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ABIGEAL“I DON'T feel good about this, Abby.” Zeke's brown eyes shone with worry as he fell into step beside me.I smiled. “It's going to be fine. We just need to do what we were told to and we'll be out of here.”He bit his lip and looked around. “It seems awfully quiet.”“Hey.” I pulled his attention back to me. “I'm here, okay? I promise I won't let anything happen to you.”Zeke smiled at me, and I smiled back. This was how it was meant to be, my brother and I having each other's backs. Forever and always.But something wasn't quite right. Zeke's image started to waver, like a reflection on water when it was disturbed. I frowned. “Zeke?”Then the scene changed. I could feel the heat from the flames, from the explosion we'd narrowly escaped. I was running, running, yet I never seemed to get far enough. The smoke was in my lungs, choking me until I couldn't breathe.“Zeke, get out of there!”“I can't!”My eyes flew open and I rolled until I hit the floor on my hands and knees, cough
ABIGEALJORDAN CAME in as Blaine was laughing his ass off. He took one look at my neutral expression and his best friend almost falling off the bed and deadpanned, “I don't even want to know.”My eye twitched. Now Jordan thought I was a party to Blaine's madness, when in truth I'd been staring at him in horrified silence. All I did that set him off was make a comment about peeing. How was he so sure I wasn't serious? I mean, of course I wasn't, but how could he know.The Chief Financial Officer of one of the biggest corporations, laughing at a pee joke.It was a strange world.Melanie came in after Jordan, looking equally unsurprised. “Hi, Abigeal. How are you feeling?” She asked, walking over to place a Tupperware on my bedside table. “Hospital food's crap. I brought you something from the house.”“Thank you.”Blaine had stopped laughing and was wiping his eyes. Jordan closed the door, drew the blinds and walked to the centre of the room. “Now that you're up, let's talk
ABIGEALAS SOON as the car stopped in Blaine's driveway, I spotted the little heads peeking from the window and started to reconsider this whole thing. Blaine noticed my tension and chuckled. “Relax. They don't bite. Talk you to death, maybe, but they don't bite.”“Either way I'm dead.”He considered. “Yes, but you agreed to this. Too late to back out.” He said cheerfully and excited the vehicle, coming around to open the door for me. I put the crutches down and leaned on them to get out of the car. I'd vehemently refused to be confined to a wheelchair. At least this way, I still got to walk. Kind of.I'd hardly gotten to the door before it opened and the women came out. Esme smiled at me but I watched as her eyes swept over me in sorrow. “Welcome.” She said softly, taking my bag from Blaine and carrying it into the house. I stepped in, wincing at the splashes of colour everywhere.He waved his hand, gesturing to the whole place. “Well, mi casa su casa and all that.” He said with a
ABIGEAL“YOU'RE DONE.” Jacques smiled at me in triumph. “Didn't I tell you I wasn't going to let you go?” He said, tugging the boy he held in a vice grip closer to himself and pressing the gun tighter against his temple. The boy didn't look frightened though. He stared at me in accusation. “You promised you would protect us. Why do you make promises you can't keep?I kept my gun aimed at Jacques even as my arms trembled from exhaustion and sweat poured down my forehead. “I kept my promise to you.” This is a dream. This is a dream. This is a dream.“What about your promise to me, Abby?” The voice was different, no longer that of a small boy. I looked at him and my heart gave a painful thud. “Zeke," I breathed.But this Zeke looked different. He glared at me, his face twisted with anger and hate. “You said you'd never let anything happen to me. Why did you lie? Why did you let me die?”“Zeke, no. I never meant for this to happen. I would trade my life for yours in a heartbeat, you
ABIGEALJACQUES OPENED his eyes, blinked once, twice, then looked up, focusing on the four of us looking down at him. “Are you quite sure he’s the one?” Melanie asked with an eyebrow raised, drawing his attention to her. “I know he doesn’t look like much, but yeah he is.” I replied. His eyes swiveled to me and darkened in anger. “You bitch.” He made to come at me, then looked at the ropes binding his arms to the bed. He looked at me again, this time in alarm. “What did you do to me, you stupid whore?’ He yelled.“You might want to watch your language. You’re the one tied down and helpless, not her.” Blaine said casually. Jacques halted his struggles, and slowly looked in Blaine’s direction. His eyes widened, and the way he’d struggled before was nothing compared to the way he squirmed now. The bed shook as he wriggled and strained against his bonds, breathing hard. Wow. Blaine had only said two sentences, and he was acting like there was a gun aimed at his head. “You have some
ABIGEAL“NO WAY. No freaking way.” Melanie said, looking incredulous after Jordan revealed the name of the person who was behind this. “How the fuck did Steven Gustavo get this amount of resources in such a short time? Are you sure it's the same Steven we're talking about? It's a pretty common name.”“I'm sure. Jacques was ready to tell me anything I wanted to know, including his mother's address and the password to her safe by the way, after I- well, after I did certain things.” Jordan replied.“Anyone care to fill us in?” Blaine called out, gesturing to himself and me with a slightly irritated expression. The same kind he got anything Melanie and Jordan got too wrapped up in themselves around him. Melanie turned to him with her brow furrowed. “Early last year some guy came barging into Jordan's office saying how Jordan ruined his life. Apparently, Jordan bought his family owned company with the consent of his three brothers but not his, and Jordan demoted Steven from CEO to supervi
BLAINE“COME ON, Abigeal. You can do it.” I urged, standing across from her with an encouraging smile on my face. She shot me an annoyed glare which probably meant I should shut up, then went back to focusing on taking a few steps towards me. Her face shone with sweat and her brow was furrowed in concentration as she shuffled forward one step and inhaled quickly at the pain.At the hospital three weeks ago the doctors had said that the bullet had missed her bone and any vital nerves. Also, they'd commented that Abigeal was in perfect condition so healing should be quicker. She was supposed to be going in for physical therapy, but I recalled the way she had panicked when she'd first woken up in the hospital and I didn't want to send her back there. So, after a few extensive Google searches and late nights spent watching videos on YouTube, I decided to handle her rehabilitation myself.Which was going splendidly, if you ask me.“Just a few more-”“Will you shut it?” She hissed. I no
ABIGEALJUST WHO did he think he was, throwing words at me like that? I could kill him in a heartbeat if I got the whim, did he know that? And I would get away with it too. He should learn to watch his mouth around me, otherwise I would just end this thing early and skip.You're trying to pick a fight with me because you're starting to let loose.The audacity. The fuck did he mean I was starting to let loose? One of the things I prided myself on the most was my self control. And I was starting to let loose? I beg your finest pardon?‘Have you considered that you're so mad about it because he's right?’ A small voice whispered at the back of my head.“Shut up.” I snarled at it. I didn't need my own mind turning on me. “But I didn't even say anything yet.” An actual voice said from behind me. I turned to see the boy who froze standing in my doorway. The last thing I needed was company.“You lost or something?” I asked, but in a gentler tone. I needed kids crying even less than I needed
ABIGEALI HAD to admit, leaving the country wasn't such a bad idea. It had been an impulsive decision, sure, but as I sipped a cocktail on a balcony while gazing at the stars, I couldn't bring myself to regret it.I couldn't remember the last time I hadn't been weighted down by one obligation or another. Whether it was finding justice for my brother, or trying to assassinate Blaine without him catching a clue.No. We're not thinking about him. Not today, not ever.The one thing I regretted though, was letting Anna have her way when she insisted on helping me pack because I didn't have the energy to argue. She'd taken out all my usual everyday clothes and put in their place flirty sundresses and cocktail gowns and bikinis that left little to the imagination, with a little note that said ‘Now you're ready for the other kind of smashing’ with a little winky face.I shook my head as I recalled. Not that the new wardrobe had done me much good. Every man that had approached me so far either
BLAINEEACH DAY, I wondered why I bothered coming into this office when all I did was drink and stare into space. I had a pounding headache and a hazy memory of the night before. Where had I gone?I remembered heading into a bar. I remembered talking to a blonde who looked vaguely like the girl I was trying to forget. It got hazy from there.Did I take her home? She wasn't there when I woke up and the disapproving glances from my aunts weren't more intense than usual, so no. I chugged Advil down with whiskey and almost laughed at the irony.I leaned back in my chair trying to piece my night together but I'd barely started when a voice interrupted me. “It’s a bit early for happy hour.”I tensed and tightened my grip on the glass. “It's happy hour somewhere,” I said casually.Footsteps walked further into the room. “I hear you've been terrorizing our employees in my absence," Jordan said.“If terrorizing means making sure they do their jobs and do it well, then yes, I've been terrorizin
ABIGEALTHERE WAS a knock on my bedroom door, but I didn't move an inch from where I was and just hoped the noise would go away. But it didn't. Instead, the handle turned and the door opened. I still gave no reaction, as from the voices I knew it was Anna and Melanie standing in the doorway. Melanie took one look at my ramrod straight figure sitting in a chair close to the window and turned to Anna. “How long has she been like this?”“I don't know. Sometimes she'd be up and about and talking, then she'd be back here. I'm not sure what to do,” Anna whispered.“You realize I can hear every word, right?” I said without looking back.“You were meant to.” Melanie walked further into my room and stopped beside me. “What do you think you're doing?” She snapped.I looked up at her and smiled vaguely. “Hi. When did you get back? You look great.” She and Jordan had taken a vacation to a country I didn't remember, since things were still tense with Blaine.As soon as his name came up in my th
BLAINE“WHAT IS wrong with you? What's wrong with all of you?” I snapped, flinging the pieces of paper that my employee just handed me in the air so they scattered and fluttered around. “All the fucking numbers are wrong. I do not pay you huge amounts of money to be met with such incompetence?”“But sir, we worked with the data you got from your office.” One of the workers squeaked, trying to hide behind the files she was holding. “I'm sorry sir, she's new to this department.” The one who was still trying to pick up the papers said. “We'll fix it, sir.”“Better do, if not you and Goldilocks over there are fired. In fact, all of you.” The whole department looked at me in shock before averting their eyes. None of them wanted to be the focus of my attention.I swiveled around and stalked away, my admin Chris walking behind me. “Did you get the analysis done for the Wexler acquisition?” I asked.“No sir, I-”“Damn it, Chris. When did everyone become so lazy? What kind of business are we
ABIGEALTHIS PART was one of the hardest. Kat and Melanie had done most of the cleanup while Anna rested against a wall. I walked up to them and surveyed the space.“Is this everyone?” I asked.“Everyone who resisted. Under those cloaks, some of them were children, some barely old enough to drink. And one of them came at me with a knife.” Kat rubbed her eyes like doing so would erase the image.I looked at the bodies scattered around the floor. “Did you…?”“Of course not. Jesus, do I look like a monster?” Kat looked offended.I held up my hands, then let out a sigh. The plan was to wipe everyone out, but I couldn't do that with a clear conscience. The girl I'd seen was about Juan's age.Perhaps if they became problems a few years later, I could deal with them then. “Got the gasoline?” I asked.Melanie held up the two kegs. I took one and helped her spread it around while Kat supported Anna's weight and helped her outside. When we'd exhausted the kegs, we went out the back exit throug
ABIGEALI WAS stripped of my weapons and pushed into the main hall. The red cloaked people formed a circle with me, Anna, Morgan and his father in the middle. I refused to call him my father, as he'd never been one to me.I knelt beside Anna and took out a strip of clothing, using it to bind her leg. “How did this go so wrong?” I whispered.Her face was pale from the blood loss. “They were on me so fast, I didn't see them coming?” She groaned as I tightened the bind. “The others are safe though.”“Then we might still have a chance," I said lowly. A gunshot made me flinch.“Any more whispering and I'll put the poor girl out of her misery," Soliz said. I glanced back to glare at him. “Stop threatening her. I already gave you what you wanted. I surrendered.”I squeezed her arm lightly and rose. “What exactly do you want from me?” I asked him.“I want you to join us.”I shook my head. “Not happening. Next.”“You are a Soliz, whether you like it or not. I am not leaving my organization in
ABIGEALSOMETHING ABOUT the man standing in the doorway made me unsettled. Maybe it was the way the hooded people bowed out of the way reverently or the way Morgan's body language changed and he cast his eyes to the ground.Or maybe it was the pleasant smile on his face despite the situation.A thought niggled at the back of my head but I couldn't place it. I walked around until I was behind Morgan and held the knife to his throat. “Who are you?” I asked.His eyes slid to me. “Ah, Abigeal. It's always a pleasure.”The voice tickled my memory box. A sense of trepidation washed over me and I couldn't figure out why. “Have we met?”The man laughed easily. “You could say that. Although we met more recently, but I'm not surprised you don't remember.”It came to me suddenly. The only reason why I hadn't placed him immediately was because I'd only gotten a partial look at his face that day when Anna, Michael and I had bumped into Morgan at the restaurant.“I can see you remember. Now may I a
ABIGEALEVERYTHING WAS set in place by the time the sun started to set. The ammunition we needed was delivered to the apartment. I was prepping all my knives while keeping an eye on the time. I had to be back at Blaine's house for dinner with the family, otherwise he'd start to ask questions. I'd already had to lie that Anna had called me over to help her with her application. I slid the bags under my bed when I was done and checked in with Anna before I left.When I got home, Blaine was standing in the living room with a smile on his face watching Juan practice a presentation for school. I stood just behind him and watched. When Juan was done, Blaine applauded. “Good job, but you'll have to work on not stuttering as much. And you don't have to look anyone in the eye, glance above their heads.”Juan nodded. “We'll practice again?”“Sure, buddy, but you need to go wash up for dinner now. And make sure the others do the same.” He replied. Juan waved at me before leaving the room.Blaine
ABIGEALTHE NEXT morning, I went to see Anna. If I was going to take on a mission of this size, I was going to need help. And she was the only person I trusted enough to take my side on this, and not turn me away because of what I did.She opened the door before I knocked and looked surprised to see me. “Abigeal? Hey. I was just going to have a fight with the landlord. He has cut down the hot water supply and it ran out halfway through my shower. Thank God there weren't hot showers in the military so I'm not spoiled.” She raved, stepping out with me and closing the door.“Of course you can't relate. I bet the water runs hot twenty four hours a day in Blaine's Palace," she said without heat.I pretended to consider it. “I think it does, actually. It's one of those things you don't really notice, you know, because it's right there.”She glared at me but could only hold it for a couple of seconds before we started to laugh. “You know what, I can go fight him later. It's not like he's goi