BooksBarbecue
Back The Asset
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

Her fingers found them but Timokhin’s bearlike bulk pressed up against her, crushing her against the wall. He heaved himself at her, thrusting forward and grabbing her by the throat with two massive hands.

As his grip tightened like a vise on her neck, she struggled wildly. She couldn’t breathe. She tried to break free but he was too powerful. She tried to claw at his eyes behind her but couldn’t reach.

He pushed her forward, knocking her head against the wall, and began shaking her. Her hands searched desperately for the buttons. Her fingers were so ravaged she barely knew what she was feeling. Her head hit the wall over and over and then by some miracle, her fingers found the buttons.

The green button was the first of the three and she pressed it. Immediately, the rope began to retract.

Timokhin’s massive hands continued to crush Laurel’s neck but she kept her finger on the button and the rope continued to retract. When it got taut, it began to pull Timokhin away from her and it was only then that he realized what was happening.

He reached for his neck and tried to untie the rope but it was too late.

Laurel broke free of his grip and kept her finger on the button. The rope continued to retract. Timokhin was forced to walk backwards. He almost tripped but managed to stay on his feet. It only bought him an extra few seconds before the rope began to pull him off his feet. He struggled wildly, kicking and grasping at his throat while the rope slowly heaved his massive bulk from the ground.

Laurel let go of the button to turn on the second set of lights.

Timokhin’s eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw her. She looked at him for a moment, his toes still reaching the ground and preventing the full weight of his body from crushing his neck, then jammed her finger on the button.

She was going to let him hang, but just as his toes were leaving the ground, the crank pulling the rope jammed.

He was too heavy for it.

He clawed at his throat as his feet kicked wildly, struggling to find the floor and keep as much weight as possible from his neck.

She looked at him as he struggled like a fish on the end of a hook. His face purple, his eyes popping, his fingers digging so deep into his throat they were drawing blood. He was in for a very slow strangulation. It was a cruel fate. It would have been kinder if the crank had lifted him into the air.

Laurel knew if anyone deserved an agonizing death like that, it was Timokhin. But she also knew that if she inflicted it, if she watched it, if she took pleasure in it, she would be one step closer to becoming him.