Stoking the Fire (Salus Security #1) - Teodora Kostova Page 0,88
smile is a cruel, ugly grimace that distorts her otherwise beautiful face. “Sit down, Mr. Van Dorf.” She emphasizes her words by pushing the gun further into Adri's temple.
He ignores her, turning to David. “How did you get a gun in here?”
“I have my ways.” I can hear the smirk in his voice.
“You’ve been working for me for, what? Seven years now? I trusted you more than anyone else in this company!” My father’s glare makes grown men cower, but David’s hold on me doesn’t falter. “How long have you been betraying me?”
“It’s a fairly recent development,” David answers nonchalantly.
“You son of a bitch!”
“Sit the fuck down!” David says, his composure slipped for a brief moment.
My father doesn’t flinch, but he does as he’s told. “How much is Calloway paying you?” He asks.
David’s body stiffens behind me. “It’s not about the money.”
“I’m sure it isn’t,” Dad scoffs before his face hardens. “What else did he offer you? A place on his team? A government position? What did you sell me for, David?”
“Shut up.” David’s voice is level but the menace behind his words makes anxiety rise up to my throat, chocking me. “Slowly, take out the USB out of your pocket and place it on the desk,” David instructs.
I meet Adri's eyes across the room. His hands are on Sharon’s forearm, desperately trying to loosen the hold. Adri’s eyes are blazing with fury, just like Alec’s. But, unlike Alec’s, there isn’t a sliver of fear in them.
I manage to shake my head at him. He raises his chin defiantly. Panicked, I see Alec’s gaze and find him watching me. By the look on his face, the brief exchange hasn’t gone past him.
My father takes out the USB from his pocket and slowly places it on the desk, all the while scowling at David, his expression a mix of annoyance, anger, and utter disbelief.
“Good.” David says with satisfaction.
God, I’ve never liked the guy, but right now, I want to kick his teeth in more than I want my next breath.
“Sharon,” he says, jerking his chin toward the flash drive.
Obediently, Sharon pushes Adri forward, approaching the desk and still holding the gun to his head. Her arm tightens around his neck just as her other arm extends toward the desk, the butt of the gun smashing the USB to pieces.
Adri glances at me, his gaze determined.
Seizing the opportunity, he moves faster than I’ve ever seen him move. He dislodges Sharon’s forearm enough to bend down, twist his body, and aim an elbow in her face. She grunts, letting go of him. She brings her arm back to point the gun at him, but faster than a coiled snake, he strikes her in the throat with an open palm and then grabs her gun-yielding arm, locking her elbow and making it impossible for her to move.
It’s then that chaos erupts. David yells, the gun pressing even harder into my temple. But he’s lost some of his cool, his body trembling against mine, his voice raw when he screams Sharon’s name.
“Zach, get down!”
I hear Alec’s command and, taking advantage of David’s distraction, I twist out of his hold, and duck down. A gunshot echoes around us, and David’s body slumps behind me a moment later. The door bursts open and the two bodyguards storm in, guns ready. One of them drags Sharon away from Adri, who’s managed to disarm her and is holding her in a lock that makes her face red as she tries not to scream; the other kneels next to David’s body, phone at his ear as he calls for help.
Still processing the whole scene, I’m frozen in place. And then Alec’s beside me, pulling me into his arms, the small gun from his ankle holster in hand. I see my father barking orders at the security team, phone out as he prepares to call for help, too. Only, my father’s idea of help may be slightly different than average. I can bet anything that he isn’t on the phone with emergency services right now.