"You're awake."
The male voice of the man in the foyer. He must have been sitting and watching her. Her mind raced. She knew his name. The words escaped her until she remembered the words ‘Agent Smith.’ That was it. She hadn't known he was the agent of death. "Aren't you one of the good guys who work for the FBI?"
"The lines got blurred the day we let people like your boyfriend in."
The best weapon she had right now was to humanize herself and keep talking. The car rumbled. "Why? He sought justice."
The rapid turn of the wheel sent the car in a spin. Black spots formed in her eyes. Then the car came to a complete stop. In a reflex her head hit the glass, and she saw stars.
Smith threw open her door and grabbed her hair. She was dizzy, but the place looked familiar. As they walked to an elevator in the parking lot, her heart raced but she recognized where she was. This was her new condo building.
He pressed the button to the top floor as he dragged her along. The building had just been finished yesterday. It was brand new. Her mind swirled with information as her stomach tightened.
She breathed in, but every inhale was pained. She licked her dry lips and tried to speak. At first no words came out, but finally she had the courage to continue and said, "Please let me go."
"Your boyfriend deserves to be punished."
Tears formed in her eyes as the elevator climbed. She backed into the wall as he let her go for the moment and crossed his arms. "Revenge isn't justice. Rich boys like him don't know anything about how the real world works."
If the doors opened, she'd run down the hall to the stairs and make it to the first floor. She held her head up. "So you're punishing him for crossing the lines?"
"I intend to make Morgan pay."
The beep of the floor echoed inside her and Smith's grimy hands grabbed her by the neck as she flinched. "What did he do to you?"
"He breathes and thought he was my equal."
Smith dragged her down the hall, close to the stairwell. The penthouse apartment was three feet at most to salvation. "So you hate him enough to destroy your career?"
"Yes."
A chill went down her as her chin trembled. "Why would that take over your life?"
"You ask too many questions."
Her limbs shook, but she had to keep it together. "I grew up on a farm where everything we do is grounded and made in an effort to grow the right fruits."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
At least she had his attention. Now she'd try to talk her way out of this. "On a farm, it takes more work than just planting the seed for the fruit to blossom. You worked hard to be a boss at the FBI. You earned a pension to retire on. You have to have a plan."
"I do."
Smith opened the door to an unfinished apartment. The wind rattled plastic sheets that were taped onto walls.
He stilled for a moment as the door behind them to the apartment creaked shut. She was inside this empty place with no windows. He locked the door behind them, and the image of falling to her death played in her mind. She had to keep talking. It was her only option. "What is it? It can't be better than government security."
He grabbed the handcuffs and dragged her to a machine used in construction. He tied her cuffed hands with the rubbery material. "My partner in this intends to leave the country and if I help her, then I get a one-time settlement that pays for all my expenses the rest of my life."
The rubber pressed deeper into her skin than the cuffs, and she cringed as he tied her tight. Then he unhooked the cuffs and stuffed them in his pocket.
Without a word he hit a button on a huge machine and her hands went into the air. "So if you kill me then you get to retire right now. That's the plan?"
"Basically."
The machine continued to lift her. As her feet rose in the air, she squealed. Then he hit another button. He planned to drop her to her death. Her heart raced. She was running out of time. "Are you waiting to trap John too?"
"That's plan A. Plan B is to kill you and let him find your dead body."
Okay… he meant to lure John here. There might be time. "I'm not that important to him. He'll get over me in a second."
"Now that is a lie."
The wind outside rattled the plastic wraps. Her voice sounded shrill and she blinked uncontrollably. "It's the truth. He has so many women. I seriously doubt he'd care if I died."
With one punch, he knocked the plastic so it flapped outside. The rustling of the wrap sent a chill down her spine. "He said he'd marry you."
Her limbs shook, but the rubber tie kept her in place. "How would you know he said that? And I don't take that serious so you shouldn't either."
"I've never heard him on the phone with another woman, saying those words."
"He didn't say that on the phone."
"Are you with him twenty-four hours a day to know what he says to who?"
Of course the FBI had tapped their line. She pleaded with him. "It's a joke. He doesn't truly care."
"You're the one who's delusional. Now be brave."
He hit another button on that machine and she felt herself swing outside. "Where are you going?"
"To the spot where we planned your death. It's going to be a long way down."
The wind slapped her in the face as she dangled high above the ground. Her heart thundered. "Plan A requires John to be here, remember."
"We'll just let you hang until he is."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm busy."
Footsteps echoed in her ears. She swallowed and opened her eyes. There was no escape. She was trapped. It might be better to close her eyes and just let herself die. The rapidness of her heart might be a kinder death than a fall. It had better not be John falling for a trap.
The wind knocked the rubber ties that held her and her feet swung.
Chapter Thirty
Alone, Alice refused to look down as the wind swung her in the air. Hyperventilation hadn't helped her racing pulse. She squeezed her eyes tightly as she prayed. If she was to fall to her death, then it was cruel to hold onto hope. They were on the top floor of her new condo complex. If somehow she lived through this, she'd never step foot in a high rise again.
"You think you can get away with stealing my man."
Her heart hammered in her chest. Jennifer. She swayed which turned her around in the air. Alice kept her eyes closed, but she called out, "Help."
"Why should I help…." Jennifer's voice stopped midsentence, while Alice's heart thrashed in her ears. Then Jennifer called out, "Alice? Is this a joke? What are you doing here?"
Her throat was so dry. She kept her eyes closed as her head swam. "Please get me down."
"How did you get out the window?"
This was a cruel torture. Out of all people to save her, she had not expected Jennifer. She was going to fall to her death any minute. Her body convulsed. "Please, just help me."
"Hold on. Let me figure it out."