Page 134 of Assassin's Obsession

The only sound at Angelo's end is the loud music blaring in the background. That song isn't on any of the playlists at the club.

"Did you hear me?" Perla demands.

"I heard you begging me to cut off every appendage on your body before I kill you." There's no emotion in Angelo's voice now.

He almost sounds bored.

But the effect on his mother is the opposite of boredom. Her eyes go wide with fear and nothing comes out of her mouth when she tries to talk.

"I think someone is regretting their life's choices right now, stalker angel."

"Stalker angel?" he asks.

"Too much? How about hot stuff? Oh, I know, Iron Man. Because you're my morally gray superhero who actually kills people."

"That would be Deadpool," Angelo says.

My heart settles in my chest because he sounds like himself again. I really don't want to witness him cutting off all his mother's body parts.

"Yeah, no. What about babe? Or my beloved dark angel…but that feels too long."

"Beloved?" he asks, picking that word out of all the others I'm throwing to de-escalate the situation.

Wherever Angelo is, he's on his way to get me. If he weren't he'd have asked where I am. He didn't because he already knows and I'm also hoping my little show about endearments will have sidetracked his mother enough not to notice that.

He would also sound more worried. Maybe not for anyone else, but for me?

Definitely.

Shrieking, Perla spins on her heel and storms out of the room. Coming away from the wall, I go to follow her, only to be stopped by a man standing in the doorway.

Leaning around him, I yell, "How do you like stud muffin?"

My guard gently, but firmly pushes me back into the room and then shuts the door in my face. I don't bother banging on it. I got what I wanted, a glimpse of my prison outside the bedroom I'm in.

The hall outside my door is open on one side with a view of the first floor, where I saw a bunch of guys sitting around a table playing cards. Do they really think Angelo won't find me?

They must. Which gives me pause. I'm assuming my phone and whatever tracking app Angelo no doubt has on it got left at the club.

Howishe going to find me? Maybe he didn't ask because he assumes I don't know anything about where I am, which is mostly true.

But he didn't sound worried.

Whether he's coming sooner, or later, I'm not sticking around to see what plans that evil bitch has for me.

She wants to use me as leverage against her son, but she can't do that if I'm not here.

My brief glimpse into the hall told me that this room is at the far end of the hall, away from the stairs.

Even if I could incapacitate Mr. Personality out there, the chances for me making it to the stairs down the open hallway and sneaking out the front door without alerting the guys downstairs are slim to none.

That leaves escape from within the room.

Peering through the window, I'm delighted to see the exposed beam motif from inside extended outside. Suspended by other beams, one runs the length of the eaves. About five feet from the wall of the house and open at the top, it is even with the bottom slope of the roof putting it only a couple of feet above the top of the window.

I don't know if the beams are structural or decorative. They're there and that's all that matters to me. If I can MacGyver some kind of rope, I can try to throw it up and over the beam.

Then I'll shimmy down and run like hell. Dancing the pole has developed my core strength so I could scale the side of a building as long as there's something to hold onto.

---