BooksBarbecue
Back The Asset Save as PDF
Chapters (86)
  1. Foreword
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

“But I know her, sir. I know how she operates. I know how she thinks.”

“If you knew her so well, she never would have slipped through our fingers?”

“Sir, Timokhin ran that hit.”

“Careful what you say about Timokhin, Igor.”

“Give me this one chance, sir. You want her back. I know you do. We can’t let her get away with this betrayal.”

“I don’t even trust you to bring her in.”

“Of course I’ll bring her in.”

“Why should I believe that?”

“Because she’s a traitor, sir,” Igor said. “And look what I do to those who betray me. Look what I did to my darling Agniya. I’ll cut this slut’s throat out, and I’ll rip her heart out through the slit.”

56

Laurel was strung up like a slaughtered steer. The rope had rubbed the flesh raw on her wrists and she could feel the blood dripping down her arms. Her bullet wound had been cleaned and bandaged but it burned in agony.

She was in a pitch black room, cold, and the pain in her arms had gone from extreme, to absolutely unbearable, to completely and utterly numb.

She had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been days, it could have been hours. She fell in and out of consciousness.

When the lights finally came on, and she saw an enormous bear of a man entering the room, it was almost a relief.

“Laurel Everlane,” the man said.

Laurel was blinded by the floodlights, which were pointed right at her.

“Tell me about your friend, Levi Roth,” the man said.

He wasn’t the man she’d seen at the airport hangar. This man was some sort of giant, a freak of nature, and in his hand was a long, thin blade. The steel glinted in the light, and reminded her of the knives used to scale fish.

He pressed a yellow button and a crank began to turn, slowly lowering the rope that held her until her feet brushed the ground. As well as the yellow button, Laurel saw there was also a green one, and a red one.

She was too weak to hold herself up and as the crank continued to lower her, she slowly crumpled into a pile. It was only then she realized she was naked.

The room had the feel of a cellar. No light got in from outside. The floor was wet. Water was dripping somewhere. The ceiling was about twenty feet above her with a small ventilation shaft above a crossbeam.

Apart from the rope, and the machine that held it, and the lights, the room was empty.

The man pushed the green button and the rope grew taut again, gradually pulling her up, pulling her arms, then forcing her to her knees, then her feet, and finally lifting her back off the ground toward the beam.