Chapter Twenty Nine
Alice woke up in the back of a car and tried to scream. With a pain in her chest, she clamped down on the impulse. The whimper she made was muffled anyhow.
Something was tied across her mouth. Adrenaline spiked through her. There had to be a way out. Despite the dizziness, she lifted her feet and realized they were free. Her shoulders were so tight that the pain brought tears to her eyes, but she squirmed anyway. She tried to wiggle her arms, but cold metallic handcuffs kept her locked in place.
The noise to her left sounded like she was in a fast moving car. With her head down, she decided to slowly open her eyes. Leather seats stuck to her skin.
This was a small sedan with a window, probably shatterproof glass, that blocked her from the front seat.
"You're awake."
The male voice of the man in the foyer. He must have been sitting and watching her. Her mind raced. She knew his name. The words escaped her until she remembered the words ‘Agent Smith.’ That was it. She hadn't known he was the agent of death. "Aren't you one of the good guys who work for the FBI?"
"The lines got blurred the day we let people like your boyfriend in."
The best weapon she had right now was to humanize herself and keep talking. The car rumbled. "Why? He sought justice."
The rapid turn of the wheel sent the car in a spin. Black spots formed in her eyes. Then the car came to a complete stop. In a reflex her head hit the glass, and she saw stars.
Smith threw open her door and grabbed her hair. She was dizzy, but the place looked familiar. As they walked to an elevator in the parking lot, her heart raced but she recognized where she was. This was her new condo building.
He pressed the button to the top floor as he dragged her along. The building had just been finished yesterday. It was brand new. Her mind swirled with information as her stomach tightened.
She breathed in, but every inhale was pained. She licked her dry lips and tried to speak. At first no words came out, but finally she had the courage to continue and said, "Please let me go."
"Your boyfriend deserves to be punished."
Tears formed in her eyes as the elevator climbed. She backed into the wall as he let her go for the moment and crossed his arms. "Revenge isn't justice. Rich boys like him don't know anything about how the real world works."
If the doors opened, she'd run down the hall to the stairs and make it to the first floor. She held her head up. "So you're punishing him for crossing the lines?"
"I intend to make Morgan pay."
The beep of the floor echoed inside her and Smith's grimy hands grabbed her by the neck as she flinched. "What did he do to you?"
"He breathes and thought he was my equal."
Smith dragged her down the hall, close to the stairwell. The penthouse apartment was three feet at most to salvation. "So you hate him enough to destroy your career?"
"Yes."
A chill went down her as her chin trembled. "Why would that take over your life?"
"You ask too many questions."
Her limbs shook, but she had to keep it together. "I grew up on a farm where everything we do is grounded and made in an effort to grow the right fruits."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
At least she had his attention. Now she'd try to talk her way out of this. "On a farm, it takes more work than just planting the seed for the fruit to blossom. You worked hard to be a boss at the FBI. You earned a pension to retire on. You have to have a plan."
"I do."
Smith opened the door to an unfinished apartment. The wind rattled plastic sheets that were taped onto walls.
He stilled for a moment as the door behind them to the apartment creaked shut. She was inside this empty place with no windows. He locked the door behind them, and the image of falling to her death played in her mind. She had to keep talking. It was her only option. "What is it? It can't be better than government security."
He grabbed the handcuffs and dragged her to a machine used in construction. He tied her cuffed hands with the rubbery material. "My partner in this intends to leave the country and if I help her, then I get a one-time settlement that pays for all my expenses the rest of my life."
