Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 36
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Falling in Public
Chapter 36
Eddie's fingers loosened only slightly when he heard Winston send his guard away. Cuffs or no, Eddie had been determined to do something if that stupid jerk had touched another hair on Holly's head - especially after the way he'd treated her when he brought her on board. From his aisle seat, he'd seen everything, and if he hadn't been tied down that guard would be dead right now. Seeing Holly hit the floor...
He closed his eyes and focused on breathing as he listened to the quiet murmurs coming from the front rows. As the guard stalked past carrying a damp mop, Eddie raised his eyebrows at Natalie, who was tied to the chair beside him. Her cover had been blown the second Winston's staff saw her in the hallway at the airport - she'd already been on the plane when they dragged him in.
Winston rose from his seat and moved out of the way while the guard he'd called Nelson mopped the floor. Holly cried out as the guard moved farther into the row, and Eddie saw red.
"Winston, if you don't do keep your gorilla under control I will," he called, earning a glare from Sean, and a particularly loud yell from Holly as the mop slid toward her again.
"Eddie?!" She called out, a mixture of relief and fear in her raspy voice. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," he said, his wrists straining at the metal bonds. "I--"
"You need to shut up, both of you," Winston interrupted. He glared at Eddie, then tapped Nelson on the shoulder. "That's good enough. You can sit up front while I have a word with our...guests." He waited until the other man closed the front curtain, and then leaned against the seats behind him and folded his arms over his chest. "Now then. It seems like we have a few misunderstandings to clear up."
Holly laughed at that, a bitter, cynical sound that made Eddie want to wrap his arms around her and protect her from anything else.
"You call kidnapping, attempted murder, more kidnapping and torture constitutes a misunderstanding?"
Winston shrugged. "Would it help if I told you none of that was actually supposed to happen?"
"No."
Eddie bit back a smile. That's my girl.
Sean sighed. "Well, it wasn't. All I ever wanted to do was offer you a sweet deal to write a memoir about me - creative non-fiction, I think they call it. After our little scuffle at the bar, I hired Ellison to get the job done, and take care of Pierce while he was at it. I figured after Pierce was gone, you'd write the book, get your money and leave. But you just had to be stubborn...and I'm afraid my people got a little over zealous with the whole project."
"A little over-zealous. Right." Holly didn't sound impressed, and Eddie couldn't keep quiet any longer.
"You can't be serious. All this to strongarm an author into writing you a fictional memoir? Why didn't you just go hire someone to do that? I'm sure there are plenty of authors who--"
"No!" Winston held up both hands, shaking his head. "It had to be her. I had a deal with her agent...she even told me where to find you that night, Holly. We - you, me and Sandra - were going to be very rich and famous, until Pierce took you away from me. All you had to do was have dinner with me. Maybe dance a little. I would have made all your dreams come true."
"It wouldn't have mattered," Holly said, her voice barely loud enoug for Eddie to hear. "I never would have agreed to a project like that. And Sandra knows it. What were you going to do when I refused the first time?"
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 | Ch. 34 | Ch. 35 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 36
Eddie's fingers loosened only slightly when he heard Winston send his guard away. Cuffs or no, Eddie had been determined to do something if that stupid jerk had touched another hair on Holly's head - especially after the way he'd treated her when he brought her on board. From his aisle seat, he'd seen everything, and if he hadn't been tied down that guard would be dead right now. Seeing Holly hit the floor...
He closed his eyes and focused on breathing as he listened to the quiet murmurs coming from the front rows. As the guard stalked past carrying a damp mop, Eddie raised his eyebrows at Natalie, who was tied to the chair beside him. Her cover had been blown the second Winston's staff saw her in the hallway at the airport - she'd already been on the plane when they dragged him in.
Winston rose from his seat and moved out of the way while the guard he'd called Nelson mopped the floor. Holly cried out as the guard moved farther into the row, and Eddie saw red.
"Winston, if you don't do keep your gorilla under control I will," he called, earning a glare from Sean, and a particularly loud yell from Holly as the mop slid toward her again.
"Eddie?!" She called out, a mixture of relief and fear in her raspy voice. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," he said, his wrists straining at the metal bonds. "I--"
"You need to shut up, both of you," Winston interrupted. He glared at Eddie, then tapped Nelson on the shoulder. "That's good enough. You can sit up front while I have a word with our...guests." He waited until the other man closed the front curtain, and then leaned against the seats behind him and folded his arms over his chest. "Now then. It seems like we have a few misunderstandings to clear up."
Holly laughed at that, a bitter, cynical sound that made Eddie want to wrap his arms around her and protect her from anything else.
"You call kidnapping, attempted murder, more kidnapping and torture constitutes a misunderstanding?"
Winston shrugged. "Would it help if I told you none of that was actually supposed to happen?"
"No."
Eddie bit back a smile. That's my girl.
Sean sighed. "Well, it wasn't. All I ever wanted to do was offer you a sweet deal to write a memoir about me - creative non-fiction, I think they call it. After our little scuffle at the bar, I hired Ellison to get the job done, and take care of Pierce while he was at it. I figured after Pierce was gone, you'd write the book, get your money and leave. But you just had to be stubborn...and I'm afraid my people got a little over zealous with the whole project."
"A little over-zealous. Right." Holly didn't sound impressed, and Eddie couldn't keep quiet any longer.
"You can't be serious. All this to strongarm an author into writing you a fictional memoir? Why didn't you just go hire someone to do that? I'm sure there are plenty of authors who--"
"No!" Winston held up both hands, shaking his head. "It had to be her. I had a deal with her agent...she even told me where to find you that night, Holly. We - you, me and Sandra - were going to be very rich and famous, until Pierce took you away from me. All you had to do was have dinner with me. Maybe dance a little. I would have made all your dreams come true."
"It wouldn't have mattered," Holly said, her voice barely loud enoug for Eddie to hear. "I never would have agreed to a project like that. And Sandra knows it. What were you going to do when I refused the first time?"
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