Theodore (Xavier's Hatchlings #2) - Kathi S. Barton Page 0,59
anywhere with you idiots until this thing with the supreme chump up there has been taken care of. I think you all have come from the same gene pool. I want the fuck out of here now.”
They leapt at her. Perhaps that wasn’t right, but they did all converge on her at once. Even as she fought to get away from them, her chain kept tangling her up, and she was falling down with each movement to stand up. Finally, all movement stopped, and Sandra had one of the cops wrapped around the neck with her chains.
“You need to let him go.” She moved to tighten the grip she had on the cop’s neck. “Ms. Merkel, I’m going to shoot you if you don’t allow him to be released. You’re forcing my hand in this.”
“I’m forcing your hand? What about my hand? You jumped me, not the other way around. Undo this monstrosity of chains from my hands and ankles, and I’ll let him go.” She wasn’t stupid enough to think they were going to just let her get up and leave, but she was in charge this time, and she loved every second of it. “I don’t want to have to hurt him anymore, but you’re going to do what I say, or he’ll die, and it’ll be your fault. I want to get out of here to make sure my business isn’t failing. That’s all I want.”
“All you’re going to get is a longer prison term if you kill that man. And if you do, you can be assured that I’m going to kill you.” She asked him if he was threatening her. That the judge got all nasty when she did it. “I’m not threatening you. I’m telling you what is going to happen. We don’t take kindly to having our officers killed. We’ve had enough of that for several lifetimes if you ask me.”
She moved. It was only to release the pressure on her leg, but the loud snap had her thinking she’d broken something. It didn’t feel painful, but all the same, she had them just where she wanted them. Then she was falling down a deep dark hole.
There were a woman and a man sitting on a couch when she opened her eyes, talking to someone, a person she didn’t see. In fact, she didn’t know where she was or how she’d gotten there. As she looked around, she realized the woman was ignoring her, sitting next to a man that looked at her with a sickly smile. Who were they, these people? What was her own name, for that matter? Turning back to the couple, she realized they were now staring at her.
“Where am I?” The man, a person she didn’t know, but on some level knew he was in charge, smiled at her. He asked her the last thing she remembered. “What the hell sort of question is that? If I knew that, I’d have an idea where I am. Christ, is everyone stupid except for me?”
“I know the answer to that as well, but I’m not going to tell you until you start to cooperate. I will tell you that I’m so very happy to see you here at this time. It does my heart good to know that something happened.” He was talking in riddles, and she asked him to tell her who he was. “You know me. You know my wife as well. That was put into your memory the moment you opened your eyes.
“Xavier. Your name is Xavier. Her name is Cindi.” She hadn’t any idea why their names were there when she didn’t even remember her own name. “How did I get here?”
“You came here because it was here that you were meant to be. It’s all in the rules that are now in your memory. What’s your name? Do you remember that?” She shook her head, then remembered something. She asked him that. “Yes. You’re Merkle, but that’s not your first name. What is it?”
“Sandra. My name is Sandra Merkle.” She thought about the chains she was remembering and looked down at her wrists and legs. “They finally got their shit together, it looks like. I’m finally fucking free.”
“Sort of.” Cindi stood up and asked the man if he wanted anything to munch on before supper. That couldn’t be right. She’d been in the courthouse early in the day. “It’s the tenth of August. It’s been several days since you were in the courthouse.”