Page 67 of Vicious Sabotage

Her phone was tucked in her back pocket. How could she get it out and press that panic button on the security app without them noticing?

What kind of fee would Smythe tack on for shooting him?

She moved behind the desk, pushing the chair aside to reach the poster. She attempted to twist, reaching for her back pocket.

“You don’t need your phone to open the safe, Livia.”

Her gut clenched. Dammit, Smythe had seen what she was doing.

She cast him a long look. “Actually, I do. I have the combination stored in my phone.”

His brows drew together as he sized her up. “Fine. But don’t try anything. Your boyfriend’s life depends on it.”

The thug sniggered as if he knew something that she didn’t.

Nausea rose in her throat as she took out her phone and swung to face the poster. Using her body to shield her activity on her phone, she pulled up the security app and pressed the yellow panic button in the top corner.

Nothing happened.

No sirens wailed. No SWAT team broke down Badlands’ door.

With shaky hands, she pocketed her phone and pulled the poster off the wall, revealing the small safe. She knew the combination by heart. She also knew there wasn’t much inside besides a few hundred bucks and some documents.

She had to buy some time. Surely that panic button did something. Right?

“Are you stalling, Livia?” Smythe’s low purr sent her into panic mode.

Her hands shook more. “You’re making me nervous.”

“Or you know that I’m not going to be happy once you open that safe. Is that right?”

She stared at the cold steel dial until her eyes blurred with tears. His frigid voice iced over her heart with terror as Smythe turned to the thug and nodded in the direction of the stockroom.

“You know what to do.”

Chapter Fifteen

Oh god. Badlands had never been so quiet.

Carver must be dead.

And she was destroyed.

She had to do something to make this stop.

She fumbled with the combination lock and whipped the door open. She started pulling out money, which looked like a lot but was really bundles of ones and fives.

Stacking it on the desk behind her, helpless tears began leaking from the corners of her eyes. She didn’t even care that sobs blazed up her throat and burst out of her like small bombs going off.

She cared about Carver, and she was heartbroken that these bastards had hurt him—or worse.

When she had all the cash on the desk, she spun to face Smythe and his thug. “I’ll pay you anything. I can get more.”

A sudden exploding sound from somewhere in the bar jerked both men into action.

A scream gathered in Livia’s throat, and she ran out of the office after them. Men were pouring into Badlands. Huge men with weapons.

Navy SEALs.

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