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"Jessica!" roars Tex.
"I'm fine! I'm fine!" I yell back. If they get hurt because I distract them, I'll never forgive myself. It feels like my fault that we're stuck here to begin with.
Someone screams, but it doesn't sound like anyone I know.
I look around the reception area. It’s probably only the second or third time I’ve been here ever. Most of my time was spent with Anne, either in her rooms or in the recreational areas. I never questioned why, but if he had Mom locked away in his research area, maybe he wanted to make sure we never crossed paths.
I wonder if she ever saw me on the cameras over the years. If she watched me grow up from a distance.
There’s not much to hide behind, other than the receptionist's desk and a couple of deep leather chairs for clients to wait in, after they've come up the fancy spiral stair from the front of the office wing. I doubt they’re bulletproof. But maybe I can makemyself useful. Victor's office is right down the hall. If he has anything that gives access to the lab, it'd be in there. He had me bring him things a couple of times, and at least then, my code worked on his office door.
Worth a shot. The worst that happens is the alarm keeps going off.
So while there's a full war out in front of the lab, I inch down the hall towards Victor's office. I try peeking in through the big windows first, but they're so darkly tinted I can't tell. They're electronic, so he can change the tint when he wants to, but they're set to max darkness now. That's normal when he's not in there, but it means I can't tell if the office is empty. Then again, with all the shooting and yelling going on, I can't imagine Victor just sitting in there without doing anything.
I try using my finger on the door lock, followed by my code.
The door clicks, unlocking.
Yes! Feeling way too pleased with myself, I nudge it open. The lights are off, and with the tint all the way up, the room is almost pitch black. Where's the light switch? I close the door behind me first, and it clicks as the lock engages again.
Fumbling along the door frame, I find a switch and flip it. I'm rewarded with bright light flooding the large room. Victor's massive oak desk dominates one side of the room, the back of his tall leather office chair facing me. The floor's polished wood and partially covered by a thick, tightly woven Persian rug. There are stands with sculptures on them, along with three very comfortable-looking chairs. On the wall opposite the desk, there's a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, packed with old-looking books. I have never seen Victor read anything, so I have no ideaif he has or not, but this room is built to impress, so I bet they’re mainly decoration. A couple of doors in the wall across from me are closed. I've never been beyond this room so I have no idea what’s in there. On the wall behind the desk hangs a saber and a tomahawk crossed over a shield, like he’s some kind of warrior or great hunter. I roll my eyes.
But this is the center of his operations when he's at the estate. So maybe there's something in his desk we can use.
And that's when the chair spins, revealing Victor, dressed in his usual designer suit. "Jessica. You've come home." He's got a gun in one hand and a cigar in the other. "This is just perfect. You came straight to me."
No, no, no. Was he waiting for us this whole time? I need to get out of here. I grab the door handle and shake it, but while it rattles, it doesn't budge.
"It's locked, Jessica. Steel door, bulletproof glass. I was watching you on my screen. You didn’t really think I would’ve let you have access to my private office, did you? Even if your bikers somehow survive out there, they'll never get through." He eases back in his chair, putting the gun on his desk and taking a drag from the cigar. "We have a little catching up to do, don't we?"
I give the door another panicked rattle, hoping that by some magic it's suddenly going to open, but it's useless. “Do we?”
I had hoped that if I ever ran into Victor again, it'd be to see him pushed off a cliff or something. But now he's got me trapped again, and all of this feels like it was just a trap.
Was it really him playing us all along? Was it a computer faking Mom’s voice?
"I'm glad you came back. I was worried I might have to find other ways to convince Rebecca to keep working. I can guarantee you that they wouldn't be nearly as pleasant." Victor lights the cigar and puffs a couple of times to get it started. "This is going to make it all much easier now that you know. I can get her off my network again."
I must react, since he laughs.
"What? You think I didn't know? Your mother is a royal pain in my ass, and she's good at what she does—damn good—but she couldn’t resist contacting you a bit too much once she got started. She knew it was a risk, but she did it anyway." He shakes his head. "I’ll never understand people who get dragged down by their family. No. She's watching now, though. I made sure she has access to watch this office. To see that I've got you again. That she's never fucking getting away from me. Wave to your mommy, Jessica." He glances up at the security camera over his desk, then yells, "Got that, Rebecca? Never."
Is there something I can do? The gun's on his desk, but can I use it? I don't have any problem with shooting him, but I've never held a gun in my life. I'm as likely to hurt myself as him. On the other hand, what other chance do I have? I’ll take a failed attempt over not even trying.
"Don't even think about it," Victor says with a chuckle as he follows my eyes. "You couldn't even lift this thing, never mind shoot me with it." Then he comes around his desk towards me, his eyes dark with evil. "You've cost me a lot of time and money, Jessica. I'm not happy about it. I used to go easy on you. Every few days I'd pass an image to Rebecca to show her that you were alright. But that all changed, didn’t it? She knows about you. You know about her. So inconvenient, but it does simplify life a bit. As long as I don't fucking kill you, Rebecca's going todo everything I tell her to. But I think it's important that she understands exactly what I'm willing to do." As he comes closer, he peels off his fancy suit jacket, straightens it, then tosses it over one of the chairs before he removes his diamond cufflinks and rolls up the sleeves to right below his elbows. "I've been looking forward to this, you little bitch."
"Leave me alone!" I back up away from him, right up until I bump up against the bookcase.
"Oh, come on, Jessica. Enough trouble." He smirks cruelly. "Besides, weren't we right in the middle of something when they came and stole you away from me?" He makes a fist with his right hand and swings.
36
RIOT
"Jessica!"I yell. There's been no sign of her during the fight. I know I told her to run back and hide, but she wasn’t supposed to fucking wander off. Now I'm getting worried. "Jessica, this isn’t funny. Get your pretty ass out here!"
Not that I'm not a little busy. I grunt as a huge fucking guard slams me into the wall, then kick off and propel myself right back into him. Throwing my arms out, I go low and grapple him around the waist. When I straighten, I lift him right off the ground and I run him right into the wall opposite. He grunts, and something in his torso cracks. About fucking time.
