Driven

by Rebecca Zanetti

  “I did, but not because of a game,” Opal said, kicking him in the back of the shin. “I worked hard to reach my position, and if you were just dead, Henry could concentrate his work elsewhere and return our relationship to status quo. You’re very difficult to kill, you know.” She leaned to the side. “And Henry, don’t think for a second that I forgive you for shooting me.”

  Lassiter blanched. “I didn’t think you’d fight to save Nari at the club. Shooting you was an accident. You know it was,” he said. “I thought to impress you by taking the girl while you were there. But she can fight.”

  Was he somehow dependent upon Opal’s approval? Did the woman understand that? Being nice wasn’t helping. “Yeah, Nari kicked your ass twice,” Angus said.

  Lassiter’s nostrils flared and his face turned a motley red. “She did not. Either way, I guess you get to watch her die. You know how long I can make death take. Just think of the things you’ll get to watch me do.”

  Angus tensed.

  “No,” Opal said, punctuating the word with the barrel pressed to his spine. “Be a good boy, Angus.” She angled to the side again, and her rose perfume filled the air.

  Nari coughed. “Why did you date my father?”

  Opal sighed. “He’s second in command, and I needed some hold on him. Sex is an easy weapon, dear.” She chuckled. “So, Henry? You’ll finish your work here and then leave HDD agents alone? Find another game to play?”

  Lassiter nodded. “Yes. I can live with that.”

  Opal laughed, the sound rough. “Excellent.” She pushed Angus.

  Nari stepped up to the bars again. “How long have you been batshit crazy?”

  Angus subtly shook his head. There was no guarantee Opal wouldn’t just shoot Nari and declare herself the victor over Henry. They were both unstable and psychopathic. He had to diffuse the woman now. “Opal? I called in the entire HDD to your house when you sent that email. Yet nobody was there.”

  “Yes, well, I am the boss. I called in and told everybody to stand down and that you had been taken in by the FBI. I’ll have to figure something out about that when they find your body. I guess the bad guy somehow fooled me.” She hummed. “I’ll work on that.”

  Lassiter puffed up. “He doesn’t die until I’m done with the two women.”

  “This is your domain,” Opal said. “Please wait until I’ve left the premises, however.”

  At least Angus had taken her attention away from Nari. For now.

  “All right,” Opal said. “Nari and Nari’s mom, both step to the back of the cell and sit down so Angus can join you. If either of you makes a move, I’ll shoot him.” The gun looked at home in her hand. “I’m tempted to do so anyway.”

  Lassiter turned and looked at Nari. He licked his lips. “I’ll get my lab ready.”

  * * *

  Nari wrapped her arms around Angus’s waist, her heart thundering in her chest. He was there and solid, and she clung to him for a moment inside the cell.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, kissing her forehead, his cuffed hands between them.

  “Yes.” She stepped back. “This is my mom, Louise.”

  Angus nodded. “Hi.”

  Her mom’s face was pale but stoic. “Hello.”

  Angus looked over his shoulder to where Lassiter was bustling around his lab, humming happily. Opal had gone elsewhere to take care of some phone calls, after making Lassiter promise not to start until she’d said goodbye and left to avoid the screaming. “We’re at the end of a long driveway and nobody will hear us. Chances are this place is soundproofed, too.”

  Nari’s knees wobbled. “Did you see the stun guns?”

  Angus nodded. “Yeah. He can’t stun all three of us at once, but he doesn’t have to open the doors, either.” His gaze darted around.

  Nari couldn’t breathe. “How long do you think we have?”

  He dropped another kiss to her cheek. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out.”

  There wasn’t anything to figure out. Nari swallowed. “No matter what happens—”

  “No,” he said. “Don’t even think it.”

  Nari looked around. She’d already tried with Lassiter, and Opal didn’t seem to care. There was no way to reason with them and there was no way out. “There’s only one solution,” she whispered.

  “What?” Her mom reached down to hold her hand. “What can we do?”

  Nari gulped in air and lifted her face to Angus. “You’re gonna have to kill me.”

  He cocked his head. “Excuse me?”

  She breathed in. “If you do, you win the game. It’ll freak Lassiter out and maybe he’ll open the door.”

  “Or he’ll just shoot me and then torture your mom,” Angus hissed.

  That was a risk they’d have to take. “We don’t have another option.” She grabbed his arm. “Listen. You know this guy better than anybody else. You’re smarter than he is and you already caught him once. We can’t get out with force, and nobody’s coming to rescue us. It’s on you, Angus. You’re going to have to make it look real.” She hated to put that on him, but they were running out of time. Lassiter was lining up his instruments as well as several cigarettes and a blowtorch. She shivered.

  “Damn it,” Angus muttered, his head hanging and his eyelids closing. He inhaled and then slowly exhaled, the muscles in his arms vibrating. Finally he looked up and nodded. “All right. But don’t really die on me.” Without warning, he flipped her around and lifted her by the neck with his hands, turning to face Lassiter. The metal of the cuffs dug into her skin. “Henry? I don’t think the game is going to end the way you think it will.”

  Lassiter paused in sharpening a knife. He turned his head and his eyes blazed blue. “What are you doing?” He tossed the knife on the table and strode toward them, tripping in his haste, but quickly regaining his balance.

  “She’s mine,” Angus said, tightening his grip.

  Nari panicked and grabbed at his hands. Her legs hung free so she could kick back, but she forced herself to dangle.

  Lassiter smiled. “You wouldn’t kill her. Give me a break.”

  Angus tightened his hold even more, and Nari coughed, her breath cut off. She struggled, her legs slipping uselessly against his.

  “No,” her mom cried, grabbing at Angus’s arm.

  Angus dropped Nari and she landed on her feet, wobbling. He roared out and swung, hitting her mom in the face with an elbow. Her mom crashed into the bars and went down.

  Nari turned toward her, and Angus grabbed her again, lifting her up easily. God, he was strong. Tears flowed down her face; she couldn’t see her mom.

  Lassiter laughed, but the humor didn’t reach his eyes. He wrung his hands. “You won’t kill her.”

  “She’s mine,” Angus growled, his voice feral. “I won’t let you touch her. Hurt her. No. If she’s going to die, it’s going to be on my terms.” He shook her, his grip unbreakable. She clawed his hands, and darkness edged in from the outskirts of her vision.

  “No!” Lassiter cried, running past the chairs for one of the Tasers. He rushed forward and pushed the button.

  Nari’s mom jumped up, right in front of them, and took the shock from the Taser. She screamed and her body convulsed. Then she fell.

  “Mom,” Nari whispered, beginning to lose consciousness.

  Lassiter howled and fumbled with the lock, opening the door and rushing in headlong, spittle flying from his mouth. Angus dropped Nari to her feet and kicked Lassiter in his bad leg. The man hissed and flew sideways. Grunting, Angus rushed him and manacled him in a headlock.

  Lassiter punched Angus in the eye and flipped backward.

  Nari wobbled, trying to get breath back into her lungs. Unconsciousness still lingered right at the edges, and she had to suck in air to stay on her feet. Her ears rang, and tears still poured down her face.

  Lassiter pulled a knife from a sheath at his ankle and stabbed at Angus, who jumped back, his hands still cuffed. The two men circled each oth
er, panting and dodging. Lassiter struck, and Angus blocked with his arm, letting the knife slash down his forearm to protect his face. Blood flew across the room.

  Everything came into focus.

  A door opened. “Henry? Do you want dinner first?” Opal came around the corner. Her eyes widened and she reached to the back of her waist.

  Nari screamed and ran full bore at the woman, her head down.

  Opal drew and fired. The bullet whizzed by Nari right before she slammed into Opal with enough force to crash them both into the metal door.

  Angus hissed in pain behind her.

  Nari punched Opal in the face, breaking her nose. Opal slammed both elbows onto Nari’s shoulders, and pain ripped down to her tailbone. Nari grabbed Opal around the neck and then twisted her, putting her in a stranglehold. The woman clawed her nails down Nari’s arm, ripping the skin open. Nari tightened her hold, ignoring the pain. Opal started flopping like a landed trout, sputtering, and then she went limp. Out cold.

  Nari released her, kicking her away.

  Pain lanced through her entire body, but she forced herself to stand and stagger to help Angus. She turned the corner just in time to see Angus, on top of Lassiter, plunge the knife through the serial killer’s neck, impaling the monster to the carpet. Blood coated the blade and his cuffed hands.

  “Angus,” Nari whispered, stumbling toward him. Blood covered the right side of his chest, and she couldn’t tell where he’d been hit.

  “Nari.” He fell to the side, right near her unconscious mother.

  Nari made it to them, falling to her knees and touching both of them.

  Angus coughed. “I need a fucking vacation. I mean, I really do.” His eyelids closed.

  Her mom stirred and rolled over. She shook her head and then put a hand to her temple. “Phone. We need a phone.”

  Nari tried to force herself to stand, but the room swirled around. Just then, the door crashed open, and Wolfe ran in with his gun out and Raider right behind him. “We need an ambulance,” she whispered, trying not to pass out.

  Her dad ran in after them, also armed. He reached them, skidding to his knees. “My girls.” He hugged Nari close and then kissed her mom. “Louise, my love. Are you okay?”

  Her mom nodded and leaned into her husband’s arms. “How did you find us?”

  He kissed her temple. “That walking thing you wear in your bra to count your steps. They tracked the GPS.”

  “Oh.” Her mom’s eyebrows rose. “I forgot all about that.”

  So much for the wrist tracker Nari wanted to buy for her. She struggled to stay conscious and looked at Wolfe and Raider. Their tall forms morphed and darkness edged through her vision. “Opal is in league with Lassiter. She’s the mastermind.” Nari leaned down, making sure Angus was still breathing. “Angus? I love you,” she whispered.

  Then she passed out.

  Chapter Forty

  The last face Angus wanted to see upon waking up in the hospital was Special Agent Tom Rutherford’s. Angus blinked, his arm feeling as if it was caught in a vise. Rutherford ate from a bag of popcorn, leaning against the counter, with Special Agent Fields and Detective Tate Bianchi next to him. Angus coughed. “What are you guys? The three wise men?”

  Tate snorted. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I got shot. Again.” Angus looked around the hospital room. “Where’s Nari?” He began to sit up.

  Tate waved him back down. “She’s getting checked out in another room, but she’s fine. Wolfe and Raider are with her now.”

  Angus winced. “How bad is her neck?”

  Rutherford shook his head. “She’s fine. Just bruised.” He crumpled up the empty bag and tossed it into the trash. “Her mom is fine, too. The doctors are monitoring her heart rate after the electrical blast, but she’s bossing them all around. Seems like a nice lady.”

  Had Rutherford mellowed? “Am I dead?” Angus asked.

  “No.” Fields pulled out a notebook. “However, considering the head of HDD turned out to be a major wack job, we need to get your statement now rather than later. We’ve already gotten statements from Nari and her mom. Your turn.”

  “Wait a minute,” Angus said, pushing a button near the bed to sit all the way up. He looked at the IV stuck in his arm. “Anybody want to catch me up on myself? Just for a second?”

  Tate rolled his dark eyes. “You’re fine. The bullet went right through your shoulder; they just had to stitch you up.”

  Rutherford smiled, his blond hair perfectly in place. “You might need some rehab, but don’t be a wuss. You’re fine, and you caught a serial killer. Dana Mulberry has already written a story, and you’re once again a hero. Yay, you.”

  Angus blinked, trying to keep up and not go right back to sleep. “What about Opal?”

  “Oh, she’s in custody,” Fields said, tapping his pen against the paper. “She’ll be charged and dropped into a hole somewhere far from the HDD. Go ahead and tell us everything so it can be redacted pretty damn quick.”

  Angus sighed and ran through everything that had happened. “How’s Nari’s father?”

  “He seems like a great guy,” Tate said. “He’s hovering over her mom and Nari. Guy used to be a marine.”

  Angus blinked. “I meant Quan Zhang, who’s the second to Opal at the HDD.” He narrowed his gaze at the two agents. “Did you two know that Nari’s biological father was second in command?”

  “Yep,” Fields said. “They have the same name, dude.”

  Had Special Agent Fields just called him “dude”? Angus gave him a look. “I’m aware of that, but the names of the higher-ups aren’t actually on our paychecks, are they? We’re a secret agency for a reason.” Somehow, it was reassuring that Fields and Rutherford had known of Nari’s connection to the leadership in HDD. Not that he was starting to like these guys. Not at all.

  Tate cleared his throat. “Your agency is weird. Who doesn’t know the names of their bosses?”

  Fields shrugged. “Force’s team has never quite been on the inside, and I guess the administrator had a lot to do with that.”

  “Plus, you’re a bunch of screwups,” Rutherford said helpfully. “Now finish with your statement, would you?”

  Angus did so, trying to ignore the pain in his arm. Wait a minute. “Did you jackwads tell them to hold off with the pain meds until after I gave my statement?”

  “Of course,” Rutherford said. “If you’d hurry it up, I’ll call in the nurse.”

  Angus glared at him and then finished his statement, answering questions from all three men until he’d repeated himself about three times. “I’m done. If you want to talk to me again, find my lawyer. Well, find a lawyer.”

  Tate brightened. “Hey. I forgot to tell you. Scott came out of the coma and verified your story. Although I guess it’s all verified now anyway.”

  Angus settled. “Scott is okay?” The weight of the guilt he’d felt over getting his lawyer shot had been stifling. It started to lift.

  “Yeah. He will be, although it might be a long run of recuperation. He’s back, though, and he said to tell you that you’d be receiving a bill.” Tate winced. “I’m glad I won’t see that number.”

  That was a worry for another day.

  “Goodbye,” Angus said pointedly. “Please find Nari and send her in.” He needed to make sure she was all right. The feeling of his hands on her neck would give him nightmares for years, but she’d been correct. The move had made Lassiter open the door.

  The three men took their leave, and soon another walked inside.

  Angus partially sat up. “Deputy Administrator Zhang. How are you?”

  A bandage covered part of Zhang’s forehead and he walked as if his bones hurt. “I am well. How are you?”

  Angus could use a big old dose of painkiller. “I’m fine. Bullet just went right on through.” What were the correct words of sympathy for somebody whose girlfriend had turned out to be a psychotic killer who had just been using him? “Nari was really b
rave and put Opal down, if I remember right.”

  Zhang shuffled his feet. “I was wrong about you, and I apologize.”

  “You were wrong about Nari,” Angus countered evenly. “She’s the one deserving of an apology. For a lot of things.”

  Zhang sighed and looked down. “I know. You’re right.” He breathed in and then met Angus’s gaze. “I don’t know who will be made administrator, but I’d like to reinstate your team, if you’d like to remain employed and working together.”

  Hope filled Angus, along with the persistent pain in his arm. “With full pay for the time we’ve been off?”

  “Yes. Of course.” Zhang touched the bandage on his head and then put his shoulders back, looking more in control than he had when he’d walked inside. “Please take a couple of days, talk to the team, and then let me know. Good job today.” He turned on a polished loafer and exited the room.

  Angus sat back. If Nari didn’t show up soon, he was going looking for her. Where the hell was she?

  * * *

  Nari hugged her mom as she rested on the bed, ordering the doctors around. “Let them do their jobs,” Nari whispered.

  Her dad, his blond hair wavy, sat next to her, patting her hand. “Let her boss everybody. It makes her happy.”

  Nari chuckled. “That was so brave, the way you jumped in front of the Taser, Mom.”

  Her mom grinned. “It was the only way your crazy plan of Angus strangling you was going to work.” She coughed and then laughed. “I was terrified, but I acted well. When Angus threw his arm, I acted like he’d hit me.”

  Nari sighed. “He didn’t connect?”

  “Of course not. I can fake a hit.” She pushed Nari in the arm. “The nurse just told us that he was out of surgery. You should go reassure that boy that he didn’t hurt you. Well, maybe play it a little soft so he stays mellow, but you know what I mean.” She leaned toward her husband. “Nari used the L word. The real L word.”