Page 88 of Don't Let Go

“Thank you,” I said.

“I didn’t mean it as a compliment.”

“Too bad,” I retorted. “I’m tired, Boxer. You have three seconds to tell me what you want or I’m cutting the line.”

“Goddamn.”

“Three,” I said, hitting two keys to shut the system down and then turning to open the door. “Two.”

“You were right, about trusting the gut. If they were hinky, I should have said no. I didn’t say no.”

I stopped, but the locks were already disengaging.

“And I’m sorry, I really should have listened to you.”

I frowned. Ice slid up my spine. “What did you do?”

“I had no choice. It was do the job or die. So… I did the job.”

The door shoved inwards abruptly and there were men swarming toward me.

“I gave them you…” I didn’t hear the rest of what he was saying as a fist caught me right in the stomach. I jerked away, yanking the headset cord from the phone and sending the device tumbling.

Another man grabbed me from behind and a bag came over my head. I didn’t stop fighting. I just needed another foot. I jabbed my elbow back into the man’s crotch and lurched forward.

The killswitch was on the wall. I hit it. And the drives in my main machine fried. It wouldn’t kill the backups but they would have to find those.

Then my head was knocked against the wall and the world went gray and fuzzy. The next time I woke up, I was in the back of a truck, bound, gagged, and a bag over my head.

I groaned.

A mistake, because something icy cold touched me and voltage cascaded through my body.

The next time I woke, it was dark but I wasn’t alone. Hands grabbed at me. Pinching. Pushing. Pain.

Then I was out again.

I woke up in the room with Shaggy and Mr. Cold. Mr. Cold did nothing when Shaggy started putting his cigarettes out on me. To be fair, I didn’t either.

Pain and I had become fast acquaintances.

The world swayed in and out of focus. I couldn’t move and my tongue felt too large for my mouth. But I couldn’t even manage to get any spit to form.

“We need her alive for answers,” a cool voice said. Not Mr. Cold. This voice wasn’t devoid of all emotion. If anything, they soundedannoyed. “Explain to me how your enhanced interrogation is getting us what we need.”

“It takes time,” Shaggy said. “You didn’t tell us she was trained to resist interrogation.”

The sound of flesh colliding with flesh echoed around me. I tried to get my eyes to open but they weren’t listening. Another blow landed and something damp hit my face.

“Take it easy,” Mr. Cold said. “He’s an asshole, but he’s an effective asshole.”

“When I want your opinion, Sergeant. I’ll give it to you.” The newcomer was furious. “We are on a clock. We need the information recovered or positively identified as destroyed. Then you can clean up the rest of Cartwright’s mess.”

Cartwright.

Marty…

They wanted the data.

---