From Manhattan with Revenge (The Fourth Book in the Fifth Avenue Series) by Christopher Smith Page B

give you the satisfaction of seeing me squirm? It’s not going to happen. And
frankly, at this point in my life, when I’ve been beaten up in ways you can’t
imagine judging by your flashy cars, your nice suit, and your expensive shoes,
it’s not worth it.”
    “What isn’t worth it?”
    “Life isn’t worth it.”
    “That isn’t true.”
    “Oh, please. So, now you’re going to
lecture me on the value of life when you’re about to take mine from me? That’s
classic, man. That’s genius.”
    “I also came from nothing,” he said.
    “And look what that did for you. It shaped
you into the terrific person you are today. Are you proud of how you turned
out? Would your parents be proud about what you’re about to do? What you’ve
probably already done a hundred times in your life?”
    “None of this is personal, Chloe, so stop
behaving as if it is.”
    “Are you fucking kidding me? My life is on
the line. It doesn’t get more personal than that, dude.”
    “You’re just the lure. That’s all.”
    “Bullshit.”
    It had been years since anyone stood up to
him like this. Usually, when he put someone in her situation, they were filled
will pleas, apologies, empty promises, and tears. They begged until they ran
out of words. They cried and they shouted and they asked for another chance.
But not this one. This one was pissed off, and it came from a place of not
caring because of the life she’d been dealt. She confused him and she intrigued
him.
    He came around and faced her. “We’re going
to do something, Chloe.”
    “Really? What’s that?”
    “You’re going to talk directly into that
camera. Then I’m going to send the video file to Carmen. Please don’t trust my
patience and tell her that you’re in a warehouse. We’ll just end up doing it
again and again until you get it right. If you refuse, your friend Roid Boy, as
you called him, won’t make things pleasant for you. You’re a smart girl. Just
tell her that you’re frightened and that you need her help.”
    “But I’m not frightened. I told you that.
I fully expect to die here.”
    “Then act frightened.”
    “This isn’t about me,” she said. “I’m the
lure, remember? You’re trying to get to Carmen. Why?”
    It hardly mattered if she knew, because in
spite of the fact that he admired her spunk, he still was going to kill her
because she’d seen his face and could identify him. “Carmen was involved with a
man named Alex Williams. Did she tell you about him?”
    “She didn’t.”
    “Do you know she’s an assassin?”
    “That’s a lie.”
    “Actually, it isn’t. But she loves you, so
try to forgive her. It’ll be tough, I know. But you’ll manage.”
    He watched Chloe’s face turn to stone.
Finally, he touched a nerve.
    “Anyway, her lover found out information
about my organization and probably told her. So we must get rid of her.   We think she now has enough information
to compromise us, which is why we targeted each for elimination.”
    “Who is we ?”
    “The syndicate.”
    “What’s that?”
    “A group of people like me.”
    “There are more people like you?”
    “The world is filled with people like me.”
    “And who are you?”
    “Someone who will go to any length to get
what he wants.”
    “When is enough enough?”
    “There never is enough. Not for any of
us.”
    “Why?”
    “Because that’s not how we work. We want
it all, regardless of how we go about getting it. We’re no better than any
government or political leader, so don’t judge us.”
    “Like you did my cheap shoes?”
    “Sorry about that.”
    “Whatever.” She paused. “You know, it’s
kind of pathetic that you justify your actions by comparing yourselves to what
likely are corrupt leaders and governments. It’s laughable. You’ve got to see
that. The keyword is corrupt .”
    “What I need to see from you right now is
a performance. You’re going to look into this camera, you’re going to put on
your ‘terrified’