Page 51 of Rogue Survivor
The look Reggie gives me is pure hatred. “She’s a fucking pain in the ass. I had to kill the bitch I was grooming because of her. Milton and Archer are practically useless now, and I need to find new cops to put on the payroll. Yourkidis going to cost me a goddamn fortune. So before I kill you, you’re going to tell me what evidence she has on me and where I can find it.”
He pulls out a switchblade, and the snap as it flies open makes me flinch. Waving it back and forth in a figure eight, he smiles as his cold, angry gaze bores into me. “Start talking.”
Chapter Twenty
Connor
“Asshole!”The single word takes all my focus. The moment I opened my eyes, I knew I was fucked. I can’t remember how I ended up here. We were in the parking garage, then nothing. But between the near-constant flashes and halos obscuring my vision, the migraine dialing every sensation up to a thousand, and barely being able to speak, I’m in deep shit.
Boswell spares me only the briefest of glances—I think—before advancing on Isabel.
“Hey. Shhhh-shit…head. I’m…talking…to you.” Curling my hands around the bars, I rattle them as hard as I can, and he finally takes notice.
“Shut him up,” Reggie snaps, and the other sombitch, Archer, ambles over and aims a swift kick to my gut. But I’m ready for it, and while it hurts like hell, it doesn’t takeme down.
“Baaaaad…move.”Think. Focus. You can do this.
Aphasia. The inability to form words. I know what I want to say—what I need to say—but the pathway between my brain and my mouth short-circuited, and there’s nothing that’ll fix it but time. When I woke up in the hospital months ago, struggling to communicate terrified me. And now, it’s back. Worse than ever.
“W-want t’know…where…?” There’s no fucking way I’ll be able to make him understand. Not before he loses his patience and starts hurting Mitzi. She’s expendable, and from the way she’s sobbing, she knows it.
His interest is piqued, though, and he stares down at me like he can’t quite figure me out. “You don’t know shit, Mr. F-B-I. The only reason you’re still alive is because sooner or later, that Texas Ranger in charge of huntin’ me down is gonna message you, and I might need your face to unlock your phone again. Usin’ your GPS to get from the apartment to the Lopez place yesterday was also damn convenient. Archer was workin’ an angle to get the address, but it hadn’t panned out yet.”
I canfeelIsabel staring at me, but I can’t look her in the eyes. Veronica’s here because of me. Billings and McGrath…they’re probably dead because of me.
He’s read my text messages, but he couldn’t have accessed the videos or anything I got from Zephyr. Those are all encrypted with a ten-digit passcode. I thought she was off her rocker for insisting on the additional security, but now…thank fuck she did.
Boswell mutters, “Useless,” under his breath and turns back to Isabel, waving that goddamn switchblade like a cape at a rodeo.
“Leave my mom alone!” Veronica cries. “She didn’t doanythingto you.Idid!”
Isabel screams as Boswell turns toward V. That kid might be the bravest seventeen-year-old on the planet. If she’s not giving up, I can’t either. “Vid. Of…you, asshole,” I grit out, and he freezes, the blade inches from Veronica’s cheek. “Want…it?”
Archer grabs me by the throat and slams me against the wall. One more blow to the head and I’m scared I’ll be fucked. Permanently.
Swallowing bile, I force myself to breathe until Boswell orders Archer to let me go. My legs won’t hold me, and I hit the ground.
“Vid? You mean video?” Reggie asks, crouching down close enough, not even the constant halos can hide the desperation in his eyes. “Where is it?”
Shit. I didn’t think this through. He’ll lose patience with me before I can explain, and I have no way of telling Isabel that we have to getsomeonefrom Boswell’s crew to go to her house. Zephyr’s monitoring her security system, and she can access the doorbell camera footage.
Unless…
“Tablet. Her room. Zee…” Cutting my gaze to Isabel, I pray she figures out what Z stands for.
“I can’t understand anything this brain-damaged idiot says,” Boswell mutters and turns to Isabel. “Explain or his head won’t be the only part of him bleeding.”
Tears race down her cheeks, and she shakes her head. “Veronica’s tablet. It’s…at the house. But the video—”
“Is on there.She…sent it.” I dig my fingers into my palms as hard as I can. With every passing minute, the words become a little easier, and if I can just keep talking, maybe we’ll have a chance. “Yesterday. I said it was safe. She could see…”
Understanding dawns in Isabel’s eyes. “The video’s on the tablet,” she says. “But I have to be the one to get it for you. My security system goes off sometimes. If the company calls and I don’t answer, they’ll send a patrol.”
“Archer won’t be there long enough for anyone to show up,” Reggie snaps. “You’re not going anywhere. None of you are.”
“You want them to know I’m missing?” Isabel cries as Reggie and the piece of shit detective head for the vault door. “They’ll call the Rangers. Then someone will go to the safehouse and find out Veronica’s gone.”
Reggie slams his hand against the bars. “Fuck!” He whirls around, drops to one knee, and presses the blade to Isabel’s throat. She doesn’t move. Doesn’t break eye contact with him. “Milton!” he shouts. “Get in here!”
