Page 70 of Deadly Sacrifice

The impact with the floor had winded Katie—and then Mu was on her, knocking her onto her back. His cuffed hands seized her throat.

She clawed at his wrists, but his grip was like iron. Dark spots swam in her vision. Her lungs heaved vainly as he sat on her chest with his full weight.

"So many months playing with me," he whispered, voice eerily calm. “This is a better end than I ever pictured. The Dark Wizard has you now.”

The Dark Wizard?Katie brought her hands up between his wrists and tried to break the chokehold, but he was squashing her lungs and they burned. The cuffs, once meant to help her, prevented breaking his hold on her throat. The last thing she registered were Mu’s glittering brown eyes and his cold smile as blackness closed around her.

* * *

Katie came to with a gasp.She kept her eyes shut, trying to assess her situation.

She was bent forward but propped against a wall. Her own handcuffs, positioned high and tight behind her, now bound her. She would be unable to do the kind of move Wilkinson had completed to get her hands out in front.

Her body complained from a myriad of pulse points. She was hurt, but not seriously.

She could tell by the sound quality that she was in a different room. He hadn’t gagged her.

Her mind scrambled for what to do next. She had to stall so Lei or the backup she’d called for could reach them.

“I know you’re awake,” Wilkinson said. “I’ll leave you that way for now. You’ve earned it, Violet Steed.”

How did he know her gamer name?

Katie sat up straighter despite the pain in her arms and opened her eyes. “Do I know you?”

“Only as the Dark Wizard. But I’ve known who you were since we started playing the game.” Wilkinson crouched in front of her, far enough to be out of reach of Katie’s unbound legs, damn it. “I like tracking my opponents IRL. Giving them what they deserve from time to time.” He dangled the key, teasing her. “Bet you wish you hadn’t brought those cuffs.”

Beside her, also propped against the wall, Helen stared at Katie with terrified eyes. A gag muffled the woman’s sounds of distress. Her arms and torso were bound with plant fiber cords. Tears and snot streaked her face.

Katie directed her attention at Wilkinson. She batted her lashes and infused her voice with faux admiration. “Wow. You surprised me, Dark Wizard Mu. It takes a lot to surprise me, let alone beat me—at Worlds of Magic, or anything else. What was all that Hawaiiana stuff about? A smokescreen?”

“I was making a statement on behalf of the Hawaiian people. They’ve been ill-used by developers.” Wilkinson pocketed the handcuff key; Katie spotted her Glock tucked in the waistband of his black jeans. He turned and opened a large plastic gun case. Inside, neat coils of the fiber rope were tucked beside a cavity in the foam which held theleiomano. He took out a capped syringe. “And yes, the sacrifices have been a bit of theater as I take what I’ve always wanted and deserved.” He uncapped the syringe and pressed the trigger, expelling a drop of liquid and any bubbles. “You showing up right now is a wrinkle, though. I only planned for my time with Helen, and you probably called for backup, so we need to get on the road.” He addressed Helen. “I would rather not have to carry you out to the van. I’ll offer you the dignity of a choice in the matter. Come with me willingly, or get the drugs now.”

Katie’s presence seemed to have given Helen courage because she kicked her legs, her face going red with rage. Her muffled cries were cursing this time.

“I take that as a ‘no.’ Let’s get rid of some of that attitude—but just enough that you’ll still be able to walk to the van.” Wilkinson approached Helen from the opposite side than Katie, out of reach once again.

With sudden viciousness, he stabbed the syringe into Helen’s hip, depressing it partway. Helen screamed and writhed; the sounds were muffled but painful to hear.

“You’re disgusting,” Katie snarled. “Moo.” She drew out the word to imitate a cow lowing. “Can’t even get with a woman unless she’s tied up and unconscious. What a tool.”

Wilkinson glared at her, moving away to cap the syringe and put it back. “You’re going to regret talking to me like that.”

“What I regret is that I ever thought you might be a worthy adversary.Moooooo.”

“You know what, Violet Steed?” Wilkinson took out theleiomano.“You’re ruining the mood. I’ve paid a high price and waited a long time to be with Helen. You’re a cockblock I don’t need.” He stood up to his full height and threw his shoulders back as if tossing off a garment; he was huge from Katie’s angle.

He loomed over her, sneering. “I don’t have time for more sport.” He drew the Glock with one hand and swung the Hawaiian club with the other. “I’ll give you a choice, like I gave Helen. A bullet or throat-cutting. Which will it be?”

“None of the above.” Wilkinson had slipped up at last and come too close. Katie tightened her abs and lashed out with both legs in a sudden double kick; her combat boots struck the man hard in the kneecap. His leg buckled backward with a satisfying crack.

Wilkinson howled in anguish. The gun discharged, and if Katie hadn’t rolled to the side, she’d have been toast because a bullet plowed into the wall where her head had been.

Katie scissor-kicked next and caught Wilkinson’s legs between hers. Weakened by injury and off-balance, he went down with a crash hard enough to rattle the windows—but he was still armed and flailing at Katie with both gun andleiomanowhen a shout came from the door.

“MPD! Drop your weapons!”

Wilkinson froze for a long moment—then dropped the Glock and the shark-toothed club. The weapons clattered to the floor.

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