Page 145 of Taste of Addiction

Mark Tanner steps out, an evil smirk plastered on his face. “Penny was the one who got away,” he says with a tone laced with nostalgia. “Our attraction toward one another was obvious. I was helping her with her modeling endeavors. Some girls just want to be famous, but when the spotlight is on them, they get stage fright.” His eye winks. “She needed to be loosened up.”

I snarl. “You are evil.”

“Now, now, sweet Angie. Calm down. If I’d known how much trouble Penny would eventually cause me in the form of her big brother, I would have at least made it worth my while and raped her when I had the chance.”

“Sick bastard.” I dart forward, but Paul pulls me back, tucking me slightly behind his body. So, Penny wasn’t raped. I should feel more relief, but it’s hard when I don’t know whether or not I will make it out of this alive to tell her the truth.

“Always so noble, Paul,” Mark snickers.

“You’re going to get caught.” I feel dizzy from all the blood I am losing. “Youarecaught.”

“I have a backup plan,” Dr. Williams says confidently.

“And what’s that?”

He smirks. “I figure I can tell you since you aren’t making it out of here alive.”

“Then tell me, dammit!”

Dr. Williams shakes the barrel of his gun in the air back and forth, warning me who has the upper hand here. “I just need Graham and his posse to get here so I can knock everything out in one go. I am efficient like that. Did I tell you we’re going to have some fireworks—extra emphasis on thefire? Oh, and Paul? You had your fun fooling me. Hope you say hello to the devil when I send you to meet him.” He waves his gun around between me and Paul, his hand trembling as if he can’t decide whether to shoot us or wait to execute his original plan.

I glance around the cold and damp hallway. I need to buy time. Time for Nic or Graham to find me—if they are even capable now of doing so. “Where are we?” I’ve already been filled in, but I need to keep Dr. Williams talking so he can lose focus.

“Literally underground,” Mark answers first.

“Decades before River Valley was built, there was a subway that ran under the city. But funding stopped and it never really got completed. Having top secret meetings in an abandoned underground location seems so glamorous, doesn’t it?” Dr. Williams’s eyes twinkle with mirth.

“You both are demented.”

“Thank you,” my former professor says with a smile. “What about you, Paul? Aren’t you going to chitchat with me?”

I glance at Paul who is silent. His eyes are zeroed in on Dr. Williams. “Angie needs medical attention.”

“But why?” he says with a fake frown. “She’s not going tomake itanyway.”

I catch a shadow behind him and see Nic hiding behind the corner. He uses his fingers to count down.

Three.

Two.

One.

Everything happens so fast that my brain can’t keep up. I am pushed hard backward, as Nic flies on top of Dr. Williams. The scuffle knocks me against the cement wall, causing me to crumble to the damp floor. I can hear my own voice yell out in pain, but it’s like I am watching from a dirty window. I struggle to sit up. Gunshots blast through the confined space, echoing in the chambers of my ear drums.

Strong hands pick me up, pulling me away from the scene. My attempt at a scream gets stuck in my throat.

“Angie, it’s me.”

“Caa, caa…” I moan. It’s Collins. He is here to rescue me.

“I’m getting you out of here.”

“Graaaa…!”

I look back as Collins pulls me away, watching as the men fight it out. My heart burns with fear as I see Graham join the scene, brawling with Mark.

And then I see it. Flames. They start at the corner of the room and then ignite through the dampness of the stone floor. How did I not notice it before? The smell. It is gasoline. My clothes reek of it, as well as the entire space.

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