Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
He crossed his arms again, taking a break to assess her reactions and temperament, but he was met with a blank face. She did nothing. Said nothing. So far, things were definitely going as he expected.
“Now, all the other shit after that doesn’t even matter, now does it? So let’s skip the rest of your fucking Discovery Channel biography and fast forward to right here and now.” He kneeled before her and pressed his hands firmly against the sides of her face, forcing her to look at him up close and personal. Their gazes seared one another’s souls. In her, he saw an unholy darkness. In her, he saw no fear. He could smell fear, yes. He could feel it like electricity flowing in the air. But he couldn’t see it. With her, it was dark and dead. Something about that turned him on, too.
“I had every right to kill you once I got into your hotel room. I did contemplate it, but I knew I needed some information from you first, so I resisted temptation. Just like you said. You can thank me later. Now, question number one: Who sent you?”
“Nobody.”
“Nobody told you to come and spy on me? Collect intelligence? Proof?”
“The truth you won’t believe—but the truth can’t be changed, and that’s all I can offer.” He let go of her face and stood to his feet, staring down at her. “I was there on my own… came from Crestone, sightseeing after a day’s work.”
It sounded absurd. An unbelievable lie, and yet she spoke as if it were all true. There was no hesitation in her voice. She’d made direct eye contact with him for an extended time while speaking, and she wasn’t the least bit edgy upon delivering the information.
“You’re not in Colorado sightseeing. You’re here for work. You just admitted that.”
“Work for the paper I’m employed with, which does not regard you. I don’t know you. I don’t give a fuck about you.”
“Well, obviously you do, you lyin’ wily wildebeest, or you wouldn’t have all of that shit on your computer about me, now would you? You think you can bring your ass here from California and slip and slide around? You think I won’t destroy you, even if I want information? You piss me off enough, it won’t matter, and afterwards, I’ll sleep just fine.”
“I believe you’re a killer. I believe that I walked in on somethin’ I wasn’t supposed to. All of that withstanding, I am telling you the truth! I don’t know who you are—well, I didn’t until I looked you up. You can even see on my computer, the dates and times, that this was recent… Why would I Google someone I already knew about if somebody had sent me to get intel on you?”
“To learn more.” She hung her head. He leaned against the wall. “So, if I were to believe you, that this was totally innocent, then what I am to gather is that you just happened to stumble upon my warehouse while sightseein’—a well-seasoned journalist such as yourself, known to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong, and you just happened to go back to your hotel and decide that the photos you’d taken of my warehouse with all of that contraband weren’t that important, right? You were just going to let sleeping dogs lie? You expect me to believe that bullshit?!”
“It was innocent! No journalist in their right mind would go there without backup! We would never have shown up without a crew, or make sure others knew where we were. Or even having people hanging close by to see if we were okay, every hour on the hour! I HAD NO IDEA YOU WERE A SMUGGLER UNTIL I LOOKED AT MY PICTURES! I haven’t sent those photos to anyone or talked about it, so really you can just let me go!”
This was the first time she showed true distress. Her voice trembled, her eyes wandered to his gun, then back to his face. They sheened over. Pleading.
“You’re not going anywhere…”
“I check in every day though… So eventually, someone will be looking for me, Mr. Wilde. If I don’t report in a few hours, they’ll be worried. I have daily assignments, and if I don’t get them done and submit the work, my boss will know something is wrong because for the entire time I’ve worked for my paper, I have never missed a deadline or assignment. No matter how big or small. Cut me loose and let’s just forget about this.”
He burst out laughing and shook his head.
“You’re hilarious. You’re not going any damn where…” She glared at him, then twisted and jerked her wrists to free herself from the ropes. “I have admirers, and I have enemies. A few friends. I believe one of my enemies—and I have a specific one in mind—put a bug in your ear and is trying to kill my business. To get my ass locked up for life.”