned in closer. “Tell me, is it true? Can you really speak to the dead?”
Cassie slipped her thumb out of one of the loops around her wrist. She just needed a few more minutes to get free. “Let him go,” she said, nodding toward Bob, “and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
Zbirak stood up. His eyes were hard. “Let me make one thing clear.” He slipped the icepick from his pocket and held it up for her to see. “I’m the only one who will make demands here.”
And then he drove the icepick into Bob’s chest.
39
Cassie screamed when Bob did. The shadows closed in, and she thought she was going to pass out. Her awareness landed on the fear of Zbirak turning to her next. Writhing against her ropes, she managed to slip her whole right hand free.
“Please,” she begged, struggling to keep focused on escaping while checking on Bob. “Please don’t hurt him.”
“Oh, it’s a little too late for that.” Zbirak let go of the icepick, keeping it lodged in the man’s chest. “As long as I don’t remove it from his chest, he won’t bleed out. He’ll be in tremendous pain.” He laughed like the very thought brought him joy. “But he’ll last longer.”
Cassie was sobbing now, barely able to focus on freeing her other hand.
“I’ll make you a deal.” He stepped back from Bob, his hands in the air. “If you answer my questions truthfully, I’ll give you a sixty-second head start. It’s been a long time since I had a proper hunt, and something tells me you’ll make for interesting prey.”
Cassie gulped in air, unable to keep from staring at the instrument stuck in Bob’s chest. He had stopped screaming, only because he’d passed out from shock. She looked back up at her captor. “What do you want to know?”
Zbirak pondered the question. Then he took a step closer and leaned down, until they were face to face. “What makes you so special?”
