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“I’m not a police officer or reporter. I don’t have the undercover angle. My integrity would be questioned for staying there. For not calling the cops. I told you that when you told me to stay and get information about him to report back.”
I let my voice raise just a hair as I finished. Nicholas slammed his hands down on either arm of the chair, his stoic expression gone now and replaced with rage. He never did like it when I questioned him.
“I’m not having this fucking discussion with you again. You’re keeping information from me. Now spill!”
Flinching back, my heart roared in my chest, my veins pumping with adrenaline. I was ready to bolt out of that chair, but Nicholas still hadn’t said enough.
“I don’t know anything! I swear! It wasn’t like he kept me as a guest. I was locked away in a room the entire time!”
Nicholas shoved at the chair, scooting me back an inch, and I yelped.
“No! I need that fucking information. Do you have any idea what’s going to happen if I don’t—”
He stopped himself, and I followed the thread, praying that he’d spill before he lost his cool and hit me.
“What?” I shook my head, letting the nervous tears well up. “Why do you need it so bad? Are you in trouble? I can call the police. I was going to after I got—”
“Don’t.” Nicholas swiped out and gripped the front of my blouse, squeezing it tight in his fist. “You’re not calling anyone.”
His voice was too quiet now, and the terror blossoming behind the layer of control I’d blanketed myself with swelled higher. He was getting much more physical than ever, and I swallowed hard. Fuck, did I push this too hard? Dammit.
“You came back empty-handed, Billie.” Nicholas sighed, shaking his head like he was just so over this. “This would be a lot cleaner if you’d just fucking died like you were supposed to.”
My eyes flared wide. As much as I knew this was what I’d been setting him up for, being face-to-face with a man that wanted to kill you was still fucking terrifying.
“Please, don’t. I’ll…I’ll leave. I won’t call anyone! I swear to God!”
“Oh, Billie. Begging? It’s so pathetic. I’m not—” His grip on my shirt shifted, pulling it forward and revealing just the tip of the mic placed between my breasts. “Oh, oh, oh. And what the fuck is this?”
I shoved back against him, trying to shuck Nicholas and run out of the office. He released my shirt only to reach inside for the wire. As I flung myself over the arm of the chair, the wire tore from my skin, making me holler as the tape yanked on my skin.
“You fucking,” Nicholas squeezed the battery pack in his fist, crushing it, “bitch!”
I scrambled across the short, tightly woven carpet of his office, hurrying toward the open door. I didn’t look back, but the roar of Nicholas’s threats echoed through the hall.
“You’re fucking dead, Billie! Dead!”
Running for my damn life, I sprinted down the hallways, looking for an open office or somewhere to hide from Nicholas while I waited for Pietor. Because Pietor had to be on his way. He just…had to be.
Pietor. Please, baby. Hurry.
Chapter 26 - Pietor
I was up and out of the SUV in a flash when I heard the line go dead. Nicholas had been getting increasingly unhinged as Billie’s little interrogation went on, and it didn’t surprise me at all that he’d finally snapped. Still, the conversation had been recorded, Billie did her job, and now it was time to get her the fuck out of there.
“Hang on. I’m coming.”
I ran from where I’d hidden the car to the office building. The front door was locked again, and I really didn’t want to wait to pick the damned thing, but I also couldn’t draw attention to my arrival. Sneaking up on Nicholas was going to be the best way to get Billie and me out of there unscathed.
Kneeling down in front of the door, I looked around to be sure no one was watching before I took out my tools and got to work on the lock. It didn’t take long to get it moving, and I slipped inside as silently as I could.
Inside, the building was low-lit and eerily quiet. I’d just heard Nicholas screaming through the wire before it went dead, and now there was just nothing. It made sense. No doubt Billie had gotten away, and now we were all sneaking around in this empty office, trying to be sure we didn’t alert the other party of our presence.
I needed to find Billie before Nicholas did and before that fucker noticed I was there, too. Creeping around in the dark, I stuck to a circular pattern, starting from the left and checking the rooms and hallways down that side for any sign of her. The fucking building was a maze, and I was forced to zigzag down tiny hallways and through an open area with cubicles looking for Billie.
As I slipped by a dead-end hall to the far west of the building, I noticed a cracked door at the end. I needed to check it out, but there was no cover from the cubicle walls there. I looked around the corner for any sign of Nicholas, keeping my steps quiet.
Sure that the coast was clear, I hurried down to the open door and peeked inside.
