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“You still believe there is more to negotiate?” Tony said.
“There is always room for further negotiations. Am I wrong?”
“No. And I must say, I’m inclined to see where this is going. Sorry, Will. No hard feelings. Gentlemen, will you please escort him outside?”
“You want us to let him go?” one of the guards said.
“Yes, he’s free to go as the lady requested.”
Will put his hands up in defeat, glaring at Tony as he said, “Fine.”
Chapter15
Charlotte sat back downin her seat, pretending the matter was settled and they could continue their discussion. She took an unsteady sip of her tea, swallowing noisily.
She’d gotten Antonio’s attention and bought herself some time. Will would call backup and try to return in time to save her, but she knew she had little room left for that. She couldn’t talk the way they did, so it would be difficult to stretch out the conversation in any meaningful way. She really was at a loss for words. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t prepared to do what she could to save herself.
“So,” Tony said, pulling around the chair Will had sat in. “It’s just you and me.”
“Yes.” Charlotte pulled her purse into her lap and opened it. “I appreciate your willingness to discuss the matter further.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I consider this matter closed, but I’m quite amused by how things have transpired. I want to see what you’re made of before taking your life.”
“I understand. But I’d like to show you something, if that’s okay with you.”
“By all means.”
She had found the gun in Maddy’s closet, and even though she didn’t know how to use it, she could bluff. Antonio wouldn’t believe Maddison didn’t know how to fire a weapon.
When she pulled it out, he jumped from the chair, knocking it to the floor.
“Whoa. You have a gun.” He held his hands up. “You’re not supposed to have a gun. Wait…do you even know how to use that thing?”
“Of course I do.” She stood, holding the gun with two hands to keep it from shaking. “But I’d rather not murder anyone today if I can help it.”
“I would agree. That sounds like an excellent plan.”
“You would agree? You didn’t have any aversion to murder a few minutes ago.”
“People change.”
“Or you’re a coward. That’s it, isn’t it? You wouldn’t even kill us yourself. You were going to have your thugs do it. And all because of my pretty face, you’re willing to sit down for a few extra moments and indulge before killing me. I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you.”
“This has all been a huge misunderstanding.”
“It sure has. Now, all you have to do to rectify the matter is let me out of here with no fuss. If you call for your guards, I’ll shoot you. If I see any trouble, I’ll pull this trigger. Do you understand?”
“Yes. Completely. Will!” Tony called out toward the door. “Will, you might want to come back in here.”
“It’s too late. He’s already gone. You’ve missed your chance. But don’t worry about him. I wasn’t lying to you when I said he had nothing to do with any of this. He’s just some poor sap I hired.”
The door opened, and Charlotte changed her aim to face the man in the door until she saw it was Will. Then, she pointed it back at Tony.
“Charlotte,” Will said. “What are you doing? Where’d you get a gun?”
“Maddy had one in her closet. I brought it just in case. Good thing too. Are they dead?”
“Who?”
