maneuver her down the stairs. She shoved open the heavy metal door at the bottom and stepped into a long hallway. The basement of the building. “To the end.”
“Why am I here? What do you want with me?”
“I don’t want anything to do with you. My part ends here.” She stopped in front of the first door on the left. “Open it.”
Sarah twisted the knob and threw it open.
The plush office inside was a direct contrast to the stark exterior. A man sat in a leather chair behind the oversized executive desk, his back facing her. He paused. Drew in a deep breath and turned. “Hello, Sarah.”
Sarah blinked. She should know this man. He looked so familiar. Why couldn’t she place him? “Who are you?”
He raised a brow. “Marshall McClain.”
Everything rushed in. Her father’s friend from college. The fraternity brother who owned a private pharmaceutical company. “It’s your drug that’s killing people.”
“I need to get back to the hospital,” Donna said from behind her.
“We’re almost done here.”
“What about Richard?”
“I’ve taken care of him. Just get back to doing what you do best and then leave the rest to me.”
“They’re closing in, Marshall. We need to shut this down and get out of the country before everything blows up in our faces.”
The man’s eyes hardened. “You have no clue what you’re suggesting. As soon as Sarah signs a few papers, all will be fine once again.” He opened the top drawer of his desk and set a small stack on the flat surface in front of him.
Sarah frowned. “Sign what papers?”
“The ones your father has already signed. I promised him that I’d let you live as long as he signed them.”
“Wow, that was almost convincing. You’re a really good liar.”
He leaped to his feet, fists clenched at his sides. “Listen to me, little girl, I didn’t grow up with every privilege handed to me. I worked hard and clawed my way to the top. I will not let a few million dollars keep me from finally achieving what I’ve slaved and sacrificed everything for!”
Sarah swallowed.
Donna cleared her throat and pushed Sarah farther into the room, then handed Marshall the gun. “I’ll be back to help wrap things up. Just let me know what else you need me to do.”
“Thank you, Donna.” He held the gun on Sarah. “You’ve done a good job today.”
“I’m sure that gratitude will be reflected in my bank account by tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
She turned on her heel and slipped out the door without a backward glance.
Sarah turned her attention back to McClain. “I’m not signing any papers.”
“Then your father and Black will die. It’s really that simple. Because the only reason they’re still alive is so I can use them as incentive to get you to sign.”
“Which means as soon as I sign, we’re all dead anyway.” She paused. “And I thought those signatures had to be witnessed by a lawyer.”
“They do.”
She drew in a breath. “I see. You have one of those on your payroll as well.”
“Of course.” He almost looked amused. “You have no idea how big this operation is.” He studied her a few minutes. “I’ll give you an hour to think about it.”
“I don’t need to think about it. If I’m dying anyway, you’re not getting the payoff that comes with it.” However, the longer she dragged this out, the longer she had to think of a way to escape and find the men.
His jaw tightened and he opened a side drawer. “Dr. Kilgore was nice enough to make up this solution for me.” He withdrew a bottle with a spray top. “It’s very effective.”
Her gut churned and the fear she’d been holding at a controllable level just notched up into a new area. “And?”
“And if you don’t cooperate—”
A chime sounded and he glanced at his laptop. His eyes went wide and a string of curses slipped from him. He darted to her, pulling the trigger on the spray bottle. Sarah had no time to duck, just turn her face at the last second. The liquid hit her in the cheek. She gasped, then realized that was the worst thing she could have done. Dizziness hit her and her legs gave out. Hands from behind caught her and lowered her to the floor.
“We don’t have long, Marshall.” Donna had come back. “The pilot’s waiting.”
Sarah tried to break loose from the hard grip that held her, but she was so weak and the darkness was demanding.
“I can’t leave without her,” he said. “And I need