Chapter 29
Zoe was finishing lacing her boots and closing Archer’s computer in his office when she heard a muffled groan from the bedroom. Making sure she had her cell phone in her pocket, and a few other items, including the rest of the sedative, she was ready to go. And as she expected, the groans turned into enraged roars.
When she entered the bedroom, the man she loved was as she left him; solidly duct-taped to one of the kitchen chairs. Naked, but that wasn’t her initial intention, so she had draped the bed sheet over his lap. Just moving his unconscious form from the bed to the chair without hurting him was a feat, and she soon decided not to try and dress him.
What stunned her the most was the amount of blood around him, spilled on the cream carpet at his feet in a glistening pool. The red still trickled from his body to the floor. Zoe supposed that this amount of fake blood made of ketchup and colored corn syrup would take quite some time to dry, and almost felt sorry for the cleaning crew.
Mouth taped, Archer was pulling at his bounds, twisting with all his might, but she knew it would take a bit more time to set himself free. His eyes were volatile, full of fury and hurt when they looked at her. Time was running out and there was a lot for her to say before leaving.
Swallowing hard, Zoe came as close as possible and kneeled on a clean patch of carpet before him.
“I’m sorry for all of this. Believe it or not, this was necessary. I can’t explain everything in detail, but I’ll leave enough breadcrumbs, so you and Beatrice can connect the dots.”
Archer shook his head violently probably demanding that she free him or remove his gag.
“I can’t free you now. You can’t interfere with what I have to do. And if I hear your voice... I may start lacking courage.”
His eyes lowered to his bloody body. “Don’t worry, you’re not hurt. As you probably can smell, it’s the best I could do to fake blood on such short notice. It’s a good thing you have a well-stocked pantry.”
He was breathing hard, nostrils flaring, his body so tense, Zoe was glad to have used extra tape.
“Listen well. I need to leave before sunrise. What I’m going to do is a gamble. And the only solution I’ve found to keep you and Lucas safe. Ellen, she’s the mole we were searching for. She’s working with Finch. She told me she’s his sister. I don’t know if it’s true or not. When we were in the restroom at the Planetarium, that’s when she said that Finch wouldn’t contact me using my phone as he was aware I was being tracked. She was the messenger. She told me that my last assignment was... to kill you. And bring him the proof before sunrise. And to help me out, they gave me a sedative to inject you. I only used half of it though. I was too scared of harming you. I hoped that all those threats would end up being nothing and Beatrice would call and say that she had neutralized the threat against Lucas. Last night, after we made love, I checked my phone and Beatrice had sent me a text, saying that she was still searching. You will never agree with me, but I knew I had to make a decision. I’m good at puzzles, you know that now. Let’s hope I’ll’ be good enough to fool Finch, although by my calculations the survival rate is quite low. My aim is to stall him until Beatrice has neutralized the man after Lucas.”
At her words, Archer yelled at her. Hanging on to her resolve, she continued.
“Cynthia was killed by Ellen, or more probably by men hired by her and Finch, but she was the one who attempted to crack your servers. Not to plant a virus, but to upload false data. Once you get free, that should be your first order of business. I suspect if they’re done, their next call will be to the FBI and that would be bad news for Blackwood Corporation.”
His eyes swirled with fury and Zoe was tempted to look away.
“Sorry about the mess, but I thought that giving pictures of your murder to Finch would help me gain more time. A messy deal, but the sedative knocked you out pretty bad, allowing me to prep you. With the bad lighting and shaking hands, he should believe me for a little while at least. That should allow more time for Beatrice to uncover Lucas’s menace and for you to plug the holes and correct the errors on the servers. Oh, another thing. I’m gonna steal your car. I found the keys, and I need a fast ride. I’m sure the police will give it back to you once it’s all over.”
Archer was eerily still now, looking at her with despair in his eyes.
“Last point of order. On your desk in your office, I’ve left papers. You’ll find a letter describing everything I’ve done, how I did it and taking the blame for everything. I signed it, just to make sure you and Blackwood Corp come out as innocent. Use it.”
Archer groaned, but she didn’t stop talking as what she had left to say would tear her apart. “I left my will with it. I don’t possess much, but I’m leaving everything to my brother. I’ve also signed every possible form I could find giving full custody of Lucas to Beatrice.”
Now he was screaming at her from behind the bounds, the chair shaking as he was trying with all his might to get free.
“I’m so sorry for all I’ve done to you. None of it is your fault. It’s all on me. You are an amazing man, don’t forget that and live. Don’t shut yourself off again. Be happy. That’s all I wish for you.”
His muffled shouts would haunt her to the end. Slowly, she leaned forward and kissed his forehead one last time, rubbing her cheek against his hair. “I love you, Archer. Be happy, my love, and forgive me.”
And without another glance, Zoe almost ran out of the room. Everything in her crumbled, but she had to keep it together. Reaching the front door, she swung it open to see Lance’s surprised face with his fist raised about to knock. Zoe only reacted and leaped into his arms, as if fleeing from something. And with the tears on her face, it was easy to be convincing. Naturally, Lance opened his arm, as if to catch her. Hidden from view, she grabbed the case and quickly opened it before inserting the syringe in his thigh and depressing the plunger.
Jolting, Lance pushed her away, looking at his leg before turning to her. The expression of surprise and incredulity tore at her. In a matter of seconds, the sedative took effect and she saw the big man sway as he took a few steps in her direction. He looked like a falling tower, and Zoe couldn’t let him hit the floor face first. As he stumbled inside, Zoe did her best to catch him, but even if she was not a slender girl, she barely broke his fall and instead was knocked down on the floor under a massive and unmovable blanket of muscles.
Zoe couldn’t even breathe and had to put all her strength into rolling him over. Heaving hard, her head spun from the effort. Taking a spare dishcloth, she used it to cushion his head with it. At least he would be comfortable. Archer was dangerously silent back in his room, and she forced herself to move.
Taking the elevator to the private garage, Zoe looked around and saw a couple of luxury cars, and in the corner, Archer’s Harley. With the car key in her hand, she pressed the unlocking button and was rewarded with flashing lights. An Aston Martin Vanquish S. Not surprising she knew the model as Lucas loved foreign cars with a passion since he’d seen a James Bond movie. Gleaming black, the ride looked dangerous and powerful, like its owner. Zoe opened the car and hope she would get the hang of it quickly, and not hit any innocent bystanders in the process.
The controls were slick and to the point, especially the ‘Start’ button which reassured her. The engine roared and the dashboard blinked like a Christmas tree. Used to driving trucks and jeeps, it took a more delicate hand to steer it out of the parking space, and the gear shift was very sensitive. As she circled around, reaching the exit, she arrived in front of a closed garage door. Did she have to get out of the car to open it? Pushing her panic down, she looked around and saw a panel about a foot away. Inching forward, she fumbled over the controls before finally opening the window. The panel didn’t have buttons, or hole for a key. Checking Archer’s key ring, she saw a black round chip and slid it over the panel. A green light blinked, and the garage door immediately opened. Zoe sighed, relieved.
It was still night, but the sky was slowly lighting up as she turned onto the street. The GPS was programmed, even if she mostly remembered where she had to go. Leaving the business district, taking out her phone, she sent the pre-recorded messages prepared for Beatrice and Gabrielle. That way, she would send a team to Archer’s apartment to take care of him and Lance.
As she rounded the corner, Zoe hit the gas, making the car leap into the deserted streets. And as a final bow to her old life, she opened the window and threw away her phone.
