CHAPTER 39
MELANIE
I WATCHED IDLY AS THE MAN SLOWLY INCHED TOWARDS NEVILLE.
I already knew this was going to end badly, even before Neville set eyes on him. He’d scraped back his hair when he’d stood up, and he was not as quiet as he thought. Neville sensed him and turned around.
The man lunged towards him and he quickly fired two rounds into his legs like I’d earlier hoped. He crumpled to the floor and screamed in a very unmanly way. Everyone in the room gasped and started to talk over each other but under it all I heard someone snort out laughter.
I traced it and my eyes landed on a girl whose seat was next to his. She had a small streak of blue in her black hair and was currently holding a hand to her mouth trying to stifle laughter. From our seating arrangements, I deduced she was his
assistant.
I decided I liked her. Our eyes met and I raised a brow. She shrugged, mouthing “He was, a dipshit anyway” and we shared a smile. I barely knew him, but I couldn’t agree more.
“Quiet. Quiet!” Neville yelled, wiping a hand over his face. I squinted a little; was he….crying? He was shifting even more than before and constantly wiping his face. The room gradually fell silent and even those who’d remained calm previously were now staring in wide–eyed terror.
“I just wanted the torture to end. If any of you were treated like I’ve been, you would do the same.”
I cut in by raising my hand even as Jordan whispered “What the hell are you doing?”
When I had Neville’s attention I smiled, “Actually, I wouldn’t have done the same.” There were murmurs of agreement before I continued. “I would’ve videotaped his depraved acts, blackmailed the shit out of him for years and when I got tired of toying with him I’d leak his business secrets to a worthy competitor and watch his company crumple to the ground until it was dust. If that failed I’d just toss a bomb in his office, plant a known terrorist group’s mark all over the scene and be near enough to get injured but not blown sky high like him then act confused when the police ask questions. I can cry on
command.” I added in the silence.
Nobody was agreeing with me now. They were staring at me with the same wide–eyed terror and at Jordan too, probably wondering where he’d found such a psychopath or whether I was blackmailing him too. Even the man on the floor had paused his groaning and was staring. Neville had stopped crying and was staring at his gun like he was reconsidering his
actions.
Blue Streak shot me an amused grin and a thumbs up that I assumed meant “You go, girl” and Jordan leaned toward me “Remind me to not get on your bad side,” He murmured, sounding amused.
“Oh, you already have. Multiple times” I shot back, staring straight ahead.
“Oh I’m so sorry. How rude of me. Go on, you were saying something” I gave Neville an encouraging nod. He stumbled over his words for a moment- I seem to have that effect on people- then found himself.
“Yes. As I was saying. The majority of you would’ve done the same. I wasn’t going to harm any of you, but look what you made me do. Now the only people that are going to leave this room alive are me, my pig of a boss Marcel, and that beautifully talented girl over there” he pointed at me as he said this and I preened a little.
“As for the rest of you..” he trailed off and cocked his gun, eliciting screams of terror. Well, this had taken a turn I didn’t anticipate. I’d thought he was too much of a wuss to see this through, but it felt nice to be proved wrong.
Okay, probably not the best thing to say seeing as lives were at stake, but Neville was an inspiration to all other people with wussy names who were afraid to stand up for themselves. I mean, they’d probably be better off taking the case to court but a win was a win.
Over the shouts and screams and Neville ordering everyone to sit and be quiet, a new sound arose. I cocked my head to listen; it sounded like it came from outside.
The conference room didn’t have big widows but it had a huge skylight so, as the sound got louder and louder I craned my neck upwards until I saw the helicopter with the door open and two men, one with a megaphone and the other with a camera, hanging halfway out of the open door.
I quickly ducked my head. Shit. Somehow the police and the media had gotten wind of the incident, and this was most
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CHAPTER 39
kely streaming live. If someone catches a glimpse of my face and manages to identify me…
Tordan, who’d been sitting there cool as a cucumber- an expression I didn’t get. What made cucumbers so cool? They were disgusting- raised an eyebrow at me in an unspoken question and I shifted my eyes to the skylight and cameraman, hoping he got it.
He looked up, saw them and looked back at me as comprehension dawned in his eyes.
Blue Streak, who’d somehow managed to move closer to me during the confusion until she was seated on my other side, whispered “Hi. You look like you can kick ass. Aren’t you going to do anything?“. Her voice was lighter than I’d expected.
I just stared at her “Excuse me? You heard him say I’m walking out here alive. Why should I stick my neck out for people I
don’t know?”
Her eyes shifted to Jordan and she gave him the once–over “Even for your ridiculously hot boss?” she asked.
I gave him a quick glance and shrugged “He’s a big guy. He can take care of himself.” Even as I said it something occurred to me. I swiveled to face him “Wait. You’ve had your phone all this while. Why haven’t you called for help?” I demanded.
He gave me a half shrug “I wanted to see how it would play out. It was quite refreshing to see Barrymore shot at three times and scream like a banshee when two hit. Now I know all that talk at the club every Friday was just drunken bluster. I pray he lives. He needed to be taken down a few notches, but not killed.”
“Oooh, he talks sexy too. I’m Allie by the way.” She stuck her hand out to him for a shake even as a woman ran screaming by. “Under different circumstances, I would’ve flirted until I got your number, but we’re kind of facing impending death here so…” she ended her rant with a tiny shrug. I smirked at her bluntness before returning to the matter at hand. “Aren’t you going to do anything?” I asked Jordan.
He sighed like the weight of the world was upon him “Since he’s threatened my life, which is very important to me, and that of charming Allie here, I might as well.” With that, he smoothed down the front of his jacket again, rose and began to walk at a normal pace towards our gun–slinging captor.
Neville saw him coming and fired off a shot in warning which kept everyone contained again “D..Don’t come any closer” he said but Jordan just kept walking.
I stopped breathing, watching what happened next as if in slow motion. Neville lowered the gun until it was pointing directly at Jordan and closed his eyes as he fired.
