Chapter 14: The Evil Villain Speech
The scariest moment of my life would probably be when I was thirteen years old.
Forget the car, just run!
I came home one day from school to find the police at my door, waiting for me.
You've outran an exploding building, you can make it to the house in ten minutes!
When they told me the news, it didn't register with me at first.
Five minutes left!
How would you take it if you were just told your parents were killed in a car crash?
I'm coming Jane!
I refuse to lose anyone else.
I slam into the front door of my house, taking it with me as I burst into my living room. The first thing I see is Jane, tied to one of the chairs and flanked by two goons in suits. Malcolm sits on the couch, watching me pant from exhaustion. Another guy in a suit stands behind Malcolm, eyeing me.
"Huh," Malcolm checks his watch. "With a minute to spare. I'm impressed, Ed."
"Let Jane out of that chair right now." I demand, seething with rage.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Ed." Malcolm says. He snaps his fingers and one of the goons next to Jane pulls out a gun, pointing it at her head. The guy behind Malcolm takes his gun out and points it at me. "Would you like to sit down? I insist."
Begrudgingly, I drop the broken door and sit down in the chair across Malcolm.
"You didn't think I'd leave my office door unlocked on purpose, did you Ed?" He says, chuckling. "I wouldn't be head of security if I had that kind of bad habit."
"You let me get into your office," I realize. "And then you let me look at the hit notice on your computer."
Malcolm claps his hands, "And here I was thinking you just hit people. You DO have a brain!"
I look over at Jane and see her staring icily at Malcolm. Malcolm looks at her and then back to me, his smile never leaving his face.
"No need to worry about her, Ed, she'll be fine," he says. "You'll both be right as rain as you follow my instructions."
"Which are?"
Malcolm shrugs. "To stay here. Relax. Have a glass of wine."
"Ignore the guys pointing guns at our heads."
"They're here for insurance," Malcolm points out. "I can't have you being the hero you're trying to make yourself out to be when I'm so close to being finished with my job."
He gets up from the couch and starts to pace around my living room. "Temper Industries was a onetime deal, I hope you understand that. Blowing up buildings isn't something that I like to brag about…certainly wouldn't brag about the money that I lost in that little business either."
"So this is all for money? I thought you were more of a complicated person," I joke.
"When is it ever not about money?" Malcolm asks. "Heh. If it was up to me, I would've bought the first ticket out of this damn city, but I needed the money to disappear. And I will in-"
He checks his watch.
"-twenty minutes. Give or take the ride there."
"Ride where?" Jane says from the chair, speaking for the first time.
"Your dad's house," I tell her. "He's going to kill Danton Pierce and your parents and leave with a trunk full of money and no worries about the police. That about right, Malcolm?"
"Spot on," he acknowledges, giving Jane a knowing smile. "My condolences by the way. It's just business, I hope you understand."
"Burn in Hell."
"I plan to tan, not burn," he jokes, walking towards the doorway. "These men have orders to keep you here until I call. Until then, expect a bullet if you even so much as try to escape."
He looks back at me and winks. "Have a good night, Ed."
With that, he leaves the house and I hear him pull off from the driveway.
"So," the goon with the gun pointed at me speaks for the first time. "We gonna have any problems?"
You have no idea.
To be continued
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