The Man I Thought I Trusted - E. L. Todd Page 0,80
pulling a location from the software we created for the phones. In the past, the government had asked us to pull information from criminal’s phones that could put them in jail for the rest of their lives, but we refused to cooperate because that violated our own code of ethics.
I didn’t give a damn about ethics right now.
All I cared about was the woman I loved.
28
Carson
When I opened my eyes, I was in a warehouse.
The windows were frosted from grime, not the cold. Big chains hung from the ceiling, like this place used to be a slaughterhouse. Everything was either metal or concrete. I couldn’t recall how I got here, how I ended up in this chair, my legs and arms bound with duct tape.
They must have drugged me.
Once I was of sound mind, I started to twist to rip the tape.
No use.
Voices sounded from behind me. “Boss, she’s awake.”
Simon Prescott’s voice came a moment later. “Oh good. Let’s get this show on the road.”
I tried to fight again and again, but all I did was rock my chair until it tipped over, and I landed hard against the concrete.
“Careful.” Simon Prescott grabbed my chair and tipped it back until I was upright once more. Then he moved in front of me, wearing his tailored suit. His hands slid into his pockets as he looked at me, a slight smile on his lips.
It was my time.
My nine lives had run out.
No amount of back talk would get me out of this one.
My body would be dumped into the bay, or I’d be stuffed in an oil drum. No one would find my body.
Dax would never know what happened to me.
The thought of him hurt the most.
One of Simon’s cronies brought him a chair and set it down in front of me.
Simon took a seat without even glancing at it. He leaned back, put his hands together in his lap, and crossed his legs. “I warned you.”
“Let me go, and I’ll drop it.” It was a demeaning thing to say because I would die for my career, but I thought about Dax and how heartbroken he would be that his worst nightmare had come true.
He cocked an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“No. I mean, really, you’re going to say that now?” He raised his hands and gestured to the warehouse where we sat, where the outside world was silenced. “Honey, there’s no going back now. We both know that. But I can give you something else. Give me your sources, and I’ll make it quick. A bullet to the back of the head. You won’t even know when it’s coming.”
I heard one of his men step up behind me, like he had the gun pointed at the back of my head that very moment.
The panic dissipated when I knew there was no way out. I knew the risks when I took this job, made jokes about it like it wasn’t a big deal. I had to accept my fate, and I had to do it with some dignity. That was how I wanted to spend my last few minutes on this earth. “You know I can’t do that.”
He pointed above him. “You see those chains?”
I didn’t look.
“I’ll hang you up by the ankle, and one of my boys will torture you until you spit everything out. We’ve done it many times, and trust me, that’s not how you want to go…with your fingernails ripped out, your eyelids carved off your face, until you’re so disfigured that you don’t even look like you anymore.” His fingers interlocked on his lap as he stared at me, cocking his head slightly. “Tell me every source and every witness you’ve gathered. I’m going to figure it out anyway, it’ll just take me longer.”
“Liar.” I was the key to the information. I left all my paperwork at the office so no one could break in to my apartment and steal it. If I kept the names a secret, they would live…and I was going to die anyway. “My fate is the same, regardless how it’s delivered. So do what you have to do. Maybe others have talked, but I promise you, I won’t. I never give up my sources. Not now. Not ever. And not for you.”
Simon stared at me for a few seconds before he released a gentle breath. “What a shame. Such a pretty face.” He lifted his gaze behind me and gave a slight nod to one of his men.