We both quiet as the two men and their respective guards approach the steps and start climbing, the metal ringing beneath their weight.
“She’s going to have to come back to the states eventually,” one of them mutters, sounding irritated.
The first person that breaches the entryway is Michael, and I almost laugh when he slides his gun from his holster and po
ints it at me.
Jeff and Gary follow behind, with another one of my men, Baron, taking up the back.
“What is going on here?” Gary exclaims, the two old men pausing and backing up the moment they spot us.
I lift a hand in a hello gesture. “I’ve come to turn myself in, Gary. Why else would I be here?”
“Turn yours—what on earth are you talking about? Who are you?”
“Ah, terribly sorry,” I say, grinning. I reach over to the seat beside me, grab my mask, and hold it over my face. “How about now?”
It’s comical how quickly they pale, and their eyes widen, recognizing my mask from my television appearance.
Tossing it to the side, I tease, “Did you like my presentation? I was really nervous.”
Gary sputters, unsure how to respond. I stand, and they immediately back away, two bumbling idiots that bump into Baron in an attempt to create distance, but the mercenary is like a brick wall.
Jeff turns to Michael, his face now beginning to redden. “Why aren’t you shooting him? Shoot him!”
Michael just stares at him blankly, causing his face to purple. Then, he drops his gun, smiling when Jeff begins to sputter incoherently.
“I see you’ve gotten comfortable behind the smokescreen,” I observe. “Content in shouting demands, and secure with no one ever knowing who you are.”
“Laziness,” Addie tacks on. Her body is relaxed now, and in place of her anxiety-ridden stance, she’s a suave feline, her claws extended and ready to slice some throats open.
The prey becomes the predator.
She’s the most beautiful creature I ever did see.
Gary trains his glare on her, lasers shooting from his eyes, but if he expects that to intimidate her, he’s sadly mistaken.
“And who the hell are you?”
She turns to me, a silly smile on her face. “I really wanted to say something cheesy right there. Your worst nightmare,” she mocks, eyes widened comically as she faces Gary again.
He snarls at her, clearly unamused. I, on the other hand, am smiling like an idiot.
She waves a hand casually. “No, really, I’m the diamond you all are so fond of. I’m kind of offended that you don’t recognize me. Especially because you guys are on my ass so damn much.”
Jeff’s face drops, clarity surfacing now that he realizes who she is.
“Obviously it was Claire’s brilliant idea to go after my parents, but did either of you have anything to do with that, too?” Addie asks, a darkness slithering over her features. Gone is the lighthearted humor.
Gary can’t even hide the sick triumph on his face. Addie catches the look immediately, and without saying anything further, she raises her gun and shoots him directly in the kneecap, face blank.
The old man’s eyes pop, and he instantly collapses in a fit of screams and blood. Jeff bumps into Baron again, sweat gleaming from his receding hairline as he stares down at his partner with an ashen complexion.
“You fucking bitch!” Gary exclaims. Anger licks at my nerves, so I shoot his other knee, eliciting another pained scream from his throat. Michael and Baron shake their heads, staring at the pair like they’re the dumbest people alive.
I’d have to agree.
“Now we’re going to have to carry you out, Gary. You’re such an inconvenience. So, here’s how it’s going to go. You’re going to come with us, and we’re going back to Seattle and to a nice, secluded location where I am going to be tied up and gagged. Maybe I’ll let my girl get a few punches in on me, too. Addie here will be tied up as well, but no one is touching her.”