The darkness was suffocating; the stench of mildew thick in the air. My head was throbbing, and my wrists were chafed from the zip ties that bound them. I squinted to see more clearly, and I took note of the concrete walls and the single overhead bulb, with no windows.
Classic kidnapping setup. Again.
"She's awake." A voice from the darkness- female, familiar.
The overhead light flickered on, and the brightness stung me. When my vision cleared, I saw her leaning on the corner wall in her cream-colored Chanel suit, looking like the kind of woman who stepped out of the pages of Vogue.
Victoria Sterling.
"What-" My voice came out hoarse. "What are you doing here?"
"Cleaning up loose ends." She drew closer, her heels clicking on the concrete. "Ah," she was right there in front of me. I could see the calculation in her eyes, the complete lack of compassion. "You've been a problem, Katherine. A stubborn, inconvenient problem."
"The hitmen. You hired them."
