Page 128 of Implode

“Oh silly, forgetful me,” he laughs. “I almost forgot to tell you the little secret that our sweet Claire has been keeping.” He pauses, and the scream out of Claire’s throat causes me to break. “Should you tell him or should I?”

I hear rustling and then another smack of his hand most likely connecting with her face. I am going to murder him. I quickly change the access code on the back door using the app that is also on Collins’s phone. Maybe if I can trap them inside, he won’t be able to relocate without trying to use another door or breaking a window. Luckily most of the security features I have installed—some known only to Graham and myself—are backed up on emergency power sources.

“Fine, fine,” Dan huffs out a breath. “I’ll tell him.”

“Tell me what, dammit?”

“Our little Claire is toting some precious cargo.”

I stop in my tracks and use my hand to balance me against the wall. “What? You already know she’s pregnant.”

“Oh yeah, you’re right. But she’s carrying around more than just a baby. But I’ll give you a little hint. It goes BOOM.”

My throat dries. “You fucker!”

“She has enough explosives strapped to her to take down this whole building.”

“You bastard,” I snarl.

“Now, now, now,” Dan scolds. “I won’t light her up like a firework unless you make me. Otherwise, it ain’t goin’ to be pretty.”

“I’m going to get you.”

“I hope you do. Fireworks shows are best enjoyed by a crowd. Come and get me.”

32

CLAIRE

“You’re hurting me,” I cry out, as my hair gets pulled viciously from my scalp.

I am afraid to move; I don’t want to set off whatever is strapped to me. Dan forced me into a heavy vest and called it his insurance. The palm of his hand slithers down the side of my face. His eyes now lack the life I used to see when we interacted. It is like the light has dimmed, and he is someone else. I brace myself for his gentleness to be tarnished with an aggressive streak.

BANG!

I flinch and turn my head away from the sound, thinking it is my flesh getting struck—again. But this time it is a gunshot.

Dan’s chuckle causes tears to pour from my eyes, as he wrenches my arm to tug me along. “Get ready,” he says maniacally. “It’s goin’ to be showtime. But know for sure we are in this together. We will either leave together or there’s going to be an epic murder-suicide. You choose.”

If I wasn’t carrying a baby I am desperately trying to protect, I would fight. I would claw and hit and spit and run, because dying sounds better than being Dan’s whore.

“Your boy toy is pretty slick and made a last-minute change in the code for this door. Maybe he’s not so stupid after all.” Dan takes the barrel of his pistol that he just used to try to blow through the lock and rubs it down my face, making me jerk from the heat.

I scream out in agony. Dan cups my cheek and leans in closer, trailing his nasty tongue along the burn line. I take a few deep breaths. I can’t panic. I need to survive this.

“Why are you doing this to me?” I ask. I’m living in a nightmare that I am unable to wake up from. I have a demonic madman using me as leverage to execute his revenge plan.

“Nic Hoffman stole my life when he decided to come work here. I was in line for a promotion and would have been top dog if it wasn’t for him. So what better way to get revenge on the man who took my life than in return taking his?”

“We aren’t even together. This baby isn’t his. It’s my ex’s.”

“Ha, you’re a horrible liar. I’ve been watching the two of you together since you started working here. You can’t keep flipping the switch like you would a light, Claire. Nic showed too many of his cards when he made it clear to the security guards assigned to work the lobby entrance that if they touched you or disrespected you in any way, they would no longer have a job in security anywhere on the West Coast. Most people here just assumed it was because you’re the big boss’s fiancée’s best friend. But I knew better. No man gets that jazzed up unless there are feelings involved. So, as Nic kept tabs on you, I kept tabs on him. Studied his movements. Predicted his next steps. I got him to distrust his right-hand man, Tyler, who I set up to make it look like he was accepting bribes. It was so easy to get your man to doubt those who would have otherwise caught on to my plan before I could execute it. Good thing I used Nic’s paranoia and obsession for you against him. Oh, and the help of some photo editing software to make Tyler look like the mole—instead of me.”

“Youare obsessed,” I grind out. “A real sicko.”

“It didn’t have to be this way. I almost got what I wanted to achieve through Tara.”

“What? How does freaking Tara fit in?”

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