“You move, you die,” said the voice behind her. She could feel the cold tip of the blade at the back of her neck.
“And how am I supposed to hand you the bag if I don’t move,” said Sadie. She felt the nerves kick in, her stomach quivering, and turned to stare at the man she despised more than anything in her life.
“You’re looking good, Sadie. Still got those fabulous tits, I see,” he smirked, staring at her sweater.
“You’re disgusting. Everything about you is disgusting. I have loathed myself for ever touching you, for trusting you.”
“I don’t really give a damn. Where’s my money?”
“Where’s the crown?” she asked.
Kneeling on the marble floor, he opened the bag and pulled out a black velvet pouch. He carefully folded back the corners, the gleaming gold shimmering in the light. Nodding, Sadie knelt down and opened her bag, showing him the ten million dollars.
Reaching inside, he ran his fingers over the bills and then nodded. The rest of the bag was a simple mirage created by the team at G.R.I.P. Even if he ran, he’d only have about a thousand dollars.
“I thought for sure you’d trick me,” he said. “I never thought Sadie Jordan would be smart enough or stupid enough to bring ten million dollars to a man that tried to kill her.”
Sadie stared at him, frowning.
“Oh, you didn’t know?” he proclaimed innocently. “I asked Provost to cast the spell on you. I’d known she was a Bruha for a long time. That bitch knew how to make people miserable, so I thought I’d make you miserable as well. I didn’t know you were pregnant, but that was a positive side note. I just didn’t know you’d miss me so much.”
“Get over yourself, Davis. I never missed you, and I damn sure wasn’t surprised you’d try to kill me. After all, it’s what weak men do. Kill those that can stop them.” She started to grab the bag with the crown, and he gripped her wrist.
“Not so fast,” he smiled.
“You have your money, Davis. I have the crown. That was the deal. Now go crawl into your damp, dark hole and never come near me again.”
“No, I think we’re going to have a little fun.” He gripped her arm, pulling her toward the entrance to the next exhibit.
“Davis, stop. We had a deal, and you have your money. Let me go.” She tried to pull free, tried to kick out, but he was still stronger than her. She knew the others were there, but it didn’t help her control her fear. The knife was strapped to her back, but she couldn’t reach it.
Wrapping his fist around her braided hair, he started to pull her to the next room, but she lashed out, swinging her bag at him.
“Stop fucking with me!” he growled.
“Why don’t you stop fucking with her?” said Ham.
Davis pulled on her braid harder, yanking her head backwards. He placed her in front of him, her height providing excellent coverage from oncoming bullets. Slinging the bags over his shoulder, he touched the knife to her neck.
Slowly, like rats crawling from a sinking ship, the room filled with men.
“Lying fucking bitch!” he growled in her ear.
“I hardly think you can throw stones,” she said calmly. Sadie smiled at Ham, giving him a wink to assure him that she was okay.
“Let her go, Davis. You won’t leave this building alive.” Ham stood stock still, his right hand calmly feeling for the hilt of the knife that Trak gave him.
“I let her go, you all kill me. Or worse, you actually think you’re going to take me in. I’m not as stupid as she believes. You ruined everything for me. Everything! I would have controlled the oil production in all of Southeast Asia. No one would have stopped me.”
“You’re mad,” said Ham. “You would have never gotten far enough to actually drill. The controlling organizations wouldn’t have allowed for it. You would have never gotten that far. My question for you is, why take the idols and try to destroy them. Why go to all the trouble of destroying the coral?”
Davis smirked at the man, watching as more than a dozen men slowly surrounded him. All had weapons, all were larger than him, and all had bloodlust in their eyes. The room behind him was his only way out.
“I did it because I could. Those fucking islanders refused to tell me anything about their idols and customs. They kept trying to get me to dive into the waters and see the coral. ‘Look at the pretty coral.’ What the hell did I care? I didn’t give a shit.”
“So, you decided that putting blue asbestos in a pouch was the right thing to do?” asked Ham.
“That’s right, but I was smart enough to not touch it. I made sure one of my men did it. If anyone went down and found it, they’d touch it and die as well. The islanders would think the gods were angry with them, and I could begin to perpetuate the myth that they were angry because they wouldn’t allow me to drill. Now, every time they dive down there, they’ll think of me.” The men in the room chuckled, shaking their heads. “Why are you laughing?”
